Benjamin Bass, Sr.

Benjamin BASS (Edward BASS4, William BASS3, John BASS2, Nathaniel BASSE1) was born ABT 1715, and died BEF 1800 in Granville Co, NC.

Family

From https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=marciamcclure&id=...

He married Mary in North Carolina. She died AFT 1768 in North Carolina.

	  Children of Benjamin BASS and Mary are:

• + 2 i. Winifred BASS was born ABT 1752 in North Carolina, and died 31 DEC 1809 in Granville Co, NC.
• 3 ii. Selah BASS was born ABT 1746 in Granville Co, NC. She married Archibald MITCHELL.
• 4 iii. Benjamin BASS died BEF MAYBE 1810 in Granville Co, NC.
• 5 iv. Mourning BASS was born ABT 1751 in Granville Co, NC.
• 6 v. Hardy BASS was born ABT 1756 in Granville Co, NC. He married Nancy HINES 23 DEC 1788 in Granville Co, NC.
• 7 vi. Reuben BASS was born AFT 1756 in Granville Co, NC. He married Polly HINES 23 DEC 1788 in Granville Co, NC.
  

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From http://www.freeafricanamericans.com/bailey-berry.htm

His children can be identified from the Granville County tax lists. They were

• i. Selah, born about 1750 since she was first taxable in 1762 in Samuel Benton's list for Oxford and Fishing Creek Districts. She was probably the Sealia Mitchell, wife of Archibald Mitchell, who was taxed in his household in the 1767 list of Stephen Jett.
• ii. Sally, born about 1752 since she was first taxable in 1764 in Samuel Benton's list. She was called Cary Bass in the 24 November 1801 Halifax County deed by which she sold 17 acres "which had belonged to her father Benjamin Bass" to John Richardson, Jr. She was called Sarah Bass (daughter of Benjamin Bass) in her 22 March 1802 Granville County marriage bond to John Richardson, Absolem Bass bondsman.
• iii. Winney, born about 1752 since she was first taxable in 1764 in Samuel Benton's list. Her bastard child Jacob was bound to Lewis Anderson, Junior, who she married about 1767 [CR 044.101.2].
• iv. Hardy, born about 1755 since he was first taxable in the summary list for 1767. On 23 December 1788 he married Nancy Hines, Granville County bond with Reuben Bass bondsman. In 1790 he was taxable on 100 acres and one poll in Oxford District, and in 1797 he was taxable on only poll tax. He was head of a Granville County household of 4 "other free" in 1800. He and Thornton Pettiford were paid on 5 May 1807 for attending seven days as witnesses in the suit of Fanny Goff against Molly Lee in Petersburg [Hustings Court Minute Book 1805-8].
• v. Benjamin3, Jr., born about 1756 since he was first taxable in the 1768 list of Stephen Jett. He married Milley Pettiford, 3 January 1781 Granville County bond with Reuben Bass bondsman. He bought 100 acres in Tar River District from his father in 1783 [DB O:331]. He was taxable in Granville County in Tar River District on one poll and his 100 acres in 1785 and in 1798 [Tax List 1796-1802, 132]. He was head of a Granville County household of 2 "other free" in 1800. Perhaps one of his ancestors was the Benjamin Bass who was counted in the 1850 Indiana census in Marion Township, Owen County: a forty-seven-year-old "Mulatto" with $1,000 personal estate, living with Delila Bass, both born in North Carolina [household #187].
• vi. Morning, born about 1756 since she was first taxable in 1768.
• vii. Absalom, born say 1760, not mentioned in the early tax records but taxable in Granville County in 1787 on his father's land. He married Patsy Haynes, 15 January 1794 Granville County bond with Benjamin Bass surety. He was head of a Granville County household of 7 "other free" in 1800. viii. ?Reuben2, born say 1761.
• ix. ?Prissy, born say 1764, married Jesse Day, 6 November 1782 Granville County bond, Solomon Walker bondsman.
• x. ?Milly, who had an unnamed "base born child" by Jesse Chavers. Benjamin and Absalom Bass were her security in November 1794 Granville County court [Minutes 1792-95, 197-8], and Clement Bunch posted bond in December 1798 for a bastard child he had by her [Camin, N.C. Bastardy Bonds, 87].
  

