Person:Joseph Bartlett (1)

m. 28 Mar 1634
  1. Benjamin BartlettAbt 1625 - Abt 1691
  2. George BartlettAbt 1632 - 1669
  3. Rebecca BartlettBef 1634 - Aft 1657
  4. Sarah BartlettAbt 1634 - 1680
  5. Mary BartlettAbt 1634 - 1692
  6. Joseph BartlettAbt 1638 - 1712
  7. Elizabeth BartlettAbt 1643 - 1712/13
  8. Lydia Bartlett1648 - 1691
  9. Mercy Bartlett1649/50 - Aft 1668
  10. Mary Bartlett1651 -
  • HJoseph BartlettAbt 1638 - 1712
  • WHannah Pope1638 - 1710
  1. Hannah Bartlett1658 - Bef 1754
  2. Robert BartlettAbt 1663 - 1718/19
  3. Sargeant Joseph Bartlett1665 - 1703
  4. Elnathan BartlettAbt 1671 - 1715
  5. Mary Bartlett1673 - 1726
  6. Sarah BartlettBef 1678 - 1714
  7. Benjamin Bartlett1679 - 1718
Facts and Events
Name Joseph Bartlett
Gender Male
Birth? Abt 1638 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Marriage to Hannah Pope
Death? 18 Feb 1712 Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Burial? Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Ancestral File Number 3GBM-ZP
Ancestral File Number 173S-HP

Per "Epitaphs of Burial Hill" by Kingman

Joseph and Hannah were buried in a common grave in Burial Hill :

   Here lyes ye
   body of Mr. Joseph
   Bartlett deceased
   Februry ye 18th 1711, In ye
   73rd year of his age
   "Lo here their bodys near togather lay
   Till ye bright morn of ye resurection day."

From Mayflower Descendant

... abstract of the deed from Thomas Pope to his son-in-law... It should be noted that, at the time this deed was made, a daughter's husband was called "son" probably as often as he was called "son-in-law"... In July, 1678, the day of the month not being stated in the deed, "Thomas Pope of Dartmouth... Wine Cooper", for L4, 10s, sold to "my Son in law Joseph Bartlett of Plimouth... wine Cooper"... [Joseph is also called "my son Joseph Bartlett" five times in the deed.] The deed was not recorded by Joseph Bartlett until 23 April, 1690, nearly twelve years later.

Benjamin Bartlet Senr, Duxborough, and Joseph Bartlet, Plimouth, yeomen, being certainly assured that our father Robert Bartlet of Plimouth deceased... by his will recorded in book [III:II] page 87 made a bequest to William Harlow of Plimouth Junr his grandson, 50 acres of upland in Plimouth near Manomont Pond, and also our mother Mary Bartlet now deceased did during her widowhood affirm said gift, grant to William Harlow said land. Dated --- --- 1683 Akn. by Joseph Bartlet, 15 Sept. 1691.

Vol. 3, p. 106 The approximate date of Joseph's birth is obtained from the age given on his gravestone.

From the Bartlett Society

In July 1678 Thomas Pope of Dartmouth sold to "my son in law" Joseph Bartlett of Bartlett of Plimouth, wine cooper, land in Plymouth. On 17 Jul 1680 Joseph Bartlett aged 41 years or thereabouts deposed in a court case. The inventory of Mr. Joseph Bartlett of Plymouth deceased was taken 29 Feb 1711 and Robert Bartlett, adm. of the estate of his father Joseph Bartlett swore to it 8 Mar 1711/2. On 24 Dec 1712 an account was given of the estate of Mr. Joseph Bartlett of Plymouth deceased "which he gave to his children herein after named in his lifetime"; account names eldest son Robert; son Joseph decd.; sons Elnathan and Benjamin; Joseph Silvester and Hannah his wife; John Barns and Mary his wife; Elisha Holmes and Sarah his wife.

