Garrett Bassett Garrett Bassett is
the popular and efficient Postmaster of Newcomerstown (Ohio), and is now filling his second term in that office. He was born in Albany County, N. Y., June 16,1827 and is the son of Nicholas and Maria (Shafer) Bassett, also natives of
the Empire State. The father of our subject was a farmer
all his life. He in turn was the son of Michael Bassett, who was a native of England. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Bassett was born on the Atlantic while his parents were crossing from Germany to America. Nicholas and Maria became the parents of ten children, of whom we make the following mention: Michael died in Coshocton County, Ohio, in 1889. Ann, who died in 1891, was the wife of John Davis. Peter died in New York in 1892. John is living in Coshocton County. Simon is a farmer in California. Catherine married Elijah Dooling, and died in 1886. Cornelius departed this life in 1885. Gertrude
is now Mrs. Alonzo Sibly and lives in Illinois. Sherman is mining in Caldwell County, Mo.; and Garrett is our subject. The family moved from the Empire State in Coshocton county in 1834, and here the parents died, aged respectively eighty-eight and eighty- nine years. Our subject was well educated, and when a lad
of seventeen years returned to his native state and began working in the United States arsenal at Troy. He was there a little over a year, however, when he resigned his position engaged with James Gould in the car-shops, where he worked for five or six years. At the end of
that time he went to Cleveland, where he was similarly employed for a year, when he determined to go to Detroit, Michigan. His stay there was of short duration, and his next move found him at the
World's Fair City, where he obtained profitable employment and stayed for six years. Returning East, he lived in New York City for one year; he later returned to Chicago, and in 1858 located in New Comerstown where he opened a wagon shop and conducted a good business. During the late war our subject served
as a member of Company H, one Hundred and Seventy-eighth Ohio Infantry, and saw service eleven months and twenty three days. He was mustered out at the close of the war at Charlotte, N.C., reaching home July 9, 1865.
He lost no time after regaining his health, but went to work in the
old shop and continued without interruption until he was appointed Postmaster in 1888 under Cleveland. At the expiration of three years he worked at his trade, until September 1892, when he was again called upon to serve the people in the capacity of Postmaster. Mr. Bassett was married, May 11, 1857,
to Miss Maria Lacey, and to them were born eight children. Arthur lives in California, being a proprietor of a hotel in Sacramento; Armenia is a wife of Joseph Duff, of New Comerstown; Hershel also resides in the above city; Marcia is now Mrs. William Smalley, of Missouri; Peoria is the wife of George Wallace, of Pennsylvania; and William and Robert are at home. Socially our subject is a Mason, and in politics is Democratic. **************************************************** From Portrait and Biographical record of Guernsey County, Ohio pages 493-494 Chicago: C.O.Owen & Co. 1895 **************************************************************************************