Potts Family papers

This collection includes materials from Joseph Kirkbride Potts (1789-1960), Mary Potts (1824-1896), Anna Potts (1827-1905), and Elizabeth Potts (1841-1928), and contains materials in five series: “Journals and Diaries,” “Commonplace Books,” “Scrapbook and Photographs,” “Estate of Joseph Potts,” and “Miscellaneous Materials.”

The first series, “Journals and Diaries,” contains four diaries by Mary Potts, respectively dated ca. 1842, 1845-1848, 1868-1869, and 1878-1880. While the diary dated from 1845-1848 is unsigned, internal evidence, such as the writer’s family members and birthday, suggest the writer is Mary Potts. This series also contains three unsigned journals with the following titles and dates: “Diary” (1838), “New England to Canada with Sarah B. Satterthwait” (1877), and one untitled scientific (geological/biological/botany) journal (1879-1881), the last of which appears to have been kept during various trips in and around Philadelphia as well as several places in New York State. The writer appears to be observing or collecting specimens, fossils, etc.

The second series, “Commonplace Books,” contains Anna Potts’s “Book of verse and literary extracts” (undated), Elizabeth Potts’s “Song Book” (undated), Mary Potts’s “Commonplace Book of Prose and Poetry, Notes, and Extracts” (1849), and an unsigned memorandum book (circa 1840s), the last of which contains descriptions of those who were at an 1837 Quaker meeting, as well as some pages of verse, songs, general writing, etc.

The third series, “Scrapbook and Photographs,” contains a scrapbook, an undated photograph album, as well as other various daguerreotypes and carte-de-visites. The scrapbook, dated from 1829 to 1864, contains letters, sermons, photographs, illustrations, and verse; the creator is unknown. The contents include an 1846 sermon by John Pease; three sermons and a photograph of John Hodgkin; several memorandum writings of Joseph Potts and Mary Potts, and their daughter Anna Potts; miscellaneous pages, with photographs of Josiah Foster; 11 pages of writing and a photograph of Benjamin Seebohm; photographs of Edward Pease, Mary Allinson, and blind Elizabeth Allinson; other writings and letters by Juliet B., Moses Beede, E.H. Bonsall, Richard Cunningham, John Evans, T. Evans, Sarah Grable, E.P. Gurney, Anna Potts, Annabella E. Winn, and other members of the Society of Friends. The photograph album contains 43 carte-de-visite portraits, with an index containing the following names: Mrs. Eliz P. Gurney, Mr. Jesse Cheyney, and Mrs. Ellen. Photographs are otherwise not identified.

The fourth series, “Estate of Joseph Potts,” contains the two items concerning the estate of Joseph Potts (1742-1804). The first item, “Estate Ledger for Joseph Potts,” dates from 1804 to 1854. The ledger includes accounts for Joseph and Mary Potts’ children, as well as his interest in the Yellow Creek Salt Works. The second item, “Letter Book, Estate of Joseph Potts,” dates from 1828 to 1853. The contained letters are written by Joseph Kirkbride Potts, Joseph Pott’s son, and one of the executors of his estate. Joseph Kirkbride Potts writes to his cousin Edward G. Potts, his father-in-law Isaac Bonsall, Joseph Bonsall, Edward Bonsall, E.D. Bradford, Jno. Evans, Henry Boyles, and others. Many of the copied letters concern the Yellow Creek Salt Works, located in Bush Creek Township, Jefferson County, Ohio, and at one time owned jointly by Joseph Potts, Horton Howard and Nathan Harper.

The fifth series, “Miscellaneous Materials,” includes a small address book, undated, and a small birth/death date book, ca. 1908. Also in this series is a published, illustrated copy of Steven McGroarty’s "The Endless Miracle of California."