@John Hubert Sassard, Sr. was born in Bordeaux, France. At an early age, he was entrusted to a US boat captain to get him out of France, fearing that he would be caught up in a war. He did not maintain contact with his family, who learned that his ship had been lost. They named a new son John. But the elder son was not lost; he settled in Charleston, SC and maintained a maritime career. Years later, with his son, John, he visited Boston. His child noticed a sign "John Sassard Wigmaker." They entered the shop and inquired about Mr. Sassard. The clerk paled and excused himself to the owner's quarters in the rear of the shop. "Mr. Sassard, there is someone asking about you. I don't know who he is, but he looks much like you!" As they talked, the two elder John Sassards established that they were both from Bordeaux, France and their mother's name was Emily. She was living with her younger John. Thus the lost John and her grandson were introduced.
From a family story repeated often by @Louise Cantey Burgess Buie, mother of @Franklin Burgess Buie. Franklin visited the New England Historical Society office in Boston about 2012 and found in census records that one John Sassard, wigmaker, resided variously in Cambridge and Boston and that Emily Sassard, his mother, lived with his family.
