James Potter (abt. 1729 - 1789)

Born about 1729 in Lower, Tyrone, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 27 Nov 1789 at about age 60 in Greencastle, Antrim Township, Franklin, Pennsylvania, United States

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James Potter was born in Ireland.

Major General James Potter served with Pennsylvania Militia during the American Revolution.

James Potter is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A091609.

Biography

James Potter was of Scots descent, born in County Tyrone, Ireland about 1729. He came to Colonial America with his father, John Potter, in 1741, and the family settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where his father John Potter (c.1705-c.1758) became high sheriff in 1750. His first wife was Elizabeth Cathcart of Philadelphia, and his second wife was Mary Patterson Chambers, daughter of James Patterson of Mifflin County. His daughter Martha was married to Andrew Gregg.^[1] He passed away in 1789.

General Potter was married twice: ^[2]

His first wife, Elizabeth Cathcart, of Philadelphia, by whom a son and a daughter Elizabeth C. His second wife was Mary Patterson Chambers daughter of James Patterson of Mifflin County.

1. Elizabeth C. Potter, married James Poe, of Franklin County.

Second wife, Mrs. Mary Patterson, of Mifflin County, by whom

2. James Potter, " the Judge," who married Mary Brown, of " Brown's Spring," Kishacoquillas Valley, Mifflin County.

3. John Potter, by second wife, died unmarried age 18.

4. Mary Potter, married George Riddles — secondly, William McClelland, of Northumberland County.

5. Martha Potter, married Andrew Gregg (U. S. Senator), of Centre County.

6. Margaret Potter, married Edward Crouch, of " Walnut Hills," Dauphin County. A. B. H. ^[3]

POTTER, James - Revolutionary soldier born in Tyrone Ireland in 1729 died in Centre County Pennsylvania. in November 1789. He came to this country with his father John POTTER in 1741 and the family settled in Cumberland county PA. of which the father became high sheriff in 1750. At the age of twenty five, the son was a lieutenant in the border militia and in 1755 he was a captain under Gen ARMSTRONG in the victorious Kittanning campaign, after ARMSTRONG and POTTER were attached friends. In 1763- 4, he served in the militia as major and lieutenant-colonel. He sympathized ardently with the colonies in their contest with the mother Country, in 1775 was made a colonel and in the following year was a member of the Provincial convention, of which Benjamin FRANKLIN was president. In April 1777, he was made a Brigadier-General of Pennsylvania troops and he remained in almost continuous service until the close of the war. In 1777, with the troops under his command in the counties of Philadelphia Chester and Delaware, he obtained important information for Washington and prevented supplies reaching the enemy. On 11 Dec. while the army under Washington was on its way to Valley Forge, after part of it had crossed Schuylkill at Matson's ford, it was found that the enemy under Cornwallis, were in force on the other side. "They were met", writes Washington "Gen. POTTER, with part of the Pennsylvania Militia, who behaved with great bravery, and gave them every possible opposition, until he was obliged to retreat from their superior numbers." In the spring of 1778 Washington wrote from Valley Forge "If the state of Gen POTTER's affairs will admit of his returning to the army, I shall be exceedingly glad to see him, as his activity and vigilance have been much wanted during the winter". He was chosen a member of the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania in 1780, in 1781 became its vice- president and in 1782 was a candidate for the presidency against John Dickinson, receiving thirty-two votes to Dickinson's forty one. He became a member of the council of censors in 1784 and in 1785, one of the commissioners of rivers and streams. He was a farmer and he left at his death large and valuable landed estate. Much of this text appears to be from Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1877) Vol 1 PP 346-9 https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniamag27penngoog/page/n364/mode/2up

Death and legacy: James Potter died near Greencastle, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in 1789 as the result of a construction injury during a barn raising in Penns Valley. He left Penns Valley and travelled to Greencastle, seeking medical help from his family doctor. His oldest daughter also lived there. He was a resident of Mifflin County at his death, and was one of Pennsylvania's largest landowners. The area of his plantation is now in Centre County. The Potter-Allison Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Several place names in Pennsylvania, such as Potter County and Potters Mills (in Centre County), were given in his honor.

