Frank Potts (winemaker)

Frank Potts (11 July 1815 – 15 December 1890) was the founder of Bleasdale winery at Langhorne Creek, South Australia, which has remained in the Potts family to the present day.

Frank was born in Hounslow, the second child (their daughter Anne was born on 28 November 1812) of Elizabeth (who died before 1820) and Lawrence Potts (ca.1760 – 9 June 1845), a linen draper and later a bookseller. They moved to Portsmouth around the time of Elizabeth's death. On 29 June 1820 Lawrence married again, to the widow Elizabeth Lockett who already had two children, Elizabeth (born ca.1796) and Margaretta (born 1810). All four children were eventually to migrate to South Australia: Frank in 1835, Anne (who had married Henry Ayers on 14 June 1840), on the Fairfield late in 1840 (with her father and stepmother who died on the voyage), Margaretta (1810–1890) as Margaretta Baker around 1853, and Elizabeth (1796 – 19 September 1874) as Elizabeth Churcher in 1864.

Frank joined the Navy at the age of 9, serving on HMS Victory for three years, HMS Challenger for six years. He then worked as a carpenter and ship's chandler until deciding to emigrate to South Australia. He was one of the original settlers of South Australia, arriving with Governor Hindmarsh on HMS Buffalo in 1836. He had carpentry skills and a set of tools, so was much in demand constructing the first houses. He next worked under Thomas Lipson, the first harbourmaster, as one of five crewing the pilot boat Mary Ann under Hugh Quinn. He bought land at nearby Albert Town and built a cottage there, which also became his father's last residence. On the property transfer document Frank described his occupation as "carpenter" so that may have been his trade in the Navy.

Meanwhile, he built for himself a sailboat Musquito then Petrel, which was eventually a two-masted ketch of 13 tons burthen. In 1842 he moved to American River, Kangaroo Island, fishing, farming, harvesting salt and trading with Adelaide on Petrel. And while there, he built the larger ketch Kangaroo with John Buick, considered the "father" of American River. In 1846 he sold Petrel and returned to the mainland, living in the vicinity of Port Adelaide, and sold his Albert Town property in 1847, having met the girl he was to marry, Augusta Wenzel. Her family had arrived on the Heerjebhoy Rustomjee Patel from Bremen on 18 September 1845. She and Frank married on 17 February 1848, and may have lived with the Wenzel family at Frewville.

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