There were approximately 1,400 military ‘doctors’ during the American Revolution who treated American soldiers either on the battlefield or in hospitals. Of this number, only 400 were actually trained physicians; the other thousand or so were assistants or young apprentices who basically ‘learned on the job’. Several doctors put aside their scalpels for the sword and led troops in battle, some ultimately paying with their lives notably; General Dr. Joseph Warren – The Battle of Bunker Hill, Lt. Colonel Dr. Nathaniel Scudder – Shrewsbury, NJ in skirmish, and Brigadier General Dr. Hugh Mercer – Battle of Princeton. Even the loyalists, those who backed the British, had physicians heading up militias; such as Colonel Dr. John Pyle – infamous for ‘Pyle’s Massacre’, in which his regiment was decimated by Colonel Henry ‘Lighthorse Harry’ Lee’s Light Dragoons.
By and large, physicians were prominent citizens in their communities. Many became passionate patriots who served their nation by picking up the pen and turning local statesmen and participating in legislatures. Some were chosen by their former colonies to travel to Philadelphia and serve in Congress. Four Physicians signed the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776; Dr. Lyman Hall of Georgia, Dr. Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania, Dr. Mathew Thornton of New Hampshire, and the subject of this article – Dr. Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire. Legal historian Wilfred Ritz concluded in 1986 that about thirty-four delegates signed the Declaration on July 4, 1776, and that the others signed on or after August 2nd.
Early Life
Josiah Bartlett, December 2, 1729 – May 19, 1795, was an active physician in Kingston, New Hampshire. He grew up in Amesbury, Massachusetts, forty miles north of Boston, the fifth son and fourth child of Stephen Bartlett (1691-1773) and Hannah-Mary Webster Bartlett (1692-1768). His father, a shoemaker, had immigrated from England and settled in the Massachusetts Bay area where he ran a farm called ‘The Lion’s Mouth’. At age sixteen, Josiah learned Greek and Latin under a relative, Reverend Dr. John Webster, while beginning his studies in medicine under Dr. James Ordway, of Amesbury. Dr. Ordway had little scientific background, but provided Bartlett with valuable instruction on basic medical practices of the day.
Sets up Practice in Kingston, New Hampshire
Bartlett finished his apprenticeship in 1750 and nearing age twenty-one, moved northwest to Kingston, New Hampshire, just under ten miles from Amesbury. He arrived with his luggage, a horse, a bill of medicine, $30, and a pocket case of surgeon’s instruments including instruments for pulling teeth.
At the time, Kingston was a frontier settlement of a few hundred families. Bartlett was warmly welcomed as he was, literally, the only doctor in town. Upon arriving, he lived with Reverend Joseph Seccombe. This proved to be invaluable to the young physician, for the reverend had an outstanding and vast library; many texts of scientific value which aided Bartlett with his future research into critical illnesses.
Bartlett’s expertise and concern for his patients grew; he becoming a popular and prosperous physician. He did well financially and soon purchased his own house, farm, and land. On January 15, 1754, he married his cousin, Mary Bartlett (1730-1789), the daughter of his uncle Joseph. They would remain married until her death at age fifty-nine. They had three sons and seven daughters in which two daughters, both named Hannah, died as infants. All three of his sons and seven of his grandsons would follow him as physicians.
The same year he was married, Bartlett faced a recurring epidemic. Twenty years earlier, around 1735, the Kingston region suffered from a fever and canker called ‘throat distemper; reported that over a hundred perished. It was a serious illness for adults and particularly for children which frequented in death. When the disease showed its ugly face again in 1754, Bartlett experimented with therapy using various available drugs. His years studying the scientific texts in the Reverend Seccomb home paid off. He empirically discovered that Peruvian bark would relieve symptoms long enough to allow the patient’s recovery; which garnished widespread respect for the erudite doctor within the community.
Service in Colonial Government
Because of his success as a doctor and often leading sagacious discussions on current and legal concerns, he was selected as town selectman in 1757. In 1765, he was elected to the New Hampshire colonial assembly or legislature. Two years later, he selected as colonel of his county’s militia, along with appointment as justice of the peace by Governor John Wentworth. A rising star in New Hampshire, his political leanings turned towards the Whigs. Time again he would rise from his legislative seat, hurling sharpened barbs and critiques of British policies towards the colonies. By 1774, he became an active patriot and firm supporter of patriotic causes, which brought him into opposition with Governor Wentworth and local Tories.