A Pennsylvania Historical Marker near Potters Mills commemorates a Revolutionary-era fort built by General Potter. The marker was erected along State Route 144 in 1947. Its text reads:

Potter's Fort Built 1777 by Gen. James Potter. A stockaded fort refuge for the settlers of the valley region. The site is on the nearby rise.

File Format: jpg. 20170607_154843 Format: jpg. James Potter (General) headstone. Format: htm. Major General James Potter. Format: jpg. James Potter revolutionary war marker.

Daughters of the American Revolution information:

• POTTER, JAMES
• Ancestor #: A091609
• Service: PENNSYLVANIA
• Rank(s): PATRIOTIC SERVICE, MAJOR GENERAL
• Birth: 1729 CO TYRONE IRELAND
• Death: 11-27-1789 ANTRIM TWP FRANKLIN CO PENNSYLVANIA
• Service Source: HEITMAN, HIST REG OF OFFICERS OF THE CONT ARMY DURING THE WAR OF THE REV, 1775-1783, P 449; PA ARCH, 3RD SER, VOL 19, PP 525-526
• Service Description: 1) ALSO COLONEL & BRIGADIER GENERAL IN PENNSYLVANIA MILITIA; (2) SUFFERED DEPREDATION, 1782 (Explanation: Thus, when you see “suffered depredation, 1782” for a patriot in the DAR, the service is due to losses sustained during the war and the exoneration from the state to pay taxes due to the losses.)
• RESIDENCE: Created: 2002-03-27 23:23:55.3, Updated: 2021-10-25 10:38:05.44, By: 1) City: POTTER TWP - County: NORTHUMBERLAND CO - State: PENNSYLVANIA
• SPOUSE (1): ELIZABETH CATHCART; Created: 2002-03-27 23:17:13.16, Updated: 2021-10-25 10:38:05.55, By: 1)
• SPOUSE (2): MARY PATTERSON CHAMBERS; Created: 2002-03-27 23:17:13.16, Updated: 2021-10-25 10:38:05.717, By: 2)
• Child son: JAMES POTTER, [Spouse #] Spouse: [1] MARY BROWN
• Child daughter: MARTHA POTTER, [Spouse #] Spouse: [1] ANDREW GREGG
• Child daughter: ELIZABETH POTTER, [Spouse #] Spouse: [1] HON. JAMES POE

Sources

• https://www.familysearch.org/search/tree/results?q.anyDate.from=1729&q.anyDate.to=1789&q.anyPlace=ireland&q.givenName=james&q.spouseGivenName=%20ELIZABETH%20&q.spouseSurname=CATHCART&q.surname=potter

1. ↑ Notes and Queries Historical and Genealogical, Volume 3 edited by William Henry Egle (google books)
2. ↑ "General James Potter" by A. B. H.; 1877; Publisher: The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 1; Early Journal Content on JSTOR
3. ↑ Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1877) Vol 1 PP 346-9 https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniamag27penngoog/page/n364/mode/2up

• Find A Grave: Memorial #35771023 Browns Mill Presbyterian Cemetery Kauffman, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
• http://cotyroneireland.com/biographies/tyronemenusa.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Potter_(Pennsylvania_politician)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Potter
• Source: S1120633274 Repository: #R1102001526 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=120789476&pid=138 Repository: R1102001526
• Bell, Edmund Hayes. "James Patterson of Conestoga manor and his descendants, compiled". Page 115.
• Jordan, John W. "Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania". 1978. Page 1194.
• Penn Biographies
• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed Date), "Record of James Potter", Ancestor # A091609.
• Heitman, Francis B. "Historical register of officers of the Continental army during the war of the Revolution, April, 1775, to December, 1783". 1893. Page 334.
• Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol V, Pickering-Sumter; Edited by James Grant Wilson and John Fiske; Published by D. Appleton and Co., 1888; Republished by Gale Research Company, 1968; Pgs 89-90;