According to my database, Cuie Tuttle (b. ca 1871) d/o Joseph Tuttle (b. ca 1832) & Patience Sasser (b. ca 1834) married (ca 1894) Thomas Hale (b. ca 1865). Can someone tell me if Thomas was s/o Madison Hale & Louisa Taylor (m 1864)? Thanks. Vietta. ------------------------------

I am still unfamiliar with what has preceded my joining this discussion group BUT as a student of early American history, I think it difficult to be convince d that the Sassers'name when they came to America was DeSaussure. This is a ver y old French Huguenot name still very much present in SC. The Anglicized pronun ciation is very, very different from Sasser. I can't spell it phonetically, I don't think, but in the U. S., it's Des-ah-soh. How's that for a corruption! If I Sassers were Huguenots, they must have first been in England for a generat ion or two (many were) and there the spelling and prononuciation change would have taken place. Still, however, I don't see where this discussion of family origins is going to take us very far until we have those in NC straightened out, if that is possib le, and possibly linked to those in Maryland. It's mostly speculation. Somers Miller, Univ. of South Carolina ------------------------------

In a message dated 97-06-03 20:21:24 EDT, you write: > No will, estate inventory, > etc. for John Sasser have been found. In the past, I've posted a Court Case from the New Bern District 1793 that states John Sasser died in 1782. I'd be happy to re-send it to anyone who would like a copy (From the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, File #3493). > Based on research in North Carolina and information from kentucky family > sources, William Sasser (c. 1753-1815), son of John Sasser, Sr., married > a Martha Bishop in North Carolina and fathered at least two sons, Henry > and John, born 1778 and 1779. He was elected sheriff of Johnston > County., N.C. on 31, May 1796. He and his wife may have been the older > couple reported in the household of Henry Sasser on the 1810 census of > Johnston Co., N.C. From the same Court Case mentioned above, "The Jury further find that the said John Sassers Junior died Seized in fee simple of the premises in Question in the year 1776 intestate and without issue, leaving at the time of his death Wm Sassers his elder brother living, who afterwards died intestate in the year 1781. leaving James Sassers his only son then an infant about five years old who is the Lessor of the Plaintiff." John Jr.'s brother William died in 1781, and his only son was named James. He was not the father of Henry Sasser. > 41219 SASSER: Died at Smithfield, lately, of the prevailing disease, > Capt. William Sasser, of that place, merchant. RR Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:5. > > As far as we can learn, the above named died of the prevailing Epidemic > or Camp Plague. RaNCSw Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:4. > > Taken from Volume I abstracts of Vital Records from Raleigh, N.C. > Newspapers, 1799-1819. The William Sasser who died in 1815 was the son of Josiah Sasser. The Johnston County Court Minutes (May 22, 1815, p. 219) stated "Elizabeth Blackman having in Open Court Reliquinshed her Right of Administration on the Estate of her decd. son William Sasser, Admn. is therefore granted to John Sanders, Jr. who came into Court and entered into bond in the Sum of L20,000 with Reuben Sanders and William Hinton Esqr. his Securities, and Qualified agreeably to Law, Ordered that said Admr. have leave to sell the perishable Estate of said decd. agreeably to Law." > Henry Sasser evidently married the first time about 1800-1805 and was a > widower with a daughter by 1810 (census). An older couple in his > household at that time could have been his parents, but were, just as > likely, the parents of his first wife. On the 1820 census, Henry's > 10-15 year old daughter was living with him and his new family. The > older couple was no longer in his household. The older daughter was > probably one of the two Ann Sassers who married at Smithfield in 1824, > at about 18-19 years of age. The idea of Henry marrying before 1810 is very interesting. Is there any source for the idea? The 1820 census data can all be accounted for by Henry's children (Keziah, Dixon, Lindy, Adin, Arthur, and Barton) and the three Godwin children (Jordon, Kuzzy, and Elizabeth), for whom Henry and Nancy became guardians in 1817 [Weynette Parks Haun, "Johnston County North Carolina County Court Minutes 1816 Thru 1818," Book X (Durham, NC: By the author, 1978), p. 50]. In 1825, Elizabeth Godwin "received of Henry Sasser the sum of $72.47 in full of my part of my Father's Estate in the Hands of said Sasser, my Guardian" ["Record of Estates of Johnston County", Vol 14, 1825-1831, p. 71 (Feb 1826 Term), Microfilm C.056.5006, North Carolina State Archives]. Jordon and Kuzzy were turned over to Simon Godwin in 1826 [Weynette Pars Haun, Johnston County North Carolina County Court Minutes 1823 Thru 1826, Box XII (Durham, NC: By the author, 1979), p. 125]. I hope these annotations can help correct some very common misconceptions about Henry Sasser's family (I noticed the original compilation was from 1983). I can't really comment on the French origin that was suggested in the original posting. Has anyone else heard this story? Doug Sherman dougsherma@aol.com ------------------------------

