Andrew Jackson Potter
Andrew Jackson Potter | |
|---|---|
 Sketch of Potter in an 1882 publication | |
| Born | April 3, 1830 |
| Died | October 21, 1895 (aged 65) |
| Occupation | Circuit rider |
| Children | 14 |
| Military career | |
| Battles / wars | |
Andrew Jackson Potter (April 3, 1830 – October 21, 1895) was an American Methodist circuit rider, soldier and drover.
Biography
[edit]Potter was born on April 3, 1830, in Chariton County, Missouri, one of six children of Kentucky natives Joshua Potter—a War of 1812 veteran who died in 1840—and Martha Potter.[1] He was named for president Andrew Jackson. As a teenager, he worked as a jockey, and won many races.[2] Potter was known for his fearlessness, once stealing a gun from a man who hurt his daugher-in-law.[3] He enlisted and served under Sterling Price the Mexican–American War began, and worked as a drover, physician at Fort Leavenworth, scout and soldier. He prospected at the Chino mine, returning to San Antonio in 1852 and working as a firefighter. He married Emily C. Guin on August 23, 1853, and had fourteen children together. He converted to Methodism in 1856 while working as a logger in Bastrop County, and became a licensed preacher after studying—a difficult task due to being undereducated.[4]
During the American Civil War, he enlisted to the 36th Texas Cavalry Regiment February 1862 and served under Peter Cavanaugh Woods. He was later transferred to the 27th Texas Cavalry Regiment under Xavier Debray, and was also a chaplain for the regiment.[4]
In 1866, he was appointed a circuit pastor headquartered at a church in Prairie Lea, Texas, and preached around south-central Texas, travelling about 2,500 miles annually. In 1880, he founded the Fort Concho circuit. He was nicknamed "Fighting Parson"[5] because he often preached in dangerous areas. In 1883, he and his family moved to San Angelo—where he preached in 1880—continuing to work as a circuit rider until converting to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1886. He was appointed to the Lockhart circuit in 1894, and died on October 21, 1895, aged 65, whilst preaching in Caldwell County. He was buried in Bunton Cemetery, in Dale.[4] His son Jack[6] trailblazed the Potter-Blocker Trail, an offshoot of the Great Western Cattle Trail.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Mason, Augustus Lynch (1904). Our Pioneers: The Heroic Deeds and Devoted Lives of the Fathers and Mothers of America, Embracing the Principal Episodes in the Struggle of the White Race with the Red Men for the Possession of the New World. Hampton Publishing Company. p. 620.
- ^ Barton, Barbara (2005). Pistol Packin' Preachers. Taylor Trade Publications. ISBN 978-1-58979-200-5.
- ^ Gard, Wayne (July 2015). Rawhide Texas. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-8061-5376-6.
- ^ a b c Association, Texas State Historical. "Andrew Jackson Potter: The Fighting Parson of Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
- ^ Fairchild, Louis (2002). The Lonesome Plains: Death and Revival on an American Frontier. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-182-2.
- ^ Dobie, J. Frank (2022-09-15). Guide to Life and Literature of the Southwest, with a Few Observations. DigiCat.
- ^ Association, Texas State Historical. "The Potter-Blocker Trail: A Historical Overview of Cattle Trailing in the Old West". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2025-06-15.