joseph Saulkill potter
Joseph Saulkill Potter was born on September 9, 1853 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Rebecca Saulkill Wilkinson Potter and John Ivester Potter (Document BE, Document BD). Joseph was named after his paternal grandfather. His father was born in Berwyn, Pennsylvania in 1825, and his mother was born on August 24, 1827, in Pennsylvania (Document BF). The two were married in 1851 and gave birth to their first child, Sidney Potter, on December 4 of the same year (Document F). Joseph was followed by his younger brother William John Potter, born January 20, 1855. In 1862, when Joseph was nine years old, his youngest brother Robert Young was born. Unfortunately, Robert died on April 15, 1866 at the age of three for unknown reasons (Document C). He was buried two days after he died. For Joseph’s very early life, the family resided at North 38th Street & Powelton Avenue in West Philadelphia (Document A). During Joseph’s childhood, the family lived at 3437 Market Street in present day University City with his maternal grandmother, Sidney Wilkinson. In the late 1800s, it was not uncommon to have three generations living in the same household.¹ In Joseph’s late teenage years, the family moved to 3841 Baring Street in present day Powelton Village. Given that the estate value of their house more than doubled, it can be assumed that the Potter family moved into a nicer, grander house (Document F).
The Potter family’s main source of income came from John Potter’s job as a wheelwright, while Rebecca stayed home to keep the house. Around 1870, the wheelwright industry was declining due to the increasing number of factories that produced wagons at a much cheaper price as well as a faster delivery time.² After graduating, Joseph’s older sister, Sidney, began working as a teacher, which gave the family an extra source of income. During this time, Joseph and his brother William attended school (Document F).
From 1861 through 1867, Joseph attended the Newton Grammar School in West Philadelphia (Document BJ). His younger brother William also attended school there. The Newton Grammar School was located on the 38th block of Spruce Street in present day University City. On February 18, 1867, Joseph began attending Central High School as a freshman, leaving his routine life in West Philadelphia and venturing to school in North Philadelphia. He was accepted into the school with a test score of 70.8 out of 100, being among the middle of the pack (Document D). Joseph Potter did well in school and excelled in a majority of his classes.³ Central High School had two graduating classes in 1871, one in January and the other in June. Joseph graduated with the 57th class on January 21, 1871. Along with receiving a high school diploma, Joseph also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art and with a meritorious grade average of 90.9 (Document H). Central is still one of the only high schools that gives students the opportunity to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.⁴ Joseph S. Potter’s good reputation from high school followed him throughout life,⁵ as he was invited to spend the afternoon at school by notable faculty when he visited for his 25th high school reunion (Document AE).
In 1872, just a year out of high school, Joseph S. Potter began working as a clerk⁶ at Folwell Brothers and Company, a prominent textile manufacturing company located in Philadelphia during the 19th and 20th centuries. The company owned additional offices in New York and Chicago (Document BE). The factory alone employed thousands of workers. Even during hard economic times, William Folwell, the founder of the company, refused to lower the wages of his employees. The company’s giant factory, the Collingswood Mills, assumed the entire city block of North 3rd and Cambria Streets in North Philadelphia, in the present day neighborhood of Fairhill (Document AA). The offices and sales room of Folwell Brothers and Company was located at 625 Chestnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia (Document W).
Joseph Potter presumably secured this significant job as a clerk so soon after his high school graduation due to family connections. Sidney Potter, Joseph’s sister, married George Piersoll, a close friend of William Folwell. Piersoll and Folwell were such good friends that Folwell told Piersoll, “If you had a sister just like you, I’d marry her.” In fact, George Piersoll did have a sister, Mary Roberts Piersoll. In 1870, after meeting just once, Mary Roberts Piersoll and William Hazelton Folwell became engaged (Document BI). Through these family ties, Joseph S. Potter was able to begin working at Folwell Brothers and Company in 1872. Two years after Joseph started working for the company, he was promoted to salesman (Document K) . Later in 1875, he was promoted to bookkeeper (Document L).⁷
A year after Joseph began working for the company, he moved out of his parents’ house at 3841 Baring Street to his own home at 24 N. 39th Street in present day University City, where he would live for two years before moving to 3819 Powelton Avenue, just a few blocks away (Document J). In 1879, Joseph Potter moved back to his parents’ home at 3841 Baring Street (Document M). His sister, Sidney Piersoll, still living there, was now widowed—her husband George Piersoll passed away in 1874 (Document N). Before George Piersoll’s death, he and Sidney had a child, Joseph's nephew, named William Hunter Piersoll, who was lovingly referred to as “Pierce” (Document BI).
On February 2, 1881, Joseph married Josephine Wonderly Gordon Fitler at the Presbyterian Church of Frankford (Document O). Josephine was born in Philadelphia on May 14, 1852 to Joseph Pfeiffer Fitler and Mary Cheetham Fitler (Document B). Her father was a physician and belonged to a long line of prominent doctors in the city (Document AJ). Josephine was the youngest of four children--Charles, Emily W., and Ellen. Presumably, her family was wealthy, as the family had Irish servants living with and working for them (Document B). Mary Cheetham, Josephine’s mother, died in 1855, when Josephine was only three years old. Her father had another son named Alfred Edwin Fitler with another woman, giving Josephine a half brother. Josephine’s father died in 1872, when she was just nineteen years old. Joseph P. Fitler left a large sum of money to divide amongst his children, with the majority of his belongings going to his first son, Charles Fitler. However, a reasonable sum of money was still left to Josephine (Document I).
