POTTER United Families

Daily Book of Jean de Potter
Going through this moving story of a young man, dying for his belief
in Belgium, we also discovered the brave fate of a young “stowaway”
child, during the Great War.
This young Belgian rebel, named Jean de Potter, was barely 17 years
old. During his secret escape, ignored by his own parents, at the risk
of his life, this little “lonely soul" described his courageous hiding
away journey, as unarmed resistant, and his captivity in the German
"helmets spikes" prisons.
As an introduction, here is an excerpt from the letter written by his
descendants, Fernand, Guy and Corinne de Potter, co-authors of this
chapter, discovered this letter in the archives, a sort of shoe-box with
memories in the city of Pépinster. Belgium being so small, Nicolas’
grand-mother was - of course - born in the castle of Pépinster, a
couple of miles away from cousin Fernand!
Here is the letter by Guy de Potter in the castle of Limburg (Liège):
« My grandfather was Guillaume de Potter who gave birth to my
father, Lucien, living in Gouvy in the Ardennes. Guillaume’s children
were me (Fernand), Frantz, notary, Charles, who married an English
actress and Arthur who became Alderman of fine arts of the City of
Brussels. »
My family is from Brussels and was, before, from Bruges. It is part of
the (green) "Droogenwalle" branch, as attested by the coat of arms
on the last page of Jean's “Daimy Diary”.
This personal journal of daily facts was completed by Jean just before
his death, aged 24, in 1917. Our branch, the one of all the other de
Potters listed in the “green branch”, is connected with the famous
Louis de Potter, head of the Revolutionary Government of 1830,
who co-founded Belgium.
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