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.
