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- WILLIAM BASSETT FAMILY
Told by Sadie Bassett to daughters, Eva Rallsback and Nona Moore
Our first ancestor, William Bassett, came to America from England in 1830. He and his wife, Jane (Pelham), and family settled in Huron Co., Ohio. Their children were: Edward, Elizabeth, William and Thomas (who served in the Civil War). They were all born in England. Then Lucy, George, Samuel, Henry, Maylam (who served in the Civil War) and Ellen were born in Ohio. He and his family farmed in Ohio until his death in 1862.
One son, Edward, married his first wife, Sarah Mortimer, August 23, 1847 in Ohio and she lived but a short time. They started moving west with other family members. The 1850 census does not include Sarah and we find Edward was living with the Mortimer family with his two year old son, John. He then married Elizabeth Mortimer February 17, 1852. She is buried at Eclipse Cemetery southwest of Mullen and he is too. Their children were: Thomas Mahlon married Edwine Howard, Sarah M. married to Isaac Shepherd, Nathan E. married to Emily Mortimore, Ellsworth married to Ellen Quick, Clara Jane married to Mitt Hogg, and Howard U. married to Catherine Gragg. The family moved from Ohio to northeastern Iowa, then to southwestern Iowa, near Shendandoah, then to McCook and then moved on into McPherson and Hooker Counties, sometime after 1872 and filed on homestead land.
Edward's oldest son, John W., was born in Ohio and was married to Adeline Fleming May 17, 1872. To this union one son, Birtrum, was born. They divorced and he then married Elsie Springer in Red Willow County, Nebraska, September 22, 1863. John and Elsie had the following children: Bessie Maud, who died in infancy and is buried at McCook, Cora Alice married Wm. Treandos, Frank who married Maude Bassett, Nathan E. who married Sadie Sager, Minnie who married Sam Musser, Delbert who did not marry, Robert married Ida Sterling, Clarence (Clyde) married Florence Lauden, and Margaret Mae who died when about eight years old in Hooker County. All of the children except Robert and Clyde spent their lives in the sandhills. John and Elsie are buried at Eclipse cemetery southwest of Mullen.
Nathan E. Bassett married Sadie Sager, July 20, 1915 at Maysville, Missouri and moved to Hooker County. We came to McPherson County, in 1929. Our family consisted of five girls, None E. married Herschel Moore; Blanche C., married Leo Miller and passed away on October 9, 1939. Eva F. married Henry Railsback, Ruby A., married twice, first to Howard Prentice and then to Mike Hunt, and Rita H. married Robert O'Neill.
The Bassett family had been in McPherson County since early days, there being the "Bassett" Valley in the nortwestern part of the county.
I remember well the tornado at Tryon in the summer of 1933, helping care for the dead and injured in the Rev. Largent home.
Nate carried the daily mail route (north) from 1934 through 1938.
The blizzard of 1949 in January was one to be remembered. Our sod house (built against the side of a hill) was completely covered with snow. My husband, Nate, scooped the snow into the kitchen in order to get a way out of the house to get to the stock. No mail for weeks and a lot of cattle perished because feed could not get to them beofre they starved. Many were buried in drifts.
Nate passed away in January 1975 and is buried at Miller Cemetery near Tryon.
1880 Federal Census of Polk, Atchinson County, Missouri (4 Jun 1880)
John W. Basset 31 M OH EN KY Head Labors on Farm
Ardelia 22 F IA IN IN Wife Keeping House
Benjamin 4 M IA OH IA Son
William V. 1 M MO OH IA Son
Louisa Fleming 41 F IN VA KY Mother-in-law
1900 Federal Census of Whitewater Precint, McPherson County, NE (26 Jun 1900)
John W. Bassett 31 M Jul 1868 OH EN OH Head Farmer
Elsie J. 34 F Oct 1865 OH OH MO Wife
Frank E. 15 M Jun 1885 NE OH OH Son
Cora A. 11 F Nov 1888 NE OH OH Daughter
Nathan E. 8 M Dec 1891 NE OH OH Son
Minnie T. 7 F Jul 1892 NE OH OH Daughter
Delbert S. 5 M Apr 1895 NE OH OH Son
Robert E. 2 M Oct 1897 NE OH OH Son
(Married 15 years, 8 children, 7 living)
1910 Federal Census of Mullen Precint, Hooker County, Nebraska (15/6 Apr 1910)
John W. Bassett 62 M OH EN EN Head
Elsie J. 48 F OH PS OH Wife
Minnie T. 17 F NE OH OH Daughter
Adelbert S. 15 M NE OH OH Son
Robert E. 12 M NE OH OH Son
Clarence D. 9 M NE OH OH Son
(Married 28 years, 9 children, 7 living, John 2nd marriage, Elsie 1st marriage)
John William and Elsie (Springer) Bassett F20
John William Bassett was born in Ohio in 1847 and migrated to Hooker County spending approximately 10 years enroute. While living in Iowa he met and married Adeline Fleming in Atchison County, Missouri in 1872. A son, Benjamin Brutus was born to them. They were divorced and John went on to Red Willow County, Nebraska with the wagon train in about 1880. John met and married Elsie Jane Springer, a migrant born at Milan, Missouri in 1883 at Indianola. John purchased 40 acres of land where they lived while in Red Willow County.
Bessie Maud was born to them 1883 and died in 1884. She was buried near McCook, Nebraska. In 1885 Frank Eugene was born and Cara Alice arrived in 1888.
A wagon train left for the McPherson County area where free land was available. They settled in a large wet valley in northwest McPherson County which became known as the Bassett Valley. John took a claim of 160 acres in Grant County, located about a mile to the southeast of the present Margaret Vinton Ranch buildings in the southeastern corner.
Nathan Ellsworth was born in 1890 and since there was to be a school in Bassett Valley, the family sold the property to G.W. Swiggardt, an established rancher in the area, and moved to the southwest of Cody Lake so that Frank could attend school. The school was located in the east end of Bassett Valley Dist.#5 in McPherson County which was taught by Enda Winhuret. They lived on an 80 acres tract of land belonging to Quinns and used an adjoining 80 acres of free land. Minnie Theora was born in 1892 while they were living there.
John was a hunter and trapper by trade and they moved to the North Dismal River where there was an abundance of wild game. The family built a dugout and lived there mainly on wild game and fish with whatever they could raise from a garden. They were very poor and other more fortunate families gave them handed down clothing and other necessities. During this time it is not known where the children attended school since school records are scarce and unavailable.
Delbert Sheridan was born in 1895, Robert Evans in 1897 and Clarence Dewey (Clyde) in 1900.
Sometime between 1900 and 1906, the family moved to the north where they took a claim of 640 acres which lay in the west end of Benjamin French's valley and partly in Frances Sexton's holdings. Margaret May was born them about 1904 or 1905 and contracted scarlet fever when about 3 or 4 years of age. She died and was buried on a hill in a pasture just to the northwest of Benjamin French's buildings. There are no records of her birth or death and she was not included in the 1910 census, but Jennie (Boyer) Wright who lived some distance to the west, recalls seeing her and remembers her illness and death.
John received his Patent on the land in 1911 and sold the land shortly after. The family then moved back to southwestern Hooker County or southeastern Grant County near Elve, Nebraska, where he died the same year. He was taken to Eclipse Cemetery in southwestern Hooker County on the Chauncey Tucker Ranch and buried. It is on a hill overlooking the South Dismal River. The children, now teenagers, attended the Isney? School somewhere in Southest Hooker County during the terms of 1915-16 and 1916-17.
Elsie filed on a land claim, probably about 1915, that lay just to the west of the A.J. Gragg property. Her boys built her a house and she lived there until they were pretty well grown and filing on their own land.
The land was sold in about 1920 and they moved her house to the Bob Phelps place that Frank and Maude had purchased, where she lived until her death in 1924. Elsie was buried at Eclipse Cemetery beside husband John.
by Thelma Bassett Pearman
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Bassett Family Association Database
1848 - 1911 (63 years)