| Notes |
- Lehman's Cave in Nevada has a carving of William Henry (age 24) and Georgie Bassett (age 15) from 1885.
HERITAGE OF THE HILLS
A DELAWARE COUNTY HISTORY
JAMES COMMUNITY
THE BASSETT FAMILY
George L. Bassett and Armelia Lewis Bassett came to Oklahoma Indiana Territory in 1900 and settled on the Line road north of Maysville, Arkansas. George rented a farm from Mrs. Ballard, a widow, but he later bought a farm on Whitewater where Arque Gann now lives. They had a family of ten children, two of whom have lived their lifetime in Delaware county. They are Hadgie who married Mark Duncan and Clara.
The Bassett children went to Yeagain to school until a schoolhouse was built at James. They went to church at Maysville.
Clara married Edgar Chafey, son of another pioneer couple. Clara and Edgar lived on the Ballard place for a few years, and a number of years on other farms in the area. Eventually, they moved into Jay and Edgar worked on the highway operating a grader until his death in 1937. All of their four children were born and educated in Delaware county. Alma, the oldest, died in 1977. Zella, the second child, married Joe Master, son of another early pioneer. They live on a farm near Jay. After some years as a widow, Clara married Lem Francis. They still live in Jay.
Clara recalls that she walked three miles to school as a child. They had to cross a creek and she remembers how Bill Durham, in the manner of mischievous boys, would step on the girls' heels or splash water on them as they crossed the creek.
Mrs. Bassett had an ash hopper where she made lye. Ashes from hardwood were put in a wooden box and water was slowly dripped through it to produce the caustic lye which was used in making soap, hominy, and to scrub and bleach floors. She also dried fruits, especially peaches and apples from their own trees, for making delicious pies during the winter. In the manner of all pioneer families, they raised most of their food, killed their own meat, raised chickens for eggs and meat, and had cows for milk, butter and cheese. After the wheat and corn were harvested, Mr. Bassett would take grain to the gristmill on the Blevins' place to convert the grain to flour and meal for their winter supply.
Mr. Bassett was a man of many activities. He not only farmed his land and raised cattle but he raised hay on Wet Prarie. He had a hay baler which he took around the community to bale hay for others, taking part of the hay as payment and then selling it to others.
Another activity in the fall was sorghum making. They had a cane press and boiling vat. The children often got very sore hands from cane leaf cuts as they stripped the cane for the press. The finished product was enough to make them forget the pain as they ate the sorghum on hot biscuits or pulled taffy on a winter night.
The boys got spending money in the fall and winter by trapping or hunting animals and selling the pelts. It was often unpleasant when the boys had trapped or killed a skunk for they were usually generously anointed during the process.
The Bassett's trace their ancestry back to the Vikings, then to England. In America, Elizabeth Bassett married Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Their son was the ninth president of the United States, their great grandson the twenty-third president of the United States. Bassetts fought in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars. All his life George Bassett was a civic-minded man, helping friends and neighbors, and generally supporting that which was good. George Bassett died in 1928, Armelia died in 1952.
1880 Federal Census of Brandy Springs, Garrard County, Kentucky
James Bassett - 45 - M - TN-TN-TN - Head - Farmer
Margaret - 41 - F - KY-KY-KY - Wife - Keeping House
Will - 19 - M - KY-TN-KY - Son - Farm Hand
Harvey - 17 - M - KY-TN-KY - Son - Farm Hand
Fannie - 16 - F - KY-TN-KY - Daughter - At Home
Mattie - 14 - F - KY-TN-KY - Daughter - At Home
Joe - 12 - M - KY-TN-KY - Son - Farm Hand
Ruth - 10 - F - KY-TN-KY - Daughter - At Home
Georgie - 7 - M - KY-TN-KY - Son
Lucy - 11/12 - F - KY-TN-KY - Daughter
1900 Federal Census of White River Township, Washington County, Arkansas (12 Jun 1900)
George L. Bassett - 27 - M - Sep 1872 - KY-TN-KY - Head - Farmer
Amelia - 34 - F - Feb 1866 - AR-KY-OH - Wife
Willie - 13 - M - Oct 1886 - AR-AR-AR - Son - Farm Laborer
Isaac - 11 - M - Oct 1888 - AR-AR-AR - Son
Hedgie - 8 - F - Mar 1891 - AR-AR-AR - Daughter
Gilbert - 6 - M - Mar 1894 - AR-AR-AR - Son
Clara - 3 - F - Oct 1896 - AR-AR-AR - Daughter
James B. - 1 - M - Sep 1898 - AR-AR-AR - Son
(Married 8 years, 6 children, 6 living)
1920 Federal Census of Township 4, Delaware County, Oklahoma (23 Jan 1920)
G.L. Bassett - 47 - M - KY-TN-KY - Head - Farmer
Armelia - 53 - F - AR-KY-AR - Wife
Maud - 19 - F - OK-KY-AR - Daughter
Arlin B. - 17 - M - AR-KY-AR - Son
Francis E. - 15 - F - OK-KY-AR - Daughter
Oscar L. - 12 - M - OK-KY-AR - Son
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Bassett Family Association Database
1870 - 1928 (58 years)