----------------------------------------
We are still searching for our BASS ancestors who were pioneers of the Northwest Territory in Vincennes, Knox Co. IN and fitting together the pieces of this puzzle. This group of BASSes were the first BASSes to arrive in Indiana arriving between 1797 and 1806 from Bullitt Co., KY.
The 1807 Territorial census of Knox Co. indicates there were three BASS Heads of Household:
Mathew
Drueah [Drury]
Etheldred T.
To this list of early BASS settlers, we can add James, William, Delilah, and Sally BASS who were known to be in Vincennes all by 1811.
Mathew and Drury rapidly disappear from the records in Indiana with no wills or probate records identified in Vincennes. Where did they go? Mathew returned to Bullitt Co. KY and I am still searching for Drury.
We do not know where our BASS ancestors came from. Interestingly, later arrivals of BASSes to Indiana (primarily from NC) did not include Knox, Pike or Gibson Counties. This makes you wonder if their ancestry lies elsewhere. Etheldred's wife Catharine was b Tennesee or NC. Etheldred's next door neighbor Jacob Tevebaugh was from Hampshire VA arriving in Vincennes as early as 1796 and he had TEVEBAUGH kin in Kentucky. The PANCAKE family also was from Hampshire/Hardy Co. VA and have marriages with the TEVEBAUGH family. James BASS estate settlement of 1815 mentions his black horse fetched from Woodford KY. See Census Records for an account of BASS in Indiana.Children:
2 i. Etheldred T. "Dred" BASS
3 ii. William T. BASS
? James BASS
Second Generation
----------------------------------------
Parents of Etheldred have not yet been identified.
Mathew BASS was in Vincennes IN 1807 - and may be
a brother of our Etheldred. Note also that two Drury BASSes also
of Northhampton Co., NC were son and grandson of John BASS whose
Will is dated 14 June 1777 - interesting note also that John WEBB
is a witness on this Will. It is possible that the Drury BASS
who was in Vincennes in 1807 is a cousin or uncle of our Etheldred.
Etheldred may be the son of James BASS where in 1815
Knox Co., IN there is a Bond document with Etheldred T. Bass,
admin., John Thickston, Wm. Bass. I have a copy of this will but
it does not indicate the relationship of Etheldred. James and
William BASS fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe where they are
on the Roll of Company of Mounted Riflemen of the Indiana Militia
from October 25, to November 19, 1811.
1807 BASS in Territorial Census IN
Drueah - Knox Co.
Etheldred F (T?) - Knox
Mathew - Knox
1810 BASS, John - Indiana, Harrison Co., Exeter Twp.
from CD #311
1820 Census INDIANA BASS
Howel 120001-33010-0100 Gibson 236
Chatharine 110100-00010-0000 Knox 91
William 000010-10010-0100 Knox 91
Arthur 000020-20100-0100 Washington 209
Reuben 000000-00000-0400 Washington 212
I suspect that Etheldred had the following relatives
probably sibs: Sally BASS m. David WEBB July 12, 1818--Knox
co., IN and William BASS who lived next door to Catharine.
Is this the same William T. Bass who married Dorothy Pancake--Dec
8, 1810--Knox co., IN. Delila BASS who bought some of James
BASS property in estate sale of 1815 is probably his wife Delila PATTERSON that married James BASS in Bullitt Co. KY.
Will of Etheldred T. Bass leaving his estate to his
unnamed wife and children dated and signed 12 Aug 1815, witnessed
by William Bass and recorded in 1818 Knox Co., IN. Also in 1818
Knox Co., IN Bond document Catherine Bass, widow, Jacob Thorn,
Jacob Pancake, and William Bass. Appraisement, sale bill. Will
mentions but does not name children. Bills, receipts. 28 pgs.
Knox Co., IN - Marriages to Mar. 1836
WEASE, John JERROLD, Polly lic 1810 Jul 17
BASS, William T PANCAKE, Dorothy 1810 Dec 08
WEBB, David BASS, Sally 1818 Jul 12
WRIGHT, William BASS, Catherine lic 1825 Mar 04 of Pike Co. widow
OWENS, Thomas BASS, Dorothy 1827 Jul 01
BASS, Small WEASE, Sally 1829 Nov 20
Pike Co., IN - Marriages prior to 1850 [children of William T. BASS I think]
COLEMAN, Page M to Mary T BASS 1835 Aug 11
COLEMAN, Samuel D to Charlotte BASS 1837 May 11
Note: There is an Ethelred BASS in Wilson Co.
TN 1860 Census age 71 who served in the War of 1812. Nancy BASS
age 40 is also in the household. I think he is the son of Theophillus
BASS who is son of Jacob BASS.
The Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers from NC include:
| Aaron | Drew | John | Sion |
| Andrew | Drury | Jonathan | Theophilus |
| Andrew Dr. | Edward | Mathew | Timothy |
| Arthur | Edward | Moses | Uriah |
| Benjamin | Esau | Philip | Will |
| Brittain | Hardy | Rasha | William |
| Burwell | Isaac | Reuben | Willis |
| Council | Jacob | Richard | Wright |
| Dred | Jethro | Richard Dr. |
Notes: Philip named a son Dred and this family moved
to Missouri after Philip died. Theophilus named a son Etheldred
and they moved to Wilson Co., TN. I still have not determined
where the name Dred was first used, but it is obviously a family
name among certain BASSes.
Research: from James L. Hazelton
2912 Missouri Ave.
Las Cruces, NM 88011
The original probate packets are in the Lewis Historical Library at Vincennes University. They offer to copy them for a fee was theirs. Write to:
Lewis Historical Library-LRC 22
Vincennes University
Vincennes, IN 47591
data follows:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1807 Territorial Census of IN, pg 17 (Knox Co.)
Mathew BASS
...
Drueah BASS
...
Ethelred BASS
1809 Knox Co., IN Terr. Voters List
BAY, Etheldred Harrison Township
1820 Census of Knox Co., IN
BASS, Catherine 91 110100 00010
BASS, William 91 000010 10010
WEBB, David 91 000010 10100
1830 Census of Knox Co., IN
WEBB, David 271- 4 1000110000000 2200100000000
1830 Census of Pike Co., IN
WRIGHT, William 360/718-13 0010000010000 0000001000000 Madison Twp
OWENS, Thomas 360/718-14 0000100000000 0010010000000 Madison Twp
BASS, Small 367/732-15 0101100000000 1011000000000 Washington Twp
1840 Census of Pike Co., IN
COLEMAN, Page M 246/480/06-19 2000010000000 2000100000000
COLEMAN, Samuel 238/464/14- 5 1000100000000 1001000000000
WRIGHT, William T. 245/478/07-18 0000300001000 0011000100000
1850 Census of Pike Co., IN
(In Household of of James W. BASS)
WRIGHT, Catherine 67 F Tenn
1850 Census of Gibson Co., IN
BASS, Howel 88 M Farmer NC
These suggest to me that they may have originated
in NC with stops in TN and/or KY.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knox Co., IN - Marriages to Mar. 1836
WEASE, John JERROLD, Polly lic 1810 Jul 17
BASS, William T PANCAKE, Dorothy 1810 Dec 08
WEBB, David BASS, Sally 1818 Jul 12
WRIGHT, William BASS, Catherine lic 1825 Mar 04 of Pike Co. widow
OWENS, Thomas BASS, Dorothy 1827 Jul 01
BASS, Small WEASE, Sally 1829 Nov 20
Pike Co., IN - Marriages prior to 1850
COLEMAN, Page M Mary T BASS 1835 Aug 11
COLEMAN, Samuel D Charlotte BASS 1837 May 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Woodhull. Old Town Cemetery, Petersburg, IN. From a record copied in the 1930's. There were very few stones in 1980.
...
BASS, Joseph B., d. 4-1-1819 - 4 yr 10 mo 15 da - son of J. W. & A. Bass
(1819 could easily have been 1849)
...
BASS, Eliza A., 12-12-1812 - 8-3-1815 (These could also be in the 1840's,
since Petersburg didn't exist at these dates. She might belong to Small and Sarah.)
...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Indiana Land Entries, Vincennes District, 1807-1877",
by Margaret R. Waters, pg 212, James William Bass of Pike Co. purchased
the SE quarter of the SE quarter of Section 18 in T1N R7W in 8 Jan
1849.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knox Co., IN -- Probate Abstracts (from "Northwest
Territory Trail Tracer" between 1989 and 1996. Probates housed
in Lewis Historical Library, Vincennes University
This is the beginning in a series of abstractions
of early probates we have housed in our library here. Copies of
most of these are obtainable for copying fee and postage. Please
write concerning your request.
Box 4, 1815
Bond document Etheldred T. Bass, admin., John Thickston, Wm. Bass.
Inventory, sale bill, accounts, bills. 17 pgs.
Box 6, 1816
Bond document Wm. Florer, Walter Wilson, Etheldred Bass. Wife, Elizabeth.
Inventory and appraisement, sale bill, receipts.
8 pgs.
Box 6, 1816
Will names sons, Sollomon, George, Abraham, Nimrod and Jacob, the younger.
