Isaac Potter Research by Aletta Moore 2008
Lucy Roxy Williams married Isaac Smith Potter on June 4, 1880.
In the 1880 census, they are in District 11, MarshBasin, Cassia, Idaho:
I.S. Potter: 23 years old, a farmer, born in Utah, parents born in Ohio.
Roxie Potter: 18 years old, born in Utah. Father born in Michigan, mother born in Ohio.[1]
Living close to them in District 13, MarshBasin, Cassia, Idaho is
Anson Potter, 72 years old, a farmer, born in Connecticut, as were his parents. I believe that this is Isaac S. Potter's grandfather, Ransom Robert Potter. Also in that household is:
His wife, Rhoda, 73 years old.
James M., 12 years old, his son, born in Utah, parents born in Connecticut. I believe that this is Ransom Potter's son with a plural wife, Agnes Milross.[2] They had several children, one of whom was Robert Monroe Potter, born circa 1867, and this may be that child.
I have not found any record that Agnes and Ransom divorced, but she was apparently not living with him in 1880. Instead, she is living nearby, in District 13, Albion, Cassia, Idaho, along with her (and Ransom's) son:
Heber Potter, 30, born in Utah, father born in Missouri,[3] mother born in Canada.
Heber’s wife, Julia, 25, born in Utah, father born in Germany, mother in Pennsylvania
Newton Potter, 10, son, born in Utah
Samuel Potter, 8, son, born in Utah
Walter Potter, 7, son, born in Idaho
Carlos Potter, 10 months, son, born in Idaho
Agnes, 45 years old, mother, born in Canada, widowed (?), occupation listed as servant.
Emma[4], 15, sister to Heber, born in Utah, father born in Connecticut, mother born in Canada.
R.H. Gillespie, 26, miner
Phoeba D. Gillespie, 18, wife.
Mary E. Gillespie, 1 year old, born in (Idaho)[5]
If, as is suggested in an IGI family file, Heber and Julia married in 1878, then the first three children must be his children with an unknown first wife.
By the time of the 1900 census, Isaac and Lucy Roxy Potter are in the Albion, Cassia, Idaho:
Isaac S. Potter, head of household, a farmer, 44 years old, born in Utah in December of 1855. His father was born in New York and his mother in Utah.[6]
Lucy "Roxy" is 37 years old, born December 1862, in Utah.
They have been married for 20 years, and have had 9 children, 8 of whom are living.[7]
Lucy's brother, Lemuel L. Williams, an invalid, born March 1842, age 58 and a widower, is living with them along with seven of Isaac and Lucy's eight living children.[8]
Children of Lucy Roxy and Isaac Smith Potter:
The nine children of Lucy Roxy and Isaac Smith Potter[9] were:
1. Rhoda Abigail Potter, born 16 June 1881 in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. She married Henry Adamson on September 1, 1898 in Albion. She died on September 1, 1952. In 1900 they were living in Stewart, Canyon, Idaho and have a daughter, Ida, 11 months old.
2. May Belle Potter[10], born March 6, 1884 in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. She married Charles H. Potter on March 25, 1902 inDowney (or Dempsey), Bannock County, Idaho.[11]
3. Warren Smith Potter, born on February 6, 1886 in LostRiver, Custer, Idaho. He married Emeline Campbell on November 22, 1910 in Pocatello. She was born on November 8, 1890 in North Ogden, Weber, Utah. In the 1910 census she was listed as Clara Campbell, living in Pontneuf, Bannock, Idaho. Warren and Emeline Potter had eight children, including: Lucy Eunice Potter (b. 1912), Annie Madge Potter, Warren Teddy Potter, Isaac Jay Potter, Emeline June Potter, Vola Joy Potter, Vada Bell Potter and Laurenia Loy Potter. Warren Smith Potter died on October 16, 1971 in Butte, Silver Bow, Montana. Emeline Campbell Potter died on 19 December 1960 in Hot Springs, Sanders, Montana.
