Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- The Bartholomew mss., 1838-1886, consists of the papers of American businessman, pioneer, and judicial officer Jacob Bartholomew, 1818-1863, and his wife, Emily Ebersole Bartholomew, 1825-1913.
- Extent:
- 2 Boxes and 1 folio
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Bartholomew mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
Jacob Bartholomew, 1818-1863, was born in Ohio on December 26, 1818. He studied medicine at Granville College in Granville, Ohio, from 1838 to 1842 and then served on the college's faculty until 1848. In 1850, he led a team traveling from Ohio to California and served as the group's physician. Back in Ohio, he married Emily Ebersole, 1825-1913, on March 8, 1859. Emily, who had been born in Ohio on October 7, 1825, had received her teaching certificate in 1841 and had taught in one-room schoolhouses and then at the Springfield Female Seminary until 1857. On April 11, 1858, one month after their wedding, the Bartholomews sailed for Forbestown, California. On February 28, 1863, Bartholomew died of an accidental gunshot wound. Emily and the couple's sons—Frank, 1860-1948, and Ralph, 1861-1950—moved to Springfield, Ohio, in 1867. Emily died in Springfield on July 1, 1913.
- Scope and Content:
A genealogical chart of the Bartholomew family is in the first box of the collection. The remaining papers in the collection may be divided roughly into two parts: the Ohio period, 1838-1849, and the California period, 1850-1867.
The Ohio papers include letters from Ohio friends and relatives regarding coopering, family news, farming, Lutheranism, and teaching; letters and papers from Orson Squire Fowler, 1809-1887, regarding phrenology; programs from Granville College, 1840-1848; programs of the annual exhibition of the Granville Male Academy, 1841, 1846, and 1848; a commencement program of Kenyon College, 1846; the Sixth Annual Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the Springfield Female Seminary, Springfield, Ohio, July 1857; and the Twenty-fourth Annual Catalogue of Granville Female Academy, Granville, Ohio, for 1857-8.
The California papers include Bartholomew's overland diary, May 14-August 14, 1850; official papers of his term as Justice of the Peace, Butte County, California, December 31, 1851-September 26, 1853; his household account book, September 6, 1859-February 26, 1863; and letters and papers of the South Feather Water Company, which he owned in partnership with D.W.C. Gaskill; a group of photographs, including two town views, presumably in California; a compass used by Jacob Bartholomew on the overland journey; and an 1849 one dollar gold piece with the initials J.B., which was worn by Jacob Bartholomew.
Jacob Bartholomew's wife, Emily (Ebersole) Bartholomew, is represented by several items in the collection. There are two diaries; the first covers January 1, 1859-June 6, 1861, detailing her marriage, the ensuing journey by boat to California, and her early life in Forbestown, California, where the Bartholomews resided; and the second covers April 21-December 24, 1866, at which time she was still living in Forbestown. Following the death of Jacob Bartholomew in 1863, the papers are largely concerned with the settlement of his estate, of which Emily (Ebersole) Bartholomew was administrator. The principal property involved was that of the South Feather Water Company. Letters from California friends to Emily Bartholomew after her return to Ohio in 1867, are also preserved.
Jacob Bartholomew's overland diary has been edited with introduction and notes by Ellia Arthur Hopkins in his "The pioneer Bartholomews of Ohio and California." M.A. thesis, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, January 1950. (D40 .H793)
- Acquisition information:
- Purchase: 1948, 1950
- Arrangement:
This collection is arranged following original order.
- Physical location:
- ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility); Lilly - Folio
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable rights holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish form.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Bartholomew mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1200 East Seventh StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
(812) 855-2452liblilly@indiana.edu