I received the probate records for Jethro Bass and he is the father of my Emily. Edward Minnis is also listed in the probate record for Jethro and Polly. I have not been able to locate Polly's family. She is a Mitchell. I think her mother may be Abigail, but I will need to get documentation for that. It seems the families intermarried quite a bit. The Anderson's married into the Bass family, so I have Kate Anderson as a double grandmother (I guess that is what it is called) on the Anderson and Artis side. I also have William and Catherine Lanier doubled since their sons William and John fathered children who were father and grandmother of Prudence Bass, Jethro's mother.
Confused yet? Yeh... so am I.
The most interesting thing that has happened occurred Friday. You see, I work in an office in a small town in California. I'm not from this area but have migrated here like a lot Californians. One of the women I work with is also working on her family tree. Now my friend and I have similar in interests. We are obviously in the same job field and enjoy our work. She's Caucasian and I'm African American and as we've researched our family history we have been able to learn about the cultures of our ancestors. We talk about her Mormon family ties and how difficult it was for one of her grandfathers who lost a secession of wives to death due to illness, some in the same Cholera outbreak that took Elizabeth Lee. I've talked about my difficulty in finding my ancestors who may have been slaves (like Edward Minnis who I'm still stuck on)
My friend and I were both were surprised and excited to discover the family history of Emily and Jethro Bass. And my friend shared her own excitement and frustration when she found an ancestor who may have been a slave, but hasn't been able to trace her back past the 1840 census. After speaking with the family, she learned that there may be African American and Native American ancestry in her family.
This has been the best part! Most people have no interest in genealogy. Even people in your own family have no interest in genealogy. My husband has absolutely NO INTEREST in genealogy, though he is kind to pretend that he does. So having a friend who shares and interest in genealogy and having someone to talk to about and blogging about this (ok, I admit it's an obsession) has been rewarding.
Every day my friend and I discuss the information we found the night before while working on our tree. We brainstorm when we are stuck, vent when we are frustrated and congratulate each other when we have found a broken link in our chain of ancestors. Friday was no different.
My friend mentioned she had found a new thread that she was following by the last name of Jordan. Which seemed familiar, but you know how it is when you do a tree that someone else has already researched. At times the names seemed to blend together until you loose track of who you are because it seems so removed. This was the way this name seemed to reverberate in my head. I knew it seemed familiar but I couldn't remember how.
So, I looked it up and sure enough I had Jordan's in my tree as well. The problem was that the spelling for the Jordan's changed... I had Jordaines and she had Jourdaines. Turns out it didn't really matter because the wife of my Robert Jordaine and her Robert Jourdaine was the same Jane Coker.
So to sum it up...
Robert and Jane Jordaine had two son's, John and Thomas. Each boy married and had a child, who married... and so on until five hundred years later you reach my friend and I who it turns out are not only co-workers...but we're also thirteenth cousins twice removed (I think). Cool huh?
5 comments:
Hi Angie Sandro,
I believe we may be cousins I am an African American born in Los Angeles CA living now in Palmdale CA. I have been actively searching my ancestry since 2005. I am the gr-gr grandaughter of Alfred Bass. Alfred Bass was in the 1850 census with Jethro and Polly Bass and Emily at the age of five. He moved to Alabama and later to Louisiana where he married Silva??? Please visit my tree on Ancestry.com it is still very much under construction but I had hit a brick wall in 1870. Until I read your blog which has cleared much but I still have alot of questions. I have been working diligently with a caucasion cousin as well William Farrar! He has also hit a brick wall as he has found out that his gr-gr grandmother was African American too. The Bass families in America are descended from a single ancestor Nathaniel Basse of England and his wife Mary Jordan whose sons married Native AM/African Am women at least three of them anyway John Basse, William Basse and Edward Basse. Please contact me so that we may exchange information and thank you so much for sharing. Vickie bassv@yahoo.com
Hi, Angie,
You and I have corresponded before via ancestry.com. I am also your cousin through Michael Bass, also in the probate records of Jethro Bass of Vigo County. I would like to ask, in all of your research on Jethro's family, have you encountered mention of my other Bass ancestor, whom I believe was one of his daughters - Emeline Bass (born c. 1811, probably in Gransville Co, NC.)? She married Adam Riley while en route to Indiana, in Kentucky, in 1828. The Rileys also lived in Vigo County in the vicinity of Jethro Bass, and also mortgaged property to him. Some of their children also bear names of some Bass family members - i.e., George Washington, Polly). As you see, I have only circumstantial evidence of a connection. Would appreciate any information that anyone on this blog might have concerning the Bass-Riley connection in North Carolina before 1828, and in Vigo County, Indiana after 1828.
Hi Anon,
When I read about the Emeline Bass/Adam Riley connection, I did remember hearing about this before, but it may have been from you. I can't recall finding any documentation about her. However, Duphena Emily (emeline?) Bass may have been named from her. If you do find the connection, please let me know because I'd love to hear about it.
Hi Angie - Congrats on your research and blog! I believe we are also cousins. I am a descendant of the Andersons from North Carolina also. My line goes (Kate, GeorgeI, JeremiahI, GeorgeII,and then off went JeremiahII and Rhoda Underwood to southern Indiana (Lost Creek). I also descend from the Stewarts who came with the same caravan of 8 families from Granville to Indiana in the early 1800s. Where I am stumped is if any of my Anderson ancestors married into the Bass family. I know there were Anderson/Bass marriages, but unsure about my line. I often see Katherine Bass, in particular,as the wife of George Anderson. I also see his wife listed as being a woman named Mary. So, I was wondering if you have come across any documents in your research that talks about Anderson/Bass marriages. Perhaps a public record or bible. So many people have tried to decipher these marriages and I think everyone is confused. Anyway, nice to meet you and hope to hear from you. Lisa sydna67@yahoo.com
Hi Lisa, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I really appreciate it:)
The Bass and Anderson family appears to have intermarried quite a bit. Lewis Anderson ( Elizabeth, Kate)married Sarah Bass, daughter of John Bass. Check out Paul Heinegg's website for Bass and Anderson family trees: http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/Virginia_NC.htm
I'll email you once I get home and can check my records. I'm also interested in learning about the caravan who emmigrated to Lost Creek.
Again, thank you so much for contacting me.
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