Background
He was born on January 31, 1748, in Newburyport, Massachussets, the son of Edmund and Hannah (Hall) Bartlet and a direct descendant of Richard Bartlet, who settled in Newbury in 1635.
(Excerpt from Ichongraphia, or a Model of the Primitive Co...)
Excerpt from Ichongraphia, or a Model of the Primitive Congregational Way: Wherein Satisfaction Is Offered, by Unfolding (According to the Scriptures) What the Right Order of the Gospel, and Way of the Saints in the Visible Worshipping of God Is, in the Dayes of the New Testament That you wattle! Not receive with the left hand, whht you with the right, hut endeavour. To put 4 candid nflraéiion a; in theology you are hugged} on the weak. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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He was born on January 31, 1748, in Newburyport, Massachussets, the son of Edmund and Hannah (Hall) Bartlet and a direct descendant of Richard Bartlet, who settled in Newbury in 1635.
At an early age he left school to learn shoemaking.
Naturally shrewd and enterprising, he was soon actively engaged in commerce and acquired a considerable fortune. At the close of the Revolution he became the owner of a large fleet of merchant vessels and numerous wharves and warehouses, and was one of the first in New England to undertake textile manufacturing. He served three terms as representative in the Massachusetts General Court, from 1800 to 1802.
As he became increasingly prosperous, he erected in 1798 a large three-story brick mansion on Federal St. , in Newburyport, where he lived until his death. The money which Bartlet accumulated through thrift and wise investments he devoted largely to philanthropic projects, especially to Andover Theological Seminary, opened in 1808. The money which Bartlet accumulated through thrift and wise investments he devoted largely to philanthropic projects, especially to Andover Theological Seminary, opened in 1808.
To Andover Theological Seminary, Bartlet gave originally $20, 000. He later added $15, 000 for the endowment of a Bartlet professorship of sacred rhetoric and built two houses for the accommodation of members of the faculty. He provided the money for the erection of Bartlet Chapel (1818) and of Bartlet Hall (1821) for the growing seminary. These structures, when Andover Theological Seminary was transferred to Cambridge in 1908, were purchased by Phillips Academy, Andover, and are to-day occupied by that preparatory school. At his death Bartlet left a bequest of $50, 000 to the seminary, and his benefactions to it aggregated more than $160, 000.
(Excerpt from Ichongraphia, or a Model of the Primitive Co...)
Although he attended public worship regularly, he was not a church member; but Dr. Samuel Spring, a Newburyport clergyman, persuaded him to join with Moses Brown, a fellow townsman, and John Norris of Salem, in supplying the necessary funds for a school in which Calvinistic divinity students could be trained for the ministry.
Physically Bartlet was large and powerful, imposing in his bearing, and kept his bodily vigor to extreme old age. His tastes were simple, even crude; he cared nothing for the graces of polite society. In his business dealings he was scrupulously just, paying his debts promptly and insisting that others do the same. He combined frugality in small matters with lavish generosity when his emotions were aroused. Unassuming and modest in his benefactions, he did not wish his name to be mentioned in connection with them and looked upon himself as "the mere steward of a merciful Providence.
Quotes from others about the person
An inscription on his monument describes him as "a distinguished merchant and a liberal patron of theological learning. "
In 1774 he married Betty (Coombs) Lascomb, widow of Robert Lascomb.