4. Gertrude Potter, born and died March 27, 1888 in LostRiver, Custer, Idaho.
5. Isaac Burton Potter, born on 15 June 1889 inEagleRocks-IdahoFalls, Bingham, Idaho. He married Clara J. Godfrey[12] on August 17, 1910 inPocatello. He died on 25 November 1955 inPocatello.
6. Fawn Potter, born 2 December 1891 in Price, Carbon, Utah. She married Andrew Rankin (1878-1955) on March 1, 1909 in Burley, Cassia, Idaho.
7. Lizzie[13]Potter, born 13 January, 1894 in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. She died on 15 February 1907 at the age of 13.
8. Lucy Emeline Potter, born 5 January 1896 in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. She married Clarence Newman Jolley on 19 September 1912 in Marshfield, Cassia, Idaho. She died on 10 October 1936.
9. Harry Charles Potter, born 8 November 1898 inIdaho Falls, Bonneville (or Albion, Cassia), Idaho. He married Cloie Bell Campbell (1901-1977) on 18 March 1918 inIdaho Falls. Their daughter is Iona Bell Potter (1922-1922). Harry Charles Potter died on 25 December, 1967 inOlrand, California.
The children born after the 1900 census include:
10. Opal Potter, born on 13 December 1901 in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. She married Ivan Bacock.
11. Lucy Eva Potter, born in 1903. She married Paul Revere Merrill on March 8, 1920 in Pocatello, Bannock, Idaho.
12. The youngest child was Roxy Reida Potter, who was born January 27, 1904. She married Thomas Denning.[14]
Lucy Roxy Williams Potter also died on January 27, 1904 at Lava Hot Springs, Bannock, Idaho.I would suspect that she died in childbirth, or as a result of childbirth, since Lucy's death date and the birthdate of her youngest daughter, Roxy Reida, are the same.
Her gravestone reads:
Lucy Wife of I.S. Potter
Born December 22, 1862, Died January 27, 1904
You are not forgotten Lucy dear nor ever will
You be as long as life & memory last I will
Love and remember thee.
When Lucy died there would have been eight or nine children still at home, ranging in age from a newborn to about 18.[15] It is difficult to trace what happened to these children until the census of 1910, and even then, there were two children still living that I cannot locate: Roxy Redia and Isaac Burton. But, by 1910 the other children seem to be scattered among several different families, in different locations.
In 1910, Rhoda, who married Henry Adamson prior to the 1900 census, is living in Challis, Custer, Idaho.
Henry Adamson 31 (born c. 1898), born in Idaho, father born in Scotland, mother born in Utah. He is a farmer.
Rhoda is 28 and has had 5 children, 4 of whom are living, all of whom were born in Idaho: Ida, 10 years old; Charley, 8 years old; Eleanor, 5 years old; and Mary E., 3 years old.
May Bell Potter has married Charles H. Potter on March 24, 1902 inDowney (or Dempsey), Bannock, Idaho.I believe that May Bell Potter and Charles H. Potter were step-first cousins. There is a Charles Potter[16] who was born in 1857 inUtah, the son of Issac Smith Potter (Sr.), and his plural wife Amelia Ann Brown. This is Charles Franklin Potter. He married Finis Abigail Wakley, whose nickname (and the name given in the 1900 census) was Linnie. She was bron about 1882 inIdaho. They had a son, Charles Henry Potter who was born in Downey, Bannock County, Idaho on 26 February 1882. This is the Charles H. Potter who married May Bell Potter. Charles H. Potter died on 18 March, 1961 inMonterey, California. In 1910, Mary Bell and Charles H. Potter are in Soda Springs, Bannock, Idaho.In the 1910 census, Charles H. is 28 years old, born in Idaho, parents born in Utah. He is a laborer at odd jobs and was born about 1882. May Bell is 26 years old. They have a daughter, Lucy B., 7 years old, born in Idaho.
