Lt. William Bartholomew, III

One of the first 39 landowners of Woodstock, CT

Married 17 February, 1663 in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Ensign, 1689; Lt. 1691, Militia.

Saw mill carpenter - surveyor-builder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Philip's_War

The Old South Mills at Salem, MA were built by William and his Uncle Henry Bartholomew.

He was at Hatfield 19 Sept 1677 at the time of the famous Indian raid and made Lt. during this raid. His daughter Abigail was captured there and taken captive by the Indians into Canada, 13 prisoners were taken. She was later returned after a ransom was paid.

William was at Deerfield, MA during King Philip's War and in 1678

Burial: Woodstock Hill Cemetery, Woodstock, Windham Co., Connecticut

Note:

Bartholomew, William Irving

Released 25 June 2004

Windham County, Connecticut History

William Bartholomew, second generation in America (see record of Bartholomew family), born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1640-41, was united in marriage to Mary Johnson. Their son, Joseph, a native of Branford.

Connecticut, where he was born in 1682, married Elizabeth Sanger, of Woodstock. Benjamin, a son by this union, born in Woodstock June 23d, 1723, married Martha Carpenter, one of whose children was Leonard, born in Woodstock in 1758, and married to Sarah Perrin, of Pomfret. Their three children were William6, Margaret and Mary. The birth of William Bartholomew occurred in Woodstock on the 23d of June, 1797. He was in 1820 married to Abigail G. Buck, of Killingly. Their children are: Edward Leonard, Simon, Annis Buck and William irving.

The last named and youngest of these children was born February 7th, 1831, in Pomfret, on the homestead farm, where he still resides. Like the farmers' sons of that day he had no advantages other than those offered by the common schools, with two or more terms at a neighboring academy. The twelve succeeding years were spent mainly in teaching, after which this calling was abandoned for the congenial labor connected with the management of his attractive " Locust Hill Farm." The attention of Mr. Bartholomew was early called to the science of chemistry as applied to agriculture, and the analysis of soils and the food of plants was made by him a special study. The knowledge thus gained very soon established him as a local authority on all matters connected with that subject. He ardently embraced the idea of discovering the ingredients of soils and the needs of crops by the use of chemical fertilizers, and soon became a careful student of these subjects. He instituted, under the auspices of the state, a series of experiments each year for several years, to verify the truth or fallacy of prevailing theories. Some of these experiments have occupied considerable space in the reports of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and other periodicals. An eminent authority alluded to them " as decidedly the most valuable ever made to his knowledge in this country." They were translated into German and appeared in the station reports of that country. Mr. Bartholomew has always taken a prominent part in the Pomfret and Woodstock Farmers' Clubs over which he has presided, and in the various agricultural societies of the county. He has frequently been called to address farmers in different parts of the state on subjects pertaining to agriculture. He was in 1887 appointed a member of the State Board of Agriculture.

He has not only been a close student, but an active citizen in matters pertaining to his town. He has for years been a justice of the peace and selectman, and as a republican represented his constituents in the Connecticut house of representatives for two years. He early became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of West Thompson. Mr. Bartholomew on the 29th of April, 1858, married Mary J., daughter of Joseph S. Hassard, of Putnam. Their children are: Ada Louise, wife of Arthur H. Strahan; Anne H., married to David Chase; Abby Alice, and Mary Maud.

GEDCOM Note

From the Bartholomew Family (1885)

