Josiah Bartlett

Known for

• First governor of New Hampshire

• Chief justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature

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During 1776

• Delegate for New Hampshire

• Age: 39

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Background

• Born: 1729 in Amesbury, Massachusetts

  • Studied medicine in his hometown under Dr. Nehemiah Ordway, a relative

  • Moved to New Hampshire in 1750

• Spouse: Mary Bartlett (m. 1754)

• ​Children: 12 children, 8 who lived to adulthood

• Practiced medicine for over 40 years

• Slaveowning

  • ​Unclear how many slaves Josiah Bartlett owned, or how he came to own them, but he definitely owned them

    • Bartlett offering a reward for a runaway slave

    • Bartlett requesting to conscript one of his slaves​

  • Apparently Bartlett eventually came out as anti-slavery, but the evidence I found isn't very substantial

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Personal beliefs

• Politics: Patriot/Whig

  • As a member of the northernmost colony, Bartlett got to be the first to say Yes to independence when the vote came up​, because the roll was called geographically from North to South

• Religion: Likely Congregationalist; the record is sparse