Title: Ball-Bartlett-Fitch Family Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1889-1992

Creator:

• Bartlett, Eliot Fitch

Call Number: Mss 991; PH Mss 991

Quantity: 2.4 c.f. (6 archives boxes) and 93 photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers compiled by Eliot Fitch Bartlett on various members of the Ball, Bartlett, and Fitch families of Milwaukee (Wis.) and Massachusetts, spanning three generations and consisting of correspondence, news clippings, genealogical materials, and photographs. The papers reflect Eliot Fitch Bartlett's involvement in local politics, social activism, and veterans' affairs including his membership in the American Veterans Committee and the Concord (Mass.) Democratic Town Committee. The correspondence between family members comprises the bulk of the collection documenting life among a socially prominent, upper-middle class family from the 1920s until the 1970s and concerns school experiences, women's suffrage, vacations, family events, and daily life. Also included are numerous news clippings and other biographical materials about individual family members particularly Eliot Fitch Bartlett's mother, Ruth Fitch Mason (1890-1974), a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native and respected poet, and her mother, Eliza Eliot Fitch. In addition, there is one box of photographs consisting of individual and group photographs of Eliot F. Bartlett, Ruth Mason, Grant Fitch, Walter Scott Bartlett Jr., and the Fitch home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as well as other miscellaneous and unidentified photographs. Finally, there is a small amount of genealogical material for the Allis, Cobb, Robbins, Laning, Mason, Moore, and Whetten families.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00991

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The three families of Ball, Bartlett, and Fitch found their separate ways to Wisconsin from the eastern United States; the Ball family arrived in East Troy around 1860, the Bartletts arrived in Milwaukee in 1870, and the Fitch family settled in Milwaukee sometime before 1859. In 1874 Dr. Edwin Wilcox Bartlett married Helen Francis Ball.

The Bartlett and Fitch families were both wealthy and socially prominent with well-educated family members, both male and female, attending private preparatory or east coast boarding schools and receiving their college degrees from institutions like Yale, Vassar, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Virginia. The Fitch family managed the Marine National and National Exchange Banks of Milwaukee while the Bartlett family was responsible for the Milwaukee Stamping Company. Both families were regularly included in Milwaukee's Social Registers and biographies of many of the men are found in books documenting Milwaukee's history and citizens.

Eliot Fitch Bartlett was born in Milwaukee in 1918, one of two children of Ruth (Fitch) and Walter Bartlett. He attended several east coast boarding schools prior to receiving his college education at the University of Virginia. He served in the Air Force during World War II and in 1948 married Christine Price. They settled in Concord (Mass.) and raised four children. Bartlett, an amateur artist, was involved in a number of community organizations in Concord and was active politically.

Walter Scott Bartlett was one of four children of Dr. Edwin Wilcox Bartlett and Helen Ball. Born in Milwaukee, he relocated to New York in 1923 where he worked as a lawyer for the Cuban American Sugar Company and later the American Sugar Refining Company. W.S. Bartlett married Ruth Fitch in 1917 and they had two sons, Eliot F. and Walter S. Jr. W.S. Bartlett and Ruth were divorced in 1929; he was remarried in 1933, to Mary Clark Holland.

Eliza Eliot Fitch was one of two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Eliot. She was a lifelong resident of Milwaukee and a leading social figure. Eliot married Grant Fitch in 1887 and had two children, Ruth F. (Bartlett-Boyd) Mason and Eliot Grant Fitch. Eliza Fitch was well known for lavish entertaining and was a member of the Woman's Club of Wisconsin, College Endowment Association, and a patron of Milwaukee-Downer College.

Ruth Fitch Mason, the youngest child of Eliza and Grant Fitch was born in Milwaukee in 1890. She received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College in 1912 and M.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1914. In 1917 she married Walter Scott Bartlett with whom she had two children, Eliot Fitch and Walter Scott Jr. (Scott). Mason divorced Bartlett in 1929 and married Thomas Boyd, a World War I hero and celebrated author, that same year. In 1937 she married Gregory Mason, a noted explorer, archeologist, and anthropologist.

See the following family charts for the relationships of various family members. The information is not intended to be a complete family history of the Ball, Bartlett, and Fitch families but rather a guide to understanding the family relationships within this collection. Bold lettering indicates the individuals who have materials included in this collection.

