An abridgement of Memorandum of Events from 1851 to [1911] transpiring in the life of E. J. Potter M.D., by the same:

My life began, so the records show, January sixteenth, 1851, on a farm in the township of Ash, Section Twenty Five, Monroe County, State of Michigan, a trifle over a mile up the stream of Swan Creek, from the village of Newport. I was taught in my youth by my mother, the principles of Christianity, she being a devout and an earnest every day practical Christian woman.
I was fond of hunting, fishing, and skating, and I never saw lazy boy that did not prefer to hunt, fish, or skate, when there was some churning to do, or wood to be cut. We lived but four miles from Lake Erie, and in consequence fish were plenty. Ducks from the marshes of the lake came up to hatch their young, and this made very excellent duck shooting. I was also fond of swimming, and frequently found it a task to pass a good opportunity without taking a dive.
[On] January 9th 1863, when I was about twelve years of age, my father a soldier in the federal army, in the war of the rebellion, died in Libby prison at Richmond Virginia, while a prisoner of war, having been captured after the battle of Fredericksburg. My mother was left alone, with myself, a half sister [Mary Peters] and an adopted sister [Mattie] which constituted the household.
When about fifteen years of age I experienced religion, but after a few months I fell from grace, my associations were not of the kind to give me much assistance in living a Christian life. Although not a wayward boy, I had my faults as other boys have, yet in all these I endeavored to heed mother's advice and honor her wish.
At the time I became eighteen years of age [1869] I was sent to School in Monroe, Mich.
In the early part of the year of 1871 I think, mother married a Mr. Gilmore and moved away, leaving me on the farm, with sister Mattie as housekeeper. During this summer I became acquainted with Miss Elva Haley, who lived near Rockwood, Mich. Miss Haley was young and gay, and fairly good looking, as the expression goes, and appeared to strike my fancy, and I became somewhat infatuated. Continuing my attentions to Miss Haley till Dec. 21st 1871, when we were married. We at once took up our abode at the farm. Tilling the soil was about all that I had much knowledge of, and now I had the opportunity to do for myself, and exercise my own judgment, as my mother, the backbone of good management was gone, and the responsibility was now on my shoulders.
It appears that some one had been wishing us, as newly married people, the customary "good will," for in due course of time, namely, Sept. 30th 1872 the congratulations were made manifest by a fine large baby girl coming to our home. We were delighted and proud of our little one of course. Tenderly she was cared for by loving hands, but for all that, she became sickly, and we had but little hopes of raising her.
At the age of nine months she was taken by my mother, that she might have better care and nursing. This care, and the fact that this was the first child of an only son, so wrought upon mother's heart, that she soon learned to love the child as her own, and by her request we gave our consent to let the child, Lura, remain with her grandmother.
We remained on the farm till autumn of 1873, when we sold our chattels, and I went to the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, to attend medical lectures. I remained at the college till April 1874 when I accepted a position as assistant with Dr. I. E. Brown who for years had held the position of house surgeon at the hospital on the university grounds, but who was at this time living and practicing medicine at Monroe, Mich. During February I was called home as we had another increase in the family, another girl, whom we called Lillian. My wife during my absence was making her home with my mother at Grafton. I remained with Dr. Brown till fall, when I went to Cincinnati to complete my studies in medicine.
By close attention to the branches given by the different members of the faculty, I with a goodly number of the class passed the final examinations and with honor, received in March 1875 the degree of M.D. in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery. Before leaving the city I provided myself with some surgical instruments and a medicine case, then returned to Michigan to visit my family. Looking up a suitable location in which to enter on my new life was the next care that weighed upon my mind. Finally I purchased a small stock of medicine of a Detroit house, and located in Waltz, Mich. in the spring of 1875. Here I bought a small home, and converted the front room into an office. There was little sickness at this time in this locality, and with old physicians all around us, we found rather slim picking. In fact there was almost nothing to do. I then packed my little all, sold the home, and started to find more productive fields.
[In] 1875 I received a letter from an old friend, by the name of Geo. H. Smith, who was then in the United States regular army, stationed at Greenville, South Carolina. In this communication I was advised to go to Greenville, as it was the county seat, a city of about seven thousand inhabitants and but seven physicians in the place.. Going to Toledo, O. some time in Nov. 1875 I bought my ticket for Washington D.C. via Niagara Falls and Harrisburg, Pa. Arriving in Washington with no great mishap, I secured a ticket for Greenville via Richmond, Va. and in due course of time I arrived at my destination.
During 2 weeks stay in Greenville I discovered a little village of five or six hundred people about a dozen miles distant. This town Easley, is situated on the Piedmont and Airline R.R., and was supplied with two physicians. Business seemed to be coming my way, praise with each new case. The other physicians became jealous, and helped me wonderfully by sounding abroad the idea that the "people acted as though they thought I could raise the dead.". (See dated photograph.)
In May of 1876 I concluded to return to my northern home and there remain. A few weeks spent in visiting, when in the month of September 1876, I opened an office in Holland, Lucas Co. Ohio, a small hamlet ten miles west of Toledo. A physician was needed at this place, and I at once, got into a fairly active practice.
On Feb. 23rd 1877 our next addition to the family came, a girl again, and we named her Pearl Edna. That year I bought a lot and barn, and erected a new house, and the following year (1878) put up a small store room, moving my medicines, and adding a line of groceries. I conducted a profitable business, although on a small scale. The latter part of Oct. 1879 I was appointed Post Master at Holland P.O.
After looking about for some time for a location I finally concluded to move to Sherwood, a small town on the Baltimore & Ohio Ry. about ten miles west of Defiance, in the northwest corner of the state. Arriving at this place in Sept. 1882, I bought the stock of Drugs and Medicines owned by Dr. J. K. Denman, and taking my half sister [Mary Peters Drake/Steiner] in the business with me, as an equal partner, we moved in more commodious quarters, and added a line of groceries. This addition was not a very great money making venture. Still we did fairly well for three years when I bought my sister's interest in the enterprise.
