John Pottenger

     John was born in Lambourne, Berkshire, England.⁴ He was christened there on 29 November 1661 in St. Michael and All Angels Church.⁵ In 1684, John left England aboard the ship, "Maryland Merchant", enroute for America. They landed in the province of Maryland. The following apprenticed in Bristol - John Pottinger of Sittingbourne, county Kent to Francis Lawler, 4 years Maryland..⁶ He served under Lawlor for four years. [Peter Wilson Coldham, The Bristol Registers of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations, 1654-1686 p. 366] John married Mary Mill, daughter of William Mill and Tabitha Wright, in 1687 in Maryland.⁷ He became a large landholder and owned a large number of slaves. He was a man of prominence and influence. His home lot was called "Major's Lot" which was on Collington branch of the Patuxent River - five miles above Upper Marborough, Maryland. A list of their children with their birthdates can be found on the registry of St. Barnabus Church in Queen Anne's Parish. John's wife, Mary, died after 1717 in Prince George County, Maryland, leaving him a widower. John made his will on 2 August 1734 at Prince George County, Maryland.

In the name of God, amen. I, John Pottenger, of Prince Georges County, being in good health of body and sound and perfect mind and memory, praise therefore be given to Almighty God --- I do make and ordain this my present last Will and Testament in manner and forme following:
First, I commend my Soul unto the hands of Almighty God, hoping through the Merits, Death and Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ to obtain Pardon and forgiveness of all my sins and to inherit Everlasting life, my body I commit to the Earth to be decently Buried att the Discretion of my sons Samuel and Robert Pottenger, whom I leave and appoynt to be my administrators over my whole personal esteat, and as to such worldly goods as itt hath pleased God to bestow upon meI give and dispose thereof as followth: ---
IMPRIMUS. It is my will that all of my just Debts and Funeral Charges be paid without Suit of Law or trouble by my Administrators above mentioned.
Item. It is my will that my Sons,Samuel and Robert Pottenger have all my negroes into their part of my personal Estate if they think good to keep them.
Item. I give to my sons Samuel and Robert all my wearing apparell.
Item. I give to my Sons Samuel and Robert Pottenger my house att Queen Ann Town, with all my Coopers and Carpenters Tools, to them and their heirs forever.
Item. I give unto my son Samuel Pottenger twenty Acres of land, being on the North and East side of that one-hundred and eighty acres of land I have sometime ago convey'd to him by Deed of Gift, Beginning at a Rounded Red Oak Standing at the end of the fifth line of the aforesaid Land running thence North with the Said Land Ninety-two Perches, then East Thirty-five Perches, then South ninety-two Perches, then West to the first Tree, to him and his Heirs forever.
Item. I give to my grandsons, Samuel and Robert Pottenger, the sons of my son Samuel Pottenger, the sum of thirty-one pounds, ten shillings Sterling, each of them.
I give to my grandson, Robert Pottenger, the son of my son Robert Pottenger, my now Dwelling Plantation with one-hundred twenty-six acres of Land thereon belonging, to him and his heirs of his Body Lawfully begotten in Marriage for ever.
I give unto my Grandson William Pottenger, the son of my son, William Pottenger, Deceased, the Plantation whereon his Father lived with one hundred and twenty three acres of land, Itt being the North East part of my land, to him and the Heirs of his body lawfully begotten forever.
Item. It is my Will that the Land before given to my Grandson William Pottenger be kept in the Possession of my Administrators without prejudice to the Land till he arrives at the age of Sixteen years, and then to have Liberty to work on and make use of his land, and the Rents becoming due for the use thereof be apply'd to educate and bring up my said Grandson William, and keep the House on said land in repair until he come to the age aforesaid.
Item, It is my will that if my Grandson William Pottenger die without Heires of his body as before mentioned, that then his land before left him be equally divided between my two sons Samuel and Robert Pottenger and their Heirs forever.
Item. I give to my grandson John Purnell, the son of my daughter, Rachel, one-hundred Acres of Land lieing in the north of Watts Branch that falleth into the Potomack river, called Newberry, to him and his Heirs forever.
Item. I give to my grandson, Robert Purnell, the brother of John Purnell, one Hundred Acres of Land called the Remainder of the five Hundred Acres which I bought of Nathaniel Wickham, Jun'r, to him and his heirs forever.
Item. I give to my Daughter Verlinda Wade 200 acres of land called As good as wee could gett, binding on the Muddy branch that falleth into Potomack River, to her and her Heirs of her body forever.
Item. Itt is my Will that my Administrators pay to the Rev'd John Orme my Subscription for one year although my Death may happen before the time of the year that he began his Ministry Amongst us.
Item. I give to my Grand Daughter Sarah Pottenger, the daughter of my son John Pottenger, Deceased, the sum of Eight Pounds.
Item. Itt is my will that there being due to my Grand Daughter Sarah Pottenger one-hundred and thirty-three pounds Sixteen shillings and Eleven pence that the same be kept in my administrators hands to pay her when she lawfully demands it.
Item. I give the remainder part of my personal Estate to be divided equally in seven parts and that my sons Samuel and Robert Pottenger, my Daughters Sarah Isaac, Rachael Purnell and Velinda Wade have five of the seven parts equally equally divided amongst them in specia [specie] and that the other two parts be kept in my Administrators hands and one part of the two paid to my son William Pottenger's Children in Money according to Inventory when they come to the age of Sixteen years, and the other part of the seven be kept in my Administrators' hands and paid to my Daughter Mary Holmes Children in Money according to the Inventory when they arrive at the age of Sixteen Years.
Item. It is my will that the part of my Estate before left my Grandson William Pottenger, altho itt is express'd that my Administrators shall pay itt at Sixteen years of Age to him, itt shall be with this Proviso that he make no use of itt in bargaining without the consent of his Unkles Pottenger otherwise to be paid him when he arrived att the age of twenty years.
Item. Itt is my desire that my neighbors John Lemar and Francis Halldo overlook and see this my will performed; Revoking and making voyd all former Wills made by me.
Signed, Sealed Acknowledged and delivered this Second day of August one thousand and seven hundredand thirty-four.
John Pottenger

On the back of his Will was endorsed, to wit: Aprile the 7th, 1735 Then John Lemar, Francis Hall and Thomas Millikin, the three subscribing Evidences to the forgoing Will, and after duly and solemnly sworn on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God, declare and say they saw John Pottenger, te deceased, Testator sign the foregoing Will and heard him Publish and declare the same to be his last Will and Testament, and at the time of so doing he was of sound and disposing mind and memory, to the best of their apprehension and in his prescence and at his request they Subscribed the same as Evidenced.
Sworn before Pet. Dent
Deputy Com'ry of Pr. Geo. County.
[Wills of Prince George's County, Maryland. Volume I, page 251]

John departed this life before 7 April 1735 in Upper Marborough, Calvert County, Maryland. His will was probated on 7 April 1735.