In 1882, about a year after getting married, Joseph and Josephine moved into 2218 Spruce Street, located in the present day neighborhood known as Fitler Square, which has no known connection to Josephine’s family (Document P).⁸ That same year, Josephine gave birth to the couple’s first son, Charles Henry Potter, on November 7 (Document R). The following year Josephine gave birth to another baby boy, Clarence Wonderly Potter, on October 29 (Document AS). Sadly, in 1884, their first son, Charles Henry, died of unknown causes at just over the age of one (Document R). Subsequently, the family moved to 4802 North Hancock Street, in the Fairhill neighborhood (Document Q). There, they raised their second son, Clarence, until Josephine’s untimely death on May 5, 1887 at the age of 32. The cause of her early death is unknown (Document T). Joseph, highly distraught over Josephine’s death, organized a costly funeral for his late wife. This included a satin-lined casket worth nearly $6,000 in today’s money (Document U). Following her death, Joseph moved to School House Lane and Morris Street in Germantown, presumably to be closer to his family (Document S).
From here, Joseph and his remaining son moved quite frequently around the same Germantown neighborhood. They first moved to 56 Tulpehocken Street, just down the block from Joseph’s nephew, and Clarence’s cousin, Sheldon (Document W). They resided there for only three years beginning in 1888, the same year that Joseph was promoted to secretary and treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company, before moving only a few blocks away to 110 Tulpehocken Street. Joseph and his son lived in that house for five years (Document Z). In 1896, the two remaining members of the Potter family moved to 225 West Tulpehocken Street (Document AD). The large house on Tulpehocken Street was rented by John C. Cornelius, who was technically Joseph’s brother-in-law, and owned by William Weightman (Document AK, Document AC). John C. Cornelius was the husband of Joseph’s late wife's sister, Emily W. Cornelius (Document B). Joseph and his son lived amongst a dozen other residents boarding in that house (Document AK). It is here where both Joseph and Clarence would reside until their deaths.
In May of 1890, Joseph S. Potter applied for a passport, presumably for his job at Folwell Brothers and Company (Document Y). His job as secretary and treasurer required him to travel internationally, primarily to Europe, to sample fabrics (Document BI). At the time, he was thirty six years old and measured at 5 feet and 8 ¼ inches. He was described to have a high forehead, brown eyes, and a rather prominent nose. He had a long face and a small mouth, with a narrow chin and a beard. His hair was brown and he had a pale complexion (Document Y). There is an obvious resemblance between Joseph and his son Clarence based on Joseph’s passport application and pictures of Clarence from the University of Pennsylvania (AM).
In 1895, Joseph enrolled Clarence, now fourteen, at the elite Germantown Academy high school. He did not follow in his father’s footsteps to “rock the red and gold” at Central High School,⁹ but instead continued to attend Germantown Academy from middle to high school. The school was quite prestigious, as former first President George Washington enrolled his son at the Academy.¹⁰ Honor, importance, and wealth were associated with the families who sent their children there.¹¹ While Clarence attended the Academy, it was an all boys private school. He was certainly not the first Potter to attend the Academy. Joseph Potter’s cousin Sheldon Potter Sr. and his son Sheldon Potter Jr. both attended and graduated in 1871 and 1904 respectively (Document BK). Clarence and Sheldon Jr. would have gone to school together briefly.
It was at Germantown Academy that Clarence became very involved with his own school community. Clarence Potter was the Chairman of the Program Committee, member of the philosophy club, and a part of the recess committee. He was also particularly athletic, as a player on Germantown Academy’s football team for three of his years at school, and also a player on the baseball team. While being on the football team, Clarence participated in the oldest continuous prep school football rivalries in America, Penn Charter versus Germantown Academy.¹² While Clarence played the bench, he fumed school spirit. The Penn Charter v. Germantown Academy game of 1900, deciding who would go to the championship, ended in a eleven to eleven tie.¹³ Even though football was one of his most exciting extracurriculars, one of the most notable of his extracurriculars was Clarence’s role of treasurer of his class (Document AN). While he did not attend the same school as his father, he took on his title and shared the same qualities of responsibility, leadership, and sociability (Document AL).
It can be inferred that Joseph Potter valued education highly and was willing to spend a significant amount of money to send his son to a such a prestigious private school for eight years.¹⁴ This sentiment was shared by the rest of his wealthy extended family (Document BK).
As Clarence was active in Germantown Academy’s community, Joseph was very active in the Philadelphia and Germantown communities alike. Potter was well-off and able to afford various memberships to prestigious clubs in Philadelphia. Joseph also visited and held social events such as concerts and parties. He enjoyed attending concerts at the Germantown Glee Club—specifically their events on “Beauty and Fashion” (Document X). Joseph Potter belonged to the West Philadelphia Boat Club, now known as the University of Pennsylvania Row House. Founded in 1871, the boating club was a notable club of elites located along present day Boathouse Row. Many prominent and wealthy Philadelphians would attend weekly. The attendees would boat up and down the Schuylkill River. Joseph Potter even attended the 25th anniversary banquet of the boat club in 1896 (Document AF). Joseph Potter also belonged to the Cricket Club located in present day Chestnut Hill. The Cricket Club is still in use today, now known as the Germantown Cricket Club. Its membership list consists of generations of many established Philadelphians. Joseph Potter would frequently attend events held at the club along with other elite Philadelphians (Document AP). He was also a member of the City Club and elected to the executive committee of the Philadelphia Credit Union in November of 1896 (Document BE, Document AP).