Daughters, Mary, Barbary, Druey (youngest) and Massa;
wife, Mary. Witnesses Ethn. Bass and Philip Wease. 3 pgs.
Box 7, 1818
Bond document Catherine Bass, widow, Jacob Thorn,
Jacob Pancake, and William Bass. Appraisement, sale bill. Will
mentions but does not name children. Bills, receipts. 28 pgs.
Box 11, 1824
Bond document Dorothy Bass, Jacob Pancake, James Thorn. Inventory, sale bill, debts. Document dated 1843, Thomas Owens, admin., names Samuel Coleman in right of wife, Charlottie Coleman and Page M. Coleman in right
of wife, Mary T. Coleman. (Both these Bass marriages
occurred in Pike Co., IN.) 14 pgs.
SMALL, JOHN (Too large to photocopy)
Box 9, 1821
Will names wife, Polly, children William, Thomas and Angelina. Mark Barnet; Robert Buntin & Samuel T. Scott, executors, April, 1817. Polly & William Small appointed new admin. 1821, after death of Mark Barnet. Bond document
Polly & Wm. M. Small, Samuel Emison & Christian
Graeter. Inventory, sale bill, accounts, receipts. Angeline Brown
"daughter and sole heir" May 15, 1842. Over 100 pgs.
BROWN, JOSEPH
Box 24, 1838
Bond document Angeline Brown, Abner T. Ellis &
James P. Drake. Angeline Brown, widow. Document lists William
Brown, Edmund Brown, Joseph Thornton Brown, John Small Brown,
Robert Henry Brown, heirs of Joseph Brown and "not residents
of Indiana." Inventory, sale bill, receipts, bills. 38 pgs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
* Small BASS was referred to, at least once, as Small
Mouth BASS, so Small may not by a family surname.
* Sally WEASE, who married Small BASS, was the eldest child of John WEASE and Mary Jerrell/Jerrold. The WEASE family owned land in both Knox and Pike counties.
* Mary JERRELL was the eldest child of Walter FITZGERALD/JARREL/JERRELL and Sarah Fields DEDMAN who were married 30 Nov 1792 in Bourbon Co., KY. Sarah was the elder daughter of Samuel and Mary DEDMAN. Walter JERRELL died in a hunting accident in Nov 1813.
* Samuel Dedman COLEMAN was the son of Sarah JERRELL
(born DEDMAN) by her second husband Henry COLEMAN.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One company in "The Army that fought the Battle
of Tippecanoe, Nov. 7, 1811", from "Pioneer History
of Indiana", by Col. William M. Cockrum; Oakland City, Indiana,
1907; pp 284-5
Roll of Company of Mounted Riflemen of the Indiana Militia.
From October 25, to November 19, 1811.
David Robb, Captain Commanding.
Joseph Montgomery, Lieutenant.
John Waller, Ensign.
Elsbery Armstrong, Sergeant.
William Maxidon, Sergeant.
Ezkial Kite, Corporal.
George Anthees, Corporal.
Bryant Harper, Trumpeter.
| Privates | Privates |
| Amb. Decker | John Za Orton |
| James Tweedle | Amstead Bennett |
| William Peters | Stewart Cunningham |
| Frances Hall | Booker Shields |
| William Tweedle | John Slaven |
| John Severns jr. | James Langsdown |
| Thomas Sullivan | Jesse Music * |
| Daniel Fisher * | William Alsop |
| Joseph Garress | Thomas C. Vines |
| Edwark Buttner * | Samuel James |
| Thomas Shouse | Frederick Rell |
| James Robb, severely wounded | Jonah Robinson |
| Isaac Rogers | John Rogers |
| James Bass | George Leech jr. |
| David Mills | Thomas Givins |
| John Black | William Carson |
| George Litton | David Knight |
| William Downing | Thomas Jordon, Transferred to Dubois Company |
| James Blanckes | William Bass |
| James Minor | Hugh Shaw |
| Peter Cartright | David Lilley |
| Thomas Garress | James Ashbury * |
| David Tobin | Robert Wilson |
| John Riggs | John Christ |
| Thadeus Davis | Kader Powell * |
| Thomas P. Vampit | Thomas Dunn |
| John Crawford | Jacob Kertner |
| William Askins | Johnathan Humphrey |
| Alex Maken, badly wounded | William Witherhold |
| Moses Sandridge | David Edwards |
| John Dragoo | Samuel Hamilton |
| Robert Tenneson | Richard Potts |
| Joseph Right | George Robinson, severely wounded |
| Thomas West |
----------------------------------------------------------------
Knox Co., IN - Census, 1850
Page 245
1343 1343 Brown, Angeline 47 f IND
Yaker, Minney 18 f GER
(she is missing in 1860)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Etheldred T. BASS married 20 Sep 1797 Catharine PANCAKE in Bullitt Co. KY. Born 1775/1783 in TN/NC. Catharine Died
After 1860. Residence TN/NC> Knox Co., IN > Pike Co., IN
> Dade Co., MO. Sources 188.