• Bartlett Family Chart
  • Billa Bartlett (1769-1809) m. Selina Blachley
    • ch. Joel B. Martin (1796-1819)
    • ch. Mindwell Bartlett (1805-1807)
    • ch. Mindwell Ann Bartlett (1808-?)
    • ch. Ann Bartlett (1804-1807)
    • ch. Maria Bartlett (1799-1853)
    • ch. Martin Bartlett (1801-?)
    • ch. Elias Bartlett (1795-1865) m. Eliza Wheelock (1801-1860)
      • ch. Lucinda (1822-1884) m. Edgar A Parney
      • ch. Joel B. Bartlett (1824-1914)
      • ch. Betsy (1826-1847)
      • ch. Homar Lyman (1830-1905)
      • ch. Dr. Edwin Wilcox Bartlett (1839-1913) m. Helen Francis Ball (d. 1920)
        • ch. Ferdinand A. Bartlett
        • ch. Walter Scott Bartlett (1888-1834)
          • m. Ruth Fitch [see Fitch family]
          • m. Mary Clark Holland
            • ch. Paul Holland Bartlett (1934- ) m. Barbra Ann Tettelbach
          • ch. Eliza Wheelock Bartlett [Lila] (1878-1959)
          • ch. Edwin Ball Bartlett (1882-1972) m. Julia Reson Foster III
            • ch. Edwin Ball Bartlett Jr. m. Manhardt ?
              • ch. Barbra Foster m. Robert Floyd Wilson
              • ch. Marian Helen m. Robert Wilson Woodland
              • ch. Edwin Ball Bartlett III
              • ch. Seth Foster Bartlett
              • ch. Francis Livingston Bartlett
              • ch. David Livingston Bartlett
              • ch. Cynthia Bartlett
  • Fitch Family Chart
    • William Grant Fitch (1834-1891) m. Martha Eliza Curtis (1836-1927)
      • ch. Walter A. Fitch
      • ch. Grant Fitch (1859-1940) m. Eliza Eliot (1865-1955)
        • ch. Eliot Grant Fitch (1895-1983)
          • m. Janet M. Fell
            • ch. John Grant Fitch (1923-1945)
            • ch. Janet Margaret Fitch
            • ch. Jared Eliot Fitch
          • m. Ruth ?
        • ch. Ruth Fitch (Bartlett-Boyd) Mason (1890-1974)
          • m. Walter Scott Bartlett (1888-1934) [divorced in 1929]
            • ch. Walter Scott Bartlett Jr. (Scott) (1920- ) m. Miram Davie
              • ch. Walter Scott Bartlett III
              • ch. Eliza Bartlett
              • ch. Nathaniel Eliot
              • ch. Diana Chase
              • ch. Mark E. Bartlett
            • ch. Eliot Fitch Bartlett (1918-1993) m. Christine Price [Kit] (1924- )
              • ch. Amy Bartlett (1949- )
              • ch. Lucia Moore (Bartlett) Connelly (1951- ) m. Todd Watts Connelly (1954-1981)
              • ch. John Eliot Bartlett (1953- )
              • ch. Susan Bartlett (1956- )
          • m. Thomas Boyd (d. 1935) [married in 1929]
          • m. Gregory Mason (1889-1968) [married in 1937]

Papers compiled by Eliot Fitch Bartlett of three generations of the Bartlett and Fitch families of Milwaukee. His own papers form the bulk of the collection and he is included in the outgoing correspondence of many series. Other family members have been arranged separately.

The Ball-Bartlett-Fitch family papers have been arranged into the following series: Genealogical Materials; Eliot Fitch Bartlett; Christine Price Bartlett; Edwin Ball Bartlett; Eliza W. Bartlett; Walter Scott Bartlett; Walter Scott Bartlett Jr. (Scott); Eliot Grant Fitch; Eliza Eliot Fitch; Grant Fitch; Ruth Fitch Mason; Other Family Members; and Photographs.

Because Eliot F. Bartlett is the common thread throughout the collection, his papers are first with other family members following alphabetically by the last name of each individual. The type and quantity of each individual's papers vary considerably, but generally include both incoming and outgoing correspondence and newspaper clippings. The correspondence is organized by author and is generally composed of letters to and from family members, much of it between parents and children while the children were attending boarding school or college, on summer vacations, and after having moved away from home. Also included is correspondence between siblings while attending different schools and scattered letters from acquaintances.

The following describes only selected series; see the contents list below for further details.

The GENEALOGICAL MATERIALS series (1901-1984) includes not only genealogies for the Ball, Bartlett, and Fitch families but also for other early Wisconsin families such as the Allis, Cobb, Laning, Mason, Moore, Robbins, and Whetten families, generally consisting of family charts.

The ELIOT FITCH BARTLETT series (1930-1992) consists principally of outgoing correspondence addressed to family members documenting his experiences at school, his adult life, and the challenges of raising a family. Unfortunately, there is no surviving correspondence relating to his World War II service. Other correspondence reflects his interest in both local and national politics demonstrating his opinion on proposed legislation, closing military bases, and the Persian Gulf War. Incoming correspondence is from distant relatives and other acquaintances and politicians thanking him for his input. Other materials document his involvement in the American Veterans Committee, several Quaker religious organizations, Amnesty International, his membership in the Concord Democratic Town Committee, and his work with various preservation and conservation groups including his efforts to preserve the Charles Allis Art Library and Museum in Milwaukee.

The WALTER SCOTT BARTLETT series (1919-1955) consists of outgoing correspondence to his sons Eliot and Walter Jr. (Scott) and to Ruth Mason. Also included are the letters of Mary Dallett, W.S. Bartlett's second wife, to Eliot and Scott Bartlett as well as surrogate court reports which deal with trust funds established for Bartlett's children.

The ELIZA ELIOT FITCH series (1889-1958) consists of routine correspondence with Eliot F. Bartlett written mainly while he was attending boarding school and college, letters to Ruth Mason while she was attending Vassar College, and news clippings. The news clippings cover a wide variety of topics including an 1889 description of Milwaukee society, the Fitch's artwork collection, a description of the family home, and a 1956 fashion show using Fitch's gown collection (which is now owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society).

The RUTH FITCH MASON series (1908-1979) includes outgoing correspondence to her mother Eliza E. Fitch and her son Eliot F. Bartlett, and letters to Eliza Fitch from Vassar discussing college life and woman's suffrage. Also included are letters from Gregory Mason, news clippings, several of her poems, and information on the 1952 presidential election in which she campaigned for Eisenhower.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Eliot F. Bartlett, Concord, Massachusetts, 1973-1992. Accession Number: M73-233, M73-234, M73-266, M73-267, M73-317, M73-329, M73-371, M73-394, M74-079, M74-80, M74-246, M74-320, M74-589, M75-080, M75-100, M76-272, M76-411, M77-051, M77-111, M77-166, M77-463, M78-069, M78-177, M78-252, M78-655, M79-575, M80-623, M82-057, M82-206, M82-242, M82-420, M82-502, M83-352, M84-053, M84-078, M85-205, M86-113, M87-055, M87-121, M88-146, M89-146, M90-030, M90-096, M90-213, M90-312, M91-126, M91-213, M91-253, M92-047

Processing Information

Processed by Abbie Miller (Practicum student), May 2003.

