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- Excerpt from Autobiography of Isaac Newton Bassett
My Mother's Family:
Joseph, the second son, was as erratic as his father, was well educated in the common schools of Ohio with special instruction from his father. He was talented and had a fine command of language. I was quite well acquainted with him. He visited us in 1846, or perhaps 1845 and then went to Cincinnati. He had written a little romantic story which he sold to the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Democratic Newspaper, this under the Editorial of (?) Brough, a brother of John Brough, afterwards Governor of Ohio. Although a Whig, he was employed by the Enquirer as bookkeeper and to write events for two or three years. During this time my business took me to Cincinnati frequently and I often remained for a week or more and was with him quite often. In the fall of 1849 he came to my house in Quincy, KY as clerk in a store for myself & Brother Allen. I was married and he boarded with me. A few months later he was employed to teach school there and continued to board with me for nearly a year. He had contracted the habits of strong drink and sometimes to excess but only twice while he was with us did I know of his using it, both times he took too much. He finally left and went to Marion, Ohio where he taught school, joined the Methodist Church and resolved to quit drink. From there he went to New Boston, Illinois in the fall of 1850 or spring of 1851-52. He taught school in the Eliza School district in the fall and winter of 1851-2. He had been trained to exhort by the M.E. church and finally to preach and had preached a few sermons but just before I came out there in April 1852 he had indulged in drink with some convivial friends and it created considerable excitement. I found him greatly depressed in spirit. I encouraged him all I could and urged him to go forward and avoid the error again. The people forgave him and he was engaged as clerk and salesman by Wm Drury - the wealthy man who has just died - in a store in a New Boston. He determined to enter the itinerant ministry and in September sent in his name to the Rock River conference for an appointment. Howard Mory the minister who had filled the pulpit of New Boston the preceding year secured him the appointment to Moline Station in Illinois, Howard Mory being appointed to Rock Island Station. He was a great admirer of Joseph Dixon's talent and thus hoped to be near him so to be with him frequently and exchange pulpits; but the old habit came on again and while Manuel Mory was absent to Conference, Cousin Joseph again got intoxicated. Mr. Mory was greatly mortified and disappointed. Cousin Joseph did not wait to see him, but against the protests of his best friends he left Illinois. I had moved with my family to Mercer County before he left and tried to prevail on him not to go, but all in vain. He left without taking his trunk and was not heard from for six months. He then sent for his trunk and in a short time was heard from at Des Moines Iowa, where he was engaged on the Iowa State Register then under the control of (?) Sypher afterwards a carpetbagger in Louisiana and member of Congress from there after the war.
He remained on the Register for quite a number of years, almost the editor in 1864-65 when it was in charge of (?) Palmer who later was a member of Congress and afterwards post master of Chicago and has just been appointed National Printer at Washington D.C.
Joseph Dixon married Mary Doughty in 1858 or 59 in Aledo Ill at my home. His wife was a daughter of Reverend Thomas Doughty, a Methodist minister and was a sister of Josephine Cunningham and Lucien B. Doughty of Aledo. He became blind about 1869-70. After his blindness he edited a book "Lights and Shadows" describing incidents of his life and experiences. Also engaged in lecturing to some extent but did not attain to any notoriety as his afflictions and dissipation had impaired his once brilliant intelligence. He died some years ago and his wife died since. He left two children;; the eldest is living in Des Moines Iowa.
A daughter left is married but I do not know where she is or if she is yet living.
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Bassett Family Association Database
