Captain John Bertram of Salem Massachusetts MA

John Bertram (1795–1882) was a sea captain, businessman, and philanthropist in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

and namesake of Bertram, Iowa and John Bertram Hall at

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

. He is also the founding donor of

North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham, is located on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts and is the second largest community hospital system in Massachusetts. It offers comprehensive medical and surgical services and includes emerg ...

and the Salem Home for Aged Men, now known as th
John Bertram House

Early life

John Bertram was born on the

Isle of Jersey An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * Is ...

in 1795. His parents, John Bertram and Mary Bertram (Perchard), brought Bertram to Salem as a child. Bertram was captured and imprisoned by the British during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. In 1823 he married Mary G. Smith.

Career

Bertram's first job was a cabin boy and later a commander, ship owner and investor. He was extensively involved in shipping around the world including to

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...

, South America, and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and later he invested in railroads. He retired from actively commanding boats at age thirty-six. Later in life Bertram donated an "Old Men's Home," and helped to create Salem Hospital. John Bertram donated scholarship money to several

students he met working at a hotel in New Hampshire, and his daughter Clara Bertram Kimball donated further funds to the college after his death, and Bates named a building "John Bertram Hall" in his honor. Bertram died in 1882. Bertram's House is now the Salem Public Library and is located within the

Salem Common Historic District (Salem, Massachusetts) Salem Common Historic District is a historic district bounded roughly by Bridge, Derby, and St. Peter's streets, as well as Collins Cove in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. The Common was established in 1667, and during this period it was ...

. Bertram is also the namesake of the John Bertram Athletic Field at Salem High School. File:John Bertram Hall Bates College at dusk.jpg, John Bertram Hall at

File:John Bertram ship Salem MA.jpg, The "John Bertram" clipper ship File:Salem Public Library.jpg, Salem Public Library, former house of John Bertram

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertram, John Philanthropists from Massachusetts 1795 births 1882 deaths 19th-century American philanthropists