Mss 991	Series: Genealogical Materials
	Family genealogies
Box   1 Folder   1	Allis, 1939
Box   1 Folder   2	Ball, Cobb, and Robbins, 1955
Box   1 Folder   3	Bartlett, 1936
Box   1 Folder   4	Laning, 1901
Box   1 Folder   5	Mason, undated
Box   1 Folder   6	Moore, 1979
Box   1 Folder   7	Whetten, undated
	Biographical sketches
Box   1 Folder   8	Dr. Edwin Wilcox Bartlett
Box   1 Folder   9	Edwin Ball Bartlett, undated
Box   1 Folder   10	Eliot G. Fitch, 1984
	Series: Eliot Fitch Bartlett	⇧
	American Veterans Committee
Box   1 Folder   11	Convention newsletters, 1963-1980
Box   1 Folder   12	Correspondence, 1959-1985
Box   1 Folder   13	Education Fund, 1981-1986
Box   1 Folder   14	Ernie Pyle Chapter, 1958-1986
Box   1 Folder   15	Meeting minutes, 1958-1961
Box   1 Folder   16	Miscellaneous materials, 1961-1983
Box   1 Folder   17	National materials, 1961-1962
Box   1 Folder   18	Resolutions, 1962
Box   1 Folder   19	Vietnam War, 1966-1979
Box   1 Folder   20	Anchor to the Windward, 1989
	Art exhibits
Box   1 Folder   21	Donation certificate, 1949
	Great Hall campaign
Box   1 Folder   22	Charles Allis Art Library, 1947
Box   1 Folder   23	Charles Allis Art Museum, 1987-1988
Box   1 Folder   24	Correspondence, 1988-1989
Box   1 Folder   25	Eliot F. Bartlett correspondence, 1985-1988
Box   1 Folder   26	Eliot F. Bartlett's showing, 1988-1989
Box   1 Folder   27	Exhibit programs, 1963-1986
Box   1 Folder   28	Francis Spicizza exhibit, 1982
	Correspondence
	Incoming
Box   2 Folder   1	1918-1989
Box   2 Folder   2	Manuscript donation, 1967-1978
Box   2 Folder   3-4	Political correspondence, 1960-1991
	Outgoing
Box   2 Folder   5	Walter Scott Bartlett, 1931
Box   2 Folder   6	Thomas Boyd, 1933
Box   2 Folder   7	Eliot E. Fitch, 1932-1936
Box   2 Folder   8	Eliza Fitch, 1934-1936
Box   2 Folder   9	Grant Fitch, 1936-1937
	Ruth F. Mason
Box   2 Folder   10-13	1952-1967
Box   3 Folder   1	1968-1972
Box   3 Folder   2	Manuscript donation, 1967-1982
Box   3 Folder   3	Political correspondence, 1973-1990
Box   3 Folder   4	University of Virginia, 1961-1988
	Education
Box   3 Folder   5	Home work book, circa 1930
Box   3 Folder   6	Loomis Alumni Bulletin, 1936-1938
Box   3 Folder   7	Miscellaneous, 1936-1979
Box   3 Folder   8	Storm King School, 1937-1979
	University of Virginia
Box   3 Folder   9	Jefferson Society, 1938-1941
Box   3 Folder   10	Miscellaneous, 1937-1941
Box   3 Folder   11	Restoration project, undated
	Family
Box   3 Folder   12	Boston Lying-in Hospital, 1955
Box   3 Folder   13	Amy Bartlett, 1955-1967
Box   3 Folder   14	John Bartlett, 1958-1969
Box   3 Folder   15	Lucia Bartlett (Connelly), 1956-1981
Box   3 Folder   16	Susan Bartlett, 1964-1965
Box   3 Folder   17	Vacations, 1937-1963
	Politics
Box   3 Folder   18	Citizens for a Responsible Legislature, 1980
Box   3 Folder   19	Citizens for Participation in Political Action (CPPAX), 1977-1988
Box   3 Folder   20	Concord book, 1980
Box   4 Folder   1	Concord Democratic State Committee, 1979-1985
	Concord Democratic Town Committee
Box   4 Folder   2-3	Meeting minutes, 1974-1992
Box   4 Folder   4	Membership, 1980
Box   4 Folder   5	Miscellaneous, 1970-1984
Box   4 Folder   6	Responsibilities for a Democratic Town Committee, 1988
Box   4 Folder   7	Concord Land Conservation Trust, 1960-1991
Box   4 Folder   8	Concord voter registration, 1980-1982
Box   4 Folder   9	Genevra Counihan campaign, 1978-1979
Box   4 Folder   10	Miscellaneous Concord groups
Box   4 Folder   11-12	Political invitations, 1979-1982
Box   4 Folder   13	Report of Regional School District Planning Board, 1957
	Religious Affiliations
	The Meeting School
	Board of Trustees
Box   4 Folder   14	Correspondence, 1957
Box   4 Folder   15	Meetings, 1979; 1984-1990
Box   4 Folder   16	Reports, 1985
Box   5 Folder   1	Financial material, 1982-1988
Box   5 Folder   2	General correspondence, 1985-1989
Box   5 Folder   3	Promotional materials, 1984-1988
