Benjamin Bass Sr. (abt. 1740 - abt. 1805)

Born about 1740 in North Carolina [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1805 at about age 65 in Granville County, North Carolina, United States

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Benjamin was Nansemond.

Descendant of Elizabeth (Nansemond) Bass, progenitor of the Nansemond Indian Nation.

Biography

Benjamin1 Bass (Edward1, John1), born say 1722,^[1] was the executor of his father's Northampton County will by which he received 125 acres where his father was living on Quarter Swamp in Northampton County [Original at N.C. Archives]. He moved to Granville County where he bought 103 acres on Fishing Creek on 7 March 1758 [DB C-2:429]. On 4 April 1758 he sold 50 acres of his Northampton County land and a month later on 22 May 1758 bought 50 acres adjoining his land in Northampton from his brother Samuel [DB 2:460, 461]. In addition to the 125 acres he received by his father's will he had title to another 150 acres since on 10 February 1759 he sold 275 acres of his land in Northampton County which his father had purchased in 1743 and 1744 [DB 3:53].

In 1761 he was taxable in Oxford District, Granville County, with his wife Mary and brother James on 3 "Black polls," and he and his wife and children were taxable in the remaining colonial tax lists for Oxford District. On 10 November 1764 he purchased 50 acres in Northampton County near the Maple Spring Hills from his brother James [Granville DB H:63]. On 19 November 1772 Rodey Bass, a five-year-old orphan, was bound as an apprentice to him [CR 044.101.2-7]. Perhaps she was his grandchild. In 1780 he was taxed on an assessment of 607 pounds in Oxford District, Granville County. In 1782 he was taxable on 103 acres, 2 horses, and 3 cattle. On 5 August 1782 he purchased an additional 480 acres in Granville for which he paid 1,000 pounds. He sold 100 acres of this to his son Benjamin Bass, Jr., for 5 pounds on 18 August 1783, sold 21 acres on 3 November 1794, sold 20 acres on 14 December 1797, and sold the remainder on 14 May 1798 [DB O:197, 331; P:100; Q:115, 199]. He and his wife Mary sold 100 acres in Northampton County at Urahaw Swamp on 26 July 1784 [DB 7:267]. He was head of a Tar River household of 7 males and 4 females in the state census of 1786. His son Absalom was charged with his tax in Tar River District in 1797 and 1798 [Tax List 1796-1802, 132]. He purchased 119 acres on Falling Creek in Halifax County, North Carolina, from John Richardson on 22 April 1799 [DB 18:460]. His children can be identified from the Granville County tax lists. They were

i. Selah, born about 1750 since she was first taxable in 1762 in Samuel Benton's list for Oxford and Fishing Creek Districts. She was probably the Sealia Mitchell, wife of Archibald Mitchell, who was taxed in his household in the 1767 list of Stephen Jett.

ii. Sally, born about 1752 since she was first taxable in 1764 in Samuel Benton's list. She was called Cary Bass in the 24 November 1801 Halifax County deed by which she sold 17 acres "which had belonged to her father Benjamin Bass" to John Richardson, Jr. She was called Sarah Bass (daughter of Benjamin Bass) in her 22 March 1802 Granville County marriage bond to John Richardson, Absolem Bass bondsman.

iii. Winney, born about 1752 since she was first taxable in 1764 in Samuel Benton's list. Her bastard child Jacob was bound to Lewis Anderson, Junior, who she married about 1767 [CR 044.101.2].

iv. Hardy, born about 1755 since he was first taxable in the summary list for 1767. On 23 December 1788 he married Nancy Hines, Granville County bond with Reuben Bass bondsman. In 1790 he was taxable on 100 acres and one poll in Oxford District, and in 1797 he was taxable on only poll tax. He was head of a Granville County household of 4 "other free" in 1800. He and Thornton Pettiford were paid on 5 May 1807 for attending seven days as witnesses in the suit of Fanny Goff against Molly Lee in Petersburg [Hustings Court Minute Book 1805-8].

