Jim’s Corner

jims corner

Apprentice Tailor – George Bertram

After living for 10-12 years on their rented farm in Delhi, the Andrew and Alison Bartram family moved to New York City. Perhaps, this was out of necessity or simply to have better opportunities for their family, but by 1832, they were living in New York City.

With the downturn of the economy in 1833, George, at the age of 13, and with the consent of his father, was bound as an apprentice to serve for seven years under Andrew Little, Tailor.

The certificate of indenture lists George as being 13 years, 11 months, 4 days of age and his term of service to end December 1840.  The contract wording is interesting, for it states, “The Apprentice is to serve his Master faithfully, to keep his secrets, to obey his lawful commands, and neither to gamble, nor drink, nor commit matrimony within the times”.  “In return, the Master agrees to teach the Art, Trade and Mystery of the tailor, to provide sufficient meat, drink, washing, lodging and clothing fitting for an Apprentice” and also to give him two quarters of evening schooling in the term.

At this time in history, apprenticeships were considered very serious business and rewards were often offered for “lost, strayed or stolen” apprentices!

For the first two years of the apprenticeship, George’s tasks would have included: hauling wood and water, sweeping the shop, stocking and putting in order blocks of clothes, picking up pins and needles and other necessary tasks to help the Master.  As time went by, he would have learned the “mysteries” of measuring, cutting, basting, pressing, fitting, sewing and button-holeing.

George persevered and on May 1, 1840, Andrew Little released him from his contract in consideration for his “uniform good conduct, for his honesty, truth, integrity and sobriety”.

George Bertram (new spelling as mentioned in an earlier tidbit) continued as a journeyman tailor for the next several years but little is mentioned as to which shops he may have been employed at.  During this time he met and married Julia Hamilton and began his family.

 

Bartram/Bertram?

jims corner

In an earlier tidbit, I noted that I had come across a different spelling of the Name (Bertram). It was the original spelling of George’s parents — Andrew and Alison Bartram — the first “a” not being the “e” that George used later in life.

Andrew and Alison Bartram immigrated from Glasgow, Scotland in 1812 prior to the outbreak of the War of 1812 and settled in Delhi, New York.

Being from Scotland, they spoke English but with a heavy Scottish brogue. In Scottish the first “a” of the Bartram name was pronounce as a stretched out “b­e-a-r” with a slight rolling of the tongue. It’s hard to describe this on paper but if you ever see me, I can pronounce it for you (hopefully). George’s name of Bartram remained this way for many years until he was indentured as an apprentice tailor in 1833. By this time, the Bartram’s had moved back to New York. (I will address the apprenticeship in a later tidbit). While performing his apprenticeship, it was common for local children to come by the shop, see him working, and call out “Good Morning, Mr. B-a-a-artram” with a strong trill on the “r” to mock his Gaelic pronunciation.

Mr. Little, after the completion of the 7 years apprenticeship, released “Mr. George Bertram” from the original contract. It would be the name George Monilaws Bertram would carry for the rest of his life.

Why Monticello and Wright County?

One often wonders why people act the way they do, and in George Bertram’s case, what led him to settle in Monticello and Wright County? By looking into his past, we can find some significant reasons why he did so.

In 1812 George Bertram’s parents, Andrew and Allison, immigrated from Glascow, Scotland to a small town 120 miles NW from Manhattan, NY named Delhi. This town was located along the Delaware River in the county named Otsego. Hmmm

The road from New York City to Delhi was little more than a wagon trail but it passed through the Catskill Mountains with the rolling hills and valleys. Along the road was a larger town of Monticello, New York.

What a coincidence!  But wait – there’s more. Early on in Minnesota’s history there was an attempt at creating a small town along the Mississippi River near Dayton, Minnesota. This town, which eventually disappeared, went by the name of Delhi.

Lastly, what about the county name – Wright? The county was named after a person named Silas Wright from Orange County, New York who happened to be the representative from the same area from where the Bartram’s were living. Wright was an U.S. Representative as well as the Governor of New York from 1845-1846.

So when George and Julia Bertram were looking for a place to call home, they saw Otsego, Monticello, Delhi and Wright all along the beautiful Mississippi River.

*Note: the BARTRAM spelling is correct and will be addressed in a later tidbit.

A Cash Crop at Bertram

Wild Ginseng is a fleshy-rooted herb native to cool and shady hardwood forests of North America – Minnesota to the Atlantic and south through the Appalachian Mountains. It has been harvested extensively over the centuries and now is quite rare. Most ginseng currently is produced through commercial cultivation.

Early settlers of the Monticello and Bertram Lakes area were forced to supplement their income from meager crops by, in essence, “living off the land”. A sudden and extraordinary demand for this product in the 1850’s and 1860’s produced a temporary “boom” for the people of Wright County. In almost every town a “purchasing agent” was employed and cash promptly paid for every pound of ginseng brought in. Whole families would go into the woods and work for days gathering their precious commodity, often abandoning other important work.

Many citizens prospered greatly from this endeavor and turned a near destitute region into one of comparable wealth. It helped improve farms at a time when many pioneer families were struggling – especially during the Civil War when many young men were away fighting.

