What is the meaning of Poteat on a tombstone?

Question

I am doing a cemetery project for my class. Some of the headstones had the deceased name, yr born and yr died and the word Poteat followed. What does this mean?

Answer 1

Poteat is a surname common in Georgia

Answer 2

I can't even make a guess on that one. Maybe you can find the aforementioned  Funeral home and find out if they had a habit of putting their names on gravemarker? Another option would be to find out who runs or ran the cemetery during its heyday and see if they can answer some questions.

In the meantime, thanks for getting my mind spinning! I Love intriguing questions.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Probably the name of the funeral home.

Answer 4

The word LOOKS like a Latin verb (third person singular present active subjunctive).  It would mean "May he [or she] . . . . "  The problem is that its first two forms would have to be "poteo, potere,' and there IS no such verb.   On the other hand, Poteat is a last name, but if it comes after the deceased person's dates, it's unlikely to be THAT person's last name.  Possibly it's the name of the funeral home or the stonecarver, but I've never known either of those to be displayed prominently on a tombstone--at most, discreetly on the back.  So how old are these stones?  And how big is the word?  Could it be so small or so weathered that you misread it?  Could it be"potest" or "poterit"--he or she is /will be able?  (But able to do what?)  Finally, is it possible that these people were slaves and that Poteat was the name of the family they belonged to?  Sorry I can't give you more than speculation!

Answer 5

Their last name, I would guess

Answer 6

It's an Alsatian word for "potter". It's their last name and goes back to that strip of land that's passed back and forth between France and Germany for a very long time. Their ancestor who picked the name apparently made clay pots for a living.

Answer 7

There's a Poteat Funeral Home in Albany Georgia.

Answer 8

Was this a Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery?

I wonder if this was a family name.  Is there anyone at the cemetery that may help?

Or the local historical society?  Someone there may know.

If we knew for sure where this cemetery was, we might find a local member of the local Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness.(RAOGK) who could research this,

Answer 9

Poteat is the last name of the deceased person.

If the name was smaller and near the bottom, it might have been the stone mason's name, it would be unusual, if the mason ever put his name, or mark, on a stone, it was normally on the back.

I wondered if it was a latin word, the nearest I could find is :-

Latin for 'can' = POTEST

This seems to be part of a latin quotation...... ... ne excogitari qnidem poteat"— but, sorry ! I haven't a clue what it means !!!

Maybe Aida knows !