William Henry Short Bartholomew, familiarly called by old and young as "Uncle Billie," is living in retirement at Fairmount and is numbered among the most worthy and highly esteemed pioneers of Grant county. He is a native of England, born in Bideford, Devonshire, January 25, 1825. When seven years old he was bound out to a farmer, with whom he resided untl (sic) attaining his majority and was instructed in the work of an agriculturist. After attaining his majority he continued to work on the same farm one year for thirty dollars, and, as his work was satisfactory, the following year his wages were doubled. While working on this farm he made the acquaintance of Miss Ann Call, who was employed at the same place, and in April, 1849, they were united in marriage. After marriage the young couple obtained employment on an adjoining farm, Mr. Bartholomew receiving fourteen pence per day (equivalent to one dollar and seventy-five cents per week). After working here two years they removed to Bideford, where he worked in a livery barn for three years at two dollars and twenty-five cents per week.

        In 1853 Mr. Bartholomew left his family in England and sailed for America, and landed in Quebec, but soon made his way to Upper Canada, and from thence to Toledo, Ohio. When he arrived at Toledo his money was exhausted and wages for such work as he could obtain were very meager, and he could not make money enough to proceed farther. In this extremity he sent a telegram to his brother-in-law, who resided at Connersville, Indiana, asking him for a small loan, and he soon received ten dollars, which enabled him to continue his journey by wagon, then the only means of transportation, to Connersville, Indiana. There he worked one year at seventeen dollars per month, and from his earnings managed to save eighty dollars. This he sent to his beloved wife and their only child in England, and soon they were on their way to the United States. They landed at Castle Garden, New York, and thence by railroad came to Indiana.

        When this family was again united they settled in a log cabin and experienced many of the hardships due to pioneer life. Mr. Bartholomew worked at ditching in Fayette and Rush counties, and this occupation kept him away from home during the week, and here Mrs. Bartholomew experienced many severe trials; but she was strong, willing and not afraid of work, as her early life had prepared her for these trials. She was born in Devonshire, England, and attended school until she was eight years of age, when she was bound out and for eleven years she was practically a slave to a hard master. She did manual labor, milking twelve cows each day, washing potatoes for pigs and other laborious work about the farm, and after marriage her husband rented cows and she delivered the milk in town, a mile distant, carrying one hundred and fifty pounds of milk at one time by the aid of a yoke. When she came to America she had to live in a log house, which was chinked, and, as she expresses it, "a dog could jump throught most anywhere," and here she passed the time along with her child from Monday morning until Saturday night, their only company being toads and skippers, as her nearest neighbors were more than half a mile distant.

        In 1860 this couple came to Grant county and located on eighty acres of good land situated seven miles west of Fairmount, where they built a log cabin without chimney or window-glass. The stable was built of rails and was ten feet square. Here they toiled to establish a comfortable home, and after seven years of laborious work spent in clearing and grubbing the land and otherwise improving it, they decided to rent the farm and move to Fairmount, where for seven years Mr. Bartholomew was a lumber merchant.

Upon settling in Fairmount Mr. and Mrs. Bartholomew were constant attendants at the Wesleyan Methodist church, and "Uncle Billie" was chosen class-leader. He was loved by all, and being a man of more than ordinary ability, after serving eight years as class-leader he was licensed to preach the gospel. Two years later he was ordained, and during the following nineteen years he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ every Sunday in or about Fairmount, and his earnest, honest manner was the means of causing many people to forsake evil and choose the right.

        Mr. and Mrs. Bartholomew have one son, Ephraim, now a resident of Miami county. Few people at Fairmount are better known or more highly respected than this venerable couple, and old and young always bow with respect when they meet "Uncle Billie" or "Aunt Ann."