In 1910, Warren S. Potter is a hired hand living in Pontneuf, Bannock. Idaho. He is living with James W. Hillman, 21 years old, and his wife, Lily, 17 years old.
I cannot locate Isaac B. Potter in the 1910 census.
Fawn Potter married Andrew Rankinon March 1, 1909 in Burley, Cassia, Idaho. In 1910 they were living in Soda Springs, Bannock, Idaho. Her husband is listed as William C. Rankin,[17] 23 years old, born in Idaho. Fawn is 17 years old.
I have seen family references to Lizzie dying in 1907 when she was about 13. I am unsure of the source of this information (other than the IGI), and I donot know where she died.
In the 1910 census, Lucy Emmeline was in the 3rd Precinct, Pocatello, Bannock, Idaho. She was 15 years old, and was a servant, working in the household of Curtis H. Carson and his wife, Emma J., and their baby son. Lucy would marry Clarence Jolley on 10 September, 1912 at Marshfield, Cassia, Idaho.
Harry Charles in 1910 was living with his maternal Aunt and Uncle, Eathen F. and Lucena (Harriet) Williams Cutler at Inkom, Bannock, Idaho.
In 1910, Opal, aged 9, was living with Ben W. and Clara Houck Holbrook (Clara Houck, daughter of Abigail Lewis Williams Houck, is Opal's mother's niece). Opal is listed as their daughter. They lived in Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho.
In 1910, Lucy Eva, aged 6, was living at Portneuf Precinct, Bannock, Idaho, with William Godfrey, his wife and their 6 children.[18] William Godfrey[19] is a 45-year-old farmer, who has been married twice, and has been married to his current wife for less than one year. He was born in Utah, and his parents were born in England. His wife, Drucilla, is 36 years old and has also been married twice. She has had no children. William Godfrey's children include:
Clara, aged 17, born in Idaho (she would subsequently marry Lucy Eva Potter's brother, Isaac Burton Potter, who I cannot locate in this census).
Clarence, son, 14 years old, born in Idaho.
Verl J., son, 12 years old, born in Idaho.
Cora J., daughter, 10 years old, born in Idaho.
Dorthella, daughter, 8 years old, born in Idaho.
Elma, daughter, 3 years old, born in Idaho.
Lucy,who is listed as Lucy E. Potter[20], step-daughter, 6 years old, born in Idaho. Lucy clearly cannot be a step-daughter.
In this 1910 census, I can find no trace of the youngest child of Isaac and Lucy Roxy Potter, Roxy Reida Potter. But, by the time of the 1920 census, Roxy is also living with her sister, Lucy Eva, in the household of William Godfrey, in Lava Hot Springs, Bannock, Idaho:
William R. Godfrey, and his wife Drucilla;
daughters Eva L., age 15,[21]
Roxey R., age 15;
and Elma E., age 13.
Lucy Potter eventually married Paul Revere Merrill on 8 March 1920 at Pocatello, Bannock, Idaho, using the name Lucy Eva Godfrey. Roxie Reida Godfrey married Thomas Valentine Denning on September, 1921 in Logan, Cache, Utah.
The latter information is corroborated by the 1930 census for Lava Hot Springs, Bannock, Idaho, which lists:
William R. Godfrey, 65, proprietor of a hotel.
His wife, Drusilla, 56 years old.
Thomas Denning, 25 years old, oil worker in oil fields.
Reida Denning, 26 years old, adopted daughter (looks like Rieda or Ruda)
Lael Denning, 7 years old, their son
Elden Denning, 5 years old, their son
Armager L. Bell, 50 years old, brother-in-law.[22]
Where was Isaac Smith Potter in 1910?
By 1910, what had happened to Lucy Roxy's husband, Isaac Smith Potter?
