GILLESPIE, Polly
| Birth Name | GILLESPIE, Polly |
| Birth Name | GILLESPIE, Mary |
| Also Known As | TANNER, Polly |
| Gender | female |
Families
| Married | Husband | POTTS, Joseph Brevard |
| Children |
Narrative
Tucker [http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=:1915225&id=I91525737] identifies this couple as "John Potts" and "Mary Gillespie." The listing of children is the same. My mother's family always listed them as "Joseph Brevard Potts" and "Polly Tanner" and that's what I'm sticking with for the present.
Further confusing information (also from Tucker):
"Mary, James Tanner, and Robert Franklin Potts were in Franklin County, AL in 1837, when they gave power of attorney to John Hampton Potts to recover money due them from the estate of John Potts and to sell Mary's land left to her by the last will and testament of Alexander Gillespie (Mecklenburg County, NC Deed Book 24, page 515)" and "James Tanner died in Cabarrus County and his property was divided by order of the January Court 1812 that listed his legatees: 'John Tanner; Margaret Tanner; Daniel Tanner; Easther (sic) Tanner, wife of Andrew Houston; Ann Tanner; Mary Tanner, wife of John Potts; and Joseph Tanner.'
"Daniel, John, and Ann each sold 46 acres that they had inherited from James Tanner, as did Mary Potts, which reconfirmed that Mary Potts was a legatee of James Tanner."
In an exciting addition to the story, I have recently heard from a Gillespie descendent, Catherine Cooper. She writes:
"Alexander Gillespie did name Mary, 'widow of John Potts,' in his will. He never states his relationship to her. However, she may have been a sister - for the following reason:
"Joseph Gillespie, father of Alexander, did not list a Mary Gillespie in his will. However, a receipt signed by Mary Gillespie was included in the estate packet for Joseph. It reads, 'as legacy of my father,' signed Mary G. In addtition, a John Potts was a purchaser at Joseph's estate sale. It's possible that the receipt was wrfitten incorrectly and that Mary was a granddaughter rather than daughter. However, I have not been able to prove who she is by either Joseph or Alexander's estate. All I know is that she was the widow of John Potts.
"As you may know, Brevard and Potts families were intermarried with the above Gillespies."
Further, Jim Caldwell writes (2005 August):
"The 1831 will of Alexander Gillespie refers to Mary Gillespie, widow of John Potts, and leaves land to her. Alexander Gillespie died in Mecklenburg Co., NC in 1834. His will does not identify his relationship to Mary, but she clearly was not his wife. It appears tha both were children of Joseph Gillespie, and therefore Mary would have been a sister to Alexander Gillespie.
"I suspect that John Potts who married Mary Gillespie is not the same person as Joseph Brevard Potts who married Mary/Polly Tanner."
On a personal aside, I note that James Tanner Potts wasn't named James Gillespie Potts...