Box   5 Folder   4	Quaker School Associates, 1986-1988
Box   5 Folder   5	Student affairs, 1985-1988
	St. Anne's-in-the-Fields
Box   5 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1984-1990
Box   5 Folder   7	General information, undated
Box   5 Folder   8	Meeting warrants, 1987-1989
Box   5 Folder   9	Outreach Committee, 1981-1989
	Trinity Church
Box   5 Folder   10	Activities, 1974-1980
Box   5 Folder   11	Brochures, 1978-1980
	Social Action Groups
Box   5 Folder   12	Abbot Barn Committee, 1978-1979
Box   5 Folder   13	Concord Council on Aging, 1979
Box   5 Folder   14	Concord-San Marcos Sister Cities Committee, 1986-1989
Box   5 Folder   15	Massachusetts Audubon Society, 1968-1989
Box   5 Folder   16	Miscellaneous, 1980
Box   5 Folder   17	Oxfam America, 1985-1991
Box   5 Folder   18	People vs. Nuclear Arms, 1984-1989
Box   5 Folder   19	Quimby County, 1977-1979
	Series: Christine Price Bartlett	⇧
Box   5 Folder   20	The Candle, 1918
Box   5 Folder   21	Incoming correspondence, 1948-1967
Box   5 Folder   22	Miscellaneous, 1963
Box   5 Folder   23	Wedding announcement, 1948
	Series: Edwin Ball Bartlett	⇧
	Correspondence
Box   5 Folder   24	General, 1959-1961
Box   5 Folder   25	Eliot F. Bartlett, 1961-1978
Box   5 Folder   26	Family wedding announcements, 1956-1969
	Series: Eliza W. Bartlett	⇧
Box   5 Folder   27	Obituary, 1959
	Outgoing correspondence
Box   5 Folder   28	Eliot F. Bartlett, 1924-1958
Box   5 Folder   29	Scott Bartlett, 1924
	Series: Walter Scott Bartlett	⇧
Box   5 Folder   30	Paul Holland Bartlett, 1960
Box   5 Folder   31	Mary Holland Bartlett Dallett correspondence, 1933-1939
	Outgoing correspondence
Box   5 Folder   32	Eliot F. and Scott Bartlett, 1932-1934
Box   6 Folder   1	Eliot F. Bartlett, 1930-1934
Box   6 Folder   2	Eliza E. Fitch, 1919
Box   6 Folder   3	Scott Bartlett, 1931
Box   6 Folder   4	Ruth Mason, 1933
Box   6 Folder   5-6	Surrogate court reports, 1945-1955
	Series: Walter Scott Bartlett Jr. (Scott)	⇧
	Outgoing correspondence
Box   6 Folder   7	Eliot F. Bartlett, 1932-1974
Box   6 Folder   8	Eliza E. Fitch, 1934-1939
Box   6 Folder   9	Ruth F. Mason, 1932-1936
	Series: Eliot Grant Fitch	⇧
Box   6 Folder   10	Correspondence, 1918-1959
Box   6 Folder   11	Newspaper clippings, 1955-1971
	Series: Eliza Eliot Fitch	⇧
Box   6 Folder   12	Incoming correspondence, 1918-1952
	Outgoing correspondence
Box   6 Folder   13-14	Eliot F. Bartlett, 1935-1952
Box   6 Folder   15	Ruth F. Mason, 1919-1952
Box   6 Folder   16	Death, 1955
Box   6 Folder   17	Home inventory, circa 1955
Box   6 Folder   18-19	Newspaper clippings, 1889-1958
	Series: Grant Fitch	⇧
Box   6 Folder   20	Correspondence, 1933-1939
Box   6 Folder   21	Obituary, 1940
	Series: Ruth Fitch Mason	⇧
Box   6 Folder   22	Thomas Boyd, 1935-1978
	Correspondence
Box   6 Folder   23	Incoming, 1923-1971
	Outgoing
Box   6 Folder   24	Eliza Fitch, circa 1908
Box   6 Folder   25-26	Eliot F. Bartlett, 1928-1972
Box   6 Folder   27	Kalmia Woods, 1952-1956
Box   6 Folder   28	Marriage book (marriage to Walter S. Bartlett), 1917
Box   6 Folder   29	Gregory Mason's correspondence, circa 1941
Box   6 Folder   30	Newspaper clippings, 1917
Box   6 Folder   31	Obituary, 1974
Box   6 Folder   32	Poetry, undated
Box   6 Folder   33	Presidential election, 1952
	Series: Other Family Members	⇧
Box   6 Folder   34	Miscellaneous, 1952
PH Mss 991	Series: Photographs	⇧
	Bartlett Family
Box   1 Folder   1	Eliot F. and Walter Scott Bartlett Jr.
	Eliot F. Bartlett
Box   1 Folder   2	Children
Box   1 Folder   3	Individual photographs
Box   1 Folder   4	Eliot Bartlett and Ruth Mason
Box   1 Folder   5	Walter Scott Bartlett Jr. (Scott)
Box   1 Folder   6	Family photographs
Box   1 Folder   7	Ruth Fitch Mason
	Fitch Family
Box   1 Folder   8	Eliot Grant Fitch
Box   1 Folder   9	Grant Fitch
Box   1 Folder   10	Robert Eliot
Box   1 Folder   11	Family homes
Box   1 Folder   12-13	Miscellaneous