Solomon Bartlett was first noted in Newbury, VT in 1793 when he and his wife Polly became parents of a daughter. We have no earlier information on Solomon, where he came from, who his parents were, or what Polly's maiden name was.

Solomon and his family were listed as residents of Newbury, VT in the U.S. Census of 1800 through the U.S. Census of 1840. The consensus of opinion of people knowledgeable in such matters is that Solomon probably belonged to one of the family branches descended from the Bartletts who came from England to Newbury, MA in 1634 or 1635. Since Newbury, VT was settled, in part, by people from Newbury, MA, it seems likely that Solomon knew about the possibilities offered by Newbury, VT from his own family or had friends already living there. It does seem unlikely that he would have settled so far inland if he had just arrived in this country. However, we have not been able to connect him with any of the Bartlett families either in Newbury, MA or elsewhere.

The U.S. Census of 1820 lists Solomon as being in manufacturing. We do not find any indication that he owned land in the town records.

The First Congregational Church of Newbury, VT has a record stating that Polly Bartlett, as an adult, was baptized 8 Sept. 1822. Also, that later on she moved to Wells River, VT and died there 5 March 1850, age 79. We have no record of Solomon's death but think he probably died between 1840 and 1850 and before Polly moved to Wells River, VT.

Solomon and his wife Polly Bartlett had at least seven children, born in Newbury, VT:

• Polly Edith, b. 26 Aug 1793; m. Newbury, VT, 1 Dec. 1812 John Wheeler.
• Hosea Chafin, b. 23 July 1795; m. (1) 5 Dec. 1818 Mary Ware; m. (2) 20 Dec. 1819 Betsy Mulliken.
• a son, under 10 years old in the census of 1800.
• two daughters under 10 years old in the census of 1810.
• a son and daughter under 10 years old in the census of 1820.

The church records state that Polly Bartlett's children, Amanda, Thomas, Betsy, and Nathaniel were baptized 31 Jan. 1823 and that Polly was the wife of Thomas Bartlett. We believe that the notation saying Polly was the wife of Thomas Bartlett was in error and that she was the Polly who was the wife of Solomon as the U.S. Census of 1800, 1810, 1820, and 1830 list only Solomon Bartlett and Hosea Bartlett as Heads of Households in Newbury, VT. We do have a notation that Amanda Bartlett, single, daughter of Solomon Bartlett, died at Newbury, VT 20 Nov. 1857, in the poorhouse, age 51. Also, that Caroline Bartlett married at Newbury, VT 9 Oct, 1825, John Stebbins. We believe, but can not prove, that both Amanda and Caroline were the two daughters born to Solomon and Polly during the years between 1800 and 1810.

Hosea and Betsy, according to the U.S. Census of 1850, owned real estate in Newbury, VT. Hosea was the sexton at the Oxbow Cemetery. Mildred True writes,

"I drove to Newbury, VT one beautiful golden day and found it, even now, a lovely small town such as is seen in many places in New England. I visited the Oxbow Cemetery and thought of my Great-Great-Grandfather Hosea Bartlett tending to his duties and occasionally looking up at the same type of beautiful sky at which I was looking and felt happy to be aware of him in spirit. The cemetery is on Route 5, north of Newbury Village, at the top of a hill, on the right. If you take the second roadway into the cemetery, you will find that the graves of both Betsy and Hosea Bartlett are the last two on the left."

Hosea and his wife Betsy (Mulliken) Bartlett had seven children, all born in Newbury, VT:

• Nancy, b. 27 Aug, 1820; m. Boston, MA 20 Jan. 1850 Luther Battles.
• Harriet, b. 6 Aug. 1822; m. at Boston 19 March 1854 Anthony B. Emery.
• Jarvis, b. 6 Nov. or 16 Nov. 1824; d. 7 Sept. 1826.
• John Elwin, b. 26 March 1826; m. Lydia Ann Emery.
• Charlotte Ann, b. 15 March 1828; m. Boston, MA 19 March 1854 Horace Barton.
• Jarvis, b. 12 Dec. 1831; d. at St. Johnsbury, VT.
• Charles, b. 16 April 1834; m. 28 Aug. 1858, Sarah Boyce, daughter of Samuel Boyce.

John and Lydia lived at E. Broadway St., South Boston, and John was a policeman at Station 2. This must have been quite a contrast in living conditions and in atmosphere for this young couple, each having been raised in a small town.

John and his wife Lydia (Emery) Bartlett had four children, perhaps more:

• Mary, b. at Vermont ca. 1852; m. ----- Picket.
• Ardella, b. at Massachusetts ca. 1858; unmarried.
• James Luville, b. at Boston, 6 Oct. 1861; m. Elizabeth Stevenson.
• Frances Jackman, b. at Boston, 10 Oct. 1864; m. Eugene Tripp Macomber, b. 22 Dec. 1861. They had five children. Mildred True writes, "I remember visiting Fannie and Gene who were my great-aunt and great-uncle. Fannie was a lovely person, greatly loved by her family and friends. We children found it fascinating to watch the working models of sailing ships made by Gene being put through their paces on the nearby lake. I believe that my nephew, Russell Smith and his wife Jean, still have a model of his in their home.

