1672 Thomas Potter and wife Ann sold land to Edward Pattison, all of Shrewsbury. Edward Pattison died and the deed was transferred to widow Faith Pattison. Dated October 8. [1]
1694 Thomas Potter, of Shrewsbury, appointed son-in-law and loving friend John Wolley, as his lawful attorney. Dated December 1. [2]
1695 Thomas Potter and Sarah Lawrence, both of Shrewsbury in East New Jersey were married on 29th day, first month. Witnesses: Abraham Bickley, Susannah Bickley, Margaret West, Elizabeth Cooke, Thomas Cooke, William West, Elisha Allen, and Richard Chambers. [3] [4]
1696 William Bickley, shop-keeper of New York, and wife Susannah, sold land to Abraham Bickley, of Burlington, New Jersey. The consideration of £125 was paid by Thomas Potter, of Shrewsbury. Dated August 20, 1696. [5]
1696 Thomas Potter of Shrewsbury, husbandman, and Sarah, his wife, purchased land in Shrewsbury from Abraham Bickley and wife Elizabeth, of Burlington. Dated December 2. "Whereas William Bickley of ye City of New York father of ye said Abraham Bickley in & by a certain deed pole under his hand & sealed bearing date the twentieth day of August last past before ye date of these presents …" The land was adjacent to land of Abraham Brown. [6] [7]
1702 Thomas Potter, of Freehold, dated his will on November 2. Wife Sarah. Children: Ephraim, Mary Woolly, Thomas, Elizabeth. Real and personal estate. The wife executrix. Witnesses: Richard James, Monmuth Leech, Wm. Lawrence junior. Proved by testimony of Richard James of Freehold, planter, 40 yrs. old, November 1, 1704. [8]
1703 Thomas Potter, the husband of Sarah Potter, died in Shrewsbury the 10 of 12 mo, 1703. [9]
1704 The inventory of the personal estate of Thomas Potter reported £98.3.0, incl. debts due by William Hoog, George Jobes, William Preston, Thomas Melledge and Charles Hubs, also a negro man £30. The inventory was made by John Williams, upwards of three score years, and George Corleis, near fifty, both of Shrewsbury. Dated February 24, 1703-4. They swore to the correctness of the inventory November 2, 1704. [10]
1709 Sarah Potter, of Shrewsbury, widow, relict, and executrix of Thomas Potter deceased, sold land to Thomas White, singleman. The 53 acre tract was on Ransums Neck on the Shrewsbury River adjacent to land of Samuel Dennis. Sarah Potter lived on the land, heretofore purchased of her Loving Father, William Bickley, late of New York, deceased. Dated December 19. [11]
Research Notes:
1695 The marriage of Sarah Bickley and Thomas Potter was reported in 1695 in New Jersey. Both Thomas's and Sarah's births were reported in 1630 in Rhode Island. [12]
Salter provided a biosketch of the Potter family [13] [14]:
Thomas Potter was among original purchasers named in the settlement 1607. Under Proprietors' Concessions, 240 acres for himself and w. were confirmed to him 1676. The next year he had a patent renewed to him for four or five hundred acres. In 1679 a warrant was issued to Thomas Potter, w., son and dau. for 500 acres of land at Deale. The same year he had deed from the Indians for land at Deale. Ephraim Potter is named in court proceedings 1685. He was m. twice. His first w. may have been a Wainright as he named a son Nicholas. His second w. was Mary (Chambers) widow of Nicholas Brown. They were m. about 1716. In 1729 Nicholas Potter gave quit claim "to his loving brother-in-law, Hugh Jackson" for land on which Jackson then lived. In 1733 Ephraim Potter (second?) is called son-in-law by Thomas Woodmansee in his will. Thomas Potter, noted in the history of the Universalist Society, it is said, m. Mary Hulett and his brother Isaac Potter, m. her sister Elizabeth Hulett; they were dau[ghter]s. of Robert Hulett. Tradition says that Isaac Potter's w. inherited the farm subsequently owned by their son Paul and in late years by H. E. Lawrence. Job Potter, a relative of Thomas, had son Phinehus, well remembered at Bayville. Paul Potter d. Dec. 6, 1853, a. 89 years, minus one day: his w., Penelope, d. Jan. 3, 1870, a. 82 years and 8 months. The will of Thomas Potter, of Goodluck, was dated May 11, 1777, and recorded at Trenton. It gave to his w. Mary his homestead and household goods. In reference to the church, he says, as is elsewhere quoted:
"The house I built for those that God shall cause to meet there to serve and to worship him, to the same use; and I will that my dear friend, John Murray, preacher of the Gospel, shall have the sole direction and management of said house and one acre of land where the house now stands for the use above mentioned."
In 1803, Jan. 25, Ephraim Potter was m. to Hannah Woodmansee by Silas Crane. Thomas Potter was m. to Rebecca Platt Jan. 31, 1813, by Anthony Ivins, of Toms River. The names Thomas and Ephraim have been handed down in successive generations of the family. The founder of the family, Thomas, came from Rhode Island.
[1] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, A-45, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[2] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, C-81, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[3] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, C-129, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[4] Richard S. Hutchinson, Monmouth County New Jersey, Deeds Books A, B, C and D (2000), 90, C-129.
[5] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, D-49, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[6] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, D-51, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[7] Richard S. Hutchinson, Monmouth County New Jersey, Deeds Books A, B, C and D (2000), 110, D-51.
[8] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 372, citing Lib. I, p. 84, and Monmouth Wills, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[9] Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, Abstracts of Marriages, Births, Deaths of Shrewsbury Meeting (Monmouth County, New Jersey), [AncestryImage].
[10] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 372, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].
[11] Monmouth County, New Jersey Deed, D-89, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[12] U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, [AncestryRecord].
[13] Edwin Salter, A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (1890), 46, [GoogleBooks].
[14] Edwin Salter, A History of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (1890), xlvi, [HathiTrust].