On December 11th 1889 our home was made happy by the arrival of a Son. Having three daughters given us, a son was regarded as a rare treat by every member of the home. The little lad was very highly prized and tenderly cared for. In honor of his grand sire, we called his name Royal. He was the joy and pet of the family.
The seasons came and went as usual, but on the 10th of September [1890] at midnight I was awakened by the cry of fire. On that fateful night my store was burned out, my stock of merchandise laid waste, a smolder mass of ruins. All I had was gone. In the fall of 1891 I moved my merchandise in a new brick room erected on the spot where stood the building that was destroyed, the year previous.
Quietly things moved along till September 11th 1892 when another permanent visitor came to our home. This time a little lady. We thought as she grew, that we detected traces of comeliness, and a name to call her by occupied our attention for some little time. We at last settled on Eva Dawn, as the name she should be known by. This year was a prosperous one, so far as business and finance was concerned.
During the summer and fall of 1893, while the Worlds Columbian Exposition was in progress at Chicago Ill. I visited that city and the fair, (The White City) twice. About the middle of July (10th) I took my daughter Pearl with me. For four days we traveled and viewed the sights. Never do I expect my lot will be cast, that I may e permitted to enjoy seeing such grandeur again.
The new year of 1894 came in on time, and on February 23rd our daughter Pearl was married, and shortly a vacancy was made in our home. We miss her still, and feel the loss of her society and company almost as badly as when she first went to live in a home of her own.
During the month of September [1897] I took a spin around the country on my bicycle and entering the Village of Holgate in Henry Co. Ohio, one evening I put up at a hotel for the night. During my stay I was somewhat favorably impressed with the town, and finally concluded business prospects were better at this place than at Sherwood. I accordingly rented a store room and also a dwelling house, and made haste to change my base of operations.
We packed our goods and chattels and landed in Holgate on the 11th day of Oct. 1897, and began a new venture. We met many hearty welcomes in the churches. Before the year closed we were made members of the M. E. church by transfer from Sherwood, by an act of the Elder Rev. P. P. Pope.
In the month of March [1899] our house hold goods, a span of fine horses, a lumber wagon, a surrey and five harnesses were loaded in cars, and we left Holgate for our new home on the farm near Newport Mich., my family having gone a few days earlier, making visits among old acquaintances.
Then began our new work, starting with nothing, it required quite an outlay for farm stock and machinery. For five years we were farmers in every sense of the term. In the spring of 1904 we left the farm and moved to Carleton, a new and comfortable house was built, which we occupied in July. In Sept. 1904 I again opened a jewelry store.
In the spring of 1905 I took up the study of optics in the South Bend, Ind. College of Optics, passing the required examination, received my diploma as Dr of Optics. This trade brought a fairly good profit and well compensated for time and money spent on the same. A great many improvements, inventions, and enterprises have been made and erected during my time of recollection. The old horse cars have been relegated to the oblivion of almost forgetfulness to be superseded by the rapid moving electric car. The telephone that is in many country homes is another great convenience. The automobile, a wonder of the age has taken the place of thousands of horses and carriages both in city and rural districts, and here I would add, my first ride on one was beside of our congressman, Chas. E. Townsend on the 26th day of October 1908. The Flying machine, and wireless telegraphy are almost incredible achievement. The making of the finest of sugar from beets another great enterprise, which furnished labor to thousands. The machinery and appliances in these institutions is a marvelous sight.
I go back in memory to the days of my boyhood home and look over the country where cow paths were, and there are now fine graded and graveled public highways. Fine farm residences have taken the place of the log cabins. The wolves, lynx, fox and deer have left the country. Wild turkey and the chattering squirrel as other wild game is almost unknown by the boys of 1908. Even the farmer has his daily paper, that forty years ago was so expensive that very few if any were bought, and with this it is delivered to his door daily by the rural mail carriers paid by the government.
On the 7th of June [1911] our baby girl Eva was married to Leon F. Woodward in our home in Carleton, a brilliant affair.
During the month of March I was attacked by rheumatism and La grip [influenza] and for three weeks was confined to the house and bed. This left me very week, from which recovery was very slow.
**************
Obituary published in the Record Commercial, Thursday, January 4, 1912:
Death has entered the ranks of the circle of business men in this village and claimed Dr. Elmer J. Potter, our popular jeweler. Mr. Potter has not been in the best of health for some time and last Wednesday took to his bed with heart trouble from which he never rallied, passing away Sunday morning [Dec 31] at 2:30 a. m. He was born on the Potter Homestead in section 25, Ash township January 16th, 1851, being at the time of his death 60 years and eleven months and 15 days of age. He was married to Elva Haley, December 21, 1871. Five children were born to them: Mrs. Grace Hathaway, Mrs. Lillian Bowman, and Mrs. Pearl Johnson, all of Chicago, Mrs. Leon F. Woodward, Otawa Lake, Mich., and Royal Potter, U.S.A., Ft. Meier, Virginia. Mr Potter was a graduate physician from an Ohio medical college but gave up the practice of medicine several years ago and has since been engaged in the jewelry business. The family spent twenty-six years in Ohio at Holgate, and Sherwood coming to the old homestead a few years ago when [where] they remained to the early part of 1904 when they built a fine residence in Carleton where he has run a jewelry store in the bank block. He was a member of the M. E. Church for a number of years till November 1908 when he united with the Evangelical church. Aside from five children and wife he leaves a half sister, Mrs. Mary Williams, of St. Louis, Mo., and an adopted sister Mrs. Mattie Newcomb who is at present in the village. The funeral was held Wednesday at 1:30 p. m. and was conducted his pastor Rev. F. Yearnd. Interment in Carleton Cemetery.
****************
From the memoirs of Dr. Guy Woodward, son of Elmer Potter's daughter Eva:
[Elmer] left his widow in quite comfortable circumstances, and until her death she was able to live well on the income from the estate.
****************
Elmer loved to fish. His daughter Eva loved the outdoors and evidently went fishing with him. Eva wrote the humorous poem below, recounting the time her mother Elva came with them. Most likely this took place when they were living on the Royal Potter homestead, 1899–1904, but certainly before Elmer died in 1911.

