Nathaniel Bartlett
Nathaniel Bartlett (April 22, 1727 – January 11, 1810), pastor of the Congregational Church of
Early life, education, and career path
Bartlett was born in
In April of 1753, the Redding church called him to fill the opening for the full time pastoral position they had available.[4] He was subsequently ordained by the Fairfield East Consociation on May 23, 1753.[5] Per the Redding Church Records of that date, the pastors who assisted in his ordination were as follows: "The Rev. Mr. (Eben) White of Danbury gave the opening prayer – the Rev. Mr. (Jonathan) Todd of East Guilford preached the sermon – the Rev. Mr. (Elisha) Kent (unchurched at that time) gave the ordaining prayer – the Rev. Mr. (Jedediah) Mills of Ripston gave the charge – the Rev. Mr. (David) Judson of Newtown gave the right hand of fellowship – the Rev. Mr. (Jonathan) Ingersoll of Ridgefield gave the closing prayer".[6] Bartlett served at Redding for the next 57 years – i.e. until near his death in 1810 – thought to be the longest continuous pastorate in the history of the early New England churches up to that time.[7] (The record was eventually lost, however, to the Rev. Samuel Nott, who served at Franklin, Connecticut 1782–1852, an unbelievable 70 years).[8] Bartlett succeeded the first minister at Redding, Rev. Nathaniel Hunn – and was in turn succeeded by the Rev. Daniel Crocker.[9] Bartlett's youngest son, Rev. Jonathan Bartlett (1764–1858) served as co-pastor with his father for a few years, but resigned due to ill health prior to his father's death. The Rev. Daniel Crocker likewise served as co-pastor for a few months, following Bartlett's March 22, 1809 petition to the church board, that he be released from active service due to old age and infirmity.[10]
The Revolutionary War
During the Revolutionary War, Bartlett was consistently a firebrand for the Colonial American cause,[11] as were many Congregational ministers who thundered anti-British tirades from their pulpits week after week during the conflict.[12] The British referred to pro-independence pastors as the “Black Robed Regiment”, because of the black robes they wore in the pulpit, in conjunction with their propaganda campaign which made a significant contribution to the American war effort. So outspoken was Bartlett in his views, that the local Tories (loyalists) who were numerous in western Connecticut threatened to hang him if they could catch him.[13][14] Due to these frequent and credible threats to his life, Bartlett was obligated to make his parochial rounds with a loaded musket in hand, as well as his Bible.[13] He allowed war provisions to be stored in his home, including gunpowder in a bin which he constructed in the garret (attic) of his house, (discovered years later by his son the Rev. Jonathan Bartlett), which was quite dangerous – both politically and otherwise.[11]
The atmosphere in Redding must have been very volatile throughout the war, as the local
In addition to verbal assaults on the enemy, Bartlett supported the war effort by officiating as
Domestic life
The year 1753 was an important one for the Bartlett family. In addition to becoming pastor at Redding, shortly thereafter on June 13 Bartlett married Eunice Russell (1725–1810), eldest daughter of Jonathan (1700–1774) and Eunice (Barker) (1703–1786) Russell of Branford, New Haven County Connecticut.[22][11][23] Eunice (Russell) Bartlett's uncle, the Rev. Samuel Russell Jr., was pastor at the Congregational Church of North Guilford during the time Bartlett was growing up there. Her first cousin, Thomas Russell, was born the same year as Bartlett and also graduated from Yale in the Class of 1749. It is assumed therefore, that Nathaniel and Eunice became acquainted through the intermediary of these close relatives of hers in North Guilford. To the union of Nathaniel and Eunice (Russell) Bartlett, were born six known children: Russell b 1754, Daniel Collins b 1757, Anne b 1759, Eunice b 1761, Jonathan b 1764, and Lucretia b 1768, all born in Redding.
Also in the busy year 1753, Nathaniel and Eunice began construction of a New England salt-box style house in Redding, on 20 acres of land donated by the church as part of the settlement arrangements for his pastorate, being a common practice of the era. Per the Redding Church Records, the property was deeded over to Bartlett on June 8, 1753, by Deacon Lemuel Sanford.
Dual career
Bartlett was a teacher as well as a minister, which was a common practice in that era, preparing many young men for higher education.[26][27] His most noted pupil was the poet Joel Barlow, one of the "Hartford Wits". While attending the village school which Bartlett taught in Redding, Joel Barlow composed poetry in his free time. Recognizing his talent, Bartlett showed the boy's poems to Joel's father, recommending that a youth with such promise should be prepared for college.[28] Joel's father agreed, and Joel was tutored by Bartlett 1772–1773.[29] Joel Barlow went on to write numerous poems, which were famous in their day. Joel went to France during the French Revolution, and died during Napoleon's disastrous retreat from Russia while serving with the French Army as a special envoy from President James Madison.
