| Notes |
- Thomas left his home on 26 Jun 1876 and arrived in Ogden, Utah on 18
Jul 1876. He immediately moved to Mendon, Cache County, Utah.
1851 British Census of Rhydy Gilewg, Llandedarn, Glamorgan
Thomas Bassett 23 M Head Llandaff, Glamorgan Farmer 23 acres
Margaret 23 F Wife Leckwith, Glamorgan
1861 British Census of Leckiwth, Glamorgan
Thomas Bassett 33 Head Llandaff, Glamorgan Gardener
Margaret 33 Wife Leckwith, Glamorgan
Wm. 9 Son Cardiff St. Mary?s, Glamorgan Scholar
Mary 7 Daughter Leckwith, Glamorgan
Rebecca 5 Daughter Leckwith, Glamorgan
Margaret 1 Daughter Leckwith, Glamorgan
Richd 30 Brother Llandaff, Glamorgan
1880 Federal Census of Mendon, Cache County, Utah
Thos. Bassett53 M WL WL EN HeadFarms
Margrat52 F WL WL WL WifeKeep House
Mary25 F WL WL WL Daughter
Thos. E.17 M WL WL WL Son
Sarah14 F WL WL WL Daughter
(WL - Wales)
Thomas Bassett & Margaret Edward
When Richard Bassett was 48 years of age, and his wife, Mary Millward (
Miller) was 40, their humble little farm home on the Leckwith Road in Canton,
Glamorganshire, South Wales, was gladdened on the 7 June 1827, by the arrival
of their first born child, a boy, who, very shortly afterwards, according to
the usual custom, was taken to the little church of which they were members,
christened and given the name of Thomas Bassett in honor of his mother's
brother. Three years later their next and last child, whom they named Richard,
was born to them, and these two brothers grew up together with their parents
on the farm receiving but a very limited education other than what they
gleaned for themselves by personal perseverance.
Nothing unusual or extraordinary seemed to break the routine of their ordinary
farm life in which they mutually engaged until Thomas consummated his highest
hopes and ambitions for many years previous in his happy marriage to Margaret
Edward, the estimable daughter of a highly respected countryman in a
neighboring village, on the 27th of January 1851, to whom he proved a
faithful, loving and affectionate husband for more than 52 years. Until the
day of their marriage he pursued his usual occupation of farmer on the
Hackaford farm six miles distant from his father's home; but the monotony of
quiet farm life in that country, with only a meager income, became distasteful
to him, and he resolved to enter the busy life of the city by engaging himself
in contracting for the hauling of building material, which vocation he
continued to follow for about two years. Then his wife became dissatisfied,
preferring a quiet country life, and they removed to her little native village
of Leckwith.
There being no business in this country village sufficiently profitable to
suit his ambitions, he continued to walk to and from this country home to the
city of Cardiff, morning and night, a distance of four miles. Seven yea
later they removed to Canton, near Cardiff, and continued to reside the
until coming to America. His habits being of the most energetic, persevering
kind, coupled with his honesty and reliability, caused him to be chosen from
among a vast number of his fellows for the position of foreman for a large
coal shipping company in the town of Cardiff, which position he held until his
emigration to Utah, more than twenty years later.
During his boyhood days, as through his entire life, he was religiously
inclined, but found no satisfaction in the creeds of his fathers, constantly
noting many differences in them and the Church as established by our Saviour.
Believing very early in life in the necessity of baptism by immersio
became inclined to the Baptist persuasion until in 1854, when he heard the
principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints expounded by one
of their Elders. The story is told this way: One morning Thomas chanced to be
in the backyard enjoying the sunshine when the neighbor in the next yard
called a greeting over the picket fence and asked if he had heard the news.
Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet had been martyred the day before in the United
States. He said that the sound of that name "Joseph Smith" caused a feeling to
go through his very being that he did not understand. He stood stunned for a
few minutes. Then his neighbor, noticing his silence asked him if he had ever
heard the name of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church. He could not recall ever
having heard it before. The missionaries were holding street meetings at that
time and were in the same town. In fact, not far from his home they had been
holding street meetings each Saturday evening.
