CONTACT
DORIS R. SHERIDAN, TROY NY 12180
dsheridan001@nycap.rr.com
JOHN BASSETT OF NEW HAVEN, CT
First Generation
1. JOHN BASSETT was born say 1585/1590 probably in England. He died on 15 Feb
1653 in New Haven, CT.1
John Bassett lived in Boston MA and New Haven, CT. He came to New Haven from
Boston with Mr. Eustice who had secured employment for him with Mr. Goodyear but
John was found to be too old and feeble to do the work that Goodyear wanted done.
John eventually found work mounting the cannon at the fort and repairing the old
church building.2
John Bassett and his son Robert were in New Haven by 1639 where they served on a
committee for the repair of the meetinghouse 3 John & his son Robert took the Oath of
Allegiance 5 Aug.1644 4 He lived at what was eventually 43-63 George St. and was a
carpenter.5 In 1646 he had paid his transportation money of 11 pounds 7 shillings.6 On
3 Nov. 1646 John purchased a house and two lots of land in New Haven from Lt.
Robert Seely.7 On 10 Mar 1646-47 John Bassett had the third seat on the other side of
the door in the men's section of the New Haven meetinghouse.8 Sister Bassett, probably
John's wife, had the fourth seat on the side in the woman's section.9
John Bassett's will was dated 17 Feb. 1652 and was proved 21 Feb. 1653. He left
everything to his widow and after her death to son Robert Bassett. The will was
witnessed by Richard Miles and John Harriman. Richard Miles, John Harriman &
Thomas Munson took an inventory on 21 Feb. 1653 and the estate amounted to 69
pounds 9 shillings10 The widow Margery Bassett before removing from New Haven to
Stanford, CT declared the inventory correct11
JOHN married MARGERY. Margery was born say 1590/1595 probably in England.
She died in 1656 in Stamford, Fairfield Co., CT.
Her will is dated 5th of the 4th month 1653 and was proved upon oath May 1656.12 She
gave her house and homelot to her son Robert (born England) and personal estate to the
eldest four of her children John Emery, John Webb, Sarah & Elizabeth Bassett.
Bedding, linen & clothes were to be divided between Goodwife Emery & Goodwife
Webb. Robert Bassett was to care for Elizabeth Bassett not yet of age 13
JOHN and MARGERY had the following children:14(may not be complete)
+ 2 F i. MARY BASSETT.
+ 3 F ii. ANN BASSETT was born about 1620 and died on 26 Aug 1667.
4 F iii. SARAH BASSETT.
+ 5 F iv. ELIZABETH BASSETT was born about 1638 and died before 22
May 1688.
+ 6 M v. ROBERT BASSETT died about 1670.
Second Generation
2. MARY BASSETT (JOHN).
MARY married (1) ROBERT EMBREE. Robert died on 21 Jul 1656 in Stamford, CT.15
ROBERT and MARY had the following children:16
7 M i. JOHN EMBREE.
8 M ii. SAMUEL EMBREE.
9 M iii. JOSEPH EMBREE.
10 M iv MOSES EMBREE was born on 16 Dec 1652 in Stamford, CT.17
11 F v. MARY EMBREE.
MARY also married (2) GEORGE BALDWIN about 1657. George was born in
England say 1624 and settled in Warwick, RI by 1646 and was of Gravesend LI by
1656. He m1 ABIGAIL.18 George died before 21 Dec 1681. He made a codicil to his
will 15 Jan. 1680/81 mentioning among others, Samuel Embrey, son-in-law.19
3. ANN BASSETT (JOHN) was born about 1620 in England. She died on 26 Aug 1667 in
Northampton, Hampshire Co., MA.20
ANN married JOHN I WEBB about 1640. John I was born about 1615 in England. He
died on 19 May 1670 in Northampton, Hampshire Co., MA.21 SEE WEBB FAMILY BY
COMPILER
JOHN I and ANN had the following children:
12 M i. JOHN II WEBB was born about 1642 in Boston, Suffolk Co., MA. .
13 M ii. RICHARD WEBB was born about 1644. He died on 30 Oct 1651 in
Boston, MA.
