The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-09-19
THE HISTORICAL ADDRESS
DELYTL7ED BY S. b. THORPE OF
NORTH H4TEN
At the Bassett Family Association Re-
union Held Friday at the Colonial
Building and at the Colonial Inn,

union Held Friday at the Colonial
Building and at the Colonial lnn'
Woodmont.
An eminent member of the College OF
Physicians and Surgeons of London
once received very handsome promo
ton at the hands of royalty. Proud OF
the honor, he modestly wrote upon the
hoard in his lecture room, Sir Francis
Wilson has this day been appointed
physician to the Queen" A student
prematurely discovered the announce
ment, and wrote underneath 1t the 10y
al Britons ascription, God save the
Queen!" When your executive COM
mittee appointed me historian OF THIS
department, a friend (?) related the
above incident and suggested that the
salvation of the Bassett family be
looked after.
AS we are gathered more particularly
as the Connecticut branch of this
prominent association, | have thought
it fitting to speak of Connecticut peo-
pie. and to be orderly in procedure,
have selected that member of the fam
lily to whom as an ancestor we are in
debted for that most worthy citizen
royal good fellow-and general infor-
nation bureau national secretary,
Frank G. Bassett
Genealogy and photography require
one thing in common-a good develop
err Like the Photographic plate the
,o1a TO ip1bS
blurred and indistinct. This is not al
ways the fault of the operator. He
seeks to produce family groups as they
existed years perhaps centuries, ago.
The plates have already been Exposed"
and laid away in forgetful brains, mus
ty records, torn Bibles, old letters, bits
of manuscript dust soiled and yellow.
Out of these he is expected to furnish
pictures sharp and defined to their far
tfest borders. 1t is a difficult commits
sion The artist of your lineaments
prepares his own negatives He will
soften and tone and retouch your pic
ture until he presents you to the public
as lovely image little higher than
the angels-that is, provided the Sum
day newspapers don't get hold of you.
The artist of your lineage develops the
plates that come to his hand, and the
unexpected frequently happens. The
lights and shades brought out may not
always be in harmony with family ira
dition, but as men appear to receive
evil as well as good along the general
lines of providence, and are prone to
charge this evil to their ancestors and
credit the good to themselves, it is diff
ficult to see why our genealogical pic
lures should not present some rather
violent contrasts. The artist of your
face may hide defects; that is vanity!
But the artist of your family should
show the truth: for that is history.
1t is a Photographic plate of this ma
ture I have chosen to develop at this
time. 1t is the picture of a mana
Bassett-in the genesis of New Haven
colony. He did not always obey the
admonition, Look pleasant now,
please" and so we have him in all the
changeable moods of the times in which
he lived.
John Bassett and wife Margery, with
their son Robert arrived in New Haven
probab in 1914. Their names are not
on the planters schedule of 1913. but |
the records show that they took the |
"Oathe of Fidelitie" July 1, 1914.
They came at the instance of one !
John Evance, a planter of some means, /
who advanced their passage money
from Boston and thought to engage t
husband and wife as servants to Gov |
ernor Goodyear. The governor found /
them too aged for his employ and they |
were thrown on their own resources.
Then Evvance wanted his money re- /
turned, which our emigrants We're eth J
er unwilling or unable to do until COM /
PEELED by order of the general court. I
Tradition assigns John the role of a
but he must also have been I
a mechanic of good ability, for in 1915 /
the general court, with some careless
ness in the use of polite adjectives, ex-
pressed itself that "Old Bassett was de- |
sired to sett the Create Gunnes upon
good strong carryadges.' There were
six of these Warlike weapons, half of |