There is a marriage record showing that on November 30, 1908, Isaac married Ella Y. Chesley in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. They may have lived in Burley. But, by the 1910 census, he is listed in Albion, Cassia, Idaho. He was living with Gullian P. Walberg, a mining prospector, who was listed as head-of-household. Isaac Potter is listed as a helper, is 51 years old, has been married twice, and has been out of work for 20 weeks during the year of 1909. His occupation is listed as sheep trader. Two other men are living in the same household. There is no sign of his second wife in the 1910 census, although in the 1930 census there is
an Ella G.[23] Chesley living with John M. Chesley, 89 years, her father, and her two brothers, Buel and James, in Burley, Cassia, Idaho. She is 53 years old. There is also a marriage record for Ella Y. Chesley to William A. Smith on April 2, 1921 inTwin Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho. I don't know if either of these is actually the Ella who married Isaac Potter.
Isaac Smith Potter died on November 30, 1911 in Lava Hot Springs. His grave is listed in the NortonCemetery, McCammon, Bannock, Idaho.
Who was Isaac Smith Potter’s Father?
Although some family history files list the father of Isaac Smith Potter as Ransom Potter, it appears clear to me that his father was also named Isaac Smith Potter, and that his grandfather was Ransom Robert Potter.
There are several family trees available, including info from the FDC, which vary slightly, but the main information and the census data,strongly suggest that Isaac Smith Potter's father was the Isaac Smith Potter who was born 19 April 1833 in Burton, Geauga, Ohio. He died on 1 August, 1867 in Coalville, Summit, Utah. He married four times.
Wives and Children of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.):
First Wife of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.):
His first wife was Mary Ford. They married in 1853 in Salt Lake City. Mary was born on December 15, 1837 in Caldwell County, Missouri.Her family is listed in the Early LDS database, and although I cannot find any information on when they came to Utah, she evidently came with her parents: Jonathan Ford, born 24 February 1802 in Ohio, and Rachel Robertson, born around 1805 in Ohio. Jonathan and Rachel married on 16 April, 1826 in Bartholomew, Indiana. Jonathan Ford would die on May 3, 1851 in Springville, Utah, Utah. The children of Jonathan Ford and Rachel Robertson Ford were:
- Ester Ford, born around 1827 in Indiana.
- Sarah Ford, born on April 17, 1830 in Columbus, Batholomew, Indiana. She died on May 8, 1851.
- Margaret Jane Ford, born 17 April 1830 in Bartholomew, Indiana. She married Aaron Johnson on May 8, 1854 in Springville, Utah County, Utah.[24]
- Rachel Robinson Ford, born 10 October 1835 in Bartholomew, Indiana. She also married Aaron Johnson on 25 April, 1852 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah. She died on 17 February, 1878.
- Mary Ford, born on 15 December 1839 in Missouri.
- Moroni Ford, born 15 December 1837 in Caldwell, Missouri.[25]
Mary Ford died on December 9, 1855 in Springville, Utah County, Utah, probably in childbirth. Her son was the Isaac Smith Potter who married Lucy Roxy Williams. He was born on December 9, 1955.
Second Wife of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.):
The second wife of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.) was Asenath Annette Lawrence. They married in 1855. She was born on February 22, 1940 in Parry Pike County, Illinois.[26] She came to Utah, by herself, in the Robert Wimmer Company in 1852, where she is listed as Acenith Lawrence.[27] She died on May 26, 1878 in Springville, Utah, Utah. The children of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.) and Asenath include:
- Emily Miranda Potter: born 19 November 1855 in Springville, Utah, Utah.[28] She married John Abelbert Warner (1852-1934) on February 16, 1874 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah. They had children.
- James Franklin Potter, born on April 19, 1857 in Springville, Utah, Utah. He married Elizabeth Jane Winters (1861-1951) and they had a child. He died on 10 May 1935 in Milford, Utah.
