POTTER United Families

Mysterious green Potter branch
This branch, to which the famous Louis de Potter belongs, is now -
and for the first time ever - fully identified up to 1325 -, with Esquire
Jan de Pottere, in Keyem-Dixmude, as oldest certified ancestor.
The team, across 20 years of research, found many “families
coincidences” (natural childs too!) which contributed to unexpected
and positive cooperations between the de Potter trees :
• In 1558, coincidentally, came an official delegation, with the
Renaix Mayor, Jacob de Potter, of the “blue branch”, all the
way from the origin city Renaix, into the city of the “green
branch” in Dixmude, in front of the city officials (Chamber
of Accounts), which included... Johan de Potter of the
Dixmude branch!
The delegates chose Dixmude because their small cousins
were there. They brought “present wines” and explained the
terrible “religious troubles” which they were facing in Renaix…
Now that was quite a finding of Pieter Donche and us in
Dixmude, in 2018!
• In 1620-1650, coincidentally, both the blue and green
branches were active, not only in Bruges, but also during the
same period, and also at a high level in the same crafts
corporations. This was stated in the Association of Guilds of
The Free State of Bruges.
• In 1658, coincidentally, a member of the brown branch was
mayor of Avelghem while green branch was living in the
castle of Kerckhove-Avelghem as of 1700, as mentioned in
the Association of Belgian Nobility in 1896 and in the Royal
Archives of Audenaerde.
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