Elizabeth, wife of William Bassett (mtDNA)

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Status summary

Completed as of Nov 26, 2022:

IMPORTANT: Read me First

Biography

For further information see Sherman, Robert M. & Ruth W. (re-edited by Robert S. Wakefield), Mayflower Families through Five Generations: vol. 13 White General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA. Third edition 2006.

First Generation

As with most females, very little is known about Elizabeth,[1] wife of William Bassett. It is believed the couple were married and arrived at New Plimoth together in 1621 aboard the Fortune.[2] It is believed Elizabeth was the mother to all of William Bassett's children[3] (born Plymouth): William (c1624), Elizabeth (c1626), Nathaniel (c1628), Sarah (c1628), Joseph (c1632) and Ruth (1633).

Second Generation

Elizabeth Bassett was born New Plimoth abt 1626.[4] She married Sandwich 8 Nov 1648 Thomas Burgess. They were divorced[5] 10 Jun 1661. The couple never had children. Some sources state Elizabeth married William Hatch and she died Swansea in 1670.

[1] Sarah Bassett was born New Plimoth about 1628[6] and died Marshfield 22 Jan 1711/2. "On 6 Mar 1648/9, Peregrine White, and Sara, his wife, both of Marshfield" were presented to the court for fornication before marriage or contract. They were cleared by paying a fine". [7] They had seven children: Daniel (c1648), infant son (Joseph?) (b1652), Jonathan (1658), Peregrine (c1661), Sarah (1663), Sylvanus (b 1667) and Mercy (c1670).

Ruth Bassett[8] was born Plymouth abt 1634[9] and died prob. Plymouth aft 22 Mar 1693. She had a son, John Sprague "Jr." born shortly after her first marriage to John Sprague "Sr." as they were fined on 6 Jun 1655 for having a child born too soon after marriage. However, Y-DNA testing documents this child (John "Jr.") was not fathered by John, but rather by a member of the Fuller family. Big Y-700 testing of a patrilineal descendant of John Sprague "Jr." documents where he descended from Capt/Dr Matthew Fuller.[10] In addition to John, Ruth and John had six children (born Duxbury, likely now Bridgewater): Elizabeth (c1657), Ruth (1659/60), Samuel (1662), William (1664), Dorcas (c1666 m Joseph Hatch [no ch.]) and Desire (1668).

Third Generation

[2] Sarah White was born Marshfield Oct 1663 and died Scituate 9 Aug 1755. She married Scituate Jan 1689 to Thomas Young and they had nine children (born Scituate): George (1689), Joseph (1692), Sarah (1695-1699), Thomas (1698-1699), Thomas (1700), Isaac (1701), Ebenezer (1703), Joshua (1704) and Isaac (1706). Since their only daughter died young, there is no living mtDNA line from Sarah.

[3] Mercy White was born Marshfield about 1670 and died there 12 Jun 1739. She married Marshfield 3 Feb 1697 William Sherman (IV) [4] [5] and they are said to have had six children[11] including Thankful (1699), Sarah (1701), [6] Mary (twin 1711, never married) and [7] Abigail (1711 twin, never married)


Elizabeth Sprague was born Duxbury in 1657 and died Plympton 27 May 1727. She married Plymouth (prob. now Plympton) in 1679 George Sampson and they had ten children (born Plymouth now Plympton): Joseph (1679), Abigail (1681), Judith/Judah (1683), Ruth (1684), Benjamin (1686), Martha (1689), George (1690/1), Elizabeth (1692), William (1695) and Seth (1697).

Ruth Sprague was born Duxbury bef 12 Feb 1659/60 and died there bef 1743. She married Dartmouth 12 Aug 1680 Eleazer Smith and they had seven children (born Dartmouth): John (1681), Eliphal (1683 m Edward Perry & Stephen Harper), Thomas (1685), Rebekah (1688 unk. if marr.), James (1689/90), Desire (1692 m Edward Wing) and Joseph (1696).

Desire Sprague was born Duxbury abt 1665. She married Sandwich 24 Nov 1696 John Gifford and they had three children: Weston (1697), Ruth (1699 m Justice Gifford) and Samuel (1705).

Fourth Generation

Thankful Sherman was born Marshfield 10 Apr 1699 and died there 28 Sep 1739. She married twice: first Marshfield 3 Jan 1722/3 Robert Atkins and second Marshfield 26 May 1726 John Polden. There are no known children by Thankful's first marriage. By second husband (Robert Atkins), Thankful had: Mary (1731) and John (1736/7)

Sarah Sherman[8] was born Marshfield 8 May 1701 and died there 7 Aug 1768. She married Marshfield 6 Jan 1725 to (Lieut.) Adam Hall[9]. They had nine children: William (1726), Thomas (1728), Adam (1729), Sarah (1731-1735), Joseph (1733), Sarah (1735 m. David Freeman), Jesse (1737), Mercy (1739 unk. if marr.) and Levi (1744).


Abigail Sampson was born Plymouth (now Plympton) 22 Jan 1680/1 and died Middleborough 15 Oct 1726. She married Plymouth 26 Aug 1703 Experience Bent and they had at least four children: Joseph (c1704), Elizabeth (c1706 m Jesse Griffith), Rachel (1708 nfr) and Alice (c1710 m Barnabas Raymond).

