John Russell Bartlett
John Russell Bartlett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 1886 (aged 80) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Historian, linguist, bibliographer, public official |
| Years active | 1824–1886 |
| Known for | Dictionary of Americanisms; United States Boundary Commissioner; Secretary of State of Rhode Island |
John Russell Bartlett (October 23, 1805 – May 28, 1886) was a distinguished American historian and linguist.
Early life
Born in Providence, Rhode Island to Smith Bartlett and Nancy (Russell) Bartlett, Bartlett pursued his education at Lowville Academy in New York from 1819 until 1821. His residence spanned from 1807 to 1824 in Kingston, Canada. Returning to Providence in 1824, he initially worked as a clerk in his uncle’s dry goods establishment (1824–1828), then transitioned to roles as bookkeeper and acting teller at the Bank of North America (1828–1831), before becoming the first cashier at the Globe Bank (1831–1836).
Intellectual life, business
In 1831, Bartlett played a key role in founding the Providence Athenaeum, where he served as the inaugural treasurer. That same year, he became a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society. The following year, he procured books for the Providence Franklin Society, an early lyceum initiative. Throughout his lifetime, he maintained active involvement with institutions such as the New England Historic Genealogical Society and was inducted into the American Antiquarian Society in 1856.
Relocating to New York City in 1836, Bartlett joined Jesup, Swift and Company as a partner in their dry goods commission business. By 1840, alongside Charles Welford, he founded the bookselling and publishing enterprise Bartlett and Welford located at the Astor House hotel. This firm specialized in foreign literature and issued five catalogs between 1840 and 1848. During his time in New York, Bartlett established connections with prominent intellectuals like ethnologist Albert Gallatin and contributed to founding the American Ethnological Society in 1842, subsequently holding the position of Foreign Corresponding Secretary.
Bartlett is best remembered for his Dictionary of Americanisms (1848), an early lexicographical achievement that continues to hold significance for linguistic research despite being eclipsed by later dialect studies. Later editions were released in 1859, 1860, and 1877; notably, the first edition was translated into Dutch (1854), while the third edition appeared in German (1866).
United States Boundary Commissioner, travels through the American Southwest
After returning to Providence in 1850, Bartlett sought appointment as ambassador to Denmark by traveling to Washington D.C. Instead, he received the role of United States Boundary Commissioner, tasked with surveying the border between the United States and Mexico—a position involving extensive travel across the American Southwest. Members of the Whig Party submitted numerous applications for survey positions under his authority, frequently endorsing candidates lacking proper qualifications. Although Bartlett faced criticism for appointing many unqualified individuals, he exercised judgment by rejecting some recommendations, including that of Thomas W. Jones despite strong support from Henry Clay and nine Senators.
The boundary survey party comprised professional surveyors alongside four botanists and four zoologists who made important scientific contributions through their collections. Artist Henry Cheever Pratt supplied thirty illustrations for Bartlett’s A Personal Narrative of Explorations and Incidents in Texas, New Mexico, California, Sonora and Chihuahua (two volumes, 1854), published after Bartlett’s tenure ended. This publication provides valuable scientific data and historical perspectives on the region. Additionally, Bartlett recorded Native American languages during his travels; among his linguistic documentation was the autoethnonym of the Seri people from northwestern Mexico—Comcaac ("komkak")—included within roughly 180 words preserved by the Bureau of American Ethnology.
Bartlett held the Boundary Commissioner post from 1850 until 1853 when the Whig Party lost influence following President Franklin Pierce’s election.
Secretary of State of Rhode Island and Librarian
Between 1855 and 1872, Bartlett held the position of Secretary of State of Rhode Island. During his tenure, he undertook the reorganization of the state's archival records and assembled significant bibliographies centered on the historical narrative of Rhode Island. Subsequently, as the librarian for the John Carter Brown Library, he compiled an extensive four-volume catalog detailing the library's holdings. Bartlett passed away in Providence on May 28, 1886.
Family and Marriages
On May 15, 1831, Bartlett wed Eliza Allen Rhodes from Pawtuxet, Rhode Island. Together, they had seven children: four daughters—Elizabeth Dorrance (1833–1840), Anna Russell (1835–1885), Leila (1846–1850), and Fanny Osgood (1850–1882)—and three sons—Henry Anthony, a Marine Corps major (1838–1901); George Francis, a captain (1840–1842); and John R. Bartlett, a Rear Admiral in the US Navy renowned for his contributions during the Civil War and Spanish–American War as well as his oceanographic research. Following Eliza's death in 1853, Bartlett remarried Ellen Eddy of Providence on November 12, 1863.
Notable Publications
- Bartlett, John Russell (1854). Personal Narrative of Explorations and Incidents in Texas, New Mexico, California, Sonora, and Chihuahua (Volumes I & II). New York: D. Appleton & Company.
Bibliography
External links
- John Russell Bartlett Works at the John Carter Brown Library
- John Russell Bartlett Papers at the Rhode Island Historical Society
- John Russell Bartlett scrapbook and letters accessible through Lehigh University's I Remain: A Digital Archive of Manuscripts, Letters, and Ephemera.