BASSETT
The first BASSETT in this family to come to America was
William Bassett (1624 – 1703), my 8th great grandfather, who was
baptized in Dorking, Surrey, England. He
was about ten or eleven years old when he immigrated to New England on board
the ship Abigail with his mother and stepfather, Hugh Burt.
About 1646 William married Sarah, maiden name unknown. William and Sarah had twelve children born in Lynn,
Massachusetts. William served as an
ensign in Captain Gardner’s company in Salem, and later he was raised to
Captain and granted three acres in Lynn.
WILL OF WILLIAM BASSETT, proved 22 May 1703
"In the name of God everlasting Amen: I William Bassett
Senr. of Lyn in ye County of Esex in Newengland being of good & perfect
memory & Rationally Disposed And having attained to ye years of a good old
age & being very sensable of ye decay of nature & ye many Distempers
& Infirmities that do attend my outward (mein?) not knowing how soone my
great & last chang may come have therefor taken this opportunity to settle
ye affaires of my family & so leave this as my last will and testament.
Impr: as for my precious mortall soul I freely resign it to him that gave it
& to my Redeemer Jesus Christ which by his precious blood hath ransome my
soul from Death. as for my body which is fraile I comend it to ye dust willing
a decent Interment thereof suitable to my Rank & quality. Although worms my
skin destroy yet in my flesh I shal see God - Amen. As for the disposall of my
outward Estate which God of his Goodness hath given me - my will is that after
my funerall charges & lawfull debts bee paid I bequeathe to my deare &
loving wife who hath bin carefull of mee & industrious in her place for ye
procurement of what outward Estate I have I bequeath unto her the Improvement
of my whole Estate during her naturall life and all the moveable estate in my
house which is mine to be at her disposall - as shee shall see cause: Item: I
give to my eldest son willm Bassett all ye housing land meddowes marshes and
movalbes within y bounds of Lyn township or Elsewhere to bee at his absolut
disposall: further it is to bee under stood that my son willm Bassett is to pay
out of such Estate all such Legasies as I shall give to ye rest of my children
as followeth: Item: I give to my son John Bassett five pounds in mony: Item: I
give to my son Elisha Bassett fivetie shillings in mony: Item: I give to my son
Samuel Bassett fivetie shillings in mony: Item: I give to my daughter Elizebeth
Bassett allias Richards forty shillings in mony: Item: I give to my daughter
Sarah Elwell fortie shillings in mony: Ittem: I give to my daughter Merriam
Sandy fortie shillings: Ittem: I give to my daughter Mary Ruck fortie shillings
in mony: Ittem: I give to my daughter Rachel Silsbe fortie shillings in mony:
Ittem: I give to my daughter Rebeckah Bassett fortie shillings in Mony: Ittem:
I give to my Hannah Lille fortie shillings in mony -- and if any of ye above
named Children Except my son Willm should then to be divided Equaly amongst
them all. It is to be understood that these legasies are to be paid with-in a
one yeare after my disease and my wives and my will is that neither str? nor
waste be made But to the end foresaid. Ittom my will is that my son William
Bassett bee sole Executtor to this my last will and testament. Heare unto I
have sett to my hand and seale this tenth day of february in the yeare of our
1701. Sighned William Bassett with a seale--Wittnessed by Before sighning it is
to be understood that my son William Bassett is to have my whole Estate as is
above mentioned to him & his heirs for ever."
Witnesses: Samuel Johnson, Lois Rogers, Ezekiel Rogers.
In the third generation, William Bassett (1647 – 1732), my 7th
great grand uncle, married Sarah Hood (1657 – 1729). They were early Quakers. Sarah was accused of witchcraft in 1692 and
sent to prison in Boston with her 22 month old child (possibly Ruth). After her imprisonment she had another
daughter she named Deliverance. I
descend from his sister, Hannah (born about 1670), who married John Lillie of
Reading.
William and Hannah’s sister, Elizabeth Bassett (1650 – after
1703), married my 8th great grandfather, John Proctor (1631 – 1692)
who was hanged as a witch on 19 August 1692.
Elizabeth was John Proctor’s third wife, and I descend from his first
wife, Martha. Elizabeth (Bassett)
Proctor was also condemned to be hanged but was finally pardoned because she
was pregnant. Her child was born January
27, 1693. This family was plagued with
witchcraft accusations and imprisonments.
After she was set free, Elizabeth and her children and step children were impoverished, her house had been looted while she was in prison with John, and she was considered legally dead because she had been condemned to hang and she couldn’t claim her husband’s property.
After she was set free, Elizabeth and her children and step children were impoverished, her house had been looted while she was in prison with John, and she was considered legally dead because she had been condemned to hang and she couldn’t claim her husband’s property.
Some sources for information on the Bassett family:
The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 - 1635, Volume I, pages 190 to 195.
The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 - 1635, Volume I, pages 190 to 195.
The Bassett Family Association www.BassettBranches.org
The Essex Genealogist, Volume 18, pages 28 - 39.
My BASSETT genealogy:
Generation 1: Roger
Bassett, married on 27 April 1623 at St. Martin’s church, Dorking, Surrey,
England to Ann Holland.
Generation 2: William
Bassett, baptized on 30 May 1624 in Dorking, died 31 March 1703 in Lynn,
Massachusetts; married about 1646 in
Lynn to Sarah Unknown. She was born between 1623 and 1627 in Dorking
and died after 1700 in Lynn. Twelve children.
Generation 3: Hannah
Bassett, born about 1670 in Lynn; married to John Lillie. He was born 5 December 1662 in Reading, and
died in Woburn, Massachusetts. Six
children.
Generation 4: Phebe
Lilley m. Noah Eaton
Generation 5: Katherine Eaton m. John Emerson
Generation 6: Romanus
Emerson m. Jemima Burnham
Generation 7: George
Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger
Generation 8: Mary
Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 9: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 10: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda
Hitchings (my grandparents)
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Copyright © 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
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