Please add my alternative e-mail address to the group. Sincerely, Phil Sasser 1207 Kingston Ridge Rd. Cary, NC 27511 (919) 460-SASS ------------------------------

I new to this whole Sasser e-mail. I honestly don't know any information about anyone in the Sasser family. My parents are divorced and I don't know my father. My name is James Dewey Sasser Jr. and I am From Birmingham Alabama. I do know my father was born in washington state. If anyone has any information that might help me get started here it would be appreciated. thankyou.. James Sasser ------------------------------

In a message dated 97-06-03 11:06:00 EDT, you write: > AMENDATION: My earlier message, last line shoud have read: "Who were the 3 or > 4 WILLIAM Sassers....?" Somers, Here is a brief list of William Sassers I have run across in my research. If I can find some spare time, I will try to expand on this. 1. William Sasser of 1733. Signed a petition along with John and Thomas Sasser petitioning Gov. George Burrington not to move the seat of government for the Craven Precinct to Edenton, NC. [The Colonial Records of North Carolina, Records of the Executive Council 1664-1734, Vol VII, 1984, Robert J. Cain, Ed., pp. 301-303]. He might also be who owned property in Edgecombe County in 1743 [The Colonial Records of North Carolina, Records of the Executive Council 1735-1754, Vol VIII, 1988, Robert J. Cain, Ed., pp. 146-147]. 2. William Sasser, father of Henry Sasser (b. 1778, Johnston Co., NC. d. 1859, Laurel Co., KY). His dates of birth and death are unknown. He had property in Johnston Co. (1782, 1790, and 1799) and may have been a taxpayer in Dobbs Co. in 1779. 3. William Sasser, son of John Sasser, Sr. Died in 1781. Children include James, Sarah, and Ann. [New Bern Superior Court of Jan March Term 1792; Genealogy of Nancy Sasser by Muriel E. Lewis, NC State Archives, Sasser Vertical File] 4. William Sasser, son of Josiah Sasser and Elizabeth Bryan (later Blackman). Died in March 1815 in Smithfield, NC, probably without heirs. ["Abstracts of Vital Records From Raleigh, North Carolina Newspapers 1799-1819" by Lois Smathers Neal, 1979, p. 40. Microfilm of the original newspapers are available in the State Archives]. His heirs fought over his property for nearly 10 years. 5. William Sasser, son of Lewis Sasser and Nancy Lee. Born around 1808-1810. His mother died around 1813-1814, and William shows up in guardianship reports by Lewis in the Johnston County minutes [BTW, Lewis was brother to William Sasser #4]. There may be others, but these seem to be the key players. Doug Sherman dougsherma@aol.com ------------------------------

The Sasser's 1. John Sasser Birth c. 1715, N.C. Died 1785 N.C. 2. William Sasser Birth c. 1753, N.C. 3. Henry Sasser Birth c. 1778, N.C. Died 1859 KY 4. Barden Sasser Birth c. October 25, 1819 m. Pharby Jones B. 1831 5. A.H. Sasser April 5, 1864 Died 1932 6. Newton E. Sasser Birth February 10, 1891 John Sasser (1715-1785) According to family sources, John Sasser's forbears were French Huguenots who had fled from religious persecution in France to England during the 1680's and emigrated to the Carolina soon thereafter. The family name, which was "De Sasseur" (or an approximation), was changed to "Sasser", either in England or after emigration to the colonies. Based on research completes thus far, John Sasser was a merchant, trader (import-export), and an extensive land holder in several counties in eastern North Carolina, primarily in the area of present-day Johnston and Wayne counties. By one deed alone, he transferred over 1,200 acres in Wayne County (seat Goldsboro), bordering on Johnston County. A relatively small tract (90 acres), adjacent to land he owned in Johnston county (seat Smithfield), was granted John Sasser by King George II of England in 1775. No will, estate inventory, etc. for John Sasser have been found. Part of the county records were destroyed by Cornwallis' troops. The date of his death and most of the information about his children are gleaned from the few land deeds that survived. On these documents, John Sasser mentioned four sons and one daughter. 1. Josiah (c.1745-1781) 2. Stephen (c.1747-1815) 3. John, Jr. (c.1750- ) 4. William (c.1753-1815) 5. Mary (?) m Samuel Blyth Much is made of John Sasser's eldest son Josiah, in Wayne county history on two counts: * The first court for the newly-established county was held in his home * He married into a prominent and well-documented family. The Act establishing Wayne county provided that "the court be held at the home of Col. Josiah Sasser, pending erection of a court house". His plantation on Little River was the oldest and largest clearing in the area surveyed for the new county. Photographs of the Sasser place were taken in 1975 under the auspices of the Wayne County Historical Association. Josiah Sasser died following the first court session, held at his home in 1781. He was about 36 years old and was said to have been wounded in the Revolutionary War. He married Elizabeth Smith Bryan (1751-1842) in Smith field in 1770. They had six children, the eldest of whom was named John, for Josiah's father. John Sasser, Sr. who outlived his sone by a few years, gave his grandson a negro in 1782 and the state of North Carolina granted the young boy a tract of land in 1784. Josiah's widow re-married twice and eventually moved to Georgia, where she died in 1842 at 91 years of age. William Sasser (c. 1753-1815) This youngest son of John Sasser, Sr. and his brother, John, Jr. were apparently working for their father in 1771: William Sasser witnessed a receipt from the colonial government to a certain Thomas Toler for "bringing boat to Mr. John Sasser's landing to carry Ye King's provisions down to New Bern"; and, in the same year John Sasser, Jr. witnessed receipt of money paid a wagoner to "his Excellency's troops". William and John, Jr. were probably 18-20 years old at the time and not yet married. William Sasser sold a tract of land in 1781 that had been conveyed to him by John Sasser, Sr., indicating that William had married during the 1770's. According to a land deed in 1784, he was living on a plantation adjoining those of his father and his brothers, Stephen and John. Based on research in North Carolina and information from kentucky family sources, William Sasser (c. 1753-1815), son of John Sasser, Sr., married a Martha Bishop in North Carolina and fathered at least two sons, Henry and John, born 1778 and 1779. He was elected sheriff of Johnston County., N.C. on 31, May 1796. He and his wife may have been the older couple reported in the household of Henry Sasser on the 1810 census of Johnston Co., N.C. 41219 SASSER: Died at Smithfield, lately, of the prevailing disease, Capt. William Sasser, of that place, merchant. RR Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:5. As far as we can learn, the above named died of the prevailing Epidemic or Camp Plague. RaNCSw Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:4. Taken from Volume I abstracts of Vital Records from Raleigh, N.C. Newspapers, 1799-1819. Henry Sasser (c. 1778, N.C. - 1859 KY) According to family sources, Henry was born in Johnston Co., N.C., the elder son of William Sasser and Martha Bishop. He was my mother's maternal grandfather. There were several Sasser families in the original Johnston County (established 1746). Some of them-notably, "the French Sassers who were no kin to the other Sassers in the area-owned land in the eastern part of Johnston that was split off to create Dobbs County in 1758. Of no particular importance, but Henry Sasser was probably born in Dobbs County (now extinct), a few years before it was replaced by Wayne. At any rate, he lived in or near Smithfield, N.C. (county seat of Johnston) from the time he was a young man. Here, he was closely acquainted with three Sasser brothers, some 15-20 years his senior. Research in Smithfield disproved and close kinship: one of the Sassers had two sons, named in his will in 1815 as Lewis and John; the other two had only one sone each; on of them designated Henry Sasser as co-executor of his estate, referring to him as "my friend Henry Sasser". The earliest mention of Henry Sasser in the court minutes of Johnston County is in 1797, as witness to a land deed. From then until he left for Kentucky some 30 years later, the county records are rife with his name. He was appointed juror or "most worshipful justice" on session after session, went security for the appointment of guardians for orphans, attested to land deeds, bought and sold land himself rather frequently, was named executor or co-administrator on wills by his wife's relatives and by friends, was appointed to take lists of polls and taxable property, was bondsman or witness on marriage bonds, was named to investigate the plight of destitute widows and to arrange for the provision of sustenance, was named on a committee to "lay out roads", attested to estate inventories and reported on post-inventory divisions of property, etc. Henry Sasser evidently married the first time about 1800-1805 and was a widower with a daughter by 1810 (census). An older couple in his household at that time could have been his parents, but were, just as likely, the parents of his first wife. On the 1820 census, Henry's 10-15 year old daughter was living with him and his new family. The older couple was no longer in his household. The older daughter was probably one of the two Ann Sassers who married at Smithfield in 1824, at about 18-19 years of age. Henry Sasser married Nancy Kirby in Smithfield, N.C. in February 1812. He was almost 34 years old and his bride not yet 20. They had 10 children by 1826 when Henry and Nancy moved to Laurel County, Kentucky (Blackwater Creek), accompanied by several relatives and at least one of his Sasser friends. Henry Sasser was 49 years old at this time. One newborn infant died just prior to or during the move to Kentucky. Three additional children born in Kentucky, the youngest is 1834 when Henry was 56 years old and Nancy was 42. Henry is said to have died in Laurel County in January 1859, at almost 81 years of age. The following is a list of the children of Henry Sasser and Nancy Kirby: 1. Keziah "Kizzie" b 1813 N.C. m 1839 Peter Tuttle 2. Dixon b 1814 N.C. m 1863 Sarah Ann Tuttle 3. Malinda b 1815 N.C. m 1841 Milton B. Jones 4. Adin b 1816 N.C. m 1838 Elizabeth Waggoner; d 1869 5. Arthur b 1818 N.C. m 1839 Lavina Weaver; d 1899 6. Barden b 1819 N.C. m 1846 Pharby Jones 7. Piety b 1821 N.C. m 1837 William Humfleet 8. Martha Patsy b 1823 N.C. m 1839 Joseph Botkin 9. William Henry C. b.1824 N.C. m 1852 Rhoda Gilbert 10. James Henderson b 1825 N.C. m 1852 Martha Hubbard 11. Infant b c.1826; d c.1826 12. Jesse b 1828 KY m 1851 Nancy Gilbert; d 1863 13. Nancy b 1830 KY m 1852 William Williams 14. Patience b 1834 KY m 1852 Joseph Tuttle; d 1878 Adin Sasser (4) and his wife had 11 children born 1839-1861. Their second son, Thomas b. 1845, was killed in the Civil War. Son Eli b. 1849 married my mother's Aunt Mary Tuttle; they had 11 children; Mary Tuttle Sasser died in the lat4e 1880's and Eli Sasser re-married and moved to Oklahoma. Adin died in 1869, age 53. Henry Sasser named his son Arthur (5) for his friend in Smithfield, N.C. who had died shortly before his name sake's birth and whose only son would accompany Henry Sasser to Kentucky a few years later. Arthur and his wife had 10 children (9 survived infancy), born 1841-1858. One son and two daughters married Jonses (relationship undetermined). Barden Sasser (6) and his wife had 10 children, born 1847-1871. Their son Milton married his first cousin Louisa Sasser, daughter of Adin (4); Milton died in 1879, age 26, after five years of marriage and three children (A FOURTH WAS BORN AFTER HE DIED). One of Barden Sasser's daughters, Mary b.1855, married William Jones b 1854. Their daughter Elizabeth Jones b 1874 married her second cousin, my mother's brother "Jeff" Tuttle b 1871. Jesse Sasser (12) was named for his maternal grandfather, Jesse Kirby. He served in the 1st Tennessee Calvary Volunteers and was killed in action in Tennessee during the Civil War. He was 35 years old, had been married about 12 years and had fathered five children. One of his granddaughters, Rhoda b 1859, married Hiram Glass; their granddaughter, Rhoda Glass lived in Lexington, KY with her mother and taught high school during the 1920-30 period. Jesse Sasser's widow, Nancy Gilbert Sasser, did not remarry and was still living in Laurel County in 1900, age 72. Six of the seven Sasser brothers are known to have died before 1900. The widows of five of them were listed on the 1900 Laurel County Census. No trace of Adin Sasser's widow; he died in 1869. The seventh uncle, William Henry Sasser (9), is believed to have lived in Knox County. If he was still living in 1900, he would have been 76 years old. Piety Sasser Humfleet (7) had 10 children, born 1838-1860. Henry Sasser's 13 children-seven sons and six daughters-had 125 children who survived infancy, according to a list provided by one of my mother's nieces, a Tuttle-Sasser descendant. The grandchildren were born, generally speaking, between 1840 and 1880. Patience Sasser Tuttle (14) the youngest of Henry Sasser's children, was named for her maternal grandmother. She was married in 1852 to Joseph Tuttle. (This information was compiled by Edith Asher Gray of Clearwater, Florida in 1983. I have added or changed some information to fit our line. Received from Mary Ann Burrows and the Wallowa County Sasser Family Reunion) Dixie@locktrack.com Evans & Ricker, Inc. 7405 SW Tech Center Drive , Suite 144 Portland, OR 97223 Phone: 503-639-9296 Fax: 503-684-1411 ------------------------------

The Sasser's 1. John Sasser Birth c. 1715, N.C. Died 1785 N.C. 2. William Sasser Birth c. 1753, N.C. 3. Henry Sasser Birth c. 1778, N.C. Died 1859 KY 4. Barden Sasser Birth c. October 25, 1819 m. Pharby Jones B. 1831 5. A.H. Sasser April 5, 1864 Died 1932 6. Newton E. Sasser Birth February 10, 1891 John Sasser (1715-1785) According to family sources, John Sasser's forbears were French Huguenots who had fled from religious persecution in France to England during the 1680's and emigrated to the Carolina soon thereafter. The family name, which was "De Sasseur" (or an approximation), was changed to "Sasser", either in England or after emigration to the colonies. Based on research completes thus far, John Sasser was a merchant, trader (import-export), and an extensive land holder in several counties in eastern North Carolina, primarily in the area of present-day Johnston and Wayne counties. By one deed alone, he transferred over 1,200 acres in Wayne County (seat Goldsboro), bordering on Johnston County. A relatively small tract (90 acres), adjacent to land he owned in Johnston county (seat Smithfield), was granted John Sasser by King George II of England in 1775. No will, estate inventory, etc. for John Sasser have been found. Part of the county records were destroyed by Cornwallis' troops. The date of his death and most of the information about his children are gleaned from the few land deeds that survived. On these documents, John Sasser mentioned four sons and one daughter. 1. Josiah (c.1745-1781) 2. Stephen (c.1747-1815) 3. John, Jr. (c.1750- ) 4. William (c.1753-1815) 5. Mary (?) m Samuel Blyth Much is made of John Sasser's eldest son Josiah, in Wayne county history on two counts: * The first court for the newly-established county was held in his home * He married into a prominent and well-documented family. The Act establishing Wayne county provided that "the court be held at the home of Col. Josiah Sasser, pending erection of a court house". His plantation on Little River was the oldest and largest clearing in the area surveyed for the new county. Photographs of the Sasser place were taken in 1975 under the auspices of the Wayne County Historical Association. Josiah Sasser died following the first court session, held at his home in 1781. He was about 36 years old and was said to have been wounded in the Revolutionary War. He married Elizabeth Smith Bryan (1751-1842) in Smith field in 1770. They had six children, the eldest of whom was named John, for Josiah's father. John Sasser, Sr. who outlived his sone by a few years, gave his grandson a negro in 1782 and the state of North Carolina granted the young boy a tract of land in 1784. Josiah's widow re-married twice and eventually moved to Georgia, where she died in 1842 at 91 years of age. William Sasser (c. 1753-1815) This youngest son of John Sasser, Sr. and his brother, John, Jr. were apparently working for their father in 1771: William Sasser witnessed a receipt from the colonial government to a certain Thomas Toler for "bringing boat to Mr. John Sasser's landing to carry Ye King's provisions down to New Bern"; and, in the same year John Sasser, Jr. witnessed receipt of money paid a wagoner to "his Excellency's troops". William and John, Jr. were probably 18-20 years old at the time and not yet married. William Sasser sold a tract of land in 1781 that had been conveyed to him by John Sasser, Sr., indicating that William had married during the 1770's. According to a land deed in 1784, he was living on a plantation adjoining those of his father and his brothers, Stephen and John. Based on research in North Carolina and information from kentucky family sources, William Sasser (c. 1753-1815), son of John Sasser, Sr., married a Martha Bishop in North Carolina and fathered at least two sons, Henry and John, born 1778 and 1779. He was elected sheriff of Johnston County., N.C. on 31, May 1796. He and his wife may have been the older couple reported in the household of Henry Sasser on the 1810 census of Johnston Co., N.C. 41219 SASSER: Died at Smithfield, lately, of the prevailing disease, Capt. William Sasser, of that place, merchant. RR Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:5. As far as we can learn, the above named died of the prevailing Epidemic or Camp Plague. RaNCSw Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:4. Taken from Volume I abstracts of Vital Records from Raleigh, N.C. Newspapers, 1799-1819. Henry Sasser (c. 1778, N.C. - 1859 KY) According to family sources, Henry was born in Johnston Co., N.C., the elder son of William Sasser and Martha Bishop. He was my mother's maternal grandfather. There were several Sasser families in the original Johnston County (established 1746). Some of them-notably, "the French Sassers who were no kin to the other Sassers in the area-owned land in the eastern part of Johnston that was split off to create Dobbs County in 1758. Of no particular importance, but Henry Sasser was probably born in Dobbs County (now extinct), a few years before it was replaced by Wayne. At any rate, he lived in or near Smithfield, N.C. (county seat of Johnston) from the time he was a young man. Here, he was closely acquainted with three Sasser brothers, some 15-20 years his senior. Research in Smithfield disproved and close kinship: one of the Sassers had two sons, named in his will in 1815 as Lewis and John; the other two had only one sone each; on of them designated Henry Sasser as co-executor of his estate, referring to him as "my friend Henry Sasser". The earliest mention of Henry Sasser in the court minutes of Johnston County is in 1797, as witness to a land deed. From then until he left for Kentucky some 30 years later, the county records are rife with his name. He was appointed juror or "most worshipful justice" on session after session, went security for the appointment of guardians for orphans, attested to land deeds, bought and sold land himself rather frequently, was named executor or co-administrator on wills by his wife's relatives and by friends, was appointed to take lists of polls and taxable property, was bondsman or witness on marriage bonds, was named to investigate the plight of destitute widows and to arrange for the provision of sustenance, was named on a committee to "lay out roads", attested to estate inventories and reported on post-inventory divisions of property, etc. Henry Sasser evidently married the first time about 1800-1805 and was a widower with a daughter by 1810 (census). An older couple in his household at that time could have been his parents, but were, just as likely, the parents of his first wife. On the 1820 census, Henry's 10-15 year old daughter was living with him and his new family. The older couple was no longer in his household. The older daughter was probably one of the two Ann Sassers who married at Smithfield in 1824, at about 18-19 years of age. Henry Sasser married Nancy Kirby in Smithfield, N.C. in February 1812. He was almost 34 years old and his bride not yet 20. They had 10 children by 1826 when Henry and Nancy moved to Laurel County, Kentucky (Blackwater Creek), accompanied by several relatives and at least one of his Sasser friends. Henry Sasser was 49 years old at this time. One newborn infant died just prior to or during the move to Kentucky. Three additional children born in Kentucky, the youngest is 1834 when Henry was 56 years old and Nancy was 42. Henry is said to have died in Laurel County in January 1859, at almost 81 years of age. The following is a list of the children of Henry Sasser and Nancy Kirby: 1. Keziah "Kizzie" b 1813 N.C. m 1839 Peter Tuttle 2. Dixon b 1814 N.C. m 1863 Sarah Ann Tuttle 3. Malinda b 1815 N.C. m 1841 Milton B. Jones 4. Adin b 1816 N.C. m 1838 Elizabeth Waggoner; d 1869 5. Arthur b 1818 N.C. m 1839 Lavina Weaver; d 1899 6. Barden b 1819 N.C. m 1846 Pharby Jones 7. Piety b 1821 N.C. m 1837 William Humfleet 8. Martha Patsy b 1823 N.C. m 1839 Joseph Botkin 9. William Henry C. b.1824 N.C. m 1852 Rhoda Gilbert 10. James Henderson b 1825 N.C. m 1852 Martha Hubbard 11. Infant b c.1826; d c.1826 12. Jesse b 1828 KY m 1851 Nancy Gilbert; d 1863 13. Nancy b 1830 KY m 1852 William Williams 14. Patience b 1834 KY m 1852 Joseph Tuttle; d 1878 Adin Sasser (4) and his wife had 11 children born 1839-1861. Their second son, Thomas b. 1845, was killed in the Civil War. Son Eli b. 1849 married my mother's Aunt Mary Tuttle; they had 11 children; Mary Tuttle Sasser died in the lat4e 1880's and Eli Sasser re-married and moved to Oklahoma. Adin died in 1869, age 53. Henry Sasser named his son Arthur (5) for his friend in Smithfield, N.C. who had died shortly before his name sake's birth and whose only son would accompany Henry Sasser to Kentucky a few years later. Arthur and his wife had 10 children (9 survived infancy), born 1841-1858. One son and two daughters married Jonses (relationship undetermined). Barden Sasser (6) and his wife had 10 children, born 1847-1871. Their son Milton married his first cousin Louisa Sasser, daughter of Adin (4); Milton died in 1879, age 26, after five years of marriage and three children (A FOURTH WAS BORN AFTER HE DIED). One of Barden Sasser's daughters, Mary b.1855, married William Jones b 1854. Their daughter Elizabeth Jones b 1874 married her second cousin, my mother's brother "Jeff" Tuttle b 1871. Jesse Sasser (12) was named for his maternal grandfather, Jesse Kirby. He served in the 1st Tennessee Calvary Volunteers and was killed in action in Tennessee during the Civil War. He was 35 years old, had been married about 12 years and had fathered five children. One of his granddaughters, Rhoda b 1859, married Hiram Glass; their granddaughter, Rhoda Glass lived in Lexington, KY with her mother and taught high school during the 1920-30 period. Jesse Sasser's widow, Nancy Gilbert Sasser, did not remarry and was still living in Laurel County in 1900, age 72. Six of the seven Sasser brothers are known to have died before 1900. The widows of five of them were listed on the 1900 Laurel County Census. No trace of Adin Sasser's widow; he died in 1869. The seventh uncle, William Henry Sasser (9), is believed to have lived in Knox County. If he was still living in 1900, he would have been 76 years old. Piety Sasser Humfleet (7) had 10 children, born 1838-1860. Henry Sasser's 13 children-seven sons and six daughters-had 125 children who survived infancy, according to a list provided by one of my mother's nieces, a Tuttle-Sasser descendant. The grandchildren were born, generally speaking, between 1840 and 1880. Patience Sasser Tuttle (14) the youngest of Henry Sasser's children, was named for her maternal grandmother. She was married in 1852 to Joseph Tuttle. (This information was compiled by Edith Asher Gray of Clearwater, Florida in 1983. I have added or changed some information to fit our line. Received from Mary Ann Burrows and the Wallowa County Sasser Family Reunion) Dixie@locktrack.com Evans & Ricker, Inc. 7405 SW Tech Center Drive , Suite 144 Portland, OR 97223 Phone: 503-639-9296 Fax: 503-684-1411 ------------------------------

I am trying to link Sabra to her parents. Anyone have a clue as to who that might be. Someone just posted something about Stephen Sasser from Dobbs Co., NC, but no dates. Could that have been a relative?-Bill Individual Summary - 24 Jan 1997 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Name: Sabra SASSER Sex: Female Individual Facts Birth 1750 in Dobbs Co., NC Death aft 1833 in Screven Co., GA Marriages/Children 1. James BOYETT Sr. Marriage 1768 in Dobbs Co., NC Children Phillip BOYETT Abigail BOYETT Allen BOYETT Irvin BOYETT Elizabeth BOYETT Ann BOYETT Stephen BOYETT (born 1770) James BOYETT Jr. (born 1772) Edward BOYETT (born 1774) Seth BOYETT (born 1794) 2. Joseph BECKTON Marriage 12 May 1833 in Screven Co, GA Sabra is my 4th g, grandmother. William L. Boulineau Antigo, WI 54409-8600 ------------------------------

The Sasser's 1. John Sasser Birth c. 1715, N.C. Died 1785 N.C. 2. William Sasser Birth c. 1753, N.C. 3. Henry Sasser Birth c. 1778, N.C. Died 1859 KY 4. Barden Sasser Birth c. October 25, 1819 m. Pharby Jones B. 1831 5. A.H. Sasser April 5, 1864 Died 1932 6. Newton E. Sasser Birth February 10, 1891 John Sasser (1715-1785) According to family sources, John Sasser's forbears were French Huguenots who had fled from religious persecution in France to England during the 1680's and emigrated to the Carolina soon thereafter. The family name, which was "De Sasseur" (or an approximation), was changed to "Sasser", either in England or after emigration to the colonies. Based on research completes thus far, John Sasser was a merchant, trader (import-export), and an extensive land holder in several counties in eastern North Carolina, primarily in the area of present-day Johnston and Wayne counties. By one deed alone, he transferred over 1,200 acres in Wayne County (seat Goldsboro), bordering on Johnston County. A relatively small tract (90 acres), adjacent to land he owned in Johnston county (seat Smithfield), was granted John Sasser by King George II of England in 1775. No will, estate inventory, etc. for John Sasser have been found. Part of the county records were destroyed by Cornwallis' troops. The date of his death and most of the information about his children are gleaned from the few land deeds that survived. On these documents, John Sasser mentioned four sons and one daughter. 1. Josiah (c.1745-1781) 2. Stephen (c.1747-1815) 3. John, Jr. (c.1750- ) 4. William (c.1753-1815) 5. Mary (?) m Samuel Blyth Much is made of John Sasser's eldest son Josiah, in Wayne county history on two counts: * The first court for the newly-established county was held in his home * He married into a prominent and well-documented family. The Act establishing Wayne county provided that "the court be held at the home of Col. Josiah Sasser, pending erection of a court house". His plantation on Little River was the oldest and largest clearing in the area surveyed for the new county. Photographs of the Sasser place were taken in 1975 under the auspices of the Wayne County Historical Association. Josiah Sasser died following the first court session, held at his home in 1781. He was about 36 years old and was said to have been wounded in the Revolutionary War. He married Elizabeth Smith Bryan (1751-1842) in Smith field in 1770. They had six children, the eldest of whom was named John, for Josiah's father. John Sasser, Sr. who outlived his sone by a few years, gave his grandson a negro in 1782 and the state of North Carolina granted the young boy a tract of land in 1784. Josiah's widow re-married twice and eventually moved to Georgia, where she died in 1842 at 91 years of age. William Sasser (c. 1753-1815) This youngest son of John Sasser, Sr. and his brother, John, Jr. were apparently working for their father in 1771: William Sasser witnessed a receipt from the colonial government to a certain Thomas Toler for "bringing boat to Mr. John Sasser's landing to carry Ye King's provisions down to New