Eventually the trade dwindled but in the meantime agriculture advanced to a state where the ginseng trade was no longer needed.

The Bertram Lakes areas was important at this time and provided the ginseng necessary for many of the surrounding settlers to survive. The area between Bertram and Long Lakes was a primary location for the growth of Ginseng.

01-what-is-a-pestA Plague of Locusts

The Summer of 1856 was a critical time for the struggling farmer around the Bertram Lakes. They were beginning to turn the tough prairie sod into tillable earth for the production of such crops as wheat, oats and rye and found the soil rich and responsive. Through hard work and good rains, the crops of 1856 were in very good condition and near ready for harvest.

But nature, as always, has it’s own way of doing things. In August, a hoard of locusts (flying grasshoppers) descended on Wright County and in particular the Monticello area. They attacked the oats, stripping the leaves and left only the stems. The wheat, having grown stronger stems, had less damage but the immature seed pods were easy eating. The rye, being the hardier plant, was less damaged but still was left in unusable condition.

Because of eggs being laid during the devastation in August, the next spring the locusts returned and devoured the young crops! Because of the loss of both crops many settlers picked up and left the county. A few, however, turned their attention to other forms of farming, especially dairy, cattle and sheep.

The locusts eventually left and farming in this area became more stable and productive.

Statistics

jims corner

Lakes area by square acres (approximate):

1)    Bertram Lake | 137 acres | Depth | 42 feet

2)    Long Lake  | 160 acres | Depth | 35 feet

3)    Mud Lake (Middle) | 25 acres | Depth | 35 feet

4)    First Lake | 14 acres | Depth | 37 feet

5)    Beaver Pond | 18 acres | Depth | Varies

Water flows from the west side of Bertram Lake from Birch Lake to the west. As it flows through the property, it is regulated by the dam at Bertram and by other sources of ground water plus water from Beaver Pond. It flows out of First Lake, through the Monticello Golf Club by Otter Creek Park to the Mississippi. Many local townsfolk often refer to Otter Creek as First Creek because it flowed out of First Lake. In the early years of Monticello, a grist mill was built by the Creek where it enters the Mississippi and for years was referred to as Mill Creek.

The Land consists of:

  1. 201 acres of tillable farmland
  2. 20 acres of pasture (horse grazing) but in the past it was used for sheep grazing
  3. 120 acres of pine plantation
  4. 170 acres of deciduous forest
  5. 200 acres Otter Creek, and miscellaneous (roads, building, etc.)

Wright County War

“Frontier Justice” wasn’t always limited to cowboy towns as seen in many old movies – it happened right here in Wright County.

Henry Wallace settled near Rockford in the spring of 1858. He cleared land to farm and built a log home. He was educated and reputed wealthy.

Oscar Jackson settled 2 miles from Mr. Wallace also clearing land and building a small home.

The two sometimes worked together during the summer haying season.

Early September a rumor spread that Wallace was missing and an ensuing search party found his remains in a clump of willow.

Suspicion was on Mr. Jackson and based on some evidence he was arrested and indicted at the next district court which was held in Monticello in March, 1859. The case went trial and in April 1859 Mr. Jackson, to the surprise of all, was found “Not Guilty”.

After leaving for a month, Jackson returned to Wright County and was arrested on a charge of larceny. While in custody (Monticello) an armed body of enraged citizens stormed the jail, took Jackson to Rockford, where he was hung at the Wallace farm.

News of Jackson’s death spread and other residents of the area clamored for the arrest and punishment of the “lynchers” or “mob”. One of the “lynchers” was arrested and jailed in Monticello only to be set free by the rest of the “mob” for fear of being turned in.

All of this forced Henry Sibley, Governor of Minnesota, to issue a proclamation “….in view of the fact that the civil officers of Wright County are perfectly powerless to enforce and execute the laws, I do hereby declare the said County of Wright in a state of insurrection…..”

Three separate groups of police or “Guards”, each numbering around 40, for a total of 120, were sent to Wright County, along with military wagons of arms and pr

ovisions to keep the peace and prevent riot and rebellion.  This incident was known as the Wright County War.

As a result “peace” was restored and the laws upheld.

george bertram sheriff

 

Why do I write about this?

Because, the Sheriff during all of this was our own George Bertram.

 

 

 

Sheriff George Bertram
Elected and assumed office Jan 1, 1856
Served for Four Years

George Bertram and the Civil War  

3rd Regiment MN Infantry Wright County

3rd Regiment MN Infantry 

After moving to Monticello area in 1855, George Bertram spent several years as Sheriff of the newly formed County of Wright so it seemed right to him that at the outbreak of the Civil War he would volunteer to serve. He enlisted in the 3rd Regiment of Company H of the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. Their duty took them south to Tennessee where they met the Confederates at Murfeesboro, Tennessee which is 40 miles southeast of Nashville. They were outnumbered 4-1 by southern volunteers and Texas Rangers yet they were still able to put up a valiant effort before being taken as prisoners. It was during this imprisonment that George Bertram suffered sunstroke that was to plague him the rest of his life. After being “paroled” by the rebels, he was transferred to the Invalid Corp and was assigned to “light” duty at Fort Snelling.

Events