Not only did Joseph spread himself across the city by participating in various clubs and attending numerous events, but he was also involved in more work than solely his job at Folwell Brothers and Company. During Joseph’s time at 225 West Tulpehocken Street, his housemate and brother-in-law John C. Cornelius owned and worked for The Cornelius & Rowland Company, which dealt with manufactured gas and electric fixtures, as well as bicycle production (Document AG). Its offices were located on 1612 Chestnut Street, just a few blocks away from Joseph’s office at Folwell Brothers and Company. Its factories were located across the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden (Document AH). The company was known for their high-quality materials, and even acknowledged for their participation with Wolff-American High-Art Cycles. With this in mind, Joseph decided to invest as a stockholder and creditor of $2,820 for the Cornelius & Rowland Company. Unfortunately, the company struggled under Cornelius’ control. In 1893, they faced a large debt after manufacturing and selling faulty gas fixtures and owed the companies and individuals who bought said fixtures $37,460.41 in damages. The company was forced to pay these dues as soon as possible (Document AB). Some time later, in 1897, Potter filed a bill against The Cornelius & Rowland Company. They had been struggling for seven years and had over $20,000 in debt and only $20,000 in assets. If the company were to continue on this trajectory it would have certainly gone under. Joseph’s bill asked that the company close and hire a receiver to handle its financing during and after its closing (Document AI). This bill led to the end of The Cornelius & Rowland Company, but Joseph remained living in the 225 West Tulpehocken residence with John C. Cornelius despite his lawsuit against the company (Document AK).
In June of 1902, Joseph’s son Clarence Potter graduated from the Germantown Academy (Document AM). After his graduation, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences (UPenn) in the fall of 1902. At the university, he was known to many as “Pots.” He spent some of his time at UPenn alongside his cousin, J. Albert Potter, who graduated in 1904 with an MD in Dentistry. J. Albert Potter attended his father’s alma mater (Document AP). Both Albert and Clarence’s studies were interrupted by the death of their paternal grandmother, Rebecca Saulkill Wilkinson Potter, on January 14th, 1904. Private services were held within the week at Joseph’s childhood home on 3841 Baring Street (Document AO).
Joseph Potter was an influential businessman at this point in his life. In 1906, he and a group of creditmen went to Washington D.C., the nation’s capital, to attend the hearings of bills related to the Bankruptcy Act before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives. The Bankruptcy Act protected companies from creditors,¹⁵ a topic that Joseph took interest in because he was a creditor of The Cornelius & Rowland Company (Document AP).
After his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 1906 with a degree as a Bachelor of Sciences, Clarence Potter began working for Joseph Potter at Folwell Brothers and Company. Clarence maintained the job as his father’s assistant until his sudden death in 1909 (Document AR). He died of heart failure on December 22, after just a few days of being “indisposed”. Even in his last few days, doctors were hopeful he would make a recovery. His uncle, William J. Potter was ultimately the one to inform everyone, primarily The University of Pennsylvania, of Clarence’s passing (Document AT). Joseph Potter had now outlived his wife and both of his children and continued to reside in the house at 225 West Tulpehocken Street with the comfort of his distant family (Document AU).
Amongst the people boarding at 225 West Tulpehocken Street was a woman by the name of Bessie Lincoln Carpenter (Document AU). Despite the fact that Bessie was twenty years younger than Joseph, the two got married. They were wed on June 18, 1910 at the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown (Document AW). Because Bessie was religious, the couple was married at the First Presbyterian Church, but there are no records of them being members of any church (Document G).¹⁶ Bessie was the daughter of Casper Carpenter of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Mary Carpenter of Ohio. Bessie came from wealthy beginnings. She was one of four children, with an older brother Edwin, and two younger sisters, Alice and Helen. Her father was a freight agent¹⁷ and the only source of income for his family. Similar to Joseph, Bessie’s life was also full of tragedy. Her brother, father and one sister died just a few years prior to her marriage (Document E). After her wedding with Joseph, two decided to continue to live in the 225 West Tulpehocken residence, with the rest of the numerous boarders, instead of living in a house of their own (Document AX). Joseph remained the secretary and treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company during his second marriage, while Bessie worked as a teacher on School House Lane in Germantown (Document AU).
Two years after Joseph’s marriage, his father, John I. Potter, passed away on December 19, 1912 at the age of eighty. Prior to this, John Potter had moved in with his son, William J. Potter, after the passing of his wife and Joseph’s mother, Rebecca Potter. William J. Potter had been a prominent dentist, owning multiple offices in the Philadelphia area. Because of his success, he was financially able to take in his father while also supporting his wife, Catharine, and their children (Document AV).
Joseph and Bessie became quite involved in the community during their marriage. They were very social in their neighborhood, hosting events such as dances in their house for their neighbors (Document AZ). Sadly, the couple was only together for four short years due to Bessie’s death on August 22, 1914 at the age of forty-four. Bessie passed away due to myocarditis, a heart condition where the middle layer of the heart becomes inflamed (Document BA).¹⁸ Joseph, once again, was left without any immediate family. Josephine’s funeral was held at the Potters’ residence on 225 West Tulpehocken Street (Document BB).
