Annie Potter - born May 1, 1830

I have attended the Potter Reunion with Uncle D V and Aunt Mary Evelyn. Uncle D. V. went because of Aunt Josephine's connection to the Potters after she married Enoch Potter. I went because of our direct connection to the Potters thru Annie Potter, John Vint Bentley's wife and Otho & Josephine's grandmother. I did take pictures that day. They are in my pictures I haven't copied yet. When I figure out Abraham Potter I will post them or put them in their own blog if there are enough to identify.

I didn't know a lot about the Potters when I went. I knew a cousin who had done extensive work on the family tree and planned on writing a book, but I never knew that he finished or put one out. He may have.

Annie Potter was born May 1st, 1830 in Pike County, Kentucky. Her parents were Benjamin and Susannah Hollingsworth Potter. Her grandfather was Abraham Potter. I have seen Abraham married to Alice Goodell and to Lydia Stewart. I don’t know whether this Abraham was married to both ladies or if there are two Abrahams. When I have looked at family trees done by others I never find them both listed as two wives, but each claims the same children. I need to work on this line to decide what I think.

The Potter are directs on the Mullins and on the Bentley sides. Nathaniel Houston’s father was an Abraham Potter, but he falls into the confusion of Abrahams that I haven’t figured out yet. Nathaniel’s mother, Hannah Houston, married Charles Yonts. He is often listed as Nathaniel’s father, but he is not. I just have to work more on this family.

Annie married John Vint Bentley when she was about 20 years old. Together they had nine children: Mary L., John Martin (Otho Bentley’s father), Benjamin J., Virginia Caroline, Delaney Elizabeth, William Alexander, Rhodicia, Surilda Jane and James Monroe.

Mary married Isaac Whitaker.

John Martin married Malinda Addington.

Benjamin married Elizabeth Rose.

Virginia Caroline married Alexander “Alex” Ison.

Delaney Elizabeth married Morgan Martin Killen.

Rhodicia married David A. J. Mullins, the son of Andrew Jackson “Brandy Jack” Mullins and Mary Lucy “Polly Ann” Mullins.

Surilda Jane married John Hughes.

James Monroe married Cordelia Hall

What this all means is I don’t know much about Annie as a person except that she was our connection to the Potter family and today is her birthday.

I tried to find stories about her, but I just struck out. No pictures either.

I did come across some information that I gathered on her daughter, Delaney Elizabeth “Betty” Bentley. Betty married Morgan Martin Killen, the son of Alf and Lucy Whitaker Killen. She had nine children with Morgan. She died of uteran cancer in 1913. Morgan married again to Mary Jane Belcher. She had several children with Morgan. I didn’t find them all today or found some but didn’t document them all. At least two of the babies died of “bold hives” one at 12 days old and one at a month’s age. (I searched and found that in one word bold hives would equal the croup. I found a website that said around that time in Wise County that 50 percent of their deaths were for children, and it was rare for someone to live into their 90s. This was a very common cause of death for infants at that time.)

In the census Morgan lived next door to his son, Alexander. Alexander was married to Nora Bell Wright making Alexander and Nora's children my cousins through the Bentleys and through the Wrights. Next to Alexander lived another son, Columbus.

On July 1st, 1925 Morgan Killen was killed. His death certificate said that he was “shot and killed by Alex Killen (son) with no doctor.” I don’t know if that means if he had had a doctor close by he could have survived the wounds or not. The death certificate was marked as a homicide, not an accident , and Alex went to prison for the death. He was later pardoned. When I saw this I googled and searched to try to find more. The only thing I came up with was a woman who posted that she had “proof” that it was an accident and not a homicide and to write her for details. I did write, but the reply I got said she had a copy of the pardon somewhere and she would send it when she came across it. I never got anything. I wrote again today to others who have posted that they know about the killing, but don’t expect to hear anything more. I just found this sad. It’s bad enough to lose someone in your family but by the hand of a family member makes it worse even if it is an accident. This is not the first time this has happened in the family, but that is another story.