v. Benjamin3, Jr., born about 1756 since he was first taxable in the 1768 list of Stephen Jett. He married Milley Pettiford, 3 January 1781 Granville County bond with Reuben Bass bondsman. He bought 100 acres in Tar River District from his father in 1783 [DB O:331]. He was taxable in Granville County in Tar River District on one poll and his 100 acres in 1785 and in 1798 [Tax List 1796-1802, 132]. He was head of a Granville County household of 2 "other free" in 1800. Perhaps one of his ancestors was the Benjamin Bass who was counted in the 1850 Indiana census in Marion Township, Owen County: a forty-seven-year-old "Mulatto" with $1,000 personal estate, living with Delila Bass, both born in North Carolina [household #187].

vi. Morning, born about 1756 since she was first taxable in 1768.

vii. Absalom, born say 1760, not mentioned in the early tax records but taxable in Granville County in 1787 on his father's land. He married Patsy Haynes, 15 January 1794 Granville County bond with Benjamin Bass surety. He was head of a Granville County household of 7 "other free" in 1800. viii. ?Reuben2, born say 1761.

ix. ?Prissy, born say 1764, married Jesse Day, 6 November 1782 Granville County bond, Solomon Walker bondsman.

x. ?Milly, who had an unnamed "base born child" by Jesse Chavers. Benjamin and Absalom Bass were her security in November 1794 Granville County court [Minutes 1792-95, 197-8], and Clement Bunch posted bond in December 1798 for a bastard child he had by her [Camin, N.C. Bastardy Bonds, 87].

Research Notes

Name

Name: Benjamin /Bass/ Sr^[2][3]

Birth

Birth: appeared on the 1790 US Census for Granville, North Carolina, USAappeared on the 1784 tax list for Granville, North Carolina, USA; appeared on the 1769 tax list for Granville, North Carolina, USA; did not appear on the 1755 tax list for Granville

Date: bet 1740 - 1752

Imported only 1740 from Birth Date and marked as uncertain.

Event

Event:

Type: 1790censuslocation

Date: 1790

Place: Granville, North Carolina, USA^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L1T4-4RZ
2. ↑ Source: #S-1616165802 Page: Year: 1790; Census Place: , Granville, North Carolina; Roll: ; Image: Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1790usfedcen&h=170535&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt Data: Text: Residence date: 1790 Residence place: Granville, North Carolina, United States APID: 1,5058::170535
3. ↑ Source: #S-1614346224 Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=flhg-nctaxpayersvol1&h=74909&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt APID: 1,49269::74909
4. ↑ Source: #S-1616165802 Page: Year: 1790; Census Place: , Granville, North Carolina; Roll: ; Image: Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1790usfedcen&h=170535&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt Data: Text: Residence date: 1790 Residence place: Granville, North Carolina, United States APID: 1,5058::170535

• Source: S-1614346224 Repository: #R-1860937092 Title: North Carolina Taxpayers, 1679-1790. Vol. 2 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.Original data - Ratcliff, Clarence E. North Carolina Taxpayers, 1679-1790. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003.Original data: Ratcliff, Clarence E. North Carolina Ta Note: APID: 1,49269::0
• Repository: R-1860937092 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com Note:
• Source: S-1616165802 Repository: #R-1860937092 Title: 1790 United States Federal Census Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - First Census of the United States, 1790 (NARA microfilm publication M637, 12 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Gro Note: APID: 1,5058::0
• Free African Americans by Paul Heinegg quoted in full with permission of the author http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/bailey-berry.htm

See also:

• Nansemond Indian Nation
• The Nansemond Indian Bass Family of Granville
• Descendants of the Great Dismal
• https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/67095776/family

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Amy Bass for creating WikiTree profile Bass-1486 through the import of Southeastern US Families.ged on Jul 23, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Amy and others.