Capt. John Stephen Potts
Pottsville, Hamilton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1816 - 1901) Born in Bradley county, Tenn. married Malinda Davis, cousin of Jefferson Davis, president of the confederate states of America. Lived in Carthage, Mo., where he was justice of the peace, then sheriff (1850-52), and confederate soldier during the civil war. Moving to Texas, he paid $500 in gold for Hamilton county sheep range, 1872; later had more land. An ardent baptist, a mason, donor of cemetery site, he was honored in naming of Pottsville, 1878.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Tennessee in 1816, John Stephen Potts married a cousin of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and served as a justice of the peace and sheriff in Missouri before soldiering for the Confederacy. After the Civil War he came to Texas, paying $500 in gold for Hamilton County sheep range in 1872 and gradually adding land. A devout Baptist and Mason who donated a cemetery site, he was honored when the town of Pottsville was named for him in 1878.
Why it matters
Potts's life follows the well-worn path of a Confederate veteran who rebuilt his fortunes on the postwar Texas frontier and left his name on the map.
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Related people
- · John Stephen Potts
- · Malinda Davis
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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