| Notes |
- He was a World War I Veteran.
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)
Delbert Sheridan Bassett F17
Dell was born in Hooker County in April 1895 to John and Elsie Bassett. It is believed that the family was living in a "dugout" along the North Dismal River at the time. There are no records available as to where he attended school. He began working for area ranchers at an early age. Dell never married and looked after his mother a great deal after the death of his father. Proof date on his homestead was September 1919 which was located in Southwest Hooker County. It is now owned by Margaret, John, and Ralph Viaron.
Dell served in the United States Army during WWI, training at Camp Funstin, Kansas.
Dell was very favorite uncle to all his nieces and nephews. They all loved visiting him and did frequently. That same felling carried on to great-nieces and nephews. He had a small place a short distance to the northwest of A.G. Gragg's place where he lived for many years after his mother was moved to Frank's place. He built up buildings and had horses and cattle. He was an excellent caretaker of both animals and land. He trapped coyotes and other fur bearing animals each winter to have money for necessities and to purchase additional land.
Traveling on horseback and carrying a lunch and grain for his horse, he made his rounds setting traps and collecting his catch. He would skin them making new sets each time. He could skin an animal very quickly and his horses were trained to stand by very quietly.
In 1940, he sold his place and purchased some land a short distance to the east of it and built another set of buildings. He built his house into the side of a hill and poured cement for the walls up about 1/2 way then laid sod which he cut and hauled from the Dismal River on top of the cement to form the rest of the walls. He then plastered both the inside and outside with cement. His barn and garage were built much the same way except the barn was built of lumber above the cement.
Dell was a true conservationist taking land that was a "sea of sand" and leveling it with a small horse drawn scraper then covering it with hay and manure from the barns. He planted trees on the side hills and in a few years had grass growing over all of it - a living memorial to him and his efforts. He put up a shed which was constructed of double walled woven wire with soapweeds cut from the hills and placed between the two wires. The roof was also made of soapweeds. It made a good shelter for the livestock from winter storms and cool shade for summer. More soapweeds were added from time to time as they rotted away.
Dell raised a garden, canned, and raised lots of strawberries. He gave away lots of garden produce every summer. He planted many trees for windbreaks, growing them from seed planted in his garden. His place was his "life" and joy.
He became ill with brain cancer and had surgery at Rochester, Minnesota in early 1958. Jim Vinton flew to Minnesota to bring him back to Mullen where he was placed in Alice Pool's Home Care Center and cared for him until his death in April 1958. He was buried in the Eclipse Cemetery. John Vinton now owns this property. by Thelma Bassett Pearman
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Bassett Family Association Database
1894 - 1958 (64 years)