Joseph Potter, still living with John C. Cornelius, decided to advance their relationship, and the two began working together. After The Cornelius & Rowland Company shut down, John Cornelius began working as a secretary for the Girard Life Insurance Company while Joseph Potter was working as the treasurer (Document AY).
William Folwell’s son, Nathan Folwell, was the President of the Girard Life Insurance Company. After seeing how well Joseph Potter worked as the treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company, and presumably through other connections, Nathan Folwell hired Joseph Potter as the treasurer of his company (Document AY).¹⁹ As Joseph Potter had leverage in the company as the treasurer, he advocated for the hiring of John Cornelius. Hence, Cornelius was hired in 1913 as well (Document AX).
The Girard Life Insurance Company was located on the Drexel campus at 2020 Chestnut Street. Along with insuring lives, the company did business in granting annuities, receiving and executing trusts, and keeping wills without charge. The Girard Life Insurance Company also extended their business into Camden County, New Jersey, where they were involved in multiple lawsuits prior to Potter’s work there (Document V). Joseph Potter continued working as secretary and treasurer for Folwell Brothers and Company while working for the Girard Life Insurance Company. Joseph only worked for the insurance company for four years, until 1917, but continued at Folwell Brothers and Company until his death (Document BC).
John C. Cornelius and Emily W. Cornelius passed away during this time, in 1917 and 1910 respectively. It is probable that Joseph left his job at the Girard Life Insurance Company as a result of Cornelius’ death. This made Joseph Potter the head of the 225 West Tulpehocken Residence. However, Joseph Potter did not hold this title for long.
Joseph Potter, one of the few surviving members of his immediate family, died on January 15, 1919 at the age of sixty-five. His ultimate cause of death was untreated gangrene of the foot,²⁰ caused by diabetes (Document BD). It is likely that Joseph’s illness was left untreated due to the little information known about diabetes at the time.²¹ Joseph’s private funeral was held at his home on 225 West Tulpehocken Street (Document BE). He was survived by his brother William and sister Sidney.
Joseph made a very positive impact on his family and community during his lifetime. Joseph Potter started at Folwell Brothers and Company as a clerk, doing secretarial tasks such as keeping track of the companies expenses and orders. He was then promoted to a salesman and continued to rise up as a bookkeeper. Finally he ascended to secretary and treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company, a position he would hold until his death. Potter led his son on his successful path of education and eventually provided him with a job. He even assisted his brother-in-law, John C. Cornelius, on many occasions by investing and becoming a creditor in The Cornelius and Rowland Company, and later by helping him earn a job at the Girard Life Insurance Company. During his lifetime, Joseph became a very influential figure in Philadelphia. He was a member of many clubs throughout the city and active member of his community. Up until his last year, Joseph Potter remained working at Folwell Brothers and Company and lived at 225 West Tulpehocken Street. Joseph Potter chose to be buried at his roots in West Philadelphia. On January 18, 1919, Joseph Saulkill Potter was laid to rest with his loved ones in the J.S Potter family plot at the Woodlands Cemetery of West Philadelphia (Document BF).
The Potter family’s main source of income came from John Potter’s job as a wheelwright, while Rebecca stayed home to keep the house. Around 1870, the wheelwright industry was declining due to the increasing number of factories that produced wagons at a much cheaper price as well as a faster delivery time.² After graduating, Joseph’s older sister, Sidney, began working as a teacher, which gave the family an extra source of income. During this time, Joseph and his brother William attended school (Document F).
From 1861 through 1867, Joseph attended the Newton Grammar School in West Philadelphia (Document BJ). His younger brother William also attended school there. The Newton Grammar School was located on the 38th block of Spruce Street in present day University City. On February 18, 1867, Joseph began attending Central High School as a freshman, leaving his routine life in West Philadelphia and venturing to school in North Philadelphia. He was accepted into the school with a test score of 70.8 out of 100, being among the middle of the pack (Document D). Joseph Potter did well in school and excelled in a majority of his classes.³ Central High School had two graduating classes in 1871, one in January and the other in June. Joseph graduated with the 57th class on January 21, 1871. Along with receiving a high school diploma, Joseph also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art and with a meritorious grade average of 90.9 (Document H). Central is still one of the only high schools that gives students the opportunity to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.⁴ Joseph S. Potter’s good reputation from high school followed him throughout life,⁵ as he was invited to spend the afternoon at school by notable faculty when he visited for his 25th high school reunion (Document AE).
In 1872, just a year out of high school, Joseph S. Potter began working as a clerk⁶ at Folwell Brothers and Company, a prominent textile manufacturing company located in Philadelphia during the 19th and 20th centuries. The company owned additional offices in New York and Chicago (Document BE). The factory alone employed thousands of workers. Even during hard economic times, William Folwell, the founder of the company, refused to lower the wages of his employees. The company’s giant factory, the Collingswood Mills, assumed the entire city block of North 3rd and Cambria Streets in North Philadelphia, in the present day neighborhood of Fairhill (Document AA). The offices and sales room of Folwell Brothers and Company was located at 625 Chestnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia (Document W).
