| Notes |
- In 1895, O.T. Bassett of El Paso, Texas, bought land that Joseph Workman had held, from the bank, and left it to his son, Charles Bassett. This became Bassett Village, located at the west end of La Puente Valley, California.
1860 Federal Census of Coral Township, McHenry County, Illinois
Oscar Bassett 13 M Vermont
Living with the Ephraim Seward Family (From Vermont)
1880 Federal Census of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas (18 Jun 1880)
O. T. Bassett 31 M IN IN IN Head Lumber Dealer
Mrs. M. 23 F IN IN IN Wife Boarding
The Albuquerque Tribune, New Mexico, Thursday, 6 January 1898
O.T. Bassett, of El Paso, Dies of Heart Disease
El Paso Tribune.
Oscar T. Bassett, the most prominent and wealthy business man of El Paso was found dead in his bed at his rooms over his place of business, corner of St. Louis and Stanton streets, Tuesday morning at 6 o?clock by Josehp T. Fist, and employe.
Mr. Bassett was taken sick two weeks ago last night, and his physician, Dr. Wright, pronounced it an acute attack of indigestion and treated him accordingly. Mr. Bassett recovered and was about his business and at his meals at the Pearson hotel and seemingly was recovering and doing as well as could be expected. Maury Edwards and Mr. Fist were with him last night until 9 o?clock. Mr. Fist did not leave him until 10. Mr. Bassett retired, and so did Mr. Fist, all having different sleeping rooms on the same floor. As usual, Mr. Fist went into Mr. Bassett?s room and called him, and receiving no answer, shook him and discovered that he was dead, lying upon his right side. The deceased looked natural as life, even in death, only a little pale.
Mr. Bassett was a New York, 48 years of age, and a resident of El Paso for the last twenty years, coming here with Col. Chas. B. Morehead from Fort Worth and opening the first lumber yard in the place, which business he continued to the present. Mr. bassett was every inch a business man, accumulating property rapidly. He rarely made mistakes, and all his investments were very profitable. He left large estates here in El Paso, Oklahoma and about Los Angeles, about 900 acres of land near that city. His estate is worth probably $500.000.
Mr. Bassett was a Knight Templar, belonging to the fraternity in this city, who will have charge of the last sad rites of the dead.
The deceased leaves only one son, Chas. N. Bassett, aged 17 years, now at Wabash college, Crawfordsville, Ind. Mr. Edwards wire him this morning the sad news of his father?s sudden death.
Arizona Republican Newspaper
O.T. Bassett, 7 Jan 1898
Mr. O.T. Bassett, an old resident of El Paso, died suddenly at his
home in that city on Tuesday morning. Deceased had lived there for eighteen
years past and became possessed of considerable means through excellent
business methods. He had properties and banking interests in Oklahoma, Los
Angeles and El Paso. Mr. Bassett was well known in this territor
Unknown Source
Oscar T. Bassett, an orphan boy from Vermont enlisted at age 14 in the
Union Army but was sent home because of his age. At some point in time Oscar
T. Bassett settled in Clinton, Indiana. He married Myrtle Nebeker (Dutch
ancestry) who was the first woman graduate of the University of Indiana and
was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She died in 1882 of tuberculosis. O.
Bassett arrived in El Paso, Texas on 12 Feb 1880, where he later beca
stockholder and director of the First National Bank of El Paso, later known as
the State National Bank. He was also in the lumber business and was a large
landholder.
The NEW HANDBOOK of TEXAS, Volume 1, 1996
Bassett, Oscar T. (1850-1898). Oscar T. (O.T.) Bassett, businessman
and financier, was born in Vermont in 1850 and orphaned early. With little
formal education, he drifted in and out of the army before settling in
Clinton, Indiana, where he was a contractor and lumber dealer. He marri
Myrtle Nebeker and in 1879 moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he start
lumber business. With Charles R. Morehead, he traveled by stagecoach to El
Paso in 1880 to buy real estate for the Texas and Pacific Railway and to
investigate some Arizona mines. On February 15 of that year he wrote in his
diary: "Plenty of room here for a big city, which it will be in time after the
railroads come." Bassett returned to Indiana in time for the birth of his son.
His wife died soon thereafter, and Bassett returned to El Paso. On the way he
stopped in St. Louis to arrange financing for El Paso's first bank. The State
National Bank was organized with Morehead as president, Joseph Magoffin, son
of El Paso's foremost pioneer James Magoffin, as vice president, and Bassett a
major stockholder. In 1991 the bank, called MBank El Paso, had been in
continuous operation for ninety years. Bassett also opened a lumber business,
for which he took orders until the first train arrived from the Pacific Coast
with a supply of California redwood. His business expanded rapidly from Texas
to California; he maintained headquarters in El Paso, where he acquired
considerable land. He was named president of the first El Paso school board in
December 1882, and the first classrooms were opened on March 5, 1883. Bassett
also served as city councilman. He died in his office above a lumberyard on
January 3, 1898. His son, who had been left with relatives in Indiana, came to
El Paso to carry on his father's business and became an officer of the bank.
In 1921 he became the bank's president. A downtown building and a shopping
center carry the Bassett name.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1848 - 1898 (50 years)