Maria E. (Kimball) Bartlett (abt. 1832 - abt. 1900)

Born about 1832 in Bloomfield, Somerset, Maine, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Sylvester William Bartlett — married 15 Feb 1852 in Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States

Descendants

Died about 1900 at about age 68 in Rhode Island, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Chris Whitten [send private message]

Biography

Maria was born in Bloomfield, Maine.

She was raised by her grandmother (what happened to her parents?).

She married Sylvester on February 15, 1852, in Amesbury, Massachusetts.

In 1860 they were living in East Kingston, NH.

Sylvester was killed in the Civil War just 10 years after their marriage.

There is some scandal associated with Maria after Sylvester's death. It appears that she abandoned her five young children and was "living in sin" with a man named Dr. Henry Tripp down in Providence, Rhode Island.

There is ample evidence for this scandal. The 1870 census has the children separated and working as farm hands for various families in NH. The 37-year-old Maria E. Bartlett is living in Providence in the household of a wealthy stone mason and his wife. Presumably she's a servant because there is another servant listed above her.

The story of Maria's pension is most damning. Becky Syphers has all these papers.

Since June 1863 she had been receiving an $8/month pension from the government as Sylvester's widow. These pensions are payable to the widow "for life, unless she shall again marry, in which case the pension is not payable after the date of such marriage."

But she let it lapse in September 1879 and didn't collect for three years. In 1883, the 52-year-old sought to have the pension restored and went through an extensive application process with the help of an attorney in Providence.

She certified that she had not remarried. Her explanation was that she had been able to work for her living and thought she "would let her pension accumulate till it amounted to a few hundred dollars when I could get me a small house."

On September 11, 1884, a certain James H. Howard of Boston wrote to the pension office to inquire "whether a lady keeping house for a man becomes as intimate as to live together for three or four years as man and wife, and then separates, deprives her of her pension."

A supervising examiner discovered that the letter from "James H. Howard" was a fictious signature and it came from the address of a physician, Dr. H. J. Tripp. He had moved from Providence to Boston.

Tripp admitted writing the letter. He testified that she was living with him as a housekeeper but they "cohabitated as man and wife" and that "Tripp left her July 1883." He claimed he wrote under an assumed name on behalf of the widow to help her settle the question about cohabitation invalidating a pension, since it had ceased and there was a possibility she was still entitled to it.

In 1885, Maria had an a 18-year-old, Addie Thompson, testify that he had known her for five years and that it was "well known that she had not remarried."

The case was referred to a special examiner, who called Dr. Tripp into his office to "determine whether claimant and Dr. H. J. Tripp lived together as man and wife."

According to the examiner, "He called at the office and gave his testimony without any hesitancy when told why I wished to see him." The application was rejected.

There is also a family rumor here. Becky Syphers said, "My mother said that her grandfather whispered -- this is third hand already, so go figure on accuracy -- Maria ran off with another man and left her four children behind."

It is uncertain when or where she died. It was probably in Newton or E. Kingston, New Hampshire.

Added by Becky Syphers:

What I have to say in Maria's defense - even with prices in the 1860's, I can't imagine how someone could provide food, clothes and a house for four boys. Maria had no immediate living family. She doesn't seem to have dumped than in an orphanage, but left them with famlies in the neighborhood of their Bartlett Grandparents. Stephen was living with a family and attending school in 1870. (per 1870 federal census for Andover, New Hampshire)

Research Notes

• The 1880 census has a Henry Tripp living with his wife Maria in Providence but the ages don't match up.

• Two census records for Maria Bartlett, born in Maine about 1832, residing in Providence, Rhode Island in 1870:
  • 1870 Census: "United States Census, 1870"
    citing Page: 63; Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: M593; Line: 39; Digital film/folder number: 004276500; FHL microfilm: 000552978; Image number: 270; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01621-9
    FamilySearch Record: MFFZ-K8H (accessed 21 September 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: S3HT-69B7-WPC
    Maria E Bartlett (37) in household of Cyrus F Andrews, stone mason, in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Born in Maine. -- listed two households above, is Frances E Tripp.
  • 1870 Census: "United States Census, 1870"
    citing Page: 27; Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Affiliate Publication Number: M593; Line: 33; Digital film/folder number: 004276501; FHL microfilm: 000552979; Image number: 31; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01622-0
    FamilySearch Record: MFFZ-273 (accessed 21 September 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: S3HY-6PCC-RY2
    Maria Bartlett (38) in household of David Keaton, retired Jewelry dealer, bankrupt, in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Born in Maine.

Sources

• Marriage record for Maria & Sylvester found by Julie Novak: "Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915"
  New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2511 #16382563 (accessed 21 September 2023)
  Maria E Kimbull (26) marriage to Sylvester W Bartlett on 15 Feb 1852 in Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA.
• Marriage: "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925"
  citing Digital film/folder number: 004279740; FHL microfilm: 001432877; Record number: 606; Packet letter: A
  FamilySearch Record: N4Q4-2RH (accessed 21 September 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HT-D897-CZG Image number 00844
  Maria E Kimball (20) marriage to Sylvester W. Bartlett (20) on 15 Feb 1852 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.

Census Data

• 1850 Census: "United States Census, 1850"
  citing The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). "Publication Number: M432; Roll: 313; Page: 76a; Line Number: 24" Digital film/folder number: 4,194,643; FHL microfilm: 14,707; Image number: 491; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01120-7
  FamilySearch Record: MD9L-QSL (accessed 21 September 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HY-6DS4-FPF
  Also available at Ancestry.com: Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8054 #10119236 (accessed 21 September 2023)
  Maria Kimball (19) in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Born in Maine.
• 1855 Census: "Massachusetts State Census, 1855"
  citing Line: 8; Digital film/folder number: 004279392; FHL microfilm: 000953978; Image number: 45; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01765-3
  FamilySearch Record: MQ4R-NB7 (accessed 21 September 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HT-69B9-Y2
  Also available on Ancestry.com: Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 4472 #2989032 (accessed 21 September 2023)
  Maria Bartlet (22) in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Born in Maine, United States.
• 1860 Census: "United States Census, 1860"
  citing The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). "Publication Number: M653; Page 1; Digital film/folder number: 005170259; FHL microfilm: 803678; Image number: 509; Packet letter: A; Indexing batch: N01753-4
  FamilySearch Record: M7W2-Y7M (accessed 21 September 2023)
  FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GBSD-9WZ1
  Marie E Bartlett (27) in household of Sylvester Bartlett in East Kingston, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States. Born in Maine.

See Also:

• On-line Tree: FamilySearch Person: LHJZ-ZF8