That week he went to work with the name of Joseph Smith ringing in his ears. On
Saturday night he decided to go to their meeting on the street corner. This he
did and was so impressed with what he had heard that he was immediately
converted to the truthfulness of the Gospel. He was sure that he had at last
found the right Church. So happy with his wonderful discovery was he, that he
hurried to his family in order that he might share his newfound happine
with them. He was particularly eager to share his new religion with his
Minister Father-in-law, thinking that he being a man of God would understand
and appreciate the truth as he saw it; but his happiness was short-live
however, for his wife and his in-laws had all read the misrepresentations so
prevalent in the world at that time against the then most unpopular Mormon
Church. Thomas was told that they would not allow him to bring disgrace upon
the family by joining the church. His wife told him that she would scald him
and the missionaries if he ever brought them to her house.
Margaret's parents were William Edward and Rebecca Williams. William had been
married previously to Mary Morgan, and Rebecca had had a child (a son Isaac)
out of wedlock when she was 26. Then William and Rebecca were married when
Rebecca was 41 and William was about 62 and their only child was Margaret born
1 Nov 1827. William was a Baptist minister in Wales, and was the author of a
book of poems in the Welsh language. William, through his study, knew that the
true Church had not yet come on the earth and thought it would be so
coming, but having read extensively the misrepresentations concerning this
most unpopular sect, William's mind had become so prejudiced that he refused
to listen to his son-in-law. William Edward was never made aware of the real
message of Mormonism. Before he died he called his family around him and had
some prominent ministers also present and said he had something to tell them.
With the Bible in front of him, he told the "The true Church has not yet come,
and it will come, and I want you to watch for it." Then he read from John, "I
saw another angel flying in the midst of the heaven having the everlasting
gospel." He had a premonition that it was coming, and also not to be delayed
long. He passed away in Dec 1856, two years after his son-in-law tried to tell
him about the true Church.
Thomas's faith never wavered, so strong was his conviction, and he kept
thinking that in time he could surely get his family to see the truth. The
more he investigated the teachings of the Church, the more he was convinced
that it was indeed the true Church. He attended their meetings at every
opportunity and never failed to give his family an invitation to accompany him
to find out for themselves if what he had been trying to tell them was not
true. After nearly 15 years of perseverance, he was baptized along with his
oldest son, William Edward, on the 10 Feb 1868. The two of them tried f
weeks to get Margaret to let the Elders come to their home and talk to her.
Finally they asked if they might not invite the Elders to come for supper.
After much coaxing she finally consented to get supper for them but would not
stay in the room if the elders of the Church were there. She cooked a nice
supper. While the family ate, she stayed in the kitchen, and her daughters
served the meal. After dinner they started to play the piano and sing
hymns. Before the evening was over the Mother came into the room and remained
to listen. Gradually, Thomas's family joined the Church -- his wife 20 Oct
1869 and two of his children in 1870 and three in 1874. Two other children,
Jane and Fredrick George died as infants.
Margaret proved true and faithful to the church from the time she was baptized
until her death in 1909. Her husband was appointed to preside over the Cardiff
Branch of the Church. From then on, their home was the meeting place of the
Church, and the missionaries in that district were under their care. Among
those who called at their home was Joseph F. Smith. Margaret told many times
her experiences of hearing him bear his testimony and tell of his experiences
in preaching the Gospel.
Shortly before her death, Rebecca (Bassett) Hughes, daughter of Thomas, gave a
brief description of the home life of the Thomas Bassett family while they
lived in Wales. She said they had a very comfortable home, four rooms upstairs
as bedrooms and four below. There was much laughter and happiness in the home
and they were especially joyful when the missionaries came. There was a
beautiful garden about the home which supplied vegetables for the table and
flowers for their little parlor. They all loved music and song.