Do not know who is the older man on the 1820 Census with Catharine.
Chatharine 110100-00010-0000 Knox 91
The widow Catharine BASS m. William WRIGHT of Pike
Co., IN 4 Mar 1825. Catharine lived with her son James as she
appears on the 1850 and 1860 census in his household. 1850 Census
records state she is born TN while the census of 1860 states NC.
We need to find her will and expecially see if she mentions Small
BASS as we cannot find Small after 1860.
They had the following children:
4 i. Small BASS (NOT PROVEN SON)
5 ii. James William BASS Dr., Capt C.S.A.
William is listed on the Roster of soldiers who fought in the Battle Tippecanoe along with James BASS. James and William both fought in the War of 1812 in the Indiana mounted Militia but were in different companies.
He married Dorothy PANCAKE.
Marriage record Knox Co., IN: OWENS, Thomas BASS, Dorothy 1827 Jul 01
This is probably the widow Dorothy BASS who remarried Thomas Owens. It is possible that this marriage record is their daughter - see estate papers.
They had the following children:
6 i. Charlotte BASS
7 ii. Mary T. BASS
Third Generation
----------------------------------------
!NOT PROVEN SON or brother of James W. but he is
the right age to be the other son on the 1820 census of Catharine BASS.
Small BASS (JP of Petersburg, Pike Co.) was also
born IN about 1806 (witness on a dour of our James W BASS b. 1818
IN and Angeline BROWN b. 1818 IN/PA). Is he related to John SMALL??
Probate records involving property of James W. and
Angeline BASS appear to be perhaps a dour deeded to BASS by Samuel
and Charlotte Coleman. Other names mentioned in the document (very
difficult to read this copy) are David WILSON and John PANBROOK.
Both James and Angeline signed the document and was witnessed
by Small BASS J.P. of Petersburg, IN. Small appears on the IN
Census beginning in 1830 Pike Co., Knox Co. in 1840 and back in
Pike in 1850. Wondering if he is related to John SMALL a delegate
from the Northwest Territory that nominated Wm. Henry HARRISON
to Congress.
He married Sally WEASE, daughter of John WEASE &
Mary JERRELL/JERROLD, 20 Nov 1829 in Knox Co., IN. Sources190.
* Sally WEASE, who married Small BASS, was the eldest child of John WEASE and Mary Jerrell/Jerrold. The WEASE family owned land in both Knox and Pike counties.
* Mary JERRELL was the eldest child of Walter FITZGERALD/JARREL/JERRELL and Sarah Fields DEDMAN who were married 30 Nov 1792 in Bourbon Co., KY. Sarah was the elder daughter of Samuel and Mary DEDMAN. Walter JERRELL died in a hunting accident in Nov 1813.
* Samuel Dedman COLEMAN was the son of Sarah JERRELL
(born DEDMAN) by her second husband Henry COLEMAN.
It seems likely that our BASS Family is from North
Carolina where there are about 78 Bass families in many counties
as early as 1810. Given names there include Samuel, Benjamin,
James, Moses, and William. Wayne County seems to have the largest
concentration. The 1810 Census for NC give us some good candidates
for father of our James where we find James and William in Northhampton
and Samuel and Simon in Halifax. Note that a William appears in
Knox Co., IN in 1820 and a Simon appears in IN and LA in later
census records. There is a Benjamin Sr. and Ben Jr. in Granville
Co., NC where also resides John WEBB family as early as 1785.
Another Interesting findinging is HOWELL prominent in Granville
Co., NC - and there is a Howell BASS in Gibson Co., IN 1820. If
these are our ancestors, they most likely moved to Indiana between
1810 and 1818. There are only 5 Bass families in Indiana in 1820
Howel Bass in Gibson Co., Chatharine and William in Knox, and
Arthur and Reuben in Washington Co. Only Chatharine and Howel
have a son under age 10.
Among historical records, we find Capt. Nathaniel
Basse who came to America in 1619 in the James River area, helped
start a settlement at Lawne's Creek, and had a plantation called
"Basse's Choice". Descendents of Nathaniel went south
to the Black Creek area of North Carolina [see "The Bass
Family of Black Creek North Carolina" compiled by James Albert
Bass & James Albert Bass Jr.] 165
James William Bass of Pike Co. purchased the SE quarter of the SE quarter of Section 18 in T1N R7W in 8 Jan 1849. 208 James and his wife Angeline are found on the 1850 Census, Washington T. Madison TWP, Pike Co. IN where James is a farmer with the value of his real estate owned listed at $3,000. It appears he has a either a hotel or a large boarding house with 15 other individual over the age of 21 (except one Jane Morris age 10) who are not members of his immediate family.
