Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-01-28
A Family Tree.

Mr.. EDIToR- wish to call attention to
"Three Episodes OF Massachusetts Histo-
~" by Charles Francis Adams.
IL is work in two volumes bearing the
date OF 1S96,an hereby present the same
to the Randolph Town library.
few days since | was standing over the
graves OF my earliest ancestors in this
coantry-Deacon Samuel BAGS and Ann
Bass, his wife. They lived to the great
age OF 81 and SO respectively. The inscrip-
tons upon their headstones had become
nearly effaced by time. MIR. Lewis Bass OF
Quincy told me that IL was only when the
sunlight struck them from the right quar-
ter that they could be traced. He marked
around them with pencil last summer and
had them recut, so they are good for 200
years more, to say the least.
They came from England in 1882 and
first settled at Roxbury, Mass, from
whence, in 1910, they removed TO Brain
tree, there purchasing lands. which still
remain in the hands OF their descendants
They were the progenitors OF numerous
offspring and at the time OF their death
they had seen 1862 descendants.
He held the Office OF deacon for the last
81 years of his life, and a small, two-han-
died cup OF plain silver in the communion
service OF the First church yet bears his
name and title upon IL as one of its givers
In 1867 a son OF Deacon Bass, John by
name, married Ruth Alden, the daughter
OF John and Priscilla Alden, OF Plymouth
and Maytiower fame. This Ruth died at
the age OF 81 years and about twenty
years previous 10 the death of Dea Bass.
No stone is to be found marking her
grave but 1t is known to be there in the
same yard. ! noticed some stones which
had formerly had metallic panels inserted
" hich bore the inscriptions. / was told
that these panels were Of lead and that
in Revolutionary war times those panels
were sometimes taken and run into bull
lets.
John and Ruth (Aldenl Bass had
daughter, Hannah, who married Joseph
Adams and on the Sth OF February, 1892
gave birth to John Adams, afterwards in
his turn deacon OF the North Precinct
church where his great grandfather, Dea-
con Bass, had served so long before him.
These two deacons are sighted as perfect
types OF the colonial yeomanry-m OF
strict piety and great integrity. Presi-
dent John Adams was grandson OF Deacon
John Adams and the Adams family has
ever since been one of the most illlustri
GUS in this country, having given us two
presidents, vice president, a secretary Of
state, one senator, three members OF Con-
gress and three ministers TO England, as
well as the present mayor OF Quincy.
took pleasure in walking around the
houses in which Presidents John Adams
and John Quincy Adams were born and
lived till "publik duties called them
hence" They stand very near together,
elbowing each other, as it were, and with
the quaint surroundings of former days
we'll curb. leach and cord wood.
As the inhabitants OF Randolph, Brain
tree, Brookiield and Roxbury are largely
descended from families who came in co.
lonial days from the towns OF Massachu-
sets hearing the same names, ii is hoped
that the hooks referred TO may be OF great
interest to them. May they renew our
acquaintance with our puritanic ancestry,
OF whom Emerson wrote: "They had to
hold on hard to the huckleberry bushes to
hinder themselves from being translated"
T.. l.. BASS.