Person:Samuel Bass (3)

"Samuell Basse" was admitted to Roxbury church as member #78, in a group of 1633 immigrants ^[9] He is said to have settled near Hog Bridge. Admitted freeman, May 14, 1634.^[10] Removed to Braintree, MA (now Quincy), 1640. 1st deacon of the Church, and served for 50 years. Deputy to MA General Court 1641-1653.

In his "Braintree Genealogies", Sprague adds a daughter Ann, christed 25 November 1632 at St. Mary's Church, Saffron Walden, who does not appear in the list or children, or the list of baptisms given in his article in NEHGR 107.^[11]

In 1640 they came to Braintree. Their homestead was on the present (1953) Granite Street in the part of town which is now Quincy. Direct descendents lived there until the death of Alva Morrison Bass in June 1951. Samuel did not receive a grant of land in Braintree, and no records show how this land was acquired. Samuel was selectman as early as 1642 and as late as 1673, and was Representative twelve years.

On 6 July 1640 Samuel was elected the first deacon of the Braintree (now Quincy) church.

On 7 May 1662 Deacon Samuel Bass and son Thomas Bass both signed the petition of the inhabitants of Bogastow or Niatick (now Sherborn) to be set up as a separate town. They apparently both lived there for some time in the 1660's.

On 19 February 1668/1669 "my brother Samuel Bass" was named one of the executors of the will of William Savil of Braintree.

In 1672 Samuel sold 140 acres at Sherborn to John Hull, calling himself of "Brantery, yeoman, and wife Ann did not sign the deed", she being "aged and blind" (S.D. 10-15).

Samuel Bass died at Braintree 30 December 1694. The Town Clerk recorded: "Deacon Samuel Bass, aged 94, departed this life upon the 10th day of December 1694, who had been a Decon of the Church of Braintree for the space of above 50 years and the first Deacon of that church, and was the father and grandfather and great grandfather of a hundred and sixty and two children before he died, the youngest whereof was Benjamin Bas, son of Joseph Bas and Mary his wife born seven days before his death. He represented the town in no less than twelve General Courts, served on important Committees, was Selectman innumerable times and active in the Church and all the time continued his farming." Among his later descendants were Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Will

The will of Samuel Bass of Braintree is dated 11 May 1694, proved 31 January 1694/1695. Inventory was taken 3 January 1694/1695 by Samuel Tompson, Samuel Penniman, and James Brackett, and totalled £942/1/6. Suffolk Probate file 2200 may be found here, the will and inventory are recorded in Vol. 13, starting on p. 539. The transcript below attempts to follow the original. The recorded copy has somewhat more modern spelling and punctuation and is easier to read.

In the name of god amen may the 11th 1694 I samuel Bass of Brantry being but infirm in body but sound in my understanding and memory and not knowing how soon or sudenly the lord may chose to call mee out of this world and in consideration of my great changed hastning upon mee I doe therfore make constitute and declare this to be my Last will and testament and doe hereby revoke and null and uterly make void all and all maner of wills formerly made or caused to be made by me[.] first I give my soule unto god through Jesus Christ my alone Saviour with whom I hope have had comunion with in my life and I hope he will not forsake mee in deth and I desire to Rely alone upon the mercy of god through the meritts of my alone lord and savior Jesus Christ my dear Redeemer my body I leave to be buried decently at the discretion of my executors and for that which god hath graciusly given mee of the things of this Life after the payment of all my honest debts my will is as foloweth

[paragraph inserted for readability]

first I give to my son John Bas ten acres of salt marsh and a wood Lott in the captins plain alredy set out to him and my malt hous and the orchard before the malt hous also half the well and half the kichin as also som lands in the stony field he hat in his posesion also a quarter part of my upland in the farm after legasies to my two daughters is payed that is mary capen and sarah peniman and if there be any marsh after the ten acres a pees to my three sons is taken out if ther be any overplush I give it to my son John Bass

[paragraph inserted for readability]

2ly I give to my son thomas bas ten acres of salt marsh and a wood Lott in captins plain already laide out to him also a quarter part of the uplands at the farm after the two legasies above specified is payed

3ly I give to my son Joseph bas ten acres of salt marsh which I value at a hundred pounds also I give him the hous he liveth in and the orchard on the back side of it and the fresh medow at the est end of it and I give him a fether bed which he lieth on and all the furniture and bedsted belonging to it all which I value at a hundred pounds also I give him my barn and two acres of land part of which my barn standeth on: reserving liberty for yard room and pasage for my son John to his barn also I giv[e] my son Joseph bas two acres of land at the hed of the home Lott & one acre joyning to the two acres which was iohn desitts [record version says John Dassetts] part of a five acre lott and I give my son Joseph bas half my kichin and half my well & liberty to it and I give him seven acres of land in the stony field wher my cows use to pasture all which I value at a hundred pounds also I give him a wood Lott alredy set out to him in the captens plaine together with what stock and movables I have alredy given him al[l] which I value at a hundred pounds also I give my son joseph bas a quarter part of my uplands at the farm after the legasies above specified are payd and what I have given my son Joseph bas my will is that he shall not alinate or sel[l] itt away without the aprobation of his two brothers & if he have children he may give it to them or if he have need to spend it he may for his comfort & suply and if he marys a wife he may give her a hundred pounds of it and no more and the rest which I have not now disposed of he may give to any of his relations by blod as he shall see meet:

