Notes From My Grandmother | Potwin Lineage and Genealogy, Part 4

Somehow, much of my grandmother's hand written and (badly) typed notes and research wound up in my possession. Traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles and back to Chicago again. It sat, in the dark of my mother's closet, until my dad passed and my mom decided to begin her great purge. Knowing I had picked up the torch, the next generation to pursue the Greatest Hobby on Earth, the papers came to live with me. Unsure for many years on just what to do with them, I have decided to bring them out and share them with you - transcribed, of course - no one can read my grandmother's handwriting! But in her own words; mistakes, rambling sentences, and all. I think she will be pleased her work and her writing are once again out in the light.

A STORY * OF THE POTYN * POTWINE * POTWIN * CLAN

Thomas Potwine, the first son of the three children born to Reverend Thomas Potwine and Abigail Moseley, 1756. This Thomas married Martha Stiles, both lived in Connecticut - East Windsor - 1776. Thomas had seven brothers and sisters by his father's second marriage. It is through Thomas and Martha Potwine that my lineage continues to this generation (children of my marriage - E.T.P.T. and R.W.T. - 1923)

A Potwine homestead was built at this period in history; it is now almost 200 years old (if it is yet standing). It was located neat the Connecticut river 'big river' as spoken of by the Indians. There were tribes (families) of friendly Indians who were happy to have the settlers come to this land. No land was 'taken' from them, it was obtained by barter or gifted. Often the Chiefs would give their friends land extending "a day's walk" into the wilderness, west of the 'big river'. This colony of settlers was most fortunate. Three generations of Potwins lived in the old 'homestead' in East Windsor until 1963. Today the Connecticut river is but a mile from the Potwine homestead.

One Potwine (John 2) settled in Hartford CT, the rest settled around their Protestant church, which is now East Windsor. It is to Dorchester Colony on Massachusetts Bay that a clear line of ancestry can be traced and verified for the Potwin family in America. Governor Bradford (Mass.) made trips to the Conn. river; then called the "Great River" and found it a fine place. In 1631 there were many small tribes of Indian, most friendly and asked the white man to establish settlements in their territory. The Indians wanted rifles; so Governor Winthrop and Governor Bradford having no desire to fight Indian battles agreed. But later on the people wanted to move farther west, venturing into wilderness so the Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony decided to move to Connecticut. In 1635 there were neighbors in Hartford and other settlements; so the move west was begun as more and more settlements on the east coast became towns and cities of the future United Stated of America.

GENEALOGY

Thomas Potwine Jr b. 1756
                                  d. 1824
                                  m. 1776 Martha Stiles
                                                b. 1760
                                                d. 1822

Children:
Martha b. 10/9/1779 d. UNK - m. Simon Barker of East Windsor, CT
Thomas b. 1/17/1784 d. 2/24/1869 - m. 1828 Sarah Stoughton, East Windsor, CT
                                                           m. 1899 Margaret Bartlett, East Windsor, CT
Israel b. 3/23/1786 d. 5/14/1864 - m. 1825/28 Mary F Potwine
John b. 8/17/1787 d. 5/7/1859 - m. 1811 Mary Benton of Tolland, CT
BENJAMIN b. 7/24/1788 d. 8/16/1852 - m. 1816 Cornelia Curtis (Custus)
Abigail b. 9/24/1790 d. 4/24/1872 - m. Dr Allen Porter, East Windsor, CT
Lydia b. 11/9/1792 d. 9/9/1826 - m. Wm Wright, Troy, NY
William b. 2/1/1795 d.4/17/1877 - m. 1825 Amelia Speer of Ellington, NY
Nathaniel b. 1/4/1798 d. 4/18/1854 - m. Sophia Clark of East Windsor, CT
 (Sarah b. 1800 d. 1825 - from find a grave)
Ann b. 12/10/1802 d. UNK - m. Orrin Clark of Somers, CT


About the 'e' in Potwin, some dropped it. Stephen (Part 3) went so far as to have it legally taken off and recorded with the Town Clerk. Another had it added when he became interested in genealogy. Some of his children kept it, others dropped it.

