Lewis Potter

FROM OUR HISTORICAL MAIL-BOX!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mrs. H. Wayne Hoover, P.0. Box 37, Ukiah, California 95482 

(copied from the Pope County Historical Quarterly 14-15, v. 15, no. 2, Dec. 1980)

Its been quite some time - your last letter dated 1974 that we corresponded, after you so kindly sent the probate - in Pope County, dated April 1852 for the Estate of Nelson Reed, brother of Jane Bewley wife of Rev. Mahlon Bewley for children of Jane's daughter's children, (Sarah Ann Bewley Potter, wife of Lewis Potter) (Sarah A.B. Potter died 1848 in Pope Co., AR). We were very grateful to receive this!

Did receive our copy of the precious Pope County History Volume 1.  We have shared Bio. information with Bill Price, of Mt. View, California, who's family info is included. Others here, in Ukiah, or Mendocino County are the Jameson s and Garrison's.  Both have used the Pope County Quarterlies, we placed in the Genealogical Section.

What brings me to write, is the discovery of a "Cousin" Mrs. Irene (Lucas) Struckman, great granddaughter of Rebecca Potter, Lewis and Sarah Ann (Bewley) Potter's, daughter, 'found' us thru the Pope County History, after invitation, she let us xerox one of her Potter books.

In her collection is a letter, Lewis Potter had written in April 1847 from Pope County, to his brother Thomas Potter in Princeton, Gibson Co., Indiana.  He mentions the Lads and Morses', also his sister Holbrook (widder women).

LETTER FROM LEWIS POTTER - 1847 (Con't page 2)

In the Pope County Quarterly, Sept. 1972, page 2, Index to WILL BOOK "C", Holbrook, A.L. - No. 202-3.

Irene Struckman also had a precious photograph of Lewis and Sarah Ann (Bewley) Potter taken (in Pope County, Arkansas) before Sarah passed away, ca 1848. It is a terrible shame this was not discovered before the Volume 1 History was published.

Some information found in Pope County, from a history of Langfords and Mahlon Bewley, son of Rev. Robert S. Bewley (Henry Langford = Rebecca Bewley, came to California 1859. Mahlon Bewley, b. 2 March 1830 died in Calif. 2 April 1917.

As a bounes, Irene Struckman, had history to the effect, Lewis Potter came to California with the migration of 1852. His brother, John Potter was at Chico, CA., and that is why Lewis decided to come to California, after the death of his wife, Sarah Bewley, who must have died about 1848. Lewis and his seven children had a covered wagon and drove a team of oxen. They arrived at Bedbug (later named Ione) in early November 1852 and proceeded to Lancha Plana.

The terrific hardships of the trail were too much for Lewis. Ten days later he died. His body was placed in a wagon and the family started for Bedbug for the burial. The rains had come early, the trail was deep with mud and the wagon could not get through. So Lewis Potter was buried on the top of a hill about three miles south of Bedbug (later Ione). It is a lone grave, outlined by rocks and unmarked.

After Wayne and I worked so hard, searching courthouses records, newspapers, with little history, this new find has me about swamped, typing for Wayne's brother and 2 sisters and sharing with another cousin in Luka, Illinois, descendants of the Thomas Potter, brother of Lewis, he wrote in 1847. The John Potter, Lewis's brother of Chico, California had died in 1851, had a copy of his WILL, as his two sons came to Mendocino County, early-listed in census, but discovered or settled in the "Potter" Valley that bears their name (1850).

We had hoped to travel to Macon Co., Missouri to search records for my maternal grandfather, but that did not come about, due to the world situation and duties at home.

We still would like to correspond with other working on the Bewley, Langford, etc lines.