William Bartholomew, of Charlestown

Like his father, William was a mercer (dealer in costly fabrics) at Burford and likely at London which was his home before he immigrated. William Bartholomew arrived at Boston 18 September 1634 in the ship "Griffin" with Rev. Zachariah Symmmes & Rev. John Lothrop, the latter pastor of the first Independent or Presbyterian Church in London, and about 30 others of the London congregation of which William is likely to have been a member. William was a Freeman at Boston 4 March 1636 and was granted tracts of land at Ipswich 25 April 1635 and later. He served as a Deputy of the General court many times, in 1635, 37, 1641, 47 and 1650. On 19 Sept. 1637 he served on a special grand jury on Boston and was an early (the first?) town clerk at Ipswich.

He returned to Boston to live about March, 1660 (possibly as early as 1656) and died at Charlestown at the home of his daughter, where he is buried at the Phipps St. Cemetery.

Arrived Boston in "Griffin" 18 Sept. 1634. Elected Representative of Ipswich at General Court (Boston) 1635. To Boston 1660. Merchant. (per Betty Pond Snyder, DAR).

Burial: Phipps Street Cemetery, Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts Occupation: Mercer or Dealer in Silks and Woolens

Note: William Bartholomew and family immigrated from England to Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts on the Griffin on September 18, 1634. William was passenger #28.

Mrs. Mary Bartholomew is listed as passenger #29. (source: Passengers and Ships 113-114.)and (Hammond Gen, p. 565)

"In Passengers and Ships, William Bartholomew is listed as traveling here on the Griffin from Alford, Lincolnshire, England to Ipswich, Massachusetts. However, this was the port of departure. Before arriving in Massachusetts, William had visited the Hutchinson home in London, England. This record shows William and "wife Mary." There is no other records regarding this. Mary was his sister and the name of his oldest daughter, who would have been a child at this time.

See the The Griffin Passenger List

• **There is no record of a Mary Bartholomew, wife of William, dying in their new homeland or in England. Therefore, perhaps this record was in error?

On September 1, 1635, the General Court "ordered that Mary ____, servant to Mr. Bartholomew (William) shall be whipt[sic] for runing[sic] from her master and serve him 6 weeks after her time was ended." From this we can surmise that she was his indented servant, not his "wife." She may have traveled with William to attend to his household before the rest of his family came there. "It is not known when he [William Bartholomew] went to London and took up residence or when he married Anna Lord, sister of Robert Lord." But we do know that Robert Lord was his neighbor in Ipswich and that they worked together on various town projects. We also know that William entertained Mrs. Anna Hutchinson, at his London home before September 1634. This was no doubt to arrange passage to their new home in the Americas, as the Hutchinson Family arrived on the Griffin with William(George Wells Bartholomew. Record of the Bartholomew Family. Austin, Texas, 1885, 30).

The families of Rev. John Lothrop, William Hutchinson, Rev. Zachariah Symmes, Nathaniel Heaton, Thomas Lynde, and William and Richard Haines made up about one-half of the 100 passengers (Wintrop Journal 1, 134). It is thought that Ann Lord Bartholomew came on another ship with her family? This is one mystery that remains unsolved. George Wells Bartholomew thought that Anna Lord was probably William's only wife, since there is no documentation to the contrary. She is first mentioned in town records in 1653. We know she is the sister of Robert Lord because Robert calls William "my brother" in a letter. William's home was west of Robert Lord's home, in Ipswich, Massachusetts."

-http://www.angelfire.com/mi/RedBearsDream/BartholomewTree.html