Bartleson was also a farmer who owned Cedar Grove, one of the nicest farms in the township and one of the best producers of fruit in the state. Bartleson grew apples, peaches, cherries, and strawberries among various vegetables. His farm was located at present day 37th and Tecumseh.
Joseph and his wife, Sarah, had six children. The oldest was William (1860-1944), who took over the farm when Joseph and Sarah moved to Topeka for medical reasons. Mary (1861-1949) married Frank Melton. John (1864-1936) moved to Topeka and married Rosella Polson who passed away in 1908. He remarried to Clara Barker in 1913. Susan died July 18, 1868 after living only one day. Sylvia (1874-1885) was a child of remarkable intelligence whose love of books and music were cultivating her into a noble young woman. She died after a brief illness at the age of 11. Joseph Henry (1877-1944) married Emily Yardley in 1908 and together they moved to Kirkland, Washington. Sadly, Emily died of the Spanish Flu in 1918. Henry would remarry to Grace Roland in 1921.
Joseph died of "diabetes and old age" on May 1, 1910. His obituary says that he had been blind for five years after being hit by a piece of wood. It also mentions he was one of the fighters at the Battle of Byram's Ford (Battle of the Blue) in Kansas City, Missouri.
Sarah Eliza Toole was born in Kentucky in 1831. They married in 1859. She would outlive her husband by 13 years passing away in 1923. The Bartleson family is buried in Bethel Cemetery south of Tecumseh with the exception of John, who is buried in Topeka Cemetery, and Henry, who is buried in Bremerton, Washington.
Sylvia Bartleson
January 26, 1874 - September 6, 1885
from the Topeka Daily Mail, October 16, 1885
I cannot help my thought going today to the home which has so lately been bereft of Joy's sunlight--so hushed and silent. I am thinking of her moaning in pain; of the crushed, almost heartbroken mother; of another whose heart is aching over the loss of his dear companionable little daughter--for there was always a strong bond of sympathy between the two--and I know he is longing with an uncontrollable desire for another glimpse of her sweet, flower-like face--listening, unconsciously, for the music of her glad young voice, for her light touch on the organ, and the sound of her flying feet on the stairs. How sad when she called the family to her dying couch, one by one to bid them all a last farewell; but she feared not death as all was peaceful and calm, she requested friends who stood around to pray and sing. How comforting to think she has gone to rest. Although our dead go away never to return shall we not again after we have "passed thro' the valley, the dark death valley, Meet them on the other shore?"
Gone from the household, its joy and its light,
Vanished forever its vision so bright;
The flesh glowing cheek and the radiant eye,
Faded and dimmed, 'neath the green sward lie.
Suddenly down the death angel came,
His young, blooming, innocent victim to claim;
Brief was the warning, remorseless, he gave--
Nought her dear life from his power could save.
Gone from the struggles and trials before her,
Gone from temptations and cares hanging o'er her;
Saved from the world's cold and pitiless strife,
Saved from the many misfortunes of life.
Over her fair form the flowers shall bloom,
And birds warble sweetly their, banishing gloom;
Soft summer breezes will sigh through the dell--
Dirges from heaven for our lost Sylvia.