It was in 1774 that Bartlett gained what might be labeled national interest. He joined the New Hampshire Committee of Correspondence, provincial organizations that were established throughout the colonies. He soon began to work with other colonial leaders like Samuel Adams, the Boston firebrand of the patriot movement. When Wentworth dismissed the New Hampshire Assembly, Bartlett was elected president to a successor, and illegal Provincial Assembly. It was at this time that reported Loyalists or Tories, torched his home, destroying it totally. Bartlett moved his family out to a farmhouse on his land and immediately began rebuilding his home on the same foundation. Later, the next year, while Bartlett served in Congress in Philadelphia, his wife Mary would oversee the home’s completion, as well as raising the children and handling all finances.
Served in Second Congress and Treated War Wounded
The New Hampshire Assembly appointed Bartlett and John Pickering as delegates to the First Continental Congress, Sept. 5 – Oct. 26, 1774. Bartlett declined because his home was still under construction and he needed to remain in New Hampshire to attend to his family; however, he continued to be active in New Hampshire’s affairs. He was asked to attend the Second Continental Congress which reconvened on May 10, 1775. By then the colonies were at war as the Battle of Lexington and Concord had been fought on April 19, 1975. He accepted and would twice serve in Congress, from 1775 to late 1776, and again from 1778 to 1779.
For a time in late 1775 and early 1776, he was the only delegate attending from New Hampshire, thereby forced to attend all committees, how much of Congress’ work was accomplished. After repeated letters to the New Hampshire Assembly, two other delegates were added to Congress from New Hampshire; William Whipple and Dr. Matthew Thornton. An outspoken patriot, on July 2, 1776, he was first to vote for independence and afterwards, the first to vote to approve the Declaration of Independence. Later in August, when delegates signed the declaration, his signature was second, after John Hancock.
During his time in Philadelphia, he was particularly active in building an American Navy while during his spare hours, attended local hospitals treating war wounded. In 1777, he declined a return to the Congress, citing fatigue. However, when British General Johnny Burgoyne sent German troops on a major foraging mission to Vermont, Bartlett accompanied General John Stark’s New Hampshire force as surgeon. He was present at the Battle of Bennington and attended to the wounded. After returning to Congress in 1778, he served on the committee that drafted the Articles of Confederation. After the articles were adopted, he returned to New Hampshire where he remained.
After Congress and the War
According to the National Park Service, Bartlett spent the remainder of his life on the state scene. Despite his lack of legal training, he sat first as chief justice of the court of common pleas (1779-82), then as associate (1782-88), and chief justice of the Superior Court (1788-1790). In 1788, he took part in the State convention that ratified the Federal Constitution, which he strongly favored. The next year, probably because of his age and the weight of his judicial duties, he declined election to the U.S. Senate. The following year, 1789, he became chief executive, or president, of the state legislature. He was named the first Governor in 1793, serving two years of the newly amended New Hampshire constitution that predesignated the position. Because of fatigue and illness, he resigned after two years, in 1794, retiring from civil duties. He died the next year on May 19, 1775.
Medical Recognition
In 1790, Bartlett secured legislation recognizing the New Hampshire Medical Society, serving as president in 1791 and 1792. In 1790, he delivered the commencement address at Dartmouth College when his son Ezra graduated. Bartlett was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Medicine that same day his son received his medical degree.
Death & Memorial
Dr. Bartlett died on May 19, 1795 at age sixty-six. The cause of his death was diagnosed as paralysis; a form of palsy that was a privation of motion or feeling. Recognized at the time as paralysis when it effected some parts of the body. Below the neck was paraplegia and if one side only, was called hemiplegia. Bartlett is buried next to his wife Mary in the Plains Cemetery, Kingston, New Hampshire. The Josiah Bartlett House was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
A bronze statue of Bartlett stands in the town square of Amesbury, Massachusetts. His portrait, drawn from an original by John Trumbull, hangs in the State House in Concord, New Hampshire.
Note: After seven generations, the Bartlett Home in Kingston was put up for sale in 2019.
RESOURCE
Fradin, Dennis. The Signers, The Fifty-Six Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence. 2002: Walker & Co., New York, NY.
Kiernan, Denise & Joseph D’Agnese. Signing Their Lives Away, The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. 2009: Published by the Authors.
Perrow, Andrea and David J. Trowbridge. “Josiah Bartlett House.” Clio: Your Guide to History. December 5, 2014. Accessed October 20, 2022.
Signers of the Declaration, National Park Service. “Josiah Bartlett New Hampshire”.
