W. L. Potts   Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Instrument shown above is from the collection of the National Museum of American History,  a division of the Smithsonian Institution

W. L. Potts    New Jersey

Not much information is available regarding W. L. Potts.  From the pictured compasses it is apparent that he worked in Bucks County, Pennsylvania as well as in New Jersey.  "It is assumed that Benjamin Rittenhouse and W. L. Potts were partners"¹ as there are at least 3 known compasses signed Rittenhouse and Potts.  However, a "diligent search in the Philadelphia directories from the first one issued to 1825 reveal no mention of this firm."² 

Reference:  Smart, Charles E.   The Makers Of Surveying Instruments In America Since 1700  Troy, New York:  Regal Art Press.  1962