The record enumerated on 30 July 1850 appears as follows:
p. 29 dwelling 377 family 377
James W. BASS 32 M Farmer value 3000 b. IN
Probate records involving property of James W. and
Angeline BASS appear to be perhaps a dour deeded to BASS by Samuel
and Charlotte Coleman. Other names mentioned in the document (very
difficult to read this copy) are David WILSON and John PANBROOK.
Both James and Angeline signed the document and was witnessed
by Small BASS J.P. of Petersburg, IN. Small is interesting as
he appears on the IN Census beginning in 1830 Pike Co., Knox Co.
in 1840 and back in Pike in 1850 and is probably a brother of
our James. Wondering if he is related to John SMALL a delegate
from the Northwest Territory that nominated Wm. Henry HARRISON
to Congress.
A possible cousin of our James is William D. Bass
b. Aug 2 1822 (Pike Co. IN) d. Oct 18 1906 married 1) Elizabeth
A. ____, m. 2) Rachael Skelton. They and their descendants remained
in IN and are buried in Log Creek Church Cemetery, Lockhart Twp.
Pike Co. IN. 164
The family story is that the Bass's were from in
Vincennes IN - and may have been a launching place for the Bass
family. Indeed the family legend is correct as James and Angeline
are found there with son David W on the census in 1850. It is
thought that the migration path might have been west from Vincennes
to St. Louis then down the Mississippi River to Louisiana.
James moved his family from Indiana sometime before
1860 as we find James W. with his two sons, David W. and Alfred,
Catharine Wright age 85 and Isabella Bass age 25 in Dade Co.,
MO 1860 census. Where is Angeline? Catharine was living with them
in 1850 in IN and continues to reside in his household. The census
records are conflicting: age 67 in 1850 birthplace is listed as
TN while in 1860 she is age 85 with birthplace NC. She could be
old enough to be his mother or grandmother. Where did Isabella
come from? She is too old to be a daughter. Did James anticipate
the outbreak of the Civil War and being a plantation owner, wanted
to get South perhaps even with intentions to join up as we will
see that the ink hadn't even gotten dry from the census when James
is enlisting in the CSA. Angeline, a proven business woman, perhaps
stayed behind to wrap up the estate with plans to join them later.
A James W. Bass enlisted in the Confederate Army mustered at Camp
Moore (near Kentwood in Tangipahoa Parish) Aug 18, 1861 as a private
in Capt. John A. Dixon's Company (Southern Sentinels) of the 12th
Louisiana Infantry. He must have received a field promotion to
Captain as we find muster rolls that show he was captured at Island
No. 10 on April 7, 1862 and taken to Gratiot Street Military Prison,
St. Louis, MO. He contracted Typhoid Pneumonia while a prisoner
and is recorded on the rolls of the U.S.A. Hosp. Steamer Empress
and sent back to St. Louis Apr 26. The notation on this record
is "2nd trip from New Madrid to Island No. 10". He was
transferred to Alton Military Prison for exchange Sept 7, 1862
and from Alton to Vicksburg on Sept 23, 1862. He was discharged
Oct. 23, 1862.
There is another James Bass who enlisted at Camp
Moore 5 days prior to our James in Co. K 12th Louisiana Inf. This
James is reported as killed at the battle of Baker's Creek in
1863. There is a James Bass on the 1860 Census in Rapides Pa.
Alexandria - is this the other James of the Civil War? His neighbors
include Eli, Jeremiah, and Emily BASS. Also in Rapides Pa are
Gilbert, Josiah, Aaron, Levi, Jerry, Amelia, and Louis BASS. A
very rich plantation owner James Bass lives in Carrol Pa. in 1860
valued at a total of $226,000. The relationship of these Basses
and the multitude of other Basses in LA during this time period,
if any, is unknown at this time.
Our James W. Bass appears on the 1870 Census Louisiana
in Cheneyville, Rapides Parish owner of a plantation valued at
$25,000. Angeline has rejoined him where her birthplace is listed
as PA but in 1850 her birthplace was recorded as IN. James' son
DW and his wife Jane are living with them where David's occupation
is listed as managing the plantation. John Beale, a farm laborer,
age 22 b. England and James Brooks, a machine engineer, age 36
b. in Missouri are in the household. Also in the household are
Benjamin Georgiana age 15 b. in LA and Washington Miles age 54
b. in GA enumerated as black domestic servants.
