Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-11-09
DEATH OF AN OLD TIME
ISLAND POND RESIDENT
kfrom the Minneapolis Journal
of October 20, 1922.

Word of the death of John
M. Bartlett, aged 90, one time
prominent Minneapolis busi-
ness man, at the home of his
son in Milwaukee yesterday,
was received in Minneapolis
last night. Funeral services
were being arranged last night
by the Minneapolis consistory
of the Scottish Rite, of which
Mr.. Bartlett was for years an
active and distinguished men,
ber, for Tuesday, at 2 p. m.
From 1884 to 1912, Mr.. Bart
lett lived in Minneapolis. In
1912, he went to Milwaukee to
live with his son, George D..
Bartlett.
Few men are living who were
contemporaries of Mr.. Bartlett.
Even the older Minneapolis
men active in business today
were young to Mr.. Bartlett
when he was partner of c. A.
J. Marsh, with offices in the
Kasota building, and had large
realty investments
Fortune Wiped Out in '90s
Mr.. Bartlett's life was declar
ed by his friends last night to
be not only an example for in
spiration to those who start
Apoor and become prosperous,
Ybut also to those who face re-
verses late in life. Mr.. Bart
lett's fortune was wiped out in
the '90s, after he had passed
the three score year mark. He
began again in business, and E.
ventually regained virtually all
that the panic of 1898 had TAX
en- away.
Mr.. Bartlett was born in Or
leans County, Vermont, in 1880.
He often recalled the typical
ly stony" Vermont farm on
which he was reared. He taught
country school and paid his
way thru an academy. At 21
A he became a farmland at $13
"a month. He saved S75 of the
$78 due him for six months
work, and invested it with
some borrowed money in a part
nership in railroad contract
ing venture. The promoters of
the railroad were irresponsible
and the upshot of the first bus
mess venture was $3.50 debt
which required several years
of saving to pay.
In 1860, he set up in the gro
Gerry store business in Island
Pond, vt. This venture pros
pered, and ir 1873 he became
interested in the flour milling
and lumber business in Bald
I win, Wis. In 1884 according to
an account of his life which he
wrote some years ago, and
which is in the possession of his
friend, DR.. J. C. Crowley of
Minneapolis, he sold out and
put almost all of the 100000
received into Minneapolis real
estate. The firm of Marsh and
Bartlett prospered in 1898.
Then, by the failure of a bank
in Hudson, whose president had
a half interest in the Bartlett
holdings, the property became
entangled, and was finally lost.
But Mr.. Bartlett again be-
came a struggle for success and
won.
/ "This is grand old world
whether our cake is buttered
every day or not" he wrote in
his SD year in the autobiogra-
phical sketch.
"There are glory and oppor.
tunities enough for us all to
each day rejoice that we have
had our lines cast in pleasant
places, and there are no words
that can be said of those who
have departed this life sweetel
and grander than "He con
quered the obstacles tha'
crowded his path, and thu
strength of that conquest wen
into his character"
DR.. Crowley said that he hat
' known Mr.. Bartlett all his life
and that Mr.. Bartlett was ,
Representative of the old New
England type that is passing
honest to the last dollar, whc
would pay every dollar he eve
owed, and expect every dolla
owed to him to be paid"
"He was a remarkable per