There Were Four
William Bertrams
14'© wonder the stories sometimes get
confused.
В I/
LIONEL MELVIN
They were all named William, all
four of them. This is in referring to
members of the world famous family of
Bartram from Philadelphia who tried to
establish a beachhead for the name in
this state during its early years. None
succeeded.
The first William to arrive in North
Carolina was the youngest son of John
and Elizabeth Bartram who came with
his Ouaker parents from Ashbourne in
Derbyshire, England, and settled in
Darby. Chester County. Pennsylvania,
in 1682 or 1683. In 1708 wc find that
young William, following in the foot¬
steps of his father, represented his dis¬
trict in the Pennsylvania General As¬
sembly. Shortly after this he came to
Carteret County, North Carolina, with
his second wife, Elizabeth Smith, and
perhaps his first child. Elizabeth, by
this marriage who was bom in 1 709 or
1710. On June 3. 1711. to them was
born William Bartram, Junior, most
likely the first Bartram born in this
state.
Wc learn from the papers of a grand¬
son of William. Sr., by his first wife,
Elizabeth Hunt, that William Bart¬
ram. Sr. was murdered by Indians in
North Carolina, on his plantation of
"Whitoc"; and that his family was held
as captives, later to be ransomed and
removed by Philadelphia relatives to
Pennsylvania. Dr. Francis Harper of
Chapel Hill, author of several works
on Bartram and holder of a large
collection of Bartraniiana. thinks that
this occurred in the Tuscarora uprising
in which around 200 settlers were mas¬
sacred including John Lawson, the
early historian.
Plantation in Bladen
When William Bartram. Jr., reached
early manhood, he returned to North
Carolina and settled on the Cape Fear
River in Bladen Precinct shortly before
it was made a county in 1734. In ad¬
dition to receiving several grants of
land from the crown, he purchased
from John Baptista Ashe the planta¬
tion "Ashwood" on the south bluff of
the river and made this his home. To
this place he brought his wife Elizabeth
Smith nee Lock and reared his family
of two girls: Sarah, who became the
wife of Gen. Thomas Brown; Mary,
who became the wife of Col. 'lTiomas
Robeson; one son. William III. who
became a doctor and died young and
still unmarried, thereby, taking the
name of Bartram with him.
The site of "Aihvood," Col. Williom Bertram's
home, »os just «nthin the border of the woods.
In the picture ore Dr. John A. Robeson ond
David G. Robeson. Token in 1939.
This Williom Bertram, the most widely known of
the four who lived in North Carolina, wos the
son of John Battrom of Philadelphia, the famed
botonist. William was a botonist olso, but is best
known in this stole for his pioneer tro»el writ¬
ings. He lived for a time with his uncle Col.
Williom Bartrom ot "Ashwood," on the Cope
Feor River. — (From the portrait by Chorles
Willson Peole, now m the Old City Hall, Phila¬
delphia.)
After acquiring Ashwood, the new
owner, although a Quaker, held the
military rank of colonel, became a
slave-holder and one of the leading
planters on the Cape Fear. Inheriting
his interest in political affairs from his
father and grandfather, he served nine
terms in the General Assembly, shar¬
ing the honor of representing his coun¬
ty of Bladen with such colleagues as
General Hugh Waddell, who might
have held Washington's place in the
Revolution had he not died shortly be¬
fore. and Sir Richard Evcrard, Baro¬
net. who was the last governor under
the Lords Proprietors and the first
after the Lords sold back their claims
to the crown. Like Gen. Hugh Waddell.
Col. William Bartram also died before
the Revolution.
The fourth William Bartram who
made North Carolina his home was a
nephew of the colonel by a half
brother. The half-brother was the
widely known John Bartram of Phila¬
delphia who was appointed by the
crown to be the King's Botanist in
America. This nephew of Col. Bartram
was a younger son by John Bertram's
second wife. Ann Mendenhall, also of
Chester County. The prominent family
THE STATE. DCCCMOER 15. 1971
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