Family tradition has it that Elizabeth (Stevenson) Bartlett was adopted and was related to the adoptive father but not to the adoptive mother. We have been unable to find a birth certificate or adoption papers for Elizabeth.

The basic information we have about Elizabeth is that her marriage certificate says her father and mother were John and Mary Stevenson, that she was born in Kittery, ME and she was 23 years old when she was married in 1883. Her death certificate says that her father was Solomon Stevenson and he was born at Kittery, ME. To this extent, we have a quandary. After much unrewarding research, we engaged the services of a genealogist, Ann Lainhart, who made great strides and did find Elizabeth's adoptive family and, possibly, her blood family.

The U.S. Census of 1870 for Kittery, ME lists a Solomon and Mary Ann Stevenson with a daughter Lizzie, age 9. The U.S. Census of 1900 for Kittery states that Mary Ann, wife of Solomon Stevenson, never had a natural child. With this information which confirmed the accuracy of this particular family tradition, we felt that we had found Elizabeth's adoptive parents. This conclusion is helped along by the fact that Elizabeth and her husband, James Bartlett, had a son Robert Stevenson Bartlett. We assume that the name was chosen to honor Solomon's father, Robert Stevenson.

Solomon Stevenson did have a brother, John, who married at Roxbury, MA on 28 May 1856 Louisa Wilson. Unless there is written proof to be found that John's wife, Louisa, had the middle name of Mary and they had moved to Kittery by 1860 (place and date of Elizabeth's birth) or that Louisa had died and John had married later a woman named Mary and moved to Kittery by 1860, we will have to reconcile ourselves that, at present, we cannot link this particular John Stevenson to Elizabeth as her natural father.

Mildred True writes,

"James and Elizabeth (Stevenson) Bartlett were my grandparents and they brought up their family in south Boston, he earning his living as a house painter. In 1990, we visited the various addresses we have for them: 660 E. Broadway (rear), now a store; 722 E. Sixth St.; 762 E. Fifth St.; 711 E. Fourth St.; 159 H St. (all rentals, I believe). We found the houses in good repair, built close to other houses in the city manner and within a few blocks of the ocean. Upon inquiry, we found that the neighborhood was much the same as it had been for over one hundred years as far as street names and house numbers go and was looking especially well kept now that the economy was good."

James and Elizabeth had a rather hard life, filled with joy and sorrow as one by one, eight of their thirteen children were born and died in infancy or early childhood.

Elizabeth died when she was only forty-four years old. At that time, her oldest daughter was either married or living away from home. The other children: Spray, 16 years old; James, Jr., 11 years old; Lois, 9 years old; and Florence, 8 years old, tried to stay together as a family with their father. Spray either had already stopped school to help her sick mother or stopped school then to make a home for her younger siblings. This worked rather well for a short while until James, Jr. became too old to want to be managed by a sister so the decision was made to give up the home. Spray started work in a box factory, lived near her work, and went to night school. James and James, Jr. lived together and the young girls were placed in a boarding school.

James did not remarry and continued his work, surviving a fall from a considerable height when he was in his middle sixties. My mother, his granddaughter, remembers him as a kindly man who came to visit them a few times a year, always making a clam chowder while there and bringing with him a bucket of peanut butter which was a sizable measure even for those days.

James and his wife Elizabeth (Stevenson) Bartlett had thirteen children. We have been able to find information on only 10 of the children.

• Ardella, b. Boston June 1885; m. George Mason. They had three children: Julia, Elwin, and Frances.
• Edward Lampshire, b. at 660 E. Broadway St. (rear), Boston, 7 April 1887; d. at Boston of convulsions probably due to measles, 18 April 1889; buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Boston.
• Spray Edna, b. at 660 E. Broadway St. (rear), Boston, 25 Oct. 1888; m. Frederick H. Richenburg.
• Ruth Adelaide, b. York Me, 6 Nov. 1890; d. Boston of diphtheria 19 Nov. 1892; buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Boston.
• Robert Stevenson, b. at 660 E. Broadway St. (rear), Boston, 14 June 1892; d. Boston of cholera infantum 9 Aug. 1892, buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Boston.
• James Luville, Jr., b. at 722 E. Sixth St., Boston, 31 May 1893; d. 1959; m. Elizabeth -----.
• Lois Alfreda, b. at Boston, 29 May 1895; m. Boston, 1 Aug. 1925 Ray Amasa Harmon.
• Florence Emery, b. at N.E. Hospital, Boston, 31 July 1896; m. at Boston, Sept. 1923, Joseph August Bucher.
• Hazel, b. at 711 E. Fourth St., Boston 1 Sept, 1897; d. Boston of cholera infantum, 25 Aug. 1898, buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Boston.
• John E., b. Boston 12 March 1900, d. 711 E. Fourth St., Boston of bronchial pneumonia 21 Aug. 1901. Mildred True writes, "This is the little brother my mother, Spray Edna, could never speak about without tears coming to her eyes. My mother, not yet 12 years of age, had full care of this baby, except when she was in school, as her mother was ill most of the time and little Johnny's death almost overwhelmed her."