END of Part 4

(editor's note: Thomas Potwine is a recognized patriot - DAR #A091875)

©2016 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

©1980 Elizabeth Twining Potwin Thomas - private collection

My Third Blogiversary!

September 5th marks the third anniversary of this here blog. The first post? Well, you can read it here. Samuel Faulkner started it all. I had been toying with the idea for quite some time. I loved the idea of a blog, but wasn't sure if it made sense. Blogging about my ancestors. MY ancestors. I was looking for something more than just a Family Tree - which I had made private years ago - to share my research, my grandmother's research, family photos, etc.

I considered a website.

Seemed like a lot of work for this very tech-UNsavvy gal.

Blog it was.

Google made it uber easy.

So, I stuck my toe in the vast blog sea.

Now, three years later, I've had one heck of a  bumpy ride. Fell off the wagon, got sidetracked. Made promises to myself that went broken. Lost track of what I initially set out to do. Felt defeated. Lost my purpose, found it again. Questioned my competence and the point of it all. Compared myself to the current darlings of genealogy - only to fall defeatingly short (in my opinion).

But, I kept on keeping on.

Along the way I've met a posse of new friends, not only in the genealogy realm but in the blogging world at large.  And I can honestly say I've found my tribe.

This past year has brought personal challenges beyond anything I've been challenged with so far in this lifetime. My mother's declining health and mental capacity. I've had to step into my designated role as POA. (Both for health and for property - big shoes ...) Most of my summer has consisted of keeping a jillion plates spinning on their wobbly sticks while jumping through flaming hoops on a unicycle. ....Um, at least that's what it felt like.

I've had to waylay my (well underway) plans to relocate to Florida to be near my grandchildren, (who moved away last July, taking most of my heart with them) as my mother's needs are now the primary focus.

Things are beginning to calm down as we all settle into our new roles, and I feel like I can actually breathe again. This past month I've been able to set some great goals for the blog and start a few new projects. I've come to the realization that these are not just MY ancestors and there are others who would like to hear the stories I can tell.

I believe that genealogy is the greatest hobby on earth and I am so happy to be a part of this awesome tribe of like-minded people who 'get me'! Thanks for tuning in, for supporting me, for reading my blog. Here's to another year of going deeper down that rabbit hole!


And I'm seriously considering that website.



©Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Book Of The Week: American Genealogy: Being a History of Some of the Early Settlers of North America

American Genealogy: Being a History of Some of the Early Settlers of North America and Their Descendants, from Their First Emigration to the Present Time ...

by Jerome Bonaparte Holgate

Written in 1851, there is still some interesting information in it!

©2016 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Photo Friday :: Group Outing

This series was birthed from the large old photo album I rediscovered in the back of my closet. Many of the photos are from my grandmother's side of the family. There are also unknown photos that came with the album. Story goes my dad, an avid garage saler, picked up a celluloid covered Victorian era photo album on one of his scavenges. It already contained photos of an (as yet) unidentified family. My parents put our own vintage family photos in the album alongside the mystery family's.  As children we marveled at the old fashioned clothing and settings, often wondering who these people were and what their lives were like. Of course, we thought that ALL the people in the photos were our relations! It wasn't until my mom passed the album on to me after my dad died that I learned of the mystery family residing alongside our own!

I plan to share these photos over time, sometimes they will be my family, and identifiable, others will be of the mystery family. Thanks to the world wide web, they may find their way home yet!

Enjoy!

A mystery photo!
A picture postcard with nothing written on it.
I suspect it is the Irons family from Chicago Illinois.

©2016 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Video Of The Week: Genealogy Methodology: Negative Evidence

We watch a lot of videos in the Cave. Webinars, instructional videos, continuing education videos, you name it! If it helps with our genealogical pursuit we are all over it!

Each week we thought we'd share one we've enjoyed.

Hope you enjoy it too!






©2016 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved