Submitted by: (Cindy Colley)
Page 9 From the book [out of print] " Some Basketts" by James Newton Baskett

My mother was named Maffett, and, as the name indicates, was of Irish extraction. Her grandfather was an eminent man in his region, but spoke quite a brogue. Her father was named John, and was a successful farmer in Harrison County, Ky., near Scott's Station, and not far from the Nicholas County line. He was a cooper, and as my father was quite mechanical, he used to help grandfather out with his contracts. Thus he and my mother, Nancy Elizabeth, were married. She was the oldest of her family and became a mother to all of them, though her mother lived to be 71, and died in Mexico, Mo. at my mother's home. Grandmother's maiden name was Low, and she used to say that she was of German extraction. I could never get any trace of the family. She had one brother, a fine old man, Uncle Eben Low, but that is all that I know of her immediate family, except that she had one sister who married a Mr. Leeper and moved in an early day to Lewis Co., Mo. where she reared a large family of boys and girls. All of these are dead now except Mrs. Ann Leeper Eubanks of Marshall, Mo., and Mrs. Kate Leeper Roberts, now of St. Louis. Each has some children. My mother's maternal grandfather had a second wife by whom he had one daughter that I know of, Margaret. She married a man by the name of Joseph Lucas, a prominent preacher of the so-called Christian or Campbell lite church, a debater of some note, who at one time practiced medicine in Hannibal, Mo., and that region. She had several daughters who are married and scattered. One is Mrs. Judge Ellison of Maryville, Mo. She has an interesting daughter, whom I met once in Mexico.

My maternal grandfather had one sister who married a Mr. Long at Scott's Station, Ky. There were numerous children and I think there were other sisters. My mother had an uncle, Joseph Maffett whom she loved as well as her own father. He was only a half uncle, and moved to Paris, Ill., where there should be some of his progeny yet. I met him once. He was an excellent man.

One brother and three sisters of my mother reached maturity. Thomas the brother, only a boy, entered Brice's army about 1863, and was killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge, Ark. Aunt Sally married Joseph W. Riggs, and after living in various parts of Mo., both finally died in Texas. She died only a few weeks before my mother. Rufus and Edgar Riggs did live near Nevada, Mo., and are there probably yet. Two of the girls, Hattie and Cordelia, have lived in Texas. I cannot recall their married names.

Aunt Martha Maffett married Jesse H. Carter, my own cousin, and with these we have been so intimately associated as to need no detail here. Aunt Mary Maffett never married, but died in the summer of 1895, at my house, while I was away at Hot Springs, Arkansas. Aunt Martha, Aunt Matt, died recently, July 1913, at her home in Audrain County, Mo.

This submitter gave this info to the Audrain CO., MO Genealogy Assoc. in 1995:
 Contact: Edited by:
Melissa Perkins Baskett  [email protected] 
1434 W. Marion Ave #4
Punta Gorda FL  33950        1-941-639-6385

 

Last updated 02/23/08