James Potter

Gen. James Potter was one of the highest-ranking generals in Pennsylvania during the Revolution and served as Vice-President of Pennsylvania. He was also one of the largest landowners in the state during his life.

While his tax records appear fairly infrequently in the records, we do know that he owned at least 2-6 slaves during his lifetime. In addition, on September 13, 1770, one of Potter’s slaves named Jack was written up in a Pennsylvania Gazette advertisement by the jailor alerting James Potter that he had four weeks to pay the charges on behalf of his slave or have the state sell Jack to pay off the debts. This is the only record researchers found so far that lists the names of James Potter’s slaves.

Pennsylvania Tax & Exoneration records serve as further proof that James Potter owned 2 enslaved people in the year 1781: