Our Family Surname - Bassier

 

For today's joke, as I recall, Eric thought this one was funny:   A skeleton walked into a bar and ordered from the bartender:  "Give me a beer and a mop".

 

Category:  There is more to know than can ever be known.  

 

Subject:  Our family's surname - Bassier

 

Bassier was my Father's name and his Father's before him.....unfortunately that is all I know.   There could be much more to be known, but there has been no detailed family genealogy effort carried out.

Let me back-up and explain.   Keep in mind that the Bassier surname is not common in the United States.   (There are a lot of Bassiers in South Africa and in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France.   I haven't a clue as to any connections to us.)

My Father's name is Alfred Frederick Bassier.   He had 4 siblings: Margaret, Martha (or spelled "Marta"), Betty (was she an Elizabeth? - don't know) and Louis.   (I know something about these and their children, but here I will stick to BASSIER.)

My Father's father (my grandfather on that side) was Arthur Bassier (middle name or initial unknown to me).

 

Here is what I have been told about Grandfather Arthur Bassier.   He came from near a town in southern Belgium called Roeselare.   There were many horrendous World War One battles fought in this region.   The language spoken is Flemish which to me sounds very Frenchlike.   This Flemish was the tongue spoken in the old folk's household and my Father knew this language.    Back to the Bassiers:   I have been told (by my Father) that Arthur Bassier had twelve brothers and sisters (names unknown).   And, if I ever get to Europe, a search on his family (and our most direct kin) should begin in the Roeselare area.   Even after 130 odd years and two World Wars, there should likely be descendants of Arthur Bassier's siblings alive.    I was also told that Arthur was the only one of his family that came to America.   He did this hopping on a boat and coming over alone at the age of 13!  It is hard to imagine that he did this without support from close friends or relatives as travel companions and without a clear contact and target destination once he hit America. 

 

There is another great story associated with this journey to America.   On the same boat, he befriended or knew a family that was coming over with a toddler daughter.   This was young Emerence DeClercq - ten years his junior.   Emerence joked that she first met Arthur when he was baby-sitting her on the trans-Atlantic boat trip.   Yes, you may have already caught on.    Arthur and Emerence married many years later!    Emerence was our "Little Grandma" Bassier.    She pronounced Grandpa Bassier's name, not like we say King Arthur, but as "Ar tur" (maybe that was more Flemish pronunciation.)

 

Now there are not many Bassiers that I know of in America.  And, unsurprisingly we are all closely connected to Arthur and Emerence.    Here we go, as far as the males that will officially continue the Bassier surname:   My uncle Louis (deceased) had two sons Chris and Tim Bassier (I don't know anything about them).  My brother John Bassier has Michael Bassier and Tom Bassier and Jeremy Bassier and Landon Bassier and Brady Bassier.   Tom Bassier (me) has Eric Bassier and Beau Bassier and Brian Bassier (deceased).  You can tally that up and find there are eleven surviving males with the Bassier surname that I know of.   This is not intended to discount all the Bassier females that carry on the family line.

 

How do we pronounce our last name? That is the question!  John Bassier and his sons say "bay zure".   Tom Bassier (me) says "bay sir".   My Mom, Laura, Jan, Eric, Emily say "bay cee er '' with fairly clear annunciation of the short "i" and three syllables.   I don't recall how my Dad or my Grandpa Bassier pronounced their last name.   None of us say the first syllable like the fish 'bass".   It is never "bass sir" nor "bass cee er" to us.    I have asked some French Canadians that also worked for Barrick how they would pronounce this name - Arthur Bassier - after I wrote it down and showed them.  Their take on his name was:   "Ar tur Bahs seer" with the short "a" like "bah" and just a hint of the short "i" of the "ier".  Maybe this is closest to the un-Americanized version of our GREAT Last Name.

 

Back to Arthur Bassier to close out.   I have few memories to relate to you.   He was a stout bald man.   Always wore bib overalls.    Had a little rat-terrier dog as a constant companion.   This dog did not tolerate kids!  Drove old, old cars dating from pre-World War II.  Had one heck of a garden.   Painted everything with every kind of leftover paint he could find.   Including some very colorful cars!   He died of cancer in his mid-80's when I was in my first years of college.    As I reached middle-age, I was told that I resembled him and once had a conversation with very elderly “Big Grandma” Avender that started with her stating "Well, Arthur, I haven't seen you in a long time..."  In her defense, she was in her late 90's at the time.

 

My one tangible connection to Arthur Bassier is the framed print that is in my possession as of this date.   This is a print of a famous painting by Rosa Bonheur, "The Horse Fair".   (The original painting resides in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.)  This framed print should be kept in our family.   It was in Arthur and Emerence's home from my earliest memories and is likely about 100 years old.   For another time - ask how it ended up in my hands!

 

There you have it.

 

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