Joseph Potter presumably secured this significant job as a clerk so soon after his high school graduation due to family connections. Sidney Potter, Joseph’s sister, married George Piersoll, a close friend of William Folwell. Piersoll and Folwell were such good friends that Folwell told Piersoll, “If you had a sister just like you, I’d marry her.” In fact, George Piersoll did have a sister, Mary Roberts Piersoll. In 1870, after meeting just once, Mary Roberts Piersoll and William Hazelton Folwell became engaged (Document BI). Through these family ties, Joseph S. Potter was able to begin working at Folwell Brothers and Company in 1872. Two years after Joseph started working for the company, he was promoted to salesman (Document K) . Later in 1875, he was promoted to bookkeeper (Document L).⁷
A year after Joseph began working for the company, he moved out of his parents’ house at 3841 Baring Street to his own home at 24 N. 39th Street in present day University City, where he would live for two years before moving to 3819 Powelton Avenue, just a few blocks away (Document J). In 1879, Joseph Potter moved back to his parents’ home at 3841 Baring Street (Document M). His sister, Sidney Piersoll, still living there, was now widowed—her husband George Piersoll passed away in 1874 (Document N). Before George Piersoll’s death, he and Sidney had a child, Joseph's nephew, named William Hunter Piersoll, who was lovingly referred to as “Pierce” (Document BI).
On February 2, 1881, Joseph married Josephine Wonderly Gordon Fitler at the Presbyterian Church of Frankford (Document O). Josephine was born in Philadelphia on May 14, 1852 to Joseph Pfeiffer Fitler and Mary Cheetham Fitler (Document B). Her father was a physician and belonged to a long line of prominent doctors in the city (Document AJ). Josephine was the youngest of four children--Charles, Emily W., and Ellen. Presumably, her family was wealthy, as the family had Irish servants living with and working for them (Document B). Mary Cheetham, Josephine’s mother, died in 1855, when Josephine was only three years old. Her father had another son named Alfred Edwin Fitler with another woman, giving Josephine a half brother. Josephine’s father died in 1872, when she was just nineteen years old. Joseph P. Fitler left a large sum of money to divide amongst his children, with the majority of his belongings going to his first son, Charles Fitler. However, a reasonable sum of money was still left to Josephine (Document I).
In 1882, about a year after getting married, Joseph and Josephine moved into 2218 Spruce Street, located in the present day neighborhood known as Fitler Square, which has no known connection to Josephine’s family (Document P).⁸ That same year, Josephine gave birth to the couple’s first son, Charles Henry Potter, on November 7 (Document R). The following year Josephine gave birth to another baby boy, Clarence Wonderly Potter, on October 29 (Document AS). Sadly, in 1884, their first son, Charles Henry, died of unknown causes at just over the age of one (Document R). Subsequently, the family moved to 4802 North Hancock Street, in the Fairhill neighborhood (Document Q). There, they raised their second son, Clarence, until Josephine’s untimely death on May 5, 1887 at the age of 32. The cause of her early death is unknown (Document T). Joseph, highly distraught over Josephine’s death, organized a costly funeral for his late wife. This included a satin-lined casket worth nearly $6,000 in today’s money (Document U). Following her death, Joseph moved to School House Lane and Morris Street in Germantown, presumably to be closer to his family (Document S).
From here, Joseph and his remaining son moved quite frequently around the same Germantown neighborhood. They first moved to 56 Tulpehocken Street, just down the block from Joseph’s nephew, and Clarence’s cousin, Sheldon (Document W). They resided there for only three years beginning in 1888, the same year that Joseph was promoted to secretary and treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company, before moving only a few blocks away to 110 Tulpehocken Street. Joseph and his son lived in that house for five years (Document Z). In 1896, the two remaining members of the Potter family moved to 225 West Tulpehocken Street (Document AD). The large house on Tulpehocken Street was rented by John C. Cornelius, who was technically Joseph’s brother-in-law, and owned by William Weightman (Document AK, Document AC). John C. Cornelius was the husband of Joseph’s late wife's sister, Emily W. Cornelius (Document B). Joseph and his son lived amongst a dozen other residents boarding in that house (Document AK). It is here where both Joseph and Clarence would reside until their deaths.
In May of 1890, Joseph S. Potter applied for a passport, presumably for his job at Folwell Brothers and Company (Document Y). His job as secretary and treasurer required him to travel internationally, primarily to Europe, to sample fabrics (Document BI). At the time, he was thirty six years old and measured at 5 feet and 8 ¼ inches. He was described to have a high forehead, brown eyes, and a rather prominent nose. He had a long face and a small mouth, with a narrow chin and a beard. His hair was brown and he had a pale complexion (Document Y). There is an obvious resemblance between Joseph and his son Clarence based on Joseph’s passport application and pictures of Clarence from the University of Pennsylvania (AM).
In 1895, Joseph enrolled Clarence, now fourteen, at the elite Germantown Academy high school. He did not follow in his father’s footsteps to “rock the red and gold” at Central High School,⁹ but instead continued to attend Germantown Academy from middle to high school. The school was quite prestigious, as former first President George Washington enrolled his son at the Academy.¹⁰ Honor, importance, and wealth were associated with the families who sent their children there.¹¹ While Clarence attended the Academy, it was an all boys private school. He was certainly not the first Potter to attend the Academy. Joseph Potter’s cousin Sheldon Potter Sr. and his son Sheldon Potter Jr. both attended and graduated in 1871 and 1904 respectively (Document BK). Clarence and Sheldon Jr. would have gone to school together briefly.
It was at Germantown Academy that Clarence became very involved with his own school community. Clarence Potter was the Chairman of the Program Committee, member of the philosophy club, and a part of the recess committee. He was also particularly athletic, as a player on Germantown Academy’s football team for three of his years at school, and also a player on the baseball team. While being on the football team, Clarence participated in the oldest continuous prep school football rivalries in America, Penn Charter versus Germantown Academy.¹² While Clarence played the bench, he fumed school spirit. The Penn Charter v. Germantown Academy game of 1900, deciding who would go to the championship, ended in a eleven to eleven tie.¹³ Even though football was one of his most exciting extracurriculars, one of the most notable of his extracurriculars was Clarence’s role of treasurer of his class (Document AN). While he did not attend the same school as his father, he took on his title and shared the same qualities of responsibility, leadership, and sociability (Document AL).
It can be inferred that Joseph Potter valued education highly and was willing to spend a significant amount of money to send his son to a such a prestigious private school for eight years.¹⁴ This sentiment was shared by the rest of his wealthy extended family (Document BK).
As Clarence was active in Germantown Academy’s community, Joseph was very active in the Philadelphia and Germantown communities alike. Potter was well-off and able to afford various memberships to prestigious clubs in Philadelphia. Joseph also visited and held social events such as concerts and parties. He enjoyed attending concerts at the Germantown Glee Club—specifically their events on “Beauty and Fashion” (Document X). Joseph Potter belonged to the West Philadelphia Boat Club, now known as the University of Pennsylvania Row House. Founded in 1871, the boating club was a notable club of elites located along present day Boathouse Row. Many prominent and wealthy Philadelphians would attend weekly. The attendees would boat up and down the Schuylkill River. Joseph Potter even attended the 25th anniversary banquet of the boat club in 1896 (Document AF). Joseph Potter also belonged to the Cricket Club located in present day Chestnut Hill. The Cricket Club is still in use today, now known as the Germantown Cricket Club. Its membership list consists of generations of many established Philadelphians. Joseph Potter would frequently attend events held at the club along with other elite Philadelphians (Document AP). He was also a member of the City Club and elected to the executive committee of the Philadelphia Credit Union in November of 1896 (Document BE, Document AP).
Not only did Joseph spread himself across the city by participating in various clubs and attending numerous events, but he was also involved in more work than solely his job at Folwell Brothers and Company. During Joseph’s time at 225 West Tulpehocken Street, his housemate and brother-in-law John C. Cornelius owned and worked for The Cornelius & Rowland Company, which dealt with manufactured gas and electric fixtures, as well as bicycle production (Document AG). Its offices were located on 1612 Chestnut Street, just a few blocks away from Joseph’s office at Folwell Brothers and Company. Its factories were located across the Ben Franklin Bridge in Camden (Document AH). The company was known for their high-quality materials, and even acknowledged for their participation with Wolff-American High-Art Cycles. With this in mind, Joseph decided to invest as a stockholder and creditor of $2,820 for the Cornelius & Rowland Company. Unfortunately, the company struggled under Cornelius’ control. In 1893, they faced a large debt after manufacturing and selling faulty gas fixtures and owed the companies and individuals who bought said fixtures $37,460.41 in damages. The company was forced to pay these dues as soon as possible (Document AB). Some time later, in 1897, Potter filed a bill against The Cornelius & Rowland Company. They had been struggling for seven years and had over $20,000 in debt and only $20,000 in assets. If the company were to continue on this trajectory it would have certainly gone under. Joseph’s bill asked that the company close and hire a receiver to handle its financing during and after its closing (Document AI). This bill led to the end of The Cornelius & Rowland Company, but Joseph remained living in the 225 West Tulpehocken residence with John C. Cornelius despite his lawsuit against the company (Document AK).
In June of 1902, Joseph’s son Clarence Potter graduated from the Germantown Academy (Document AM). After his graduation, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences (UPenn) in the fall of 1902. At the university, he was known to many as “Pots.” He spent some of his time at UPenn alongside his cousin, J. Albert Potter, who graduated in 1904 with an MD in Dentistry. J. Albert Potter attended his father’s alma mater (Document AP). Both Albert and Clarence’s studies were interrupted by the death of their paternal grandmother, Rebecca Saulkill Wilkinson Potter, on January 14th, 1904. Private services were held within the week at Joseph’s childhood home on 3841 Baring Street (Document AO).
Joseph Potter was an influential businessman at this point in his life. In 1906, he and a group of creditmen went to Washington D.C., the nation’s capital, to attend the hearings of bills related to the Bankruptcy Act before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives. The Bankruptcy Act protected companies from creditors,¹⁵ a topic that Joseph took interest in because he was a creditor of The Cornelius & Rowland Company (Document AP).
After his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 1906 with a degree as a Bachelor of Sciences, Clarence Potter began working for Joseph Potter at Folwell Brothers and Company. Clarence maintained the job as his father’s assistant until his sudden death in 1909 (Document AR). He died of heart failure on December 22, after just a few days of being “indisposed”. Even in his last few days, doctors were hopeful he would make a recovery. His uncle, William J. Potter was ultimately the one to inform everyone, primarily The University of Pennsylvania, of Clarence’s passing (Document AT). Joseph Potter had now outlived his wife and both of his children and continued to reside in the house at 225 West Tulpehocken Street with the comfort of his distant family (Document AU).