William Bass age 10 lives nearby in the household
of Zachariah Townsend age 21 all born LA. I believe his mother
to be Nancy Jane BASS perhaps by a previous marriage as a Nancy
Jane BASS m. Zacharaiah Townsend in 1869.
He married Angeline BROWN, 4 Apr 1841 in Knox Co.,
IN. 149 
Born About 1818
in Prob Vincennes, Knox Co., IN. Residence Burrough, Vincennes,
Knox & Pike Co., IN. Sources 117.
Angeline Brown sold a plat of land in the Burroughs
of Vincennes, Knox Co., IN on 28 Sep 1839 to John Moore for $1,800
the payments being made in installments of $500 each over a three
year period plus interest for a total of $2,000. The final deed
and transfer was made on 8 Apr 1842. Angeline signed and sealed
the documents of record. She is referred to as Miss Angeline Brown
suggesting that she is unmarried. Perhaps she inherited this land. However, comparison of the signatures of this Angeline, the Angeline in the estate papers of John SMALL, the Angeline who was adm of Joseph Brown and the Angeline BROWN who m. James W. BASS all apprear the identical
Interesting that John SMALL made his daughter Angeline
BROWN sole heir to his estate. Angeline BROWN was a widow by 1838
and the wife of Joseph BROWN. Wondering if they had a daughter
named Angeline that might have been our Angeline. The naming of
Joseph B. BASS son of James W. and Angeline, is consistent with
this theory. I now have a copy of the will of Joseph BROWN and
other documents signed by his wife Angeline .... the signature
of this Angeline appears identical to our own Angeline - are they
the same person? This obviously needs further research.
They had the following children:
8 i. David Webb BASS
9 ii. Alfred BASS
10 iii. Joseph B. BASS
She married Samuel D. COLEMAN, 11 May 1837 in Pike
Co., IN. Residence Knox Co., IN.
She married Page M. COLEMAN, 11 Aug 1835 in Pike
Co., IN. Residence Knox Co., IN.
Fourth Generation
----------------------------------------
D.W. served in the Louisiana State Legislature for
several years and was a doctor in LA, and according to family
legend attended medical school in Indiana (but he did not finish).
He migrated from IN south, around the civil war time, down the
Mississippi and settled around Bunkie at Eola, LA. He enlisted
in the Confederate Army March 1, 1862 mustering in Tulip AR in
Co. E, 2nd Reg. Arkansas Calvary. He was paid for use of his horse
but the records are very difficult to read. His brother Alfred
Bass is probably the Alfred on the rolls of Co. F, 5th Mississippi
Calvary. We don't know what happened to Alfred as he does not
appear with his family in Louisiana in 1870.
David was managing his father's plantation in 1870
Cheneyville, Rapides Parish, LA after the recent unpleasantness.
In search of other possible Civil War records we
find unknown Basses in the master index:
For Union Indiana:
James H. Bass G Co. 65Inf 1st lt
For the South:
James Bass Co. A 12th LA Infantry
More research needed to determine if any of these
Basses are our relatives.
He married Jane Elizabeth WALL, daughter of (____?)
WALL. Born 2 Mar 1852. Died 3 Aug 1914 in Lone Pine, LA. Residence
Lone Pine, LA. Sources 23.
They had the following children:
11 i. James (Jim) BASS
12 ii. May BASS
13 iii. Alice BASS
14 iv. Alfred BASS
15 v. Lillian BASS
16 vi. Samuel Benjamin BASS
17 vii. Gracie BASS
We don't know what happened to Alfred. He was with
his father in Dade Co. MO in 1860 and is probably the Alfred on
the CSA Muster Rolls Company F, 5th Mississippi Calvary. He never
made it home to Louisiana after the war and was never heard from
again.
Fifth Generation
----------------------------------------
Son of David Webb BASS & Jane Elizabeth WALL. Born ? . Sources 23.
James' wife and their son named DW had tuberculosis.
Aunt Gracie took him in to help out. She took TB and died very
young.
Children:
18 i. D. W. BASS
She married Charles Wilson AVERRE, About 1896. Died
1915. Residence Beaumont,TX. Sources 23, 104.
He worked as chief fireman for the large sawmill
in Leesville, LA and was volunteer fireman as well for the city.
He was killed when their home on west Mechanic St. burned in 1915.
They had the following children:
19 i. Elenor AVERRE
20 ii. Lillie May AVERRE
21 iii. Charles Wilson AVERRE Jr.