14 F iii. SARAH WEBB was born about 1646. .
15 F iv. MARY WEBB was born on 5 Feb 1647/1648 in Hartford, CT.
16 F v. SUSANNAH WEBB was born about 1650. She died on 17 Oct 1651 in
Boston, MA.
17 F vi. LYDIA WEBB was born about 1652. She died on 26 Aug 1667 in
Northampton, MA.
18 M vii. RICHARD WEBB was born about 1654.
.
5. ELIZABETH BASSETT (JOHN) was born about 1638. She died before 22 May 1688
in Stamford, CT per the following document found in Stamford CT LR A:103 Elizabeth had
apparently been a maid in the household of Jeremiah Whitnel in New Haven.
These may certifi whome it may concern yt I, Isaak Ffinchs of Sta'ford in ye county of
Fairfield, being proper heir of Elizabeth Basset, which was formerly Jerimy Whitnels
Maid of Newhaven & my former wife, doe own myself to have received of Philip
Alcock of Newhaven twenty shillings as a legacy left by the aforesaid Whitnel unto ye
aforesaid Basset. I say, received by me s/Isaac X Finch, his mark {Paul W. Prindle,
Ancestry of Elizabeth Barrett Gillespie (Mrs. William Sperry Beinecke){New Orleans,
1976 } 142-147
ELIZABETH married ISAAC FINCH, son of JOHN FINCH and MARTHA, in Oct
1658 in Stamford, CT.22 Isaac was born say 1635. He died in Stamford, Fairfield Co.,
CT between 27 Aug, 1702 when he conveyed property and 15 Nov. 1702 when the
inventory of his estate was made
The inventory of the estate was taken by David Waterbury, Daniel Schofield &
Jonathan Bell23
The court of elections held at Stamford 13 May 1703 empowered Abraham & Isaac
Finch to sell land of Isaac Finch deceased to pay his debts. On 25 Aug. 1703 Isaac
Finch & Ann Finch administrators sold land to Abraham Finch Sr. and Samuel
Blachly both of Stamford. 24
ISAAC and ELIZABETH had the following children:25
19 M i. JOHN BASSETT was born on 20 Nov 1659 in Stamford, CT.
20 M ii. ISAAC Jr. FINCH was born on 12 Apr 1662 in Stamford, CT.
21 M iii. ABRAHAM FINCH was born on 5 Jul 1665 in Stamford, CT.
22 F iv. ELIZABETH FINCH was born on 14 Nov 1669 in Stamford, CT.
23 F v. MARTHA FINCH was born on 19 Jun 1672 in Stamford, CT.
ISAAC FINCH married 2 ANN who died 9 Nov. 1703 Stamford, CT. 26 They had the
following children:27 i. Rebecca 17 Mar. 1682/83 ii. Sarah b. 23 Jan.
1686/87, iii. Jacob b. 9 Oct. 1691, Benjamin b. 29 June 1695.
6. ROBERT BASSETT (JOHN) died about 1670.28
Robert Bassett lived in New Haven, CT before removing to Stamford, CT. Robert, on
16 May 1648, purchased land in New Haven from Robert Newman, executor of Mrs.
Wilkes.29 On 7 May 1650 Robert Bassett sold this property too Robert Seely.30Robert
Bassett was a land owner in Stamford, CT in 1650 .31 Robert was frequently at odds
with the town authorities. In April of 1653 while the war between England and the
Dutch over Naval rights was taking place in Europe he raised an army without consent
of the local officials, to be used to drive the Dutch out of the western part of Conn. It
had been rumored that the Dutch in New York under Peter Stuyvesant were in cahoots
with the Indians and planned to attack western Connecticut .settlements. This rumor was
later proved erroneous. A boat filled with women and children from Newtowne NY on
Long Island had landed at Stamford led by three former Stamford residents namely
Edward Jessup, Robert Coe & Richard Gildersleeve. This added fuel to the fire already
brewing in Robert's mind. He was arrested and put in prison for his actions but was
later released on bond . On another occasion Robert served 30 days in a prison located
over the powerhouse for insubordination in disrupting a meeting called for the purpose
of electing deputies to the General Court at New Haven. He later apologized and was
released. After his release he was appointed drum major and had the distinction of being
the only man of record in the New Haven Colony holding office that was not a member
of the established church .32
ROBERT married MARY.
