Gabriel Maston Bartlett was born on November 27, 1821 in Robertson County, TN, grew up on the family farm near Cedar Hill, and came to Shelby County in the mid-1840s. He married Elizabeth Glasgow of Fayette County in 1846, bought land near Greenbottom, now Shelby Center, worshipped at Pisgah Methodist Church, and in 1848 was elected Justice of the Peace for Civil District 7, serving until his death. He was a charter member of Woodlawn Masonic Lodge 211, established in 1851. Elizabeth died in 1851 during childbirth, leaving one son, Thomas; three other children died in infancy and are buried in Bartlett-Ellendale Cemetery. Called Gabe, he was said to stand 6' 4", with dark auburn hair, blue eyes, and an impressive presence, and as he gained respect in the community he came to be addressed as Major Bartlett. He had a quick mind, played the fiddle, had a good singing voice, was active in church, possessed an even temperament, befriended many, was known as the poor man's friend, and kept his home open to young people. In 1854 he married Rebecca E. Cross of Fayette County, and they moved to Union Depot, where he bought 373 acres. They had five children, including a son, Robert, while four others died in infancy. In 1855 he was elected state representative and served one term, which he said was enough. In 1859 he employed an engineer to lay out a village within his property and sold parcels, and by 1860 he had amassed a considerable fortune through successful business pursuits. During the Civil War he sympathized with the North and, along with others, lost valuable livestock to Federal troops. In 1864 Bartlett, Gould and Heath opened at 210 Front Street, Memphis, as grocers, cotton factors, and commission merchants. In 1865 the town chose the name Bartlett for the depot and post office in honor of one of the area's pioneer settlers, and the charter for Bartlett, TN was approved by legislative act on December 13, 1866. On May 3, 1867 he was elected the first mayor and served until 1870. Financial problems damaged his health in the 1870s, and he died on June 18, 1876 while visiting his sister's home near Cedar Hill, where he had spent his boyhood. He was buried in an unmarked grave beside his parents in the family cemetery in Robertson County. Fellow justices of the peace praised his enterprise, intelligence, and devotion to the public interest, saying that few men had contributed more to the moral, social, intellectual, and industrial development of their communities.