22 iv. T. B. AVERRE
23 v. A. E. AVERRE
13. Alice BASS. Daughter
of David Webb BASS & Jane Elizabeth WALL. Died 1967 in Monroe,
LA. Buried in Oakdale, LA?. Residence Oakdale, LA. Sources 23.
In later years Alice was living in a nursing home
in Monroe, LA near her son Ralph.
She married (____?) DORMAN. Sources 23.
They had the following children:
24 i. Roy DORMAN
25 ii. Ralph DORMAN
26 iii. Pauline DORMAN
Alfred had 3 sons Herbert, Herman, and Floyd. The
oldest daughter named Lilian, lived in Winfield, LA.
Children:
27 i. Herbert W. BASS
28 ii. Herman BASS
29 iii. Floyd BASS
30 iv. Bunah May BASS
31 v. Lillian BASS
She married W.N. BEAULIEU, son of Alfred BEAULIEU, 1912 in Oakdale, LA. Born 29 Nov 1891 in Falls City, NE. Died Mar 1962 in Star City, AR. Residence Falls City, NE; Star City, AR. Sources 23.
They had the following children:
32 i. Dorothy BEAULIEU
33 ii. Helen Lyle BEAULIEU
Samuel was the keeper of the Bass family bible which
was destroyed in a fire. The single most important thing to him
in that house was the bible. He tried desparately to save it when
the house caught on fire. The flames were too great and he could
not get to it. He sat out in the front yard watching the house
burn and wept over the loss of the family bible.
Samuel was a business man making most of his money
in the pulp wood business. He had four logging trucks buying timber
all around the area of Campti. They would cut the trees close
to the ground, remove the limbs, load them on the trucks and take
them to the railroad where they were transported to Spring Hill
where the paper mill was located. The trees had to be at least
4 inches at the base and 2 inches at the top in order to be processed
by the machines at the paper mill. During the war it was very
difficult to get parts to maintain the trucks but somehow he managed
to keep them running sometimes travelling great distances to get
the parts.
Sam tried many different businesses to make a living
including truck farming, cotton, and even raising chickens. All
were unsuccessful as the market fell just about the time the had
a product to sell. The truck farm was on land inherited by his
wife Buena near Campti. They lost the land when his crop did not
bring enough money to pay the notes. He experimented with cotton
farming and divided his crop into two parts. One part he fed fertilizer
while the other did not. A photograph taken in 1924 shows him
standing in the cotton field, the fertilized cotton on the left
is much healthier and produced more cotton than the unfertilized
crop on the right.
Sam liked to live high. He loved nice clothes and
nice shoes buying only the finest when he had the money. He bought
all the women, his wife and daughters, fur coats while shopping
in Shreveport. He built a fine two story house on several acres
in Campti and had a cafe, filling station and motel court. James
took over the lumber business and Bubba took the filling station
when Sam got sick.
Once James told us his dad's occasional rebellion
around Christmas time when he would slip off and have a drink.
They had quite a puritan household, but they used to sell beer
at the cafe, Mrs. Bass would not serve, but would take the order.
Sam liked politics......and Long was his favorite.
He had a lot of relatives in Winnfield where Huey P. Long is from.
He was sheriff of Campti several times, and mayor once. Mama said,
a big fish in a little pond. Sam had many powerful friends in
Washington DC as well as Louisiana. Once James wrote home while
in the service about blacks being moved into the barricks with
the desegregation act. His dad went into orbit calling his friends
and raising cain. The next day, they moved the blacks out of the
barricks. The base commander called James in and said, "If
there is something here you don't like, PLEASE come tell me. And ... Please don't
write home about it."
He was a large man, like his son Bubba. He died of
cancer of the pancreas in 1951. Cancer came on him quite suddenly
and in a few months he was gone. James stayed with his father
during this time. He described him as turning yellow, and hoped
no one would send any yellow flowers.
Medical: cancer of the pancreas
Research: possibly related to some Bass's in Western
MS that had a pecan grove. Only 2 Bass brothers in Shreveport
& Bossier City in 1967 phonebook may have a distant relation
to us.
He married Lillian Buena CORLEY, daughter of James
Marion CORLEY & Emma Marion LONG, 22 Dec 1909. Born 31 Jul
1886. Baptism in Baptist. Died 22 Dec 1977 in Campti, LA. Buried
in Campti, LA. Residence Campti, LA. Sources 2, 18.
A fine woman. Very religious, Sunday school teacher,
elder in the Campti Baptist church. She liked to cook, sew, and
have company. Her husband's sisters, Lillie and Alice, and her
brother Edgar lived with her, after they retired. Later she moved
to Miami, Coral Gables, FL and helped her daughter, Natalie, keep
house, then she moved for awhile to Washington state, with her
other daughter, Lib. She came home to Campti, and lived in one
of the cottages on the property, then the nursing home in Coushatta.
