Collection #
M 481
JAMES M. POTTS COLLECTION
1857-1869
Table of Contents
Processed by
Alexandra S. Gressitt
23 August 1995
VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 1 manuscript box
COLLECTION DATES: Inclusive 1857-1869; bulk 1864-1865
PROVENANCE: Purchased from John L. Heflin, Jr., 5708 Brentwood Trace, Brentwood, TN 37027, 26 May 1987
RESTRICTIONS: None
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society
ALTERNATE FORMATS: None
OTHER FINDING AIDS: None
RELATED HOLDINGS: None
ACCESSION NUMBER: 87.0379
NOTES:
James M. Potts was recruited, 26 March 1864, at Ligonier, Noble County, Indiana, into Company A, Twenty-first Regiment Infantry (First Regiment Heavy Artillery) and mustered out 13 January 1866. His tour of duty included camps near Baton Rouge and Morganzia Bend, Louisiana and at Devall's Bluff, Arkansas. His wife, Jemima M. Potts, and daughter, Ida, resided at the family home in Wolcottsville (often cited as Wolcotts Mill in the collection), La Grange County, Indiana, during the Civil War. From correspondence in the collection, it would appear that Jemima and James were married prior to July 1859 and that her family name was Stroman.
Sources: Material in collection
Report of W.H.H. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, Vol. IV
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consists of 170 letters, 14 letter fragments and 10 unassociated envelopes, written between 1857 and 1869. The bulk of the correspondence is between James M. Potts and his wife Jemima M. Potts between 1864 and 1865, with a few scattered letters from other family members and friends.
The letters relate James Potts' experiences in the army and his concern for his family. Jemima Potts' letters deal primarily with news about the family, friends, the town, her concerns, and their daughter Ida.
Other correspondents in this collection include Joseph S. Potts, William M. Potts, B.E. Stroman; C.F. and Christiana Stroman, J.M. Stroman, Samuel Stroman, George Swank, and Sarah Wallace.
BOX AND FOLDER LIST
Box 1: Correspondence
Folder
1: To: James M. Potts, 1858, May-July 1864
2: To: James M. Potts, August-October 1864
3: To: James M. Potts, November-December 1864
4: To: James M. Potts, January-March 1865
5: To: James M. Potts, April-June 1865
6: To: James M. Potts, July-October 1865
7: To: James M. Potts, November-December 1865; January 1866, n.d.
8: To: James M. Potts, Letter Fragments, n.d.; Envelope, 1869
9: To: Jemima M. Potts, 1857; May-December 1864
10: To: Jemima M. Potts, January-August 1865
11: To: Jamima M. Potts, September-December 1865, n.d.
12: To: Jemima M. Potts, Letter fragments, n.d.; Envelopes
13: Friends and Family, 1864-1865, n.d.
14: Stroman Family, 1857-1865
CATALOGUING INFORMATION
MAIN ENTRY: Potts, James M., fl. 1857-1869
SUBJECT ENTRIES: Potts, James M., fl. 1857-1869
United States. Army. Indiana Heavy Artillery Regiment, 1st (1863-1866)
Soldiers--Indiana--LaGrange County--Family relationships
Women--Religious life--Indiana--LaGrange County
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Indiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Arkansas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Louisiana--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Wolcottville (Ind.)
LaGrange County (Ind.)
ADDED ENTRIES: Potts, Jemima M., fl. 1857-1869