BASSETT, JOHN WILLIAM AND ELSIE JANE (SPRINGER)

by Thelma Bassett Pearman

Entry F20 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

John Bassett Family. Elsie, John, Frank and Cora about 1900

(See William and Edward Bassett stories
for early history)

John William Bassett was born in Ohio
1847 and migrated to Hooker County spend-
ing approximately 30 years enroute. While
living in Iowa he met and married Adeline
Fleming in Atchison County, Missouri in
1872. A son, Benjamin Brutus was born to
them. They were divorced and John went on
to Red Willow County, Nebraska with the
wagon train in about 1880. John met and
married Elsie Jane Springer, a migrant born
at Milan, Missouri in 1883 at Indianola. John
purchased 40 acres of land where they lived
while in Red Willow County.

Bessie Maud was born to them in 1883 and
died in 1884. She was buried near McCook,
Nebraska. In 1885 Frank Eugene was born
and Cora Alice arrived in 1888.

A wagon train left for the McPherson
County area where free land was available.
They settled in a large wet valley in northwest
McPherson County which became known as
the Bassett Valley. John took a claim of 160
acres in Grant County, located about a mile
to the southeast of the present Margaret
Vinton Ranch buildings in the southeastern
corner.

Nathan Ellsworth was born in 1890 and
since there was to be a school in Bassett
Valley, the family sold the property to G.W.
Swiggardt, an established rancher in the area,
and moved to the southwest of Cody Lake so
that Frank could attend school. The school
was located in the east end of Bassett Valley,
Dist. #5 in McPherson County which was
taught by Enda Winhuret. They lived on an
80 acre tract of land belonging to Quinns and
used an adjoining 80 acres of free land.
Minnie Theora was born in 1892 while they
were living there.

John was a hunter and trapper by trade
and they moved to the North Dismal River
where there was an abundance of wild game.
The family built a dugout and lived there
mainly on wild game and fish with whatever
they could raise from a garden. They were
very poor and other more fortunate families
gave them handed down clothing and other
necessities. During this time it is not known
where the children attended school since
school records are scarce and unavailable.

Delbert Sheridan was born in 1895, Robert
Evans in 1897 and Clarence Dewey (Clyde)
in 1900.

Sometime between 1900 and 1905, the
family moved to the north where they took
a claim of 640 acres which lay in the west end
of Benjamin French's valley and partly in
Frances Sexton's holdings. margaret May
was born to them about 1904 or 1905 and
contracted scarlet fever when about 3 or 4
years of age. She died and was buried on a hill
in a pasture just to the northwest of Benjamin
French's buildings. There are no records of
her birth or death and she was not included
in the 1910 census, but Jennie (Boyer) Wright
who lived some distance to the west, recalls
seeing her and remembers her illness and
death.

John received his Patent on the land in
1911 and sold the land shortly after. The
family then moved back to southwestern
Hooker County or southeastern Grant
County near Elva, Nebraska, where he died
the same year. He was taken to Eclipse
Cemetery in southwestern Hooker County on
the Chauncy Tucker Ranch and buried. It is
on a hill overlooking the South Dismal River.
The children, now teenagers, attended the
haney School somewhere in Southwest Hook-
er County during the terms of 1915-16 and
1916-17.

Elsie filed on a land claim, probably about
1915, that lay just to the west of the A.J.
Gragg property. Her boys built her a house
and she lived there until they were pretty well
grown and filing on their own land.

The land was sold in about 1920 and they
moved her house to the Bob Phelps place that
Frank and Maude had purchased, where she
lived until her death in 1924. Elsie was buried
at Eclipse Cemetery beside husband John.