In 1660 Robert Bartlett, undoubtedly with the help of his son Joseph, then age 21, built a substantial home on Brook Road in Manomet. The house has been continuously occupied by their descendants ever since, and the house still stands today, a tribute to the old cooper's skills. Two years later, in 1662, when he was 23, Joseph married Hannah Pope, daughter of Thomas Pope and Ann Fallowell. In the same year Joseph was granted 50 acres of upland in Manomet Ponds by the Town of Plymouth. Joseph and Hannah were among the first settlers in Manomet Ponds, also known as South Plymouth, and no doubt lived in the 1660 house.

When Joseph's father, Robert Bartlett, was 70 years of age, in 1673, he conveyed his lands on the Eel River and other properties on Beaver Dam Brook in Manomet, to Joseph on condition that Joseph not take possession until after his father and mother died. In 1678 Thomas Pope sold his land in Manomet to Joseph and Hannah. And Joseph kept acquiring small grants of land from the Town. He and his family eventually owned a substantial part of the Manomet Ponds area.

In 1689 Joseph built a second house on Brook Road for his son Joseph, Jr., who lived there until his untimely death in 1703, when he was gored by his bull, which we wrote about in the Spring 2001 edition. The 1689 house also still stands. It too has been continuously occupied by descendants of Joseph Bartlett and is presently the home of our Secretary-Treasurer Robert Bartlett Freeland and his family. Robert is a direct descendant of both Joseph and Benjamin Bartlett. In 1691 Joseph was granted 70 feet of land "along the shore where his warehouse now standeth and down towards the sea so far as he shall see cause to (build his) wharf". Clearly the cooperage business had flourished and his barrels and their contents were shipped to other towns and perhaps to the West Indies and even to England itself. Although no record is known to exist, it seems quite likely that Joseph's warehouse and wharf on the shore in Manomet, and brother Benjamin's sons' shipyard in Duxbury across the bay, were linked together in a cooperative business venture.

Joseph was an active citizen of the Plymouth Plantation. In 1677 he agreed to be a standing trooper for the town for five years, and earlier had been allowed the "sum of seven pounds towards the repairing of his damage in the losse of his horse in the countreyes service." He served on a committee to make and provide clothing for the Towne's 11 soldiers. He was elected to serve as a selectman for at least two terms. His skills as a craftsman were called upon by the Town on various occasions. In 1683 he agreed to build a bridge over the Eel River for 25. And in 1698 he was engaged to "finish and complete the mounting of the great guns upon carriages with iron work and all things suitable for said work". And he was also to repair the meeting house.

Joseph was repeatedly called upon to serve on "petty juries", regular juries and grand juries. Records show that he was one of 12 jurors who acquitted two accused witches from Scituate, and the witch trial furor which had seized Salem passed Plymouth by without further incident. Just so you don't get the idea that Joseph was a "goody-goody" there is a town record of October 30, 1666 as follows. "John Andrews at this court, for telling us a lye, is fined 10 s., and for breaking the King's peace by striking Joseph Bartlett is fined 3 sh. 4 d., and Joseph Bartlett, for striking John Andrews, is fined 3 s. 4 d.

Joseph and Hannah Bartlett had seven children: Robert, Benjamin, Joseph Jr., Elnathan, Hannah, Mary and Sarah. Hannah died in 1710 at age 72 and Joseph died a year later at the same age.

From the original Inventory, taken February 29, 1711 by Ephraim Little, John Dyer and Stephen Barnebe

Joseph had owned such items as an Ivory headed came, "his Interest in whaleboats and fishing boats canoes &c". His funeral charges and gravestones cost L6, while rent of L5 on the pew in the meeting house is mentioned. Joseph died intestate and Robert Bartlett was named administrator.

Appraisal of his lands showed "The pastur Caled Shiften Cove parster begining at a stak it being ye Corner bounds of land formerly giving To his son joseph desesed : and from sd stak To Extend : 18 : Pole north Est and by north to Joseph Selvesters land and then by Joseph Selvester bartletes land and then by sd land to the bound ferst mentoned being about 31 acors prised at nine pound per acor being 279l 0s od...

The land at the heed of Joseph Silvesters land bounded by sd Silvester land on the north and west and the land of Joseph bartlet on the south and partly on The Est and on ye Est 18 pole with the afoursd pastur abouv named sd land being about 25 acres prised at Thirty shillens per acour...