Lieut. William Bartholomew seems to have early taken a practical view of life as is shown by his learning the carpenters' trade. In 1662, he probably received his first experience in the mill business, which he afterwards carried on extensively, as his father was that year made overseer of William Brown's mill in Boston; and he may have subsequently (1663) assisted his uncle Henry in building the Old South Mills in Salem. The last of June, 1663, he was apparently staying about ten miles from Medfield, Mass., and was perhaps engaged as a carpenter or millwright at Robert Heusdale 's mill. He there took part in a wolf hunt and with others had some trouble with a party of Indians who wanted liquor which was refused them. His testimony given 5 April, 1664, is as follows: "John Levin aged twenty ffour yeares or thereabout & William Bartholomew aged twenty three both sworne testiffie & saye that being at a ffarme at Mr. Richard Parkors about tenn myles ffrom Medfield about the latter end of June last did see a company of Indians come to ye ffarme aforesaid & did request to have Liquors ffor saving of some wolves but Nathaniell Mott not give y any but tendered y a pecke of Corne apeece to every y ffor their paines in delivering the wolves but they refused & were so earnest ffor Liquors that one of the deponents was fforced to thrust them out of doores & told y y they would not be orderly he would laye handes y." The record of his marriage mentilons him as a "carpenter" of Roxbury. In 1674 he or his father resided a short time in Marblehead. 20 Feb., 1676-7. Wm Bartholomew, carpenter, of Roxbury, and wife Mary, sell a twenty-five acre lot, house, etc, in Roxbury. He was a Deefield before King Philip's war, purchasing the houselot previously belonging to Peter Woodward, which he sold in 1685. At the time of the noted raid of the Indians on Hatfield, 19 Sept., 1677, he was there with his family, and probably assisting in the erection of the building then being raised. His daughter Abigail, aged four, was taken with twelve others and carried through the forests, over the Lakes, into Canada and kept eight months; but finally ransomed, 23 May, 1678, with others by the payment of L200. "Att Eleven of the Clock in ye day time the enemy came upon Hatfield (When ye greatest part of the men belonging to the Towne were dispersed into ye meadows) and Shott down 3 men with ye Towne fortification, killed and took women & children & burnt houses & Barnes ye number of which are as followeth" Killed (male) 12; taken 13, including "A child of Willima Bartholmew;" wounded 4. (From Sam'L Partridge's letter of the General Court.) He is mentioned in Deerfield in 1678. May 5, 1679. The town records of Branford, Conn., contain the following resolution: "The town have agreed to give until William Bartholomew twenty acres of land as convenient as may be provided it be not prejudicial to ye Town provided also he do perfect his agreement with the Town Comtee concerning building a mill in Branford and build and settle in the town. And Cap Topping, Tho Harrison, Robert Hoot & William Hoadley or any 3 of them are appointed for a comtee to threat and bargain with Mr. Bartholomew concerning building and upholding a mill in Branford and do give them full power to act in ye behalf of ye town. Mr. Bartholomew must have gone there that summer as the committee, 5 Jan., 1679, was authorized to lay out to William Bartholomew land below Guilford Road, and the following Spring, 18 March, 1679-80, the town further granted him the piece of upland & meadow lying between the brook that carried ye water from ye old mill and the stream that carried away ye waste water." Feb. 7, 1681. "The Towne have given liberty to William Bartholomew to set up a saw mill upon the great river about the foot of the great hill and the town have given him liberty to make use of what timber he shall sea raise for sawing half a mile below said mill and so on both sides of the river and along his mill as far as he shall see cause." Nov. 1. He was "Chosen and appointed to keep ordinary in Branford." Only the best men then received such appointments. 1684. "the town have allowed William Bartholomew twelve acres of land . . in consideration of what time & money he hath expended for the procurement of a minister in year 1683." Also appointed Surveyor for the town. 1685. William Bartholomew and John Frisbie laid out and staked the highway to Guilford. Elected Surveyor again, - and Fence Viewer. appointed to lay out and value certain tracts of land. Jan 2, 1687. Town object to his dam and want him to build a bridge. Ten acres more are laid out to hi April 27, 1687. The town of Woodstock is anxious to obtain his services and passes the following resolution: "The Company of Planters at a Geu meeting did then choose Edward Morris, John Chandler, Senr, Nath Johnson & Joseph White, to treatt and agree with William Bartholomew of Branford for the building of a corn mill on as reasonable terms as they can, which terms the Publiqu is to stand to; and each man to bere his equal proportion according to his home lott." Mar. 12, 1688. He was appointed on a "Committee to settle highways." July 13, 1689. "William Bartholomew Sr." was commissioned by the governor of the colony of Mass, ensign of tho "New Roxbury Company." Spring 1697. Mr. Bartholomew died,probably in Woodstock; and it is supposed that his remains lie buried in Woodstock Hill Cemetery, adjoining the graves of his sons Joseph and Benjamin. Two rough unmarked stones as the head of graves probably show his and his son John's last resting place. He was eminently a practical man, and of good family and education; his father a merchant, he preferred to learn the trade of a carpenter. After a life of several years in the metropolis of the colony he chose the rough and hazardous but useful lot of a frontier settler. He was unfortunate in settling in Hatfield as the war with the savages during the several succeeding years mad the locality uninhabitable. He suffered severely by this war and finally seeking a more peaceable section in which to use his energies, made arrangements with the town of Branford, Ct, to build and maintain mills there. 40 years of his life had based, the latter being unfortunately devoted to settlements in which it was impossible to succeed. In Bradford- during the 8 years, he built two mills and opened two farms. he was constantly called into service by the citizens and filled many important trusts. In Woodstock they conferred upon him nearly every honor at their disposal: making him selectman, chairman of the committee to build the minister's house, first representative to the General Court, and lieutenant commanding all subject to military service in the town; these honors, conferred by those who had known him from boyhood, are ample evidences of his superior character. He died at the age of 57; and, judging by the age of his father and descendants his death must have been greatly hastened by some cause, possibly exposure during his trying times in the Indian wars. Like his father he was ancestor of all the Bartholomews of his family in American. He mus have been a man of rare executive ability, which combined with practical sense and high moral and social standard made him in his various spheres the eminent man which he undoubtedly was. Few men have proved more worthy of being remembered and revered by their descendants.