Surname Saturday ~ BASSETT of Lynn, Massachusetts

BASSETT

The first BASSETT in this family to come to America was William Bassett (1624 – 1703), my 8^th 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 7^th 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 8^th 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.

Some sources for information on the Bassett family:

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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The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/05/surname-saturday-bassett-of-lynn.html 

Copyright © 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ LILLIE of Reading, Massachusetts

LILLIE / LILLEY

George Lillie (about 1637 – 1691) is my 8^th great grandfather.  His parents, origins and immigration are all unknown, but he was probably from England.  He settled in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts as a school master and owned land on the north side of the Ipswich River by 1658.   In 1667 the town made a list of the 59 houses in Reading, and George Lilly is on the list.

My 7^th great grandfather, John Lilley, removed to Woburn, a contiguous town and married Hannah Bassett.  Hannah was the daughter of William Bassett and Sarah Burt whose children were affected by the 1692 witch hysteria.  Their oldest daughter, Elizabeth, sister to Hannah, married John Proctor (my 8^th great grandfather in another lineage).  Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor was accused of witch craft along with her husband, John, who was hung.   William Basset Jr., Hannah’s brother, had a wife Sarah (Hood) who was also arrested, tortured and tried for witch craft.   Hannah’s other sister, Mary, wife of Michael Rich, was also arrested, tortured and tried for witchcraft.  Fortunately, my 7^th great grandmother, Hannah (Bassett) Lilley escaped suspicion!

My Lillie lineage daughters out with my 6^th great grandmother, Phebe Lilley (1706 – 1786) who married Noah Eaton of Reading and Haverhill.  They had eight children all born in Reading. 

Some LILLIE resources:

George Lilly and his descendants, by Georgiana Hewins Lilly, 1945 – a typescript manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society library in Boston, call number G LIL 964

Genealogical History of the Town of Reading, Massachusetts including the present towns of Wakefield, Reading, and North Reading with chronological and historical sketches from 1639 to 1874, by Lilley Eaton, 1874 also available online at https://archive.org/  and also reprinted by Heritage Books of Bowie, MD in 1994 (facsimile reprint).

Be aware that in the Reading records and vital records (and probably elsewhere) the name is spelled LELLEY, LELY, LILLE, LILLIE, LILLY, LILEY and LILLEY.  Also be aware that there are unrelated LILLIE familes in Boston and Marshfield, Massachusetts. 

One big genealogy clue I like to share about this family is to look for children with the first name of "Lilley" or "Lillie" (spelled with two LLs), and they are usually sons with a grandmother or other ancestress with the maiden name LILLIE or LILLEY from Reading.  I have a 5th great grand uncle named Lilley Eaton (1738 - 1812), and I was surprised to find out he was a boy, and happy that this discovery lead to finding his mother's maiden name was LILLEY.  The historian who wrote the town history of Reading, Massachusetts in 1874 was also named Lilley Eaton (1802 - 1872), and he is a gentleman, not a woman, and is my 2nd cousin five generations removed.  He is the son of Lilley Eaton (b. 1768) and the grandson of Lilley Eaton mentioned above as my 5th great grand uncle. 

My LILLIE genealogy:

Generation 1:  George Lillie, born about 1637 in Scotland or England, died 14 February 1691 in Reading, Massachusetts; married first on 15 November 1659 in Reading to Hannah Smith (four children), daughter of Francis Smith and Alice Unknown; married second to Jane Unkown on 6 May 1667 in Reading (two children).

Generation 2: John Lillie, born 5 December 1662 in Reading, died in Woburn, Massachusetts; married to Hannah Bassett, daughter of William Bassett and Sarah Burt.  She was born about 1670 in Lynn.  Six children.

Generation 3: Phebe Lilley, born 21 February 1706 in Woburn, died 1786 in Reading; married on 21 December 1726 in Woburn to Noah Eaton, son of Jonathan Eaton and Mary Cowdry(?).  He was born 26 January 1704 in Reading and died 1770 in Reading.  Eight children.

Generation 4:  Katherine Eaton married John Emerson

Generation 5:  Romanus Emerson married Jemima Burnham

Generation 6:  George Emerson married Mary Esther Younger

Generation 7:  Mary Katharine Emerson married George E. Batchelder

Generation 8:  Carrie Maude Batchelder married Joseph Elmer Allen

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The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/05/surname-saturday-lillie-of-reading.html 

Copyright ©2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo