Isaiah L. Potts
| Isaiah L. Potts | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Isaiah Luna Potts 1784? Loudoun County, Virginia |
| Died |
after 1843 (aged 59?) unknown |
| Cause of death | unknown |
| Resting place | unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Isaiah Luna Potts, William Potts, Billy Potts, Sr., Billie Potts, Sr. |
| Ethnicity | Welsh |
| Occupation | tavernkeeper, saltmaker, criminal gang leader, highwayman, murderer |
| Known for | Being one of the few, African-American mountain men, on the American western frontier |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Spouse(s) | Polly Blue |
Isaiah L. Potts, born Isaiah Luna Potts (1784?- after 1843), in Loudoun County, Virginia and lived in Union County, Kentucky and Potts Hill, Hardin County, Illinois. In history and folklore, he was known by many names and aliases. Potts was an Illinois tavern keeper and salt maker who, allegedly, ran a gang of highwaymen and murderers, along a frontier highway, Ford's Ferry Road, near Cave-In-Rock and was an criminal associate of James Ford, pillar of the community, and secretly, a criminal leader associated with the Ford's Ferry Gang.
References
- Allen, John W. It Happened in Southern Illinois. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010.
- Allen, John W. Legends and Lore of Southern Illinois. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010.
- Botkin, B.A. A Treasury of Mississippi River Folklore. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1955.
- Carr, William R. Isaiah L. Potts (Billy Potts, Sr.) and Polly Blue of Potts Hill (Potts Inn)
- Lewicki, James, ed. The Life Treasury of American Folklore. New York: Time, Incorporated, 1961.
- Musgrave, Jon. Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw: The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground R.R.. www.illinoishistory.com, 2005.
- Musgrave, Jon. The Legend of Billy Potts and Potts' Tavern
- Rothert, Otto A. The Outlaws of Cave-In-Rock. 1924 (1996).
- Sniveley, Jr., W. D. and Louanna Furbee. Satan's Ferryman: A True Tale of the Old Frontier. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1968.
- Warren, William Penn. Poem, "Ballad of Billie Potts."
- Wellman, Paul I. Spawn of evil: the invisible empire of soulless men which for a generation held the Nation in a spell of terror. Doubleday, 1964.
- History of Union County, Kentucky. Buffalo, NY: Courier Company, Printers, 1886 (1967).
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