Death
Bartlett died in Redding, Connecticut, on January 11, 1810.[30] His widow survived him by only a few months, passing away on August 2 of that same year.[30] Bartlett was said to be a fine scholar and an eloquent preacher, who tended to the spiritual and temporal needs of his flock until very near the end of his long productive life. Upon his death, an inventory of his estate revealed assets of around $5,000.00 in value, including a small library of some 24 volumes and 85 pamphlets.[3]
References
- ^ Roberts 1983, p. 104.
- ^ Dexter 1896, pp. 199–200, Nathaniel Bartlett, A.M. of North Guilford, CT was one of 23 graduates of the Yale Class of 1749.
- ^ a b c Dexter 1896, p. 200.
- ^ a b c Banks 1958, p. 16.
- ^ Todd 1906, p. 16.
- ^ Redding Congregational Church Records 1753, p. 89.
- ^ a b Todd 1906, p. 89.
- ^ Kingsley 1861, p. 388.
- ^ Todd 1906, p. 469.
- ^ Redding Congregational Church Records 1809. The petition states '"Being through the infirmities of old age unable to discharge any longer the duties of the Gospel Ministry, I feel disposed to be no longer burdensome to the Society for my maintenance, and I do therefore agree to relinquish to s'd Soc'y from and after the first day of April next my salary, which they stipulated to pay me."
- ^ a b c Grumman 1904, p. 121.
- ^ Davidson 1941, p. 389. Ministers usually delivered patriotic addresses on fast days and anniversaries of events of the conflict, such as the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. Although they naturally adapted their remarks to the particular occasion, they always laid stress on two themes- divine guidance and the depravity of the enemy.
- ^ a b Todd 1906, p. 37.
- ^ Taylor 1979, p. 115. ...Fairfield County was a center for pro-British sentiment...
- ^ Todd 1906, p. 31.
- ^ Tucker 1962, p. 167. "the heaviest concentration of Anglican strength was in Fairfield County in Southwestern Connecticut"
- ^ Grumman 1904, pp. 174–178. Provides biographical information on the Rev. John Beach specifically, and information on Redding loyalists generally.
- ^ Todd 1906, pp. 75–79.
- ^ Grumman 1904, p. 122.
- ^ Grumman 1904, pp. 120–121.
- ^ Grumman 1904, p. 120.
- ^ Redding Congregational Church Records 1753.
- ^ Russell 1910, p. 148.
- ^ Banks 1958, p. 16| "June 8, 1753, was the date of Mr. Bartlett's receipt of a deed of twenty acres of land to his “exceptance and full satisfaction”, quoted from the church records".
- ^ Grumman 1904, p. 121 "In addition to his pastoral duties he instructed many of the youth of the town in academic studies".
- ^ Cubberly 1919. Clergymen also, in many instances, undertook, in addition to their regular duties, the instruction of a few boys in classical learnings, acting either as a tutor for them or receiving them into their families as boarding pupils.
- ^ Litz, pp. 65–66.
- ^ Johnson, p. 609.
- ^ a b Connecticut Deaths and Burials.
Bibliography
- Banks, Lawrence (1958), 225th Anniversary of the First Church of Christ Congregational in Redding, Connecticut – A Brief History – 1733–1958, Redding church
- Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772–1934
- Cubberly, Ellwood P (1919), Interpretation of American Educational History, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co
- Davidson, Philip (1941), Propaganda and the American Revolution 1763–1783, New York: W.W. Norton Co
- Dexter, Franklin B, MA (1896), Biographical sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of the College History, vol. II (May, 1745–May, 1763), New York: Henry Holt & Co
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Grumman, William Edgar (1904), The Revolutionary Soldiers of Redding, Connecticut, Hartford: Lockwood & Brainard, retrieved 7 May 2019
- Powers, William H. (1929), Johnson, Allen (ed.), "Dictionary of American Biography", Science, 70 (1805), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons: 121–122, PMID 17813847
- Kingsley, William L (1861), Contributions to the Ecclesiastical History of Connecticut, New Haven
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Litz, A. Walton (ed.), American Writers – A Collection of Literary Biographies, vol. Supplement II, Part I, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons
- Redding Congregational Church Records (microfilm at the Connecticut State Library in Hartford), 23 May 1753
- Redding Congregational Church Records, 22 March 1809
- Roberts, Gary Boyd, ed. (1983), "Genealogies of Connecticut Families", New England Historical & Genealogical Register, vol. I, also Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649–1906, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
- Russell, Gurdon W (1910), Welles, Edwin S (ed.), An Account of Some of the Descendants of John Russell the Emigrant, Hartford, CT
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Taylor, Robert J. (1979), Colonial Connecticut – A History, New York: U.S. Div. of Kraus-Thompson Organization Ltd.
- Todd, Charles B (1906), The History of Redding, Connecticut, Newburgh, NY: Newburgh Journal Co
- Tucker, Louis L (1962), Puritan Protagonist- President Thomas Clap of Yale College, Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press