Seneca Hadzor Disapproves

Central high pulpit originally built for Thomas Nevin in
the first non-subscribing Presbyterian church in Downpatrick
(Down Museum photograph). See: VelvetHummingBee for
more. One of John Potter's daughters was to marry into the
family of Thomas Nevin.

Blackwood notes that Dr. Seneca Hadzor, despite leaving Maria a legacy of 500 pounds, disapproved of her marriage to John Potter. 

It may be that Dr. Seneca was well aware of John’s unorthodox business practices and felt obliged to make some kind of formal statement of censure on this count, without entirely standing in the way of what must have been a highly lucrative marital catch. 

It may also be that as a descendant of the old Anglo-Norman Catholic establishment, albeit realigned to the Church of Ireland, that he felt uncomfortable about marrying off a daughter into what was probably a Scots Presbyterian family. 

Regardless, the marriage went ahead, and whilst so many of John’s contemporaries made a new life for themselves in America, a land in which their religious beliefs would not present an obstacle to progression, John used the earnings from his smuggling operation to venture into the real estate business. John and Maria's children were to reap handsome benefits, as indeed were the succeeding generations.