Elias M. Bartles

NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

Elias M. Bartles

Biographical and Genealogical History of Morris County New Jersey. Illustrated. Vol. II., Lewis Publishing Company, New York and Chicago, 1899.

With qualifications such as insure success in business, Mr. BARTLES holds today a place among the representative merchants of German Valley, but unlike many of our successful business men, he is not wholly wedded to the material things of life. He is broad-minded and of kindly nature, and his interest in those less fortunate than himself is deep and sincere. Such a man cannot fail to win the respect and confidence of the public, and such esteem Mr. BARTLES enjoys in a large degree.

The BARTLES family was founded in New Jersey by the great-grandfather of our subject, who located in Middlesex county, where he followed farming. He was of German descent. The grandfather, Andrew BARTLES, was born in Middlesex county and married Catherine PLUM. His death occurred in 1840, when he had reached the age of eighty-five years. His children were Frederick; Charles; Joseph; Henry; Eliza, who married Joseph CORNISH; Phoebe, wife of George B. STODERUFF; and Julia.

The father of our subject, Frederick BARTLES, died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1852. He was twice married, and our subject is one of the six children of the first marriage. Only two of this family are now living: Catherine, widow of Cornelius MESSLER, of Whitehouse, New Jersey; and Elias M. Those who died leaving heirs were John P., who left a son, Charles BARTLES, of New Philadelphia, Ohio; Thomas, who died leaving a son, John BARTLES, of the same place; and Andrew, who left five children---Henry, John, Alice, wife of Walter A. COER, Edith and Olive, all living in Flemington, New Jersey, except Henry, who resides in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Elias M. BARTLES, whose name begins this review, is a native of Tewksberry township, Hunterdon county, October 3, 1826, being the date of his birth. He spent his youth with his grandfather, Andrew BARTLES, and acquired his education in the schools of New Germantown. He spent the greater part of his youth in assisting in the work of the farm, and on attaining his majority learned the trade of carriage-trimming in the village of Naughright, with William and Morris Naughright. For four years he followed that occupation and then began business on his own account as a huckster. His first outfit consisted of a one-horse wagon, which he drove through the valley, collecting his produce and marketing the same in Newark. In 1855 he went to Princeton, Illinois, and during his two-years residence there was engaged in the butchering business.

On the expiration of that period he again engaged in the business which he had abandoned on his removal to the west, and for seven years devoted his energies to that enterprise, in which he met with excellent success. The profits from that business enabled him at length to engage in merchandising in Middle Valley, and in 1863 he purchased the stock of goods of J. C. Welsh, of that place, where he carried on trade in that line for seven years. He then sold out, removing to German Valley, where for five years he has been ranked among the progressive and enterprising merchants. He has a well appointed store, supplied with a carefully selected stock of everything found in that line, and his honorable business methods and uniform courtesy to his patrons have secured him a liberal trade. Nor have the efforts of Mr. BARTLES been confined alone to one line of endeavor. He is a man of broad capability and carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. During the building of the railroad through the valley he executed large contracts for furnishing supplies of timber to the Central Railroad of the New Jersey Company, and after the completion of the road he continued in the business and is one of the largest dealers in timber in east New Jersey. His chief patrons are the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, the Central of the New Jersey Company and the Western Union Telegraph Company. He is a director in the Hackettstown National Bank, in which institution he has been a stockholder for many years, and his associates in the bank and the business men throughout the valley regard him as a man of rare business foresight---capable, accurate and reliable.

Mr. BARTLES was married August 26, 1848, to Miss Sophia STRYKER, daughter of Martin STRYKER, and, after a long and happy married life of forty years, she passed away July 29, 1888. Their children were: Henry P., deceased; Annie, wife of James A. CARTWRIGHT, of Newark, by whom she has four children, Charles, Frank R., James A. and Anna; and Kate, wife of Floyd WOODHULL, of Plainfield, New Jersey, their children being Leroy and Edson.

Mr. BARTLES has always declined to become a candidate for public office, but in a quiet, earnest way has always supported the principles of the Republican party and is a firm believer in the measures which it advocates. In religious belief he is a Lutheran. He is generous and benevolent and never refuses to extend a helping hand to a deserving one whom misfortune has treated harshly. He is thoroughly representative of the best citizenship of Morris county, which has been made what it is by the most sterling men that the state has produced.

This biography was scanned and contributed by Catherine Smith DeMayo.