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

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Splinters From The Tree July 2007

(1) Welcome
(2) Death of Ray S. Bassett and Bassetts Dairy of Florida
(3) Bassett Heraldry
(4) New family lines combined or added since the last newsletter
(5) DNA project update

Thanks to the following who made donation's toward the project this month:

3 people donated a total of $110 towards the Bassett DNA project

Section 1 - Welcome

I hope to meet some of you in just a few weeks at the Bassett family reunion in Boston. I will be arriving late in the afternoon on Friday, August 3rd. Several dozen Bassetts will be there Friday evening to share their Bassett family information.

Bassett presentations will begin about 9 am on Saturday morning. In addition to the people staying overnight at the hotel, several dozen others from New England have told me they will be joining us to learn more about Bassett history on Saturday.

We hope to have a group tour of the USS Constitution at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. We will also have a group dinner at a local restaurant on Saturday evening for those wishing to join us.

On Sunday, several people plan on visiting Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. This is a recreated village of 1627. If you descend from William Bassett of Plymouth, come see how his family was living in 1627.

If you can't join us this year, I will be sharing a few pictures in next month's newsletter for all to see.

Is there any interest from our Bassett family members in England or Wales of hosting a small reunion in the next few years? If so, please let me know.

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Section 2 - Featured Bassett: Bassetts of Monticello, Florida

Ray Simpson Bassett descends from #1B John Bassett of Connecticut as follows:

John Bassett of Connecticut and wife Margery
Robert Bassett and wife Mary
Robert Bassett (b. 1640) and wife Elizabeth Riggs
Robert Bassett (b. 1699) and wife Eunice Clark
Daniel Bassett (b. 1742) and wife Elizabeth Bassett
Lemuel Bassett (b. 1788) and wife Julia Bennett
Bennett Ebenezer Bassett (b. 1822) and wife Matilda Wheeler
Wheeler Amasa Bassett (b. 1858) and wife Agnes M. Thomas
Wilmer Wilson Bassett (b. 1885) and wife Ruby Henry Burt
Ray Simpson Bassett (b. 1925)

Ray S. Bassett, one of my Bassett contacts for many years, died this past month.

Two years ago, Ray S. Bassett put together a history of the Wheeler A. Bassett family which included many pictures. The following is the introduction from the two volume CD. 

Here are some of the many pictures included in the Bassett history done by Ray S. Bassett.



Wheeler and Agnes
Wheeler's family
Wilmer's family

Ocala Star-Banner, 20 May 2007
Ray S. Bassett

Ray S. Bassett, 81 of Ocala, FL, passed away on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. A native of Monticello, FL, he had made Ocala his home since 1971, moving from Tallahassee, FL. He was part owner of North Florida Transport in Summerfield, FL and stock holder of Bassett Dairy in Monticello, FL. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corp during WWII. Survivors include: daughter, Cile MacKinnon of The Villages, FL; two sons, Ray S. Bassett, Jr. of Okeechobee, FL and Robert A. Bassett of Tallahassee, FL; three brothers, H. Burt Bassett of Tallahassee, FL, Curry J. Bassett of Punta Gorda, FL and James C. Bassett, Sr. of Perry, FL; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 2-5 p.m., with a service at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 20, 2007 at Hiers Funeral Home. A Graveside Service will be held the following day, Monday, May 21, 2007 at 12 p.m. at Roseland Cemetery, Monticello, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to National D-Day Museum at 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 71301. Arrangements by Hiers Funeral Home, 910 Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, FL.

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Section 3 - Featured Bassett: Bassett Heraldry

This is a brief introduction to the Bassett Heraldry that will be presented at the Bassett family reunion on Saturday morning, August 4th, 2007.

Bassett Heraldry
A Brief Introduction by James R. Terzian

Bassett families in the British Isles and northern France began to adopt Coats of Arms between 1190 and 1232 (the surname Basset does not appear elsewhere until several centuries later). Though many knew they were related by blood, the families chose a mix of related and unrelated heraldic designs, ensigns that have evolved and become more varied over time.

