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Bassett Family Association - , Modern Founder (originally founded in 1897)

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Splinters From The Tree December 2009

Christmas card

(1) Welcome
(2) Brothers George Dempsey Bassett and Cassius Mortimer Bassett
(3) Memorial for Sir William Bassett of Claverton
(4) George Massa Bassett and Johnson & Bassett, Wool Spinning Machinery Company
(5) New family lines combined or added since the last newsletter
(6) DNA project update

Section 1 - Welcome

I want to extend a Merry Christmas to everyone in my extended Bassett family.

I still have funds available for one more Bassett DNA test for anyone that is interested if you are from a Bassett line that has not yet been tested. Contact me for details. Family Tree DNA has special pricing through the month of December.

Next month I will be featuring several Bassett "Black Sheep". There are quite a few Bassetts with interesting pasts.

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Section 2 - Featured Bassett: Brothers George Dempsey Bassett and Cassius Mortimer Bassett

The following pictures were supplied by Daniel Carpenter, great great great grandson of George Dempsey Bassett.
George Dempsey Bassett descends from #1A William Bassett of Plymouth as follows:

William Bassett and wife Elizabeth
William Bassett (b. 1824) and wife Mary Rainsford
Nathan Bassett (b. 1667) and wife Mary Huckens
William Bassett (b. 1702) and wife Ann Mayhew
Fortunatus Bassett (b. 1742) and wife Sarah Bassett
Cornelius Bassett (b. 1778) and wife Elizabeth Holland Sawyer
James Lawrence Bassett (b. 1816) and wife Mary Jane Conrad
George Dempsey Bassett (b. 1840) and Cassius Mortimer Bassett (b. 1844)

Cassius Mortimer Bassett and wife Hannah Francis
Cassius Mortimer Bassett and wife Hannah Francis

George Dempsey Bassett with grandson
George Dempsey Bassett with grandson

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Section 3 - Featured Bassett: Memorial of Sir William Bassett of Claverton

Thanks goes to Anne Dix for supplying the following pictures.

Sir William Bassett of Bassett Court, Uley, County Gloucester, purchased Claverton Manor from Sir Thomas Escourt in 1608. The sale included the Manor House, the church and the vineyard.

 Claverton Church
Claverton Church

Bassett Manor House of Claverton
Bassett Manor House of Claverton

Bassett memorial inside the Claverton Church.Bassett memorial inside the Claverton Church.Bassett memorial inside the Claverton Church.
Bassett memorial inside the Claverton Church.
Memorial translation

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Section 4 - Featured Bassett: George Massa Bassett and Johnson & Bassett

George Massa Bassett descends from #1A William Bassett of Plymouth as follows:

William Bassett and wife Elizabeth
Joseph Bassett (b. 1635) and wife Mary Lapham
William Bassett (b. 1667) and wife Sarah Sweetland
William Bassett (b. 1694) and wife Mary Crossman
William Bassett (b. 1726) and wife Lydia Fisher
Samuel Bassett (b. 1754) and wife Martha Belding
Massa Bassett (b. 1783) and wife Katherine Kingsbury
George Bassett (b. 1810) and wife Achsa Adams
Joseph Massa Bassett (b. 1834) and wife Elizabeth Kennan
George Massa Bassett

Bassett & Johnson Letterhead 
Bassett & Johnson Letterhead

History of Worcester and Its People by Charles Nutt, Volume 3, Page 71
George Massa Bassett

Managing director of Johnson & Bassett, manufacturers of wool spinning machinery, was born in Worcester, Nov. 3, 1864, son of Joseph Massa and Elizabeth Alden (Kennan) Bassett. His ancestry was of old Pilgrim and Puritan stock, on both sides of the family.

William Bassett, the first of the family in this country, on his father's side, was born in England, and married in Leyden, Holland, Aug. 13, 1611, to Margaret Oldham. He came to Plymouth in 1621 on the ship"Fortune", afterward living in Duxbury and Sandwich, and finally at Bridgewater, a gunsmith by trade. He died at Bridgewater in 1667. He was prominent in the colonial life, serving as deputy to the General Court. On his mother's side, Mr. Bassett is a direct descendant of John Alden. Mr. Bassett was educated in private and public schools in Worcester, graduating from the Worcester High School, in the class of 1882. He entered Amherst in 1882, completing his course in 1886, and immediately became associated in business with his father, and in 1893 was admitted to partnership in the firm of Johnson & Bassett. His father retired in 1898, and since that time George M. Bassett has been managing director of the business.

Mr. Bassett is a director in te Mechanics National Bank, vice president and member of board of investment of the Mechanics Savings Bank. He is a stockholder and director in various other industries. He is a member of the Worcester Club; the Tatnuck Country Club; the Quinsigamond Boat Club; and the Commonwealth Club of Worcester; the Brookline Country Club, of Brookline, Mass.; and the New York Club, of NY City. In politics he is a Republican.

Mr. Bassett married in Worcester, Nov. 7, 1888, to Cora Louise Richards, born in Worcester, daughter of Seth and Louise Todd Richards. They had 1 son, Paul Richards Bassett, who died in infancy. Their home is at No. 15 Ripley Street, Worcester.

Johnson & Bassett notebook
Johnson & Bassett notebook

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Section 5 - New family lines combined or added since the last newsletter

        The following family lines have been combined/eliminated since the last newsletter.

364B.   Arthur W. Bassett of St. Lawrence County, NY into the #170B John Bassett of St. Lawrence County, NY family
   
        The following family lines have been added since the last newsletter.

 433B. John Bassett of Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales (b. 1870)
 434B. Thomas Bassett of St. Fagans, Glamorgan, Wales (b. 1814)
435B.  Robert Bassett of Plymouth, Devonshire, England (m. 1930)
436B. John Bassett of Elm, Cambridgeshire, England (b. 1818 in Nofolk, England)
437B. Thomas Bassett of Stoke Damerel, Devonshire, England
438B, Charles William Bassett of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England (m. 1901)    

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Section 6 - DNA project update

A male Bassett from the 201B Bassett line of Glentworth, Lincolnshire, has agreed to take part in DNA testing. His kit has been mailed and hopefully will be returned soon and results can be shared in the February or March newsletter.

201B. The Family of William Bassett

        William Bassett was born about 1667. He died 10 May 1729, aged 66 years and is buried at Glentworth. He married Lydia Adderley on 28 Oct 1697 in St. Mary’s, All Saints, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. She was born about 1677. She died 13 May 1729, aged 54 years.
        He is the first Bassett mentioned in the parish records of Glentworth. William became vicar of Glentworth in 1696. He became curate of Harpswell.

Donations of any amount can be made to the Bassett DNA project by clicking on the link below. Any funds donated will be used to fund select Bassett DNA tests that will further our project as a whole and benefit all Bassetts worldwide.

http://www.familytreedna.com/group-general-fund-contribution.aspx?g=Bassett

This is just a reminder that the DNA portion of the Bassett Family Association can be found at:

http://www.bassettbranches.org/dna/

A current spreadsheet of results can be found at:

http://www.bassettbranches.org/dna/BassettDNA.xls

If you don't have Excel and can't open the spreadsheet above, you can now see the DNA test results at the following website.

http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Bassett/

Jeffrey Bassett
520 Salceda Drive
Mundelein, IL 60060 USA
email address link in header above