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, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

and namesake of

Bertram, Iowa Bertram is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 census. Bertram is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Bertram was laid out in 1858 as an outgrowth on the railroad, which ...

and John Bertram Hall at

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, 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 ...

. He is also the founding donor of Salem Hospital 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 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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. 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 a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

, South America, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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.

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Bertram Hall (Radcliffe College) Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College is an historic dormitory building on the Radcliffe Quadrangle of Harvard University at 53 Shepard Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1901, it was the first dormitory building constructed for Radcliff ...

is named after Bertram's grandson. 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