John Potts (1760-1809) was a Pennsylvania businessman and member of the Potts family of ironmasters. This collection documents copper and iron ore mining and land speculation in Pennsylvania and Virginia by John Potts Jr. between 1767 and 1830. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence between Potts and his brother-in-law, Robert E. Hobart (1768-1826). It describes the initial operation of the Keeptryst Furnace and the operations of the Copper Mine Company of Pennsylvania.