Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

the government, being at the head of a
division under the War Industries Board.
The origin of the surname Bassick is
found in the French surname Basquet,
meaning a native of Biscay. In England
the spelling is Bassack, and Burke gives
the coat-of-arms as follows
Arms—Azure, three piles wavy, in point or, on a
chief of the first as many mascles of the second.
The family seat was at Stepney, Middlesex,
England.
(I) George Bassick, the first of the
name in this country, emigrated from
England to Canada, where he settled on
the shore of the St. Lawrence River, and
was there educated by a Colonel Coleman.
He became noted as a linguist, being
known to speak at least seven different
languages. It is said that he came to
Prospect, Maine, to act as interpreter. He
settled at Hampden, Maine, in 1790, pur-
chasing lot No. 126 in the center of the
town. A considerable portion of his time
was occupied with trading, and he was
lost at sea on the vessel "Blackbird." He
married in Maine, Sarah Goodell, who at-
tained the age of ninety years and died at
Prospect. According to the Federal Census
of 1790, he was still at Frankfort, now
Winterport, Hancock County, Maine.
(II) William Bassick, son of George
Bassick, was born at Boxport, or Prospect,
Maine, 1790-1800, and died at Waldo,
Maine, at the age of seventy-seven
years. He was reared by his mother, re-
ceiving his education in the district
schools, and was engaged in farming at
Prospect, throughout the active years of
his life. He was an earnest, conscientious
man. He married Polly Chase, who died
at the age of seventy-seven years. Their
children (born at Prospect) : Eliza Ann,
married Edward Gay ; William ; Mary
Jane, married Winthrop Ellis ; Nathaniel
:
;
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
lOI
Margaret, married William Adams ; John,
died young; Ira, died at the age of five
years ; Edmund Chase, of whom further.
(HI) Edmund Chase Bassick, born
August 10, 1833, son of William and Polly
(Chase) Bassick, died March 15, 1898,
while on a business trip to Denver, Colo-
rado. His early life was spent on his
father's farm at Waldo, Maine, until he
was fourteen years of age, when he
shipped on his uncle's vessel, and made a
voyage around the world. He later
shipped as second mate on another vessel
and went to Australia. Although he was
not much more than a mere boy, it was
while he was in that country that he dis-
covered the first gold to be found on that
continent. News of his discovery was
followed by the wild rush to the goldfields
that featured the stirring scenes on
sea and continent in the years around
1850. After spending six years in Australia
young Bassick returned to his home
in Maine. In 1873-74 he was in Colorado,
prospecting its hills in search of gold. In
1877 he discovered what was afterward
known as the Bassick mine in Querida,
Custer County, in the Wet Mountain
Valley, near Silver Cliff, Colorado. This
mine developed one of the richest pro-
ducers of gold in the United States. Sub-
sequently Mr. Bassick acquired interests
in other mines all known as rich mining
properties. He also became heavily in-
terested in Colorado coal lands. In the
fall of 1880 Mr. Bassick came to Bridge-
port and acquired the old Sherwood place
at Hancock and Fairfield avenues, and
later purchased the beautiful residence,
"Lindencroft," built by the late P. T.
Barnum. From the very first of his com-
ing to Bridgeport Mr. Bassick was a firm
believer in the ultimate growth and pros-
perity of the city, and in the eventual
development on a large scale of the West