Notes

I've seen it posted that Benjamin was born much earlier. I tend to doubt this since his children seem to have been born c 1750 and later. I don't find evidence of a Ben Jr. (MAM)

Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia
by Paul Heinegg

"They suffered under the discriminatory North Carolina tax law enacted in 1749 which described taxables as

all and every White Person, Male, of the Age of Sixteen Years, and upwards, all Negroes, Mulattoes, Mustees Male or Female, and all Persons of Mixt Blood, to the Fourth Generation, of the Age of Twelve Years, and upwards, and all white Persons intermarrying with any Negro, mulatto, or Mustee, or other Person of mixt Blood, ... shall be deemed Taxables... [Leary & Stirewalt, North Carolina Research, Genealogy and Local History, chapter 13].

Thus, free African American and Native American households can be identified by the taxation of their female family members over 12 years of age. Some light skinned people would claim to be white to avoid this discriminatory tax, and they would be listed by the tax collector with the notation, "Refuses to list his wife" [Thomas and Michael Gowin in the 1761 list of John Pope, CR 44.701.19]. It was in the interest of the tax collector to classify those of doubtful ancestry as "Mulatto" since he received a portion of the tax. However, those with some political and economic influence like the Bass and Bunch families were often listed as white."

"On 9 November 1762 many of the leading residents of Halifax County petitioned the Assembly to repeal the discriminatory tax against free African Americans, and in May 1763 fifty-four of the leading citizens of Granville, Northampton, and Edgecombe Counties made a similar petition. They described their "Free Negro & Mulatto" neighbors as

persons of Probity & good Demeanor (who) chearfully contribute towards the Discharge of every public Duty injoined them by Law [Saunders, Colonial Records, VI:902, 982].

About ten years later a similar petition by 75 residents of Granville County included those of a few of the free African Americans of the county: Benjamin, Edward, and Reuben Bass, William and Gibea Chavis, Lawrence Pettiford, and Davie Mitchell (negro) [Ibid., IX:96-97]."

From: John Lucas of Eastern North Carolina Descendants and Related Families http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=clucas&i...

April 04, 1758 Benjamin Bass of Northampton County to Charles Bryant of Northampton County 4 pounds Virginia money 50 acres more or less between Lewis Anderson, and Elijah Bass Wit: Benjamin Bryant, John Edwards, Jr. Re: Northampton County, July Court 1758 (Abstracts of Deeds, Northampton County, 1741-1759, M. Hofman, page 140.)

May 22, 1758 Samuel Bass of Northampton County to Benjamin Bass of Northampton County 4 pounds proclamation money 50 acres more or less on Quarter swamp joining Robert House and sd. Benjamin Wit: Charles Bryant, Edward Bass Reg; Northampton County July Court 1758 (Abstracts of Deeds, Northampton County, 1741-1759, M. Hofman, page 140.)

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Received the following in his father's will "plantation whereon he now lives, 50 acres on Quarter Swamp, and 75 more acres adjoining."

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bass-445

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Benjamin1 Bass (Edward1, John1), born say 1722, was the executor of his father's Northampton County will by which he received 125 acres where his father was living on Quarter Swamp in Northampton County [Original at N.C. Archives]. He moved to Granville County where he bought 103 acres on Fishing Creek on 7 March 1758 [DB C-2:429]. On 4 April 1758 he sold 50 acres of his Northampton County land and a month later on 22 May 1758 bought 50 acres adjoining his land in Northampton from his brother Samuel [DB 2:460, 461]. In addition to the 125 acres he received by his father's will he had title to another 150 acres since on 10 February 1759 he sold 275 acres of his land in Northampton County which his father had purchased in 1743 and 1744 [DB 3:53].