- Rhoda Maria Potter, born 13 December 1859 in Springville, Utah, Utah. She married James T. Clyde (1856-1919) on 16 December 1877. They had children. She died on 13 February, 1944 in Salt Lake City.
- Rosalia Nancy Potter, born 7 November 1861 in Springville, Utah, Utah. She married John Henry Ferre (1858-1943) on 23 June 1880 in Salt Lake City. They had children. She died on 21 January 1948 in Provo, Utah, Utah.
- Bertha Melissa Potter, born on 13 January 1863 in Springville, Utah, Utah. She married David William Holdaway (1851-1939) on 13 January 1883. They had a child. She died in August of 1901 in Price, Carbon, Utah.
- William Wallace Potter, born on 25 September 1865 in Coalville, Summit, Utah. He married Sarah J. Burrows (1869-1962). He died on 7 February 1926 in HeberCity, Summit, Utah.
After the death of Isaac Smith Potter in 1867, Asenath Annette married Simmons Philander Curtis (1818-1880) in Salt Lake City on March 7, 1870. They also had children. She was a plural wife of Simmons Curtis. He had first married Emaline Buchanan on July 4, 1840 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. She was born on 26 March, 1818 in Pennsylvania, and died in November of 1899 in Emery County, Utah. They had nine children, the last of whom (Joseph, living with Simmons and Asenath in the 1870 census) was born in 1863. Emaline Buchanan Curtis is also listed in the 1870 census of Springville, Utah, Utah, living with her other children.
The children of Simons Philander Curtis and Asenath Potter Curtis were:
- Seymour Brunson Curtis, born 3 December 1872 in Springville. Died 11 November 1949 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.
- Alice Blanch Curtis, born 1 December 1873 in Springville. Died 20 July 1874 in Springville.
- Della Curtis, born 24 October 1876 in Springville. Died 4 April 1956 in Burley, Cassia, Idaho.
- Stella Curtis, born 24 October 1876 in Springville. Died 23 May 1888.
Third Wife of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.):
The third wife of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.) was Amelia Ann Brown (1837-1899). They married on 12 February 1856 in Salt Lake City. Amelia Ann Brown was born on June 19, 1839 in Wilmington, Newcastle, Delaware. Her father was probably Isaac Seal Brown, born around 1801. Her mother was probably Lydia Miller, born around 1815. Amelia Brown and her family were living in Kanesville (Council Bluffs), Pottawattamie, Iowa, in 1850 and 1853.[29] Isaac Seal Brown was born on December 1, 1806 in Wilmington, Newcastle, Delaware. He married Lydia Miller on June 2, 1830. He died on August 17, 1852. Lydia Miller was born on March 4, 1814 in New Holland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She died on April 11, 1886.[30] The children of Isaac Seal Brown and Lydia (Miller) Brown, besides Amelia, included:
- William Brown, born around 1839
- Edward Brown, born around 1843
- Rebecca Brown, born around 1840
- Mary Brown, born around 1837 in Delaware.
Mrs. Lydia Brown and her family went to Utah with the Daniel A. Miller/John W. Cooley Company in 1853, after the death of her husband, Isaac Seal Brown. Lydia was 35 years old at that time. Accompanying her on the trip were: Amelia, 16 years old; Edward, age unknown; Elvira D., born January 27, 1853, died on August 9, 1937[31]; Laura, age unknown; Rebecca, age unknown; William, age unknown.
Amelia Ann Brown Potter died on January 16, 1899 in Hot Springs, Bannock, Idaho.
The children of Isaac Smith Potter (Sr.) and Amelia Ann Brown Potter were:
- Charles Franklin Potter, born 24 April 1857 in Springville, Utah, Utah. He married Finis Abigail Wakley on March 23, 1879 in MarshValley, Oneida, Idaho. Charles died on 9 July 1937 in Lava Hot Springs, Bannock, Idaho, of a cerebral hemorrhage.[32]
Charles Franklin Potter[33]