DaisyField→Postcards→Family

The family that collected the postcards

The Iowa City Potters in 1941. (l-r) Walter Potter, Laura Potter Stecher, Franklin Potter, Nellie Edith Whitehead Potter, Edith Potter Crose (the postcard collector), Dwight Potter

Edith Potter Crose (1896-1963) collected the postcards, mainly during 1905-1910.  The picture shows Edith (2nd from right) 30 years later with her parents and siblings.  

Franklin Hazen Potter(1869-1956), Edith's father, came from upstate New York, where he attended Colgate University.  He taught Latin and Greek at the State University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa.  Franklin had a quirky sense of humor.  An example of this was the sign in front of his home, which proclaimed, "CAVE APES."  This sign startled many a passerby!  What kind of strange beings were these cave apes?  Actually, the sign was a warning, in Latin, to "beware the bees."  As a hobby, Prof. Potter was a beekeeper.

Nellie Edith Whitehead Potter (1870-1951), Edith's mother, was a baby in Chicago at the time of the great fire (1871), and was fortunate to survive that disaster.

Rev. John Milton Whitehead c. 1890

Edith's grandfather, John Milton Whitehead (1823-1909), was a Baptist minister who served in many churches in the Mid-west.  Some cities he lived in were: Kankakee, Illinois; Chicago, Illinois; Goshen, Indiana; and Topeka, Kansas.  During the Civil War, Whitehead was a chaplain, and later was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in action during the battle of Stone's River, Tennessee.  Receiving the medal was an unusual distinction for a non-combatant; he was one of only 3 chaplains to receive this honor.  The citation for the medal reads:

At Stone River, Tenn., December 31, 1862, this officer, then Chaplain 15th Indiana Volunteers, rendered service most conspicuous for bravery, by going to the front line of battle when the brigade was engaged in a desperate contest, and, unaided, carrying to the rear several wounded and helpless comrades.

Edith's home in Iowa City was often visited by students and professors from the University.  When she picked a husband, it was a young man recently graduated from S.U.I.  Edith's sister, Laura Potter Stecher(1906-1990), has described the wedding.  "Edith, was married in the living room of her home on September 15, 1917.  It was a war year, and instead of Lohengrin, the Swedish Wedding March was played on the piano. The home was spic and span and beautiful.  Edith was a beautiful bride, and her groom, Jean Joy Crose, was tall and handsome." 

Edith has many descendants today, all over the United States.