She helped Natalie, and John finish their teaching degree, giving
them room & board, and taking care of their children. She
helped Bubba, by giving him the business. A good woman all the
way around. She came to Shreveport and helped James and Jo when
her grandson David had polio. She cooked and watched the children
while they went to the hospital. When she moved to Washington,
she gave James and Jo what furniture they wanted. It is still
in the family at Becky's, except for 2 little parlor chairs, Natalie
came and got and a cedar chest that Linda got. 18
Medical: She never had any serious illness that I
am aware of, just old age.
They had the following children:
34 i. Edmund Benjamin "Bubba" BASS
35 ii. Elizabeth (Lib) BASS
36 iii. Natalie BASS
37 iv. James David BASS
Gracie took in her nephew D.W. Bass who had tuberculosis
to help out her brothers family. She took tuberculosis and died
young of this terrible disease.
She married (____?) LAVERGNE. Sources 23.
They had the following children:
38 i. Aaron LAVERGNE
39 ii. Melva May LAVERGNE
Reference Note 2
Corleys Corleys Corleys compiled by Lilliane Corley
Reference Note 18
Josephine Lindsay Bass, 216 Beach Park Lane, Cape
Canaveral, Fl 32920-5003.
Reference Note 23
Letter from Dorothy Goodrich dated July 14, 1995.
Reference Note 25
Interview with James Bass, son of Samuel B. Bass
- 1995 by Rebecca Bass Bonner.
Reference Note 104
Charles Averre email: [email protected]
Reference Note 117
1850 FederAL Census, Pike Co. IN, p 29 family 377
Reference Note 149
Marriage record Book 10 p. 100, Knox Co., IN by J
Hiland , J.P.
Reference Note 164
Scott & Bonnie Allen <[email protected]>
Reference Note 165
George Bass, Jacksonville, FL Email: [email protected]
Reference Note 188
1820 Census Knox Co., IN
Reference Note 189
Will of Etheldred T. BASS leaving his estate to his
unnamed wife and children dated and signed 12 Aug 1815, witnessed
by William Bass and recorded in 1818 Knox Co., IN.
Reference Note 190
James L. Hazelton Email: <[email protected]>
Reference Note 207
Tombstone record copied in the 1930's recorded as
1819 but more likely 1849. There were very few stones in 1980.
Reference Note 208
"Indiana Land Entries, Vincennes District, 1807-1877",
by Margaret R. Waters, pg 212.
Index
----------------------------------------
AVERRE, A. E. 23
AVERRE, Charles Wilson Jr. 21
AVERRE, Charles Wilson, spouse of 12
AVERRE, Elenor 19
AVERRE, Lillie May 20
AVERRE, T. B. 22
BASS, 1
BASS, Alfred 14
BASS, Alfred 9
BASS, Alice 13
BASS, Bunah May 30
BASS, Charlotte 6
BASS, D. W. 18
BASS, David Webb 8
BASS, Edmund Benjamin "Bubba" 34
BASS, Elizabeth (Lib) 35
BASS, Etheldred T. 2
BASS, Floyd 29
BASS, Gracie 17
BASS, Herbert W. 27
BASS, Herman 28
BASS, James (Jim) 11
BASS, James David 37
BASS, James William Dr., Capt C.S.A. 5
BASS, Joseph B. 10
BASS, Lillian 15
BASS, Lillian 31
BASS, Mary T. 7
BASS, May 12
BASS, Natalie 36
BASS, Samuel Benjamin 16
BASS, Small 4
BASS, William T. 3
BEAULIEU, Dorothy 32
BEAULIEU, Helen Lyle 33
BEAULIEU, W.N., spouse of 15
BROWN, Angeline, spouse of 5
COLEMAN, Page M., spouse of 7
COLEMAN, Samuel D., spouse of 6
CORLEY, Lillian Buena, spouse of 16
DORMAN, (____?), spouse of 13
DORMAN, Pauline 26
DORMAN, Ralph 25
DORMAN, Roy 24
LAVERGNE, (____?), spouse of 17
LAVERGNE, Aaron 38
LAVERGNE, Melva May 39
PANCAKE, Catharine, spouse of 2
PANCAKE, Dorothy, spouse of 3
WALL, Jane Elizabeth, spouse of 8
WEASE, Sally, spouse of 4
Becky Bass Bonner
8209 Canna Lane
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
email: [email protected]
WWW My Southern Family Genealogy Surname Index
Compiled by Becky Bass Bonner
Last Updated: 08 Feb 1998
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