When Ma Went Fishing

When my pa and I went fishing
We took my ma along,
'Twas mother's first adventure so
All that she did went wrong.
She put the anchor in too quick,
And later hit the oar,
And made it fall in with a splash-
You should have heard pa roar.

Pa baited up her hook so nice,
And told her not to peep,
So while she waited for a strike
She quickly went to sleep.
But soon pa spoke so sort of cross,
"Wake up, you've got a bite,"
And ma awoke with such a start,
She screamed in sudden fright.

Ma didn't know just what to do,
Pa had so much to say,
So when she lifted it, the fish
Fell off and swam away.
Ma rocked the boat which made pa mad;
She wouldn't touch a worm,
And said she never in her life
Could watch them crawl and squirm.

At last pa had his limit caught,
And rowed up to the shore,
But getting from the boat ma fell
In two feet deep or more.
That was the climax for my pa,
And then and there he said
If ma went fishing once again
'Twould be when he was dead.

But when the fish had all been cleaned
Ma fried them golden brown,
She knew just how to touch them then-
And how those fish went down!
I think pa felt a bit ashamed
For just a bit ago
I heard him say in gentle tones,
"You're the best cook that I know."
**********
Further notes from Darrell Brown:
The State of Ohio began licensing medical practitioners in May, 1896, and that month it licensed E. J. Potter of Sherwood, Defiance County, as a practitioner of "regular" medicine, on the basis of his diploma from Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery dated 1875.
There is some variation in Elmer's name. His father, Royal Potter, wrote his name in the family Bible registry as "Jeremy Elmer Potter." When he wrote a will in Aug 1862, he referred to him as "Jeremiah E. Potter." When his mother was granted an $8 widow's pension the next June, her children under 16 were listed as "Jeremiah Elmer" aged twelve and "Mary Potter" aged fifteen. Elmer himself preferred to use the initials "E. J." His daughter Eva's Bible gives his name as "Elmer Jeremy Potter." The registry of deceased physicians gives his name as "Elmore J. Potter." But Elmer used the name "Elmer J. Potter" when applying in 1890 for a pension of $10 as Royal's only surviving offspring. This is also how is name is given on his tombstone and his death certificate, (which notes by the way that he was an optician and died of angina pectoris). So I have used "Elmer Jeremy Potter" as his name in this memorial.