Sketch LXIX

A Maryland Plantation Overseer—Potts

Among the many stalwart young Germans who were aided in emigrating to the American colonies, in the middle of the eighteenth century, was Raynard Potts,[1] the grand-ancestor of the Potts family of Norfolk. This young emigrant settled in the colony of Maryland, where he raised a family of sons and daughters. Jacob Potts, the old Woodhouse pioneer, was born in 1761, and was the eldest son. Raynard Potts was an overseer on a large tobacco plantation; and, unlike most of the old overseers, he managed to control the field forces without the use of the “black-snake.” He believed the black men and women who bent their backs in slavish toil were human beings, and he treated them accordingly. He would not overburden them, and he looked after their physical comfort. This method of treating the colored hands made him very popular among them, and thus gaining their good-will he was enabled to accomplish more for the benefit of his employers. Notwithstanding this fact, the owners strongly reprimanded him for it. They said it was dangerous to show too much leniency in the management of the slaves, and threatened him with dismissal if he persisted in his course. One day he excused an aged negro from further duty that day, because he had complained of being weak and tired, and when one of the owners learned of the fact he rode out on the plantation in a fit of rage, and threatened to horse-whip the overseer. Mr. Potts dared him to make the attempt, giving him to understand that if he did so, the field hands would all resent it, and a plantation mutiny would be the result. The attempt was not made, but the too-merciful overseer was at once relieved of his charge. An application of the principles of justice and mercy, was, of very necessity, destructive of the system of traffic in men and women, and no man could hold the position of overseer on the Southern plantations who looked upon the black man as a human being.

Towards the close of last century the Potts family emigrated from Maryland to Upper Canada, and settled at Lyon’s Creek, not far from the Falls. The family consisted of the father, Raynard Potts—the mother having died in Maryland; Jacob Potts, the elder son, who had married in Maryland; John Potts, a younger son, and two or three sisters. The names of these sisters who they married or where they settled, are matters of family history, unknown to the descendants of Jacob Potts, the Norfolk family ancestor.[2]

In the year 1800 Jacob Potts and his family moved up to Long Point settlement. John Misner and his family and a part of the Slaght family, moved up with them. They drove their stock along the lake shore, and brought their goods in row boats. Jacob Potts settled on Lots 2 and 3, 5th concession, Woodhouse.[3] Mr. Potts built the largest barn in that section of the settlement. It was built of logs, and was fifty feet long. When it was raised the help of every settler for fifteen miles around was required, and everybody said Mr. Potts would never grow a sufficient quantity of grain to fill it. In the early years the wolves were very troublesome in this section, and it was necessary for Mr. Potts to build the walls of his log sheepfold high and very flaring at the top to keep the blood-thirsty pests from destroying his flock. He paid $2.50 an acre for his Woodhouse land, but it was at Lyons’ Creek where he experienced that pinch of destitution which fell to the lot of so many of our old pioneers. So great was this destitution that on one occasion the only possible sustenance he was able to procure for his little family was a soup obtained by boiling a bundle of green wheat.

Jacob Potts was married three times. His first marriage occurred in Maryland. Of this union there were four sons—Raynard, Jacob, William and John; and two daughters—Elizabeth and Hannah. There was no issue by the second marriage. By his third wife, Mrs. Catherine Duff, nee Catherine Richards, he had two sons—George and Philip; and one daughter, Catherine. He died in 1838, in his 78th year.[4]

Raynard Potts, eldest son of Jacob, married Esther, third daughter of Solomon Austin and settled on part of the homestead. By this marriage he had two sons—Jacob and John. Subsequently he married Mrs. Catherine Decew, nee Catherine Baumwart, by whom he had one daughter, Margaret. He died in 1869, in his 87th year.[5]

Jacob Potts, second son of Jacob, married Helen Wyckoff,[6] and settled in Charlotteville. Jacob Potts distinguished himself during the troublous times of the rebellion. He was born in 1785, and died in 1867, in his 83rd year. He was a Justice of the Peace, and his public life was such as to entitle his name to a place among Norfolk’s distinguished sons. He had one son, Edwin, who figured prominently as a lumberman and speculator in pine timber. Edwin died in 1876, in his 68th year, and Dr. T. R. Potts, who died young, after acquiring high honors in his profession, was a son of Edwin. Colonel Potts had four daughters—Sarah Ann, Eliza, Rebecca and Helen.

William Potts, third son of Jacob, married Jennie Davis, and settled finally near Fredericksburg. He had several sons and daughters among whom were Susan and Nelson.[7]

John Potts, fourth and youngest son of Jacob, by his Maryland wife, died single in 1813, in his 25th year.