They had the following children:33
24 M i. JOHN BASSETT was born about 1638.
Will of John Bassett, late of Stratford dated 27 May 1676 being called
to fight the Indians. The document was probated 10 Mar 1685. The will
mentions his brother Robert who was his executor. He left Robert a
sword "which was my fathers"; probate mentions will probated with
consent of his brothers-in- law Daniel Pearsall & Henry Hilt.
Overseers John Minor & Nathaniel Porter. Witnesses Nicholas Gray
and John Birdseye Jr.34 10 Mar. 1684/85 letters of administration
were granted to Samuel Sherman.35
25 M ii. ROBERT Jr. BASSETT was born about 1640., married
ELIZABETH RIGGS
26 F iii. MARY BASSETT was born on 8 Mar 1649 in New Haven, CT.36.
She died on 17 Mar 1649 in New Haven, CT37
27 F iv. EMMA BASSETT.
EMMA married DANIEL PEARSALL.
28 F v. SARAH BASSETT.
SARAH married HENRY HILT on 8 Jan 1673/1674 in Stratford, Ct.38
END NOTES
1. Report of the Basset Family Association of America held at Samoset House, Plymouth, MA
1898, New Haven Conn. Press of the Price, Lee & Aukins Co., 17 hereinafter BFA
2. Ibid
3. Edward Elias Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven to its absorption into Connecticut(Meridan, CT, Journal Publishing Co.1902,}.699
4. Boston Transcript 26 June 1927 #4827 hereinafter BTR
5. Atwater, 699
6. BTR
7. New Haven Court Record 1:164 hereinafter NHCR.
8. Atwater, 543
9. Ibid, 545
10. BTR
11. Charles J Hoadley, Records of the Colony of Jurisdiction of New Haven from May 1653 {Hartford, Case Lockwood & Co. 1858} 189/90
12. BTR
13. Rev. E.B. Huntington, History of Stamford, Connecticut from its settlement in 1641 to the 1860s {Stamford by the author 1868} 40 hereinafter Huntington
14. Margery Bassett’s will
15. Barbour Collection, CSL
16. Huntington, 39
17. Barbour Collection, CSL
18. Frank Doherty, The Settlers of Beekman Patent, Vol. l New
England Ancestors.org
19. Hurbert Furman Seversmith, Colonial Families of Long Island New York and Connecticut being the ancestry and kindred of Herbert Furman Seversmith {Washington, unknown,1939-1958}218-221
20. Northhampton Families, Corbin Collection, taken from town vital records
21. Ibid
22. Barbour Collection, CSL
23. Fairfield PR 5:5 - 5a
24. Charles J.Hoadly, The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut 1689 - 1706 on line
25. Barbour Collection, CSL
26. Ibid
27. Ibid
28. Donald Line Jacobus, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield {The Tuttle, Morehouse, & Taylor Co., 1930}{ Vol. 1:145 hereinafter Jacobus
29. NHCR 1:379
30. New Haven Town Records 1:25
31. Jeanne Majdalany, The Story of the Early Settlers of Stamford, CT 1641-1700 including Edith M. Wicks Jeanne Majdalany Genealogies of the Stamford Families of the seventeenth Century {Bowie, MD, Heritage Books 1991/92).121
32. BFA, 17
33. Jacobus, 145
34. Fairfield Co. PR 3:158, 193, 194.
35. Ibid PR 3:160
36. New Haven VR
37. Ibid
38. Barbour Collection, CSL