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- 1920 Federal Census of Jefferson, Kanawha County, West Virginia (21 Jan 1920)
George Bassett 35 M SY SY SY Head Merchant General
Sadie 25 F SY SY SY Wife
Adeline 1 1/12 F WV SY SY Daughter
(Living on 6th Ave.)
1930 Federal Census of Milan, Monroe County, Michigan (21 Apr 1930)
George E. Bassitt 43 M SY SY SY Head Retail Merchant Variety Store
Saide 35 F SY SY SY Wife
Edna 11 F WV SY SY Daughter
Eli 9 M WV SY SY Son
(Living at 211 E. Main Street) (Married at 30 & 22)
Bassett family made their mark on Milan
Past Tense, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: November 23, 2006
George Ellis Bassett and his wife, Sadie, are the stars of this week's column. Last week, the topic was George's older cousin, whose name was also George Bassett, running a fruit and candy store at 108 E. Main St. For almost 10 years, George Ellis and his cousin each had stores in downtown Milan, across the street from one another.
George Ellis Bassett was born in Keb-Elias, Lebanon, Jan. 13, 1887. His younger brother, Nickolas, was born five years later, also in Lebanon. Hoping to escape the political unrest in their native country, the two brothers snuck onto a ship in 1907 and came to the United States as stowaways, a common practice in those days.
The first stop was Lawrence, Mass. At some point, the two brothers must have gone their separate ways because George Ellis went to Milan in 1911 to work at the Ideal Furnace Co. for three years. Nickolas probably lived in West Virginia, a gathering place for Lebanese immigrants, where he could have run a restaurant, a dry goods store or any other business.
In 1915, Nickolas was married in Cleveland to Minerva George Kadi, 17. She had come to the United States from Lebanon in 1914 after her parents scraped up the money for her travel expenses.
Two years later, George Ellis Bassett exchanged vows with Sadie Coury in St. Albans, W.Va. He was running a dry goods store there. The couple had two children in St. Albans, a daughter, Edna Jeanne, and then a son, Eli George.
George Ellis must have saved up some money in St. Alban's because he took the big plunge March 7, 1924. That is the date he purchased a building in downtown Milan at 49 E. Main St. at the corner of Ferman Street.
The Washtenaw County Register of Deeds office shows that "George Bassett" bought the property. Do not be confused. I am quite sure that the buyer was George Ellis Bassett, husband of Sadie, never mind the spelling of his last name or his store's name.
Today's picture shows Sadie Bassett inside Bassitts store, surrounded by a huge selection of household items. This could be the early 1930s. Notice the magazines, purses, clothing, baskets, candy, belts, neckties, blankets and pans. The place was loaded with merchandise. This was truly a variety store.
The late Warren Hale, a Milan historian, told me he used to visit Bassitts after school and search for just the right piece of candy, all under the watchful eye of Sadie Bassett. Warren had to think carefully about each piece of candy before figuring out how to spend his penny, and Sadie went nuts waiting for him to decide.
Milan's Bassett population increased rapidly. The elder George K. Bassett had five kids, George Ellis and Sadie had two offspring, and brother Nicholas moved from Cleveland to Milan with his growing family.
Nickolas operated a restaurant in Cleveland, but when the Great Depression hit in 1929, his restaurant floundered. Nickolas and Minerva already had Louis, Nellie and Delores when they moved to Milan in 1930. Their fourth child, Alford, was born in Milan.
Nickolas was the only Bassett in Milan not in the retail business. He was a machinist, employed by a local foundry, Clinton Products Co., or anywhere he could work. Nickolas' family lived in the apartment above the candy and fruit store at 108 E. Main St., across the street from his brother's "Bassitts 5¢ to $5" store.
In 1932, George and Sadie tried an experiment with their Bassitts store. Trying to add the second floor as a retail selling space, they ripped out the stairs and installed new ones going the other way from back to front.
The experiment proved unsuccessful. George and Sadie didn't have enough sales help for three floors, including the Bargain Basement. This summer, the orthodontist who purchased that building ripped out the stairs and installed new ones, front to back, just like the original.
Things went well for the Bassett family and for their variety store, everything from 5¢ to $5. In September 1940, George and Sadie went to a Lebanese convention in West Virginia to have some fun and entertainment with other Americans of Lebanese background. Their son Eli was 20, and went along for the ride.
All of a sudden, George and Sadie discovered their son was missing. Eli had been hanging around in the lobby of the hotel waiting for his parents, and noticed a lovely 19-year-old lady also standing in the lobby waiting for her parents.
The two quickly ran off to a movie theater and watched "Boom Town" with Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr. While viewing the movie a second time, suddenly the young lady's father showed up. Oh well.
No one was upset by the growing attraction between Eli Bassitt and Shumla Steffan. The following January, they were married at a Baptist church in Williamson, W.Va, Shumla's home town.
Shumla had left Lebanon at the age of 8, and found herself in Toledo while her father worked for a retail store. He quickly got another job offer from a relative in Williamson, and moved the family there. She recalls her first year of school in Williamson as a serious challenge because she spoke only French and Arabic. A kind teacher helped Shumla with a little extra attention, which left a lasting impression on Shumla.
The newlyweds settled in Milan. Shumla cared for their first child while Eli served the military in World War II. He came home with an injury. Shumla took a great interest in the Bassitts store and offered some ideas to improve it.
In 1954, the family was making plans to expand the Bassitts store by adding the Garrick theater next door. Unfortunately, George Ellis Bassett died that year, at age 67. His obituary spelled his name "Bassitt" and stated that he owned and operated a "variety store."
I don't know why, but somehow the family name drifted from Bassett to Bassitt. During the late '20s and early '30s, Milan had two George Bassetts in town with retail stores across the street from each other, and I think they both flipped a coin to decide how to spell their last name on any given occasion.
Eli and Shumla were enthusiastic about operating Bassitts store, especially with the extra store space for a shoe department. After acquiring the Garrick Theater at 45 E. Main St., the couple went on to join another shop to their growing department store. In 1968, they purchased 39 E. Main St., giving them plenty of room to sell shoes, men's clothing, women's clothing and other classy merchandise.
Today, you can see the old Garrick Theater by visiting Main Street IX and entering the dining area on the east part of the restaurant. The center of the restaurant is 39 E. Main St., the last part added by Eli and Shumla to expand their department store.
Bassitts store closed for good in 1976, when Breedveld's took it over as a retail outlet. Arborland, Briarwood and other shopping malls killed off the small-town Main Street department stores, no matter how high the quality. Today, only the hip and trendy retailers can survive in downtown shops.
The old Bassitts building became a Bredveld's, then an antique store, then a flower shop, and now it's a good place to get your teeth straightened.
The Bassett families, including Michael Hawarny and his soda grill, have all contributed a great deal to the Milan landscape over the years. Apples, dates, pears, chocolates, fresh roasted peanuts, household goods, clothing, shoes, and you-name-it, and they had it.
Martha Churchill is a member of the Milan Area Historical Society. She can be reached at 439-4055 or Martha@marthachurchill.com.
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Bassett Family Association Database
Abt 1895 - 