The land Caled Skookes feeld bounded one the Est with the pint parster being the land giving to Joseph bartlet desesed and on the north with the beach or harbor and on the south with land given to bnjemin bartlet and on the south with Joseph Silvester land being about 21 : acres prised at five pound Teen shillens per acor...

Eight acors of land on the south side of bever dam broock prised at forty shillens per acor...

The north end of the loot of land formarly the land of nathanel warren desesed bounded on the south west with The land of Joseph bartlet desesed and on the Est by sd land and on the north with umpher Torner land and on the west by the broock or mill pond being about 18 acres prised at forty shillen...

The south End of sd warens loot bounded toward The north with sd Joseph bartelts land and toward The Est to a pine tree marked that is the Corner bonds of sd loot and soo to a rook by ye pond and then by The broock or pond To ye afor sd Joseph bartlets land being a bout 24 acres prised thre pounds Ten shillens per acor...

10 acres of land That mr Joseph bartlet boot of Isaac wonow indian ling nere frish pond prised at Thirty shillens per acor...

The land sd mr bartlet boot of the town ling abouv The abouv sd warrens loot the upland being about 54 acres prised at 53 0 0 The swamp being about as wee Judge 45 acors prised at 52 pound...

The 5 acors of swamp at Littels unedo soo Caled prised at Ten shillens per acor...

The Comon Right being one whool shar in the 5 lot...

"And The Said Sarah Holmes The wife of Elisha Holmes her portion of The Said Estate amount to The Sum of 390. 16. 2. And she shall have the other half part of all the Said four parcells of Land herin mentioned as follweth viz The one half part of the Land Lying at the South End of Warrens Lott bounded towards the North with The Said Joseph Bartletts Land and Towards The East To a pine Tree Marked... being about 24 acres... prized at 3. 10. __ pr acre viz 84L and also the one half part of the upland & Swamp bought of the Town... the upland being about 54 acres prized at 53L and the Swamp being about 45 acres prized att 52 pounds . and also the one half part of Shifting Cove pasture... being about 31 acres in The whole prized at nine poung pr acre viz 279 pounds and also the one half part of the Land at the head of Joseph Silvisters Land... being about 25 acres in The whole and prized at thirty Shillings pr acre viz 37 . 10. __ To have & To hold... To her the Said Sarah Holmes her heirs and assignes For Ever The one half of The price of the Said Lands being 252 . 15 . So there Remains due to her the Sum of 10 . 12. 2 which she shall Receive of The Said Administrator out of The movable Estat. And it is hereby further ordered that in Case it shall So happen That more Debts or Nessesary Charges Shall hereafter apeare the Same Shall be Refunded and payed backe in Like proportion to the Administrator . And in Case more of the Estate of The Deceased Shall appear the Same Shall be Divided in Like manner." Orderd pr meNathaniel Thomas Judge of Probts

References
  1.   Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
    1:131.

    JOSEPH, Plymouth, s[on]. of Robert of the same, had Robert, Joseph, Benjamin, Elnathan, Mary, Hannah, and Lydia.

  2.   Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).
  3.   General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Families in Progress. (1991)
    Robert Bartlett, p. 8-9 (#6).

    Janice Beebe and Others, p. 13 (#13);
    Richard Warren, 18:1:3, 4, 15
    Richard Warren, p. 2, 10-11

  4.   van Antwerp, Lee Douglas, and Ruth Wilder Sherman. Vital Records of Plymouth, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (Camden, Maine: Picton Press, 1993)
    p. 137.

    Probate Records 3:2:43

  5.   Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Descendant: An Illustrated Quarterly Magazine of Pilgrim Genealogy, History and Biography
    Vol. 12, p. 14-21; 16, p. 64 (death); 19, p. 24 (deed); 35, p. 35 (deed).
  6.   Susan Roser. Mayflower Marriages I
    p. 311.
  7.   Inez Bartlett. Bartlett Genealogy. (1994)
    p. 2-3.
  8.   Bradford Kingman. Epitaphs from Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts from 1657 - 1892. (1892, 2 volumes)
    p. 9.
  9.   The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
    Vol. 101, p.279.
  10.   PN&Q 3:68.