Amongst the people boarding at 225 West Tulpehocken Street was a woman by the name of Bessie Lincoln Carpenter (Document AU). Despite the fact that Bessie was twenty years younger than Joseph, the two got married. They were wed on June 18, 1910 at the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown (Document AW). Because Bessie was religious, the couple was married at the First Presbyterian Church, but there are no records of them being members of any church (Document G).¹⁶ Bessie was the daughter of Casper Carpenter of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Mary Carpenter of Ohio. Bessie came from wealthy beginnings. She was one of four children, with an older brother Edwin, and two younger sisters, Alice and Helen. Her father was a freight agent¹⁷ and the only source of income for his family. Similar to Joseph, Bessie’s life was also full of tragedy. Her brother, father and one sister died just a few years prior to her marriage (Document E). After her wedding with Joseph, two decided to continue to live in the 225 West Tulpehocken residence, with the rest of the numerous boarders, instead of living in a house of their own (Document AX). Joseph remained the secretary and treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company during his second marriage, while Bessie worked as a teacher on School House Lane in Germantown (Document AU).
Two years after Joseph’s marriage, his father, John I. Potter, passed away on December 19, 1912 at the age of eighty. Prior to this, John Potter had moved in with his son, William J. Potter, after the passing of his wife and Joseph’s mother, Rebecca Potter. William J. Potter had been a prominent dentist, owning multiple offices in the Philadelphia area. Because of his success, he was financially able to take in his father while also supporting his wife, Catharine, and their children (Document AV).
Joseph and Bessie became quite involved in the community during their marriage. They were very social in their neighborhood, hosting events such as dances in their house for their neighbors (Document AZ). Sadly, the couple was only together for four short years due to Bessie’s death on August 22, 1914 at the age of forty-four. Bessie passed away due to myocarditis, a heart condition where the middle layer of the heart becomes inflamed (Document BA).¹⁸ Joseph, once again, was left without any immediate family. Josephine’s funeral was held at the Potters’ residence on 225 West Tulpehocken Street (Document BB).
Joseph Potter, still living with John C. Cornelius, decided to advance their relationship, and the two began working together. After The Cornelius & Rowland Company shut down, John Cornelius began working as a secretary for the Girard Life Insurance Company while Joseph Potter was working as the treasurer (Document AY).
William Folwell’s son, Nathan Folwell, was the President of the Girard Life Insurance Company. After seeing how well Joseph Potter worked as the treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company, and presumably through other connections, Nathan Folwell hired Joseph Potter as the treasurer of his company (Document AY).¹⁹ As Joseph Potter had leverage in the company as the treasurer, he advocated for the hiring of John Cornelius. Hence, Cornelius was hired in 1913 as well (Document AX).
The Girard Life Insurance Company was located on the Drexel campus at 2020 Chestnut Street. Along with insuring lives, the company did business in granting annuities, receiving and executing trusts, and keeping wills without charge. The Girard Life Insurance Company also extended their business into Camden County, New Jersey, where they were involved in multiple lawsuits prior to Potter’s work there (Document V). Joseph Potter continued working as secretary and treasurer for Folwell Brothers and Company while working for the Girard Life Insurance Company. Joseph only worked for the insurance company for four years, until 1917, but continued at Folwell Brothers and Company until his death (Document BC).
John C. Cornelius and Emily W. Cornelius passed away during this time, in 1917 and 1910 respectively. It is probable that Joseph left his job at the Girard Life Insurance Company as a result of Cornelius’ death. This made Joseph Potter the head of the 225 West Tulpehocken Residence. However, Joseph Potter did not hold this title for long.
Joseph Potter, one of the few surviving members of his immediate family, died on January 15, 1919 at the age of sixty-five. His ultimate cause of death was untreated gangrene of the foot,²⁰ caused by diabetes (Document BD). It is likely that Joseph’s illness was left untreated due to the little information known about diabetes at the time.²¹ Joseph’s private funeral was held at his home on 225 West Tulpehocken Street (Document BE). He was survived by his brother William and sister Sidney.
Joseph made a very positive impact on his family and community during his lifetime. Joseph Potter started at Folwell Brothers and Company as a clerk, doing secretarial tasks such as keeping track of the companies expenses and orders. He was then promoted to a salesman and continued to rise up as a bookkeeper. Finally he ascended to secretary and treasurer of Folwell Brothers and Company, a position he would hold until his death. Potter led his son on his successful path of education and eventually provided him with a job. He even assisted his brother-in-law, John C. Cornelius, on many occasions by investing and becoming a creditor in The Cornelius and Rowland Company, and later by helping him earn a job at the Girard Life Insurance Company. During his lifetime, Joseph became a very influential figure in Philadelphia. He was a member of many clubs throughout the city and active member of his community. Up until his last year, Joseph Potter remained working at Folwell Brothers and Company and lived at 225 West Tulpehocken Street. Joseph Potter chose to be buried at his roots in West Philadelphia. On January 18, 1919, Joseph Saulkill Potter was laid to rest with his loved ones in the J.S Potter family plot at the Woodlands Cemetery of West Philadelphia (Document BF).
¹ Ruggles, Steven. “Multigenerational Families in Nineteenth-Century America.” Continuity and
Change, vol. 18, no. 1, 2003, pp. 139–165., doi:10.1017/S0268416003004466.
² “Wheelwright.” Herefordshire Past, herefordshirepast.co.uk/occupations/wheelwright/.
³ Joseph graduated with an average grade of 90.9 between all of his classes, so we are able to assume that he excelled in his education.
