John Bartram (1699 - 1777)

Born 23 Mar 1699 in Darby Township, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Maris) Bartram — married 5 Apr 1723 (to 1727) in Chester, Pennsylvania

Husband of Ann (Mendenhall) Bartram — married 11 Jan 1729 in Concord MM; Chester Co., Pa

Descendants

Died 22 Sep 1777 at age 78 in Pennsylvania

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Dana Riney [send private message] and Ann Maris [send private message]

Biography

John Bartram has English ancestors.

"John Bartram, the earliest of the American botanists, and the first to establish a botanic garden in America, was the eldest son of William Barton, and grandson of the immigrant John Bartram. He was born in Darby township, on the 23rd of March, 1699. By the will of his uncle, Isaac Bartram, he became possessed of the mansion property of his grand-father, and by will of his father, one-fourth of the estate, which is not supposed to have been large. Being left an orphan at the age of about thirteen, in a newly settled country almost destitute of schools, it cannot be supposed that his opportunities for obtaining an education were very good.

Such as they were, they were embraced by him with all the spirit of youthful enthusiasm--devoting himself to the study of Latin and Greek, when opportunity presented. His inclination was to study physic and surgery, and in the latter science he had acquired so much knowledge as to be useful to his neighbors. His study of nature commenced while engaged in the labor of field. From her ample volume wide-spread before him, John Bartram took his earliest lessons. Conceiving the idea of a botanic garden, he, in the year 1728, purchased the site of the well-known "Bartram's garden," on the banks of the Schuylkill, now the property of Thomas Eastwick, Esq. A further notice of John Bartram as a botanist would be incompatible with this work; his biography in this respect belongs to the State and to the Nation. He was twice married; to his first wife in 1723--to his second in 1729. His first wife was Mary, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Maris, of Springfield township. His second was Ann, the daughter of Benjamin Mendenhall, of Concord. By the first marriage he had two children; by his second, nine. He was married both times in accordance with the discipline of the Society of Friends, of which Society he was a member until 1758, when he was disowned for entertaining opinions supposed not to be in accordance with the doctrines of that sect. His religious belief may be gathered from a distich conspicuously engraved with his own hands over an apartment in his house devoted to study and retirement, and from its date it may be concluded that he held the same doctrine till the end of his days.

"'Tis God alone, Almighty Lord, The Holy One, by me adored." "John Bartram, 1770."

His death occurred on the 22nd of September, 1777, shortly after the battle of Brandywine, and it was supposed to have been hastened by the apprehension that 'his daring garden, the cherished nursling of half a century, might not be spared from the ravages that the approaching British Army were then committing in his vicinity.' He had frequently expressed a desire that his illness might be short, and in this he was especially gratified. His age was seventy-eight years and six months." --Smith's History of Delaware County, Pa.

Ann was the 2nd wife of John Bartram, 10 month, 11, 1729, at the Concord MM; his 1st wife Mary Maris (daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Maris of Springfield); dying in 1727 leaving 2 children; Richard and Isaac^[1]

Children Of John Bartram and Mary Maris

1. Richard, b. March, 24, 1724, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania; died 11 mth, 19, 1727-8
2. Isaac, b. Oct, 17, 1725, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania; died 1801; married (1) Sarah Elfreth; (2) Mary Steel, widow

Children of John Bartram and Ann Mendenhall

1. James Bartram, b. 25 Aug 1730, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA d. 6 Jul 1824, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. m. Sarah Bunting
2. Moses Bartram, b. 16 Aug 1732, d. 1809. m. Elizabeth Budd
3. Elizabeth (I) Bartram, b. 27 Oct 1734, d. 1734 died in infancy
4. Mary Bartram, b. 21 Nov 1736, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA d. 1817 m. Benjamin Bonsall
5. William Bartram, b. 9 Apr 1739, Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d. 22 Jul 1823, Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was recognized as America's first ornithologist. He never married.
6. Elizabeth (II) Bartram, b. 9 Apr 1739, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d. 1824. m. William Wright, b. 1737, d. 1794
7. Ann Bartram, b. 24 Aug 1741, d. Yes, date unknown. m. George Bartram, b. Abt 1741, d. 1777
8. John Jr Bartram, b. 24 Oct 1743, d. 1812. m. Eliza Howell, b. 3 Sep 1751, d. 15 Dec 1848
9. Benjamin Bartram, b. 6 Sep 1748, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d. 17 Mar 1826, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. m. Elizabeth Hunt, b. 6 Sep 1756, Darby, Chester, Pennsylvania, USA d. 12 Aug 1796^[2]

Research Notes

This will is in Philadelphia wills and looks like it could be John Bartram's, but I'm unsure. This will is dated 1779, after the death listed on this profile , otherwise it matches. All 3 daughters that are mentioned in the will exactly match the 3 daughters mentioned on this profile and all the sons match exactly as well. Philadelphia John Bartram will dated 1779

Sources

1. ↑ *U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935: Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Ancestry Record 2189 #1650518
2. ↑ Mendenhall Person: I27169

• Compiled for the family by George L. and Annie M. Maris, "The Maris Family in the United States. A Record of the Descendants of George and Alice Maris. 1683-1885," F. S. Hickman, Printer and Publisher, West Chester, PA, 1885, pages 4 & 232-3. (available in pdf) https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015025889505
• John Bartram on Wikipedia

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bartram

• https://bartramsgarden.org/about/history/the-bartrams/

• http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/science-and-technology/horticulture-biographies/john-bartram

• https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Bartram

• Bartram Maris Marriage 1723, Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes Accessed on ancestry.com, June 2021.
  • View Ancestry Record 2189 #242399 (requires subscription).

• Bartram-Mendall Marriage 1729, Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes Accessed on ancestry.com, June 2021.
  • View Ancestry Record 2189 #1650518 (requires subscription).