James John Potter (1846 - 1918)

Born 25 Jul 1846 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Emily Mary Gooch — married 7 Aug 1867 in Birmingham, England

Descendants

Died 17 Nov 1918 at age 72 in Palmerston North, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Terry Montgomery [send private message] and Abm van Helsdingen [send private message]

Biography

James John POTTER (1846-1918) was born on 25 July 1846 in Birmingham to James Potter and Mary Dunn. James's birth was registered in the Jul-Aug-Sep quarter of 1846 in the Birmingham district.^[1] He was baptised an Anglican on 4 October 1867, and his family was then living at Buckingham Street, near the Jewellery Quarter. James was a jeweller and James John was already involved in the business by 1861, when he was 14. In 1851 they lived in the St George’s parish of Birmingham, then in 1861 at 14 Augusta St. On 7 August 1867 he married Emily Mary Gooch before the Anglican Church, and also before the Church of the Saviour on Edward Street in Birmingham, a denomination that had arisen from Baptist churches. Emily, like James, was from a family of jewellers. Throughout their lives they seem to not have been that religious, and did not baptise all their children. At his marriage James John was living in Lozells in the suburb of Aston. Their first three children were Francis James, William Arthur(born in Bath) and Florence Emeline. In 1871 they lived at 148 John St in Aston. In addition to a jeweller James John was also described on the census as a commercial traveller. Lilian Mary and May Bertha Maria were also born in Aston. They lived in Aston until 1872, when they moved to the West Bromwich district. Finch Road in Handsworth has been named as their address. There Beatrice Maria, Charles Harold, Kathleen Ethel Maud, Eric Augustus Alfred and Ernest Alroy were born.

Bad economic conditions and a failed venture with his brother-in-law Alfred Hart led to bankruptcy in 1878. The entire Potter family, including his parents and all his siblings decided to sell up and immigrate to New Zealand. In late 1879 they all left, by various ships. James John left on the “Ben Navis”, on October 1 1879. The three month voyage was not pleasant, and the way they were treated breached several regulations and the contract they had signed with the company. His diary covering the voyage and the immediate aftermath is a rich source of information. It also outlines the dispute between him and a crew member, John McCall, which led to McCall assaulting Potter shortly after they arrived in Auckland on January 12 1880.

James John initially struggled to find work, eventually finding a job teaching in Whakahara, near Dargaville. At this time he also began Photographing, which would be his occupation after leaving teaching in 1886. In New Zealand he had his final five children: Llewellyn Claude Arthur, Una Emily Athene, Clara Lucy Edith, Nellie Ada Minnie and Ralph Edmond Walter. He had in total 15 children and 26 grandchildren. In 1891 he was living at Otahuhu, and in both 1896 and 1900 James John was recorded as living at Wynyard Road in Parnell, then by 1905 they had moved to Charles St in Grey Lynn and were still living there in 1914. Emily died in 1917 at Marsden Avenue in Mt Eden. James John died while visiting Nellie, at the hospital in Palmerston North, on November 17 1918. He was a victim of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, and his cause of death is stated as “Influenza and Pneumonia”. He was buried in the Anglican section at the Terrence End cemetery in Palmerston North.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Registration: "England & Wales General Register Office"
   GRO Online Indexes - Birth (accessed 12 March 2023)
   Potter, James (Mother's maiden name: Dunn).
   GRO Reference: 1846 Jul-Aug-Sep in Birmingham Volume 16 Page 268.

• Descendants of John Potter (1785) Birmingham, Margaret and Bill Hurring, 2015
• 1861 Census of England, 14 Augusta St, Birmingham, accessed via FamilySearch

• 1871 Census of England, 148 John St, Aston, Birmingham, accessed via FamilySearch

• Biography written by ABM van Helsdingen

Buried in Terrace End Cemetery, Palmerston North, NZ.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158405747/