George Potts, fifth son of Jacob, and eldest son by the third marriage, married Mary Buck, and settled on part of the homestead. He is living, having reached his 84th year, hale and well preserved. He has a remarkable memory, being able to relate incidents of bush life which occurred when he was only four years old. He was a muscular man, and could turn off more work in a day than any man in the Potts’ settlement. He commenced the busy activities of his long life at a very tender age, having dug and picked up a bushel of potatoes when he was three years old, and when he was ten he dug and picked up twenty-five bushels in a day. He could cradle an acre of wheat in an hour, and make an axe-helve in eighteen minutes. He was an expert with the cradle and scythe, and when only thirteen years old he took a man’s place as a cradler and mower. He never learned a trade, but he could lay out and frame a building, and make a pair of boots. Indeed, his evenings were employed in making axe-helves for the market, and in making boots and shoes for the family. He used to block out and finish up for the market, as many as seven axe-helves during an evening, following a hard day’s work in the woods. Mr. Potts has a distinct recollection of a trip he made through the woods to Simcoe with his mother, when he was only four years old. They saw a bear perched in the crotch of a tree which stood near the site of the present cemetery. They hurried on to the store kept at that time by the late Duke Campbell, where Mrs. Potts related the circumstance. Arming themselves with guns, Mr. Campbell and another man accompanied them on their homeward journey, and when they came to the tree bruin was there still, but considering ‘discretion the better part of valor’ he dropped from his resting-place, and made off into the forest in the usual lubberly manner. When George was a little fellow he was playing in the woods one day, with his little brothers and sisters, when a dry stub fell and killed one of them. This was always considered a great family mystery, as there was not a breath of air stirring at the time.

George Potts had three sons—Ambrose, Samuel and George; and five daughters—Martha, Orillia, Eliza, Helen and Mary. George and Samuel occupy the old homestead.

Philip Potts, sixth and youngest son of Jacob, married Fanny Buck, and settled in Galesburg, Michigan, where he raised a family.

Elizabeth and Hannah Potts, daughters of Jacob, the old pioneer, by his first marriage, married respectively, Jacob Lemon and Jonathan Austin. The names of their children are given elsewhere.

Catherine Potts, only daughter of the old pioneer, by his third marriage, married a shoemaker named Powers, who settled in Elgin County. She had two daughters—Melissa and Rena.[8]

The descendants of Jacob Potts have become quite numerous, and among the old family names none have a more familiar sound in Norfolk than the name of Potts.

[1] Potts signed his first name “Reynard” in his documents, but others sometimes spelled his name “Raynard”.

[2] In the 1776 Census of Harford County Maryland, the following family is recorded with their ages: Raynard Potts 51, Cathran 46, Catherine 17, Jacob 14, John 10. Reynard’s daughter Catherine married on January 22, 1777.to Joseph Reese, the marriage recorded in the Harford County Marriage Register. Reynard brought the rest of his family to Upper Canada in 1789 and petitioned for a land grant on April 12, 1794 and July 22, 1797. In Land Book C, the Executive Council recommended him for 200 acres of land. The prompting petitions are not in the Upper Canada Land Petitions collection. Indeed, the Surveyor General responded to the 1803 petition of son Jacob Potts that “neither order or location is found”. The Executive Council Secretary then noted “Attached Certificate OC 12 Apr 1794 – Reynard Potts – granted a lot, confirmed 31 Jul 1797”. Records of son Jacob give the early family residency on Lots 14 and 15, Concession 5, Willoughby Twp., Welland Co.

[3] Jacob Potts apparently made an earlier visit to Norfolk. On August 3, 1799, he purchased from Jacob Lemon the south half of Lot 4, Concession 8, Woodhouse Twp. Then on June 16, 1800, Jacob purchased from William Francis 200 acres of land in lot 3, Concession 5, Woodhouse Twp., which he made his homestead. These transactions were recorded in the Abstracts of Deeds Register of Woodhouse Twp. On December 23, 1806, Jacob petitioned for and received a lease on Crown Reserve Lot 2, Concession 5. (Upper Canada Land Petition “P” Bundle Leases 1798-1818, Doc. No. 37.)

[4] Jacob married first on October 31, 1782 to Susannah Coard, their marriage recorded in the Harford County, Maryland Marriage Register. He married second to the widow Rebecca Ann Stone Metsler who petitioned the Executive Council of Upper Canada on May 6, 1796 as the widow of Peter Metzler and John Stone. As Rebecca Potts, she was given a grant of Lot 13, Concession 6, Walsingham Twp. on November 10, 1803. (Upper Canada Land Petition “M” Bundle 2, Doc. No. 108; Walsingham Township Papers, Doc. No. 534). Jacob’s third wife was Catherine (Richards) Duff who was buried beside him in Potts Cemetery.

[5] Reynard Potts, who signed his first name with this same spelling as his grandfather, had an additional son Jonathan aged 2 in the 1812 Census of Woodhouse Twp. Jonathan may have died young as no further records have been found of him.

[6] Helen Wyckoff was Jacob Potts Jr.’s second wife. He married first on December 3, 1809, Rebecca Ann Lockwood, their marriage recorded in the London District Marriage Register. Rebecca died on June 5, 1827 and was buried in Old Woodhouse Methodist Church Cemetery. All but the youngest child was born to the first marriage. Jacob had the following children: Edwin; Harriet who married first to Joseph Backhouse Culver and second to Duncan McPherson; Mary who married David Smith Ross; Sarah Ann who married Peter Wyckoff Rapelje; Elizabeth who married James Graham Wilson. By his second wife he had a daughter Rebecca Ann who married Richard U. Wilson.

[7] William Potts was recorded in Charlotteville Township as late as the 1841 Assessment and the 1852 Census. He lived late in life at Delhi and was buried in the Delhi Municipal Cemetery. In addition to the children mentioned by Owen, William had daughters Mary A. and Eliza listed with him in the 1852 Census of Charlotteville Township.

[8] Catherine Potts’ marriage to Edward Powers on 28 Feb 1848 was recorded in the Talbot District Marriage Register. The baptism of another daughter Mary Alice, born at Walpole Twp. on 5 May 1849, was recorded in the Wesleyan Methodist baptismal register.