[paragraph inserted for readability]

4ly I give samuell bas carpenter seven acres of pasture Lands in the stony field together with the salt medow he hath alredy in posesion as also a quarter part of my uplands in the farm after the legasies above specified and payed also half the wood lott given to my son joseph bas in the captens plain and sixty pounds out off josephs estate if he hav[e] no children nor spend it[.] and I give joseph bas juner sixty pounds out of josephs estate except he have children of have need to spend it and fourty pounds to my grand son samuel bas cooper ouf of josephes estate except he hav[e] children or hav[e] need to spend it & all this to be after my son joseph bases decease

[paragraph inserted for readability]

5ly I giv[e] my daughter mary capen fourty pounds and my daughter sarah peniman twenty pounds all to be payd out of the uplands at the farm or otherwise to content. Also to my daughter capen & Peniman [5?] cows.

[paragraph inserted for readability]

6ly: I give to John Bas juner my malt hous if he outlive his father and two acres of planting land in the stone field and four acres of pasture lands in the stony field and about half an acre at his door where his barn stands

[paragraph inserted for readability]

7ly I give to my grand dauthers excepting sarah biling: all my movable houshold goods and hanah walsbey is to share with them to be equaly divided amongst them after my deceas that is share & shared alike only I have lent my son joseph my fether bed and long table and six stoles [stools] during his life the which they ar[e] to hav[e] after his deseas & what I have herein given to my children and grandchildren I hereby give it to them and ther heyers forever only with thos[e] reserv[e]s of my son josephs estate and what particuler parsills of land I have formerly given to any of my children or grand children I doe hereby Ratify and confirm the same to them & ther heyres forever and if ther be any upland undisposed of in this my will I give it to my two sons john bas and thomas bas who I nominate and apoint to be executors of this my Last will and testament leving all to their care and discretion acording to my mind and will afor'd expresed & in testimony wherof I the sayd samuel Bas hav[e] put to my hand and seale the day & year above writen before sighning thes words were interline: the word :Lott: and also to my daughter capen and peniman five cows.

[Signed] Samuell Bass

Witness: Robert Feild, William Thayer, Samuel Tompson"

1. ↑ Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   1:135.
2. ↑ Waldo Chamberlain Sprague. Notes on the English Origin of Dea. Samuel Bass and William Savil of Braintree, Mass. (Boston: The New England Historic Genealogical Register, July 1953, Vol. 107)
   pp. 218-220.
3. ↑ Sprague, Waldo Chamberlain, comp. Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, Massachusetts, 1640-1850: including the Modern Towns of Randolph and Holbrook and the City of Quincy. (Boston, Massachusetts: Published in cooperation with the Quincy Historical Society by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1983).
4. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009)
   pp. 6, 467.

   Ancestor of Adams presidents and Calvin Coolidge.

5. ↑ Bass, Charissa Taylor. Descendants of Deacon Samuel & Ann Bass. (Freeport, Ill.: Priv. print., 1940)
   pp. 1-5.
6. ↑ Ohler, Clara Paine. Ancestors and descendants of David Paine and Abigail Shepard of Ludlow, Massachusetts, 1463-1913. (Lima, Ohio: unknown, 1913)
   pp. 230-231.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9} "Samuel Bass", in Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995)
   I:122-127.

   ORIGIN: Saffron Walden, Essex.
   CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: "Samuell Basse" admitted to Roxbury church as member #78 [RChR 78]. His death record in 1694 tells us that he "had been a deacon of the church of Braintree for the space of above fifty years and the first deacon of that church" [BrVR 600].
   BIRTH: About 1600 based on age at death.
   DEATH: Braintree 30 December 1694 aged 94 [BrVR 660].
   MARRIAGE: Saffron Walden, Essex, 25 April 1625 Anne Savell [NEHGR 107:220]; she is probably the Ann Savell, daughter of William, baptized at Saffron Walden 26 April 1601 [NEHGR 107:220]; "Ann Basse the wife of Samuell Basse" was admitted to Roxbury church as member #79, immediately after her husband [RChR 78]; she died Braintree 5 September 1693 aged 93 [ BrVR 660].

8. ↑ Bates, Samuel. Records of the Town of Braintree, 1640 to 1793. (Randolph, Massachusetts : D.H. Huxford, 1886)
   p. 660.

   Decon Samuel Bass, aged 94 departed this life, upon the 30th day of December, 1694, who had bin a Decon of the Church of Braintree for the space of above 50 years and the first Decon of that Church, and was the father and grand father and great grand father of a hundred and sixty and two children before he died, the youngest whereof was Beniamin Bas, the son of Joseph Bas and mary his wife born seven days before his Death."

9. ↑ Great Migration, citing RChR 78.
10. ↑ Great Migration, citing MBCR 1:368
11. ↑ Great Migration notes "Waldo Chamberlain Sprague commissioned research in the parish registers of Saffron Walden, Essex [NEHGR 107:218-20], but in this research the 1632 baptism of the daughter Hannah (or Ann) was missed. This conflicts with evidence about the daughter Mary, whose gravestone claims she died in 1704 in her seventy-third year [NEHGR 107:219], which would calculate to about 1632, and would make her about fifteen years old at marriage. Given our knowledge of the other children, the options are to place Mary's birth about 1634, which would make her impossibly young at marriage, or about 1628, which would make her about nineteen years old at marriage, but which would conflict withthe gravestone evidence. We have chosen the latter course. "