Judith [Judah] Sampson was born Plymouth (now Plympton) 3 Mar 1682/3 and died Dartmouth 27 Aug 1752. She married Dartmouth 6 May 1707 Jonathan Russell (II) and they had eight children: George (1707/8), Jonathan (1709), Joshua (1710/1), Benjamin (1715), Isaac (1717), Barnabus (1719), Elizabeth (1720/1 m Silas Kirby) and David (1724).

Ruth Sampson was born Plymouth (now Plympton) 22 Dec 1684 and died there May 1766. She married there 9 Sep 1703 Nehemiah Sturtevant and they had ten children: Cornelius (1704), Mercy (1706 m Benjamin Eaton), Paul (1708), Nehemiah (1710), Noah (c1713 dy), Ruth (1715 m John Loring & Isaac Kingman), Noah (1717), Abiah (1720 m Simeon Holmes), George (1725) and Lusanna (1728 m John Waterman).

Martha Sampson was born Plymouth (now Plympton) 25 Oct 1689 and died there 8 Jun 1770. She married there 24 Jan 1712 Nathaniel Fuller and they had four children: Sarah (1712 m Isaac Sturtevant & Austin Bearse), Ruth (1714 m James Cobb [II]), Amos (1719) and Barnabus (1723).

Elizabeth Sampson was born Plymouth (now Plympton) 22 Dec 1692 and died there 17 Apr 1744. She married twice, first Plympton 15 Sep 1726 Allerton Cushman and second there 4 Oct 1737 Samuel Bryant (no known children). By her first husband she had at least: Alice (1727-1727) and Joseph (1730-1731).

Fifth Generation

Mary Polden was born Marshfield 2 Jun 1731. She is believed to have married Plymouth 10 Oct 1757 John Goddard and died there 12 Dec 1800. Sarah and John had seven (but only one surviving) children: Mercy (died aged 6 years), two infants, Lydia (died aged 2 yrs, 3 mos.), Mary (died aged 2 yrs, 6 mos.), another infant, and John (only surviving child).

Sarah Hall was born Marshfield 18 Sep 1735. She may have been the Sarah Hall who married there 2 Dec 1752 David Freeman. Their further history is currently unknown.[12]

Mercy Hall was born Marshfield 12 Sep 1739. No further record.[13]


  1. ↑ Some have suggested she was the Elizabeth Neal of Scrooby (where Elder William Brewster was from) who married at Leiden 27 Dec 1611 William Buckram.
  2. ↑ It is said they originally were aboard the Mayflower or the Speedwell in 1620, but were among those left behind when the Speedwell proved unseaworthy.
  3. ↑ Elizabeth was named in the 1627 Cattle Division. It is believed this was the only contemporary record of Elizabeth.
  4. ↑ Named in the 1627 "Cattle Division" with older brother William. Neither accounted for in the 1623 land division.
  5. ↑ First known divorce case in Plymouth Colony
  6. ↑ Not named in the May 1627 Cattle Division. Her parents were enumerated, but not Sarah.
  7. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet. Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England; printed by order of the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by New Plymouth Colony, Vol. 2 Court Orders 1641-1651 p. 138 Boston: Press of William White, 1968
  8. ↑ Ruth was married second aft 1676 ____ Thomas, believed to be John Thomas of Marshfield. There were no children by this union.
  9. ↑ WikiTree has born 13 Nov 1633 without any source.
  10. ↑ It is currently unknown whether Matthew himself was the father of John Sprague "Jr." or whether Matthew's oldest son, (Lt.) Samuel Fuller (born 1630) was his father.
  11. ↑ The will of William Sherman only included twins Mary and Abigail (neither married), Sarah, and heirs of daughter Thankful (deceased). Any other children must have died young.
  12. ↑ Not found in the fifth generation of the William White Silver Book.
  13. ↑ ibid.

DNA results H1a

To date, we know of one matrilinear (all female line) descendants of Elizabeth, wife of William Bassett, who has taken a mtDNA test. This individual has taken HVR1 and HVR2 testing, but not full mtDNA testing. FTDNA has stated they fall under mtDNA Haplogroup H. The individual has three exact HVR1-HVR2 matches, and all three fall under subclades of H1a.

Lineage of testers

The matrilineal lineage of the mtDNA tester is as follows: 

 Elizabeth ______ m. William Bassett
   Ruth Bassett m. John Sprague
     Desire Sprague m. John Gifford
       Ruth Gifford m. Justice Gifford
         Catherine Gifford m. Arthur Perry
           Ruth Perry m. Jesse Gifford
             Elizabeth Gifford m. Ebenezer Adams
               Mary E. Adams m. James Kennedy
                 Elizabeth Jane Kennedy m. James Gordon Stewart
                   Sarah Stewart m. George Stewart
                     Edith Stewart m. Earl Tucker
                       tester

External References and links

  • Sherman, Ruth W. and Robert M. Sherman, comp. Robert S. Wakefield, ed., Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: vol. 13 White
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