⁴ “About.” Central High School, 15 Nov. 2017, centralhs.philasd.org/about-us-2/.
⁵ Joseph’s good grades and bachelor’s degree allow us to infer that he held a good reputation throughout his time at Central High School.
⁶ Male clerks in the 1800s were usually aspiring business or company men. Clerks were a common part of 19th century offices. They did tasks such as typing, transcribing speech, and receptionist duties (Fine).
⁷ Bookkeeping in the 1800s was similar to accounting. The words were often used interchangeably during the early to mid 19th century (Accounting: Historical Perspectives).
⁸ Fitler Square is named after Edwin H. Fitler, a mayor of Philadelphia during the 19th century. He has no relation to Josephine nor her family (History).
⁹ “Rock the red and gold” is a motto of Central High School today, the school colors being red and gold.
¹⁰ “History & Traditions.” Germantown Academy, www.germantownacademy.net/about/history-traditions.
¹¹ It is implied that families who sent their children to the Germantown Academy were wealthy due to its costly payments (Tuition and Fees).
¹² Sawyers, Alexis Frazier. “A Brief History of GA-PC Day.” Germantown Academy,
www.germantownacademy.net/athletics/gapcday/a-brief-history-of-ga-pc-day.
¹³ Silary, Ted. “William Penn Charter School Football History.”
http://tedsilary.com/PCFBresultsgamebygame.htm.
¹⁴ “Tuition and Fees.” Germantown Academy, www.germantownacademy.net/admission/tuition-and-fees.
¹⁵ “Bankruptcy Act of 1898.” Federal Judicial Center, www.fjc.gov/history/timeline/bankruptcy-act-1898.
¹⁶ After extensive research at the Germantown Archives, we found no records of the Potters being members of a church.
¹⁷ A freight agent is an independent contractor for a freight broker. They work on commission with their own clients (What Is the Difference...).
¹⁸ “Myocarditis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 July 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myocarditis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352539.
¹⁹ Joseph Potter knew Nathan Folwell through his father’s company, Folwell Brothers and Company. It is probable that this Nathan hired Joseph because of his work at his father’s company.
²⁰ Gangrene is the death of body tissue caused by the lack of blood flow or a major bacterial infection. The risk of gangrene is increased by preexisting conditions such as diabetes (Gangrene).
²¹ A plausible treatment for diabetes had only been discovered in 1910. Despite Joseph’s death being nine years later, there was not enough progress in this treatment to help cure his diabetes or the gangrene in his foot (75th Anniversary Timeline).
Change, vol. 18, no. 1, 2003, pp. 139–165., doi:10.1017/S0268416003004466.
² “Wheelwright.” Herefordshire Past, herefordshirepast.co.uk/occupations/wheelwright/.
³ Joseph graduated with an average grade of 90.9 between all of his classes, so we are able to assume that he excelled in his education.
⁴ “About.” Central High School, 15 Nov. 2017, centralhs.philasd.org/about-us-2/.
⁵ Joseph’s good grades and bachelor’s degree allow us to infer that he held a good reputation throughout his time at Central High School.
⁶ Male clerks in the 1800s were usually aspiring business or company men. Clerks were a common part of 19th century offices. They did tasks such as typing, transcribing speech, and receptionist duties (Fine).
⁷ Bookkeeping in the 1800s was similar to accounting. The words were often used interchangeably during the early to mid 19th century (Accounting: Historical Perspectives).
⁸ Fitler Square is named after Edwin H. Fitler, a mayor of Philadelphia during the 19th century. He has no relation to Josephine nor her family (History).
⁹ “Rock the red and gold” is a motto of Central High School today, the school colors being red and gold.
¹⁰ “History & Traditions.” Germantown Academy, www.germantownacademy.net/about/history-traditions.
¹¹ It is implied that families who sent their children to the Germantown Academy were wealthy due to its costly payments (Tuition and Fees).
¹² Sawyers, Alexis Frazier. “A Brief History of GA-PC Day.” Germantown Academy,
www.germantownacademy.net/athletics/gapcday/a-brief-history-of-ga-pc-day.
¹³ Silary, Ted. “William Penn Charter School Football History.”
http://tedsilary.com/PCFBresultsgamebygame.htm.
¹⁴ “Tuition and Fees.” Germantown Academy, www.germantownacademy.net/admission/tuition-and-fees.
¹⁵ “Bankruptcy Act of 1898.” Federal Judicial Center, www.fjc.gov/history/timeline/bankruptcy-act-1898.
¹⁶ After extensive research at the Germantown Archives, we found no records of the Potters being members of a church.
¹⁷ A freight agent is an independent contractor for a freight broker. They work on commission with their own clients (What Is the Difference...).
¹⁸ “Myocarditis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 July 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myocarditis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352539.
¹⁹ Joseph Potter knew Nathan Folwell through his father’s company, Folwell Brothers and Company. It is probable that this Nathan hired Joseph because of his work at his father’s company.
²⁰ Gangrene is the death of body tissue caused by the lack of blood flow or a major bacterial infection. The risk of gangrene is increased by preexisting conditions such as diabetes (Gangrene).
²¹ A plausible treatment for diabetes had only been discovered in 1910. Despite Joseph’s death being nine years later, there was not enough progress in this treatment to help cure his diabetes or the gangrene in his foot (75th Anniversary Timeline).