BASSETT, Thomas

BASSETT

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 5/31/2021 at 14:01:35

Thomas Bassett
born Aug 2, 1828, England

Thomas Bassett, one of the early settlers of Ida Grove, Iowa, came to Ida County in 1877, and until recently has been identified with the contracting and building interests here. He is one of the oldest contractors and builders in the county, and has assisted largely in its material growth and development. He located at Ida Grove when the town was just starting, and began the contracting and building business, and has put up a great many of the best buildings in the city. No other man or firm in the county has done as much in this line as Mr. Bassett and his son, W. H., who were partners for a number of years. About 1887 Mr. Bassett, Sr., retired from active business, his son succeeding him.
Thomas Bassett was born in the county of Cornwall, England, August 2, 1828, son of Thomas and Jane (Pierce) Bassett. Hs parents both died in England. They had a family of nine children, of whom five are still living, the subject of our sketch being the only one who came to America. He was reared and learned his trade in his native land, and was there married in February, 1849, to Eliza A. Rouse, a native of the same county. In 1854 he came to America and located in Zanesville, Ohio, where he remained until 1875, and while there engaged in contracting and building. In 1877 he came to Ida Grove. And since coming here he has not only been identified with the building interests of the place, but has also taken an active part in the welfare of the county in general. He has been a member of the School Board for five years. Politically, he is a Republican. He and his wife have been life-long Methodists. They have had six children, viz.: Emily A., Elizabeth, wife of Charles S. Barnes, Des Moines, Iowa; Eliza, deceased; Mary J., deceased wife of W. C. Moorehead of this county; William H.; and Laura. Mr.
Bassett began life at the very bottom, and by honest and persistent industry worked his way up to his present position. He and his family are among the most worthy and highly respected people of their town.
Source: Biographical History of Crawford, Ida, and Sac Counties, Iowa, 1893, p.526