The arms borne by Bassets fall into at least nine distinct groups. The following is a brief summary of the arms and the families known by them:

The Bassett Arms The Basset ArmsBarry wavy Or and Gules. Attributed to Ralph Basset the Justiciar, contemporary and close friend of Geoffrey Ridel (both were noble servants of Henry I). Borne by the Bassets of Heddington and of Wycombe in the Angevin period (ostensive cousins of Ralph). Readopted by the Bassetts of Umberleigh and of Tehidy just before the English Civil War, who continue to bear them today.
The Ridel Arms The Ridel Arms” Or, three piles Gules (points to center base). Attributed to Geoffrey Ridel, and borne with differences by the descendants of his two older grandsons through his daughter Maud and Ralph’s son Sir Richard Basset, the Ridels of Great Weldon and the Bassets of Drayton (and cadets).Many other Bassett branches adopted variations on these arms in the 14th through 16th centuries.
Bassett of Sapcote Basset of Sapcote Barry wavy Argent and Sable. Attributed to William Basset of Sapcote, third son of Maud Ridel and Sir Richard Basset, and borne by William’s senior and cadet lines into the 14th century.
Bassett of Blore Bassett of Blore Or, three piles Gules, on a canton Argent a griffin seagreant Sable. Adopted by the junior-most of the Sapcote cadet lines after the Bassetts of Blore inherited representation and the lands of most other Sapcote cadet lines. This family’s arms are typical of many Bassett branches that adopted variations on the Ridel coat in the 14th and 15th centuries, whether descended from Geoffrey Ridel or not. (The Bassetts of Hints are a cadet branch of Blore.)
Bassett of Fledburgh Hall Bassett of Fledborough Hall Or, on three pales (palewise) three hunting horns stringed Or, a chief Vaire. Thought to be a cadet branch of Sapcote that lost connection to the rest of the family, the Bassets of Fledborough existed prior to the Civil War. At this time they bore the Ridel coat with a canton Vairé of Argent and Sable. Like so many others they had to sell their estates during the Protectorate. A century later a branch of Bassetts emerged with a new estate called Fledborough Hall claiming to be this family. Unable to prove to the satisfaction of the College of Arms that they were the re-established line, these Bassetts were granted new arms.
Basset of Ipsden Basset of Ipsden Dancettée Argent and Sable. Borne by the descendants of Osmund Basset who held Ipsden, other lands in Oxfordshire and lands in Gloucestershire. The senior line became the Bassetts of Tehidy and of Umberleigh.
Basset of Northumbrland Basset of Northumberland Argent, two bars Azure and in chief three chaplets Gules. Borne by a line that might have descended from Osmund Basset, and about whom (after the 14th century) little if anything is known. Members of this line may have fought with the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses.
Basset of Gloucestershire Basset of Gloucestershire Ermine, on a chief Gules three mullets Or. Borne by a line that also might have descended from Osmund Basset and which held lands in Gloucestershire, but which today would have very different Y Chromosome DNA. Two sons took part in the siege of Carlaverock, and their arms are described in that poem. The line continued into the 18th century. Descendants in cadet lines may still exist.
Bassett of Beaupre Bassett of Beaupré Argent, a chevron between three hunting horns stringed Sable. Borne by a line that family legend says descended from Osmund Basset’s grandson. The Bassetts of Beaupré and their many cadet branches are part of the Advenæ that took over southern Wales.

Most Basset families that were armigerous prior to the English Civil War are thought to have living descendants who can bear their Coats of Arms today. To learn more of these families, what contemporary documents, genealogy and genetics can tell us about them, and who might bear these arms today, attend the talk on Bassett Heraldry and Early Basset History at the 2007 Bassett Family Reunion.

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Section 4 - New family lines combined or added since the last newsletter

The following family lines have been added since the last newsletter.

 391B. The Bassetts of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England
 392B. Henry Bassett of Nova Scotia, Canada (born 1860 in England)
 393B. James Bassett of Bigbury, Devonshire, England (born 1786 in England)

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Section 5 - DNA project update.

DNA test results are back for kit #89495, a documented descendant of Walter Sanborn Bassett of Minnesota. These results prove that Walter Sanborn Bassett shares a common ancestor with Alfred Bassett of Iowa and also the Bassetts of Cahaba, Alabama.

One new kit that was sent out this month was for a Bassett from Randwick, Gloucestershire, England. This will be our first test result from Gloucestershire Bassetts. We expect they will match the Bassetts of Staffordshire and Cornwall.

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