On June 26, 1876, with his family, except for the three oldest children who
had left previously, he bid adieu to his native land, leaving a lucrati
position, a host of friends and many relatives, all of whom regarded his
departure as extremely unwise. They arrived in Ogden, Utah, July 18, 1876,
from whence they immediately went to Mendon, Cache County, Utah. Here they
started their home in a two-room log cabin with a dirt roof. A quaken aspen
stake fence through which was woven willows to a height of about four feet,
was becoming in a very bad state of repair, Thomas cut and dragged
sufficient hawthorne plants from the bank of a creek a short distance away and
planted around the lot (comprising one and a quarter acres) to take the place
of the dilapidated willow fence. This was all done by hand before he had the
means to purchase a team or any other conveyance. He also dug a we
considerable depth and walled it up with rock. That autumn he secured
employment on a threshing machine, starting work before daylight in the
morning until after dark at night for a wage of one and one half bushels of
wheat per day worth fifty cents per bushel. At that time such a day's work
would purchase about three pounds of sugar and other merchandise in
proportion.
By the next spring he had secured employment as a section hand of the Utah
Northern Railway at a salary of $1.50 per day for ten hours work. From such
meager salaries they supported their little family of four children besides
themselves for several years. Then he learned that as a citizen of the United
States he had the right to file on eighty acres of land under the homestead
act. This opportunity he eagerly embraced by homesteading eighty acres of dry
farm on the hill side about two miles from the little town of Mendon. He was
the first to make any filings of that nature in that vicinity. He purchased a
one-room log cabin for $15.00, tore it down, and then rebuilt it on the
homestead, which complied with the law and made final proof of claim. So
elated was he with the prospect of his new homestead, that he carried his new
plow, a twelve inch hand plow, from the little railroad station to the
homestead, two miles distant on his shoulders. The plow weighed in the
neighborhood of 125 pounds.
He fenced about twenty acres with a stake and willow fence, and in this little
enclosure erected the little cabin home with all necessary outbuildings for
their increasing little bunch of cattle and horses, etc. Then when the
colonization of the Snake River Valley in Idaho commenced in 1883, Thom
decided to broaden and increase his holdings. In 1883 he went up and looked
the country over, and then returned to get things ready to move. He went back
1 June 1884 with one yoke of cattle. His son, Thomas E., went up in April of
1883 with a horse team and wagon. The ox team proved to be of great value in
getting out timber for their little home. They had many experiences together
and with their family in settling in Idaho. They were pioneers in every sense
of the word and had the difficulties of contending with mosquitoes, gnats,
flies, ground squirrels, rabbits, and other pests; the fording of river
travelling over the desert and through the sage brush before roads were made;
hauling their water from an adjacent creek or pulling it out of wells they
had built themselves; and building bridges, churches, schools, canals, dams,
etc. Theirs was a world of wood stoves, homemade candles, wash board
modern farm equipment, and no electricity for modern conveniences. Cann
goods were unknown, and a sack of flour, a sack of potatoes, and a side of
bacon generally constituted the contents of their home-made cupboards. It was
nearly 14 years after their arrival in Rexburg before the railroad came, and
all products had to be hauled by team to what is now Roberts, on the Oregon
Shoreline a 22 mile distance over a road of sand and lava rock.
The only note Thomas ever signed until coming to Idaho was one for the little
hand plow mentioned above which was for $12.50. He never signed a mortgage in
his life. When their earthly careers ended, they were the possessors of 160
acres of land with comfortable buildings, a town lot in Rexburg with a
comfortable home, several cows, pigs, horses, and other animals, besides the
necessary farm equipment on all of which they did not owe a dollar.
The life spent by them since their arrival to America was in such sharp
contrast to their comparative life of ease in their native land, but th
endured it well, and did their part. While living in Rexburg, Thomas Bassett
was ordained a High Priest and held the position of clerk of the High Priests
Quorum of his stake for many years prior to his death. Funeral services were
held in the academy building on 25 May 1903. Bishop Thomas E. Ricks of the
Rexburg First Ward presided, and the ward choir rendered in a beautiful manner
some of the favorite hymns of the deceased. The speakers spoke in the highest
terms of the departed.
Margaret Edward followed her husband six years later on the 13 Nov 1909. They
were faithful to the end and had faithful testimonies to the divinity of the
great Latter-Day work. They were without blemish of character, their
reputations beyond reproach, and their integrity unswerving.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1827 - 1903 (75 years)