Bern"; and, in the same year John Sasser, Jr. witnessed receipt of money paid a wagoner to "his Excellency's troops". William and John, Jr. were probably 18-20 years old at the time and not yet married. William Sasser sold a tract of land in 1781 that had been conveyed to him by John Sasser, Sr., indicating that William had married during the 1770's. According to a land deed in 1784, he was living on a plantation adjoining those of his father and his brothers, Stephen and John. Based on research in North Carolina and information from kentucky family sources, William Sasser (c. 1753-1815), son of John Sasser, Sr., married a Martha Bishop in North Carolina and fathered at least two sons, Henry and John, born 1778 and 1779. He was elected sheriff of Johnston County., N.C. on 31, May 1796. He and his wife may have been the older couple reported in the household of Henry Sasser on the 1810 census of Johnston Co., N.C. 41219 SASSER: Died at Smithfield, lately, of the prevailing disease, Capt. William Sasser, of that place, merchant. RR Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:5. As far as we can learn, the above named died of the prevailing Epidemic or Camp Plague. RaNCSw Fri 31 Mar 1815 3:4. Taken from Volume I abstracts of Vital Records from Raleigh, N.C. Newspapers, 1799-1819. Henry Sasser (c. 1778, N.C. - 1859 KY) According to family sources, Henry was born in Johnston Co., N.C., the elder son of William Sasser and Martha Bishop. He was my mother's maternal grandfather. There were several Sasser families in the original Johnston County (established 1746). Some of them-notably, "the French Sassers who were no kin to the other Sassers in the area-owned land in the eastern part of Johnston that was split off to create Dobbs County in 1758. Of no particular importance, but Henry Sasser was probably born in Dobbs County (now extinct), a few years before it was replaced by Wayne. At any rate, he lived in or near Smithfield, N.C. (county seat of Johnston) from the time he was a young man. Here, he was closely acquainted with three Sasser brothers, some 15-20 years his senior. Research in Smithfield disproved and close kinship: one of the Sassers had two sons, named in his will in 1815 as Lewis and John; the other two had only one sone each; on of them designated Henry Sasser as co-executor of his estate, referring to him as "my friend Henry Sasser". The earliest mention of Henry Sasser in the court minutes of Johnston County is in 1797, as witness to a land deed. From then until he left for Kentucky some 30 years later, the county records are rife with his name. He was appointed juror or "most worshipful justice" on session after session, went security for the appointment of guardians for orphans, attested to land deeds, bought and sold land himself rather frequently, was named executor or co-administrator on wills by his wife's relatives and by friends, was appointed to take lists of polls and taxable property, was bondsman or witness on marriage bonds, was named to investigate the plight of destitute widows and to arrange for the provision of sustenance, was named on a committee to "lay out roads", attested to estate inventories and reported on post-inventory divisions of property, etc. Henry Sasser evidently married the first time about 1800-1805 and was a widower with a daughter by 1810 (census). An older couple in his household at that time could have been his parents, but were, just as likely, the parents of his first wife. On the 1820 census, Henry's 10-15 year old daughter was living with him and his new family. The older couple was no longer in his household. The older daughter was probably one of the two Ann Sassers who married at Smithfield in 1824, at about 18-19 years of age. Henry Sasser married Nancy Kirby in Smithfield, N.C. in February 1812. He was almost 34 years old and his bride not yet 20. They had 10 children by 1826 when Henry and Nancy moved to Laurel County, Kentucky (Blackwater Creek), accompanied by several relatives and at least one of his Sasser friends. Henry Sasser was 49 years old at this time. One newborn infant died just prior to or during the move to Kentucky. Three additional children born in Kentucky, the youngest is 1834 when Henry was 56 years old and Nancy was 42. Henry is said to have died in Laurel County in January 1859, at almost 81 years of age. The following is a list of the children of Henry Sasser and Nancy Kirby: 1. Keziah "Kizzie" b 1813 N.C. m 1839 Peter Tuttle 2. Dixon b 1814 N.C. m 1863 Sarah Ann Tuttle 3. Malinda b 1815 N.C. m 1841 Milton B. Jones 4. Adin b 1816 N.C. m 1838 Elizabeth Waggoner; d 1869 5. Arthur b 1818 N.C. m 1839 Lavina Weaver; d 1899 6. Barden b 1819 N.C. m 1846 Pharby Jones 7. Piety b 1821 N.C. m 1837 William Humfleet 8. Martha Patsy b 1823 N.C. m 1839 Joseph Botkin 9. William Henry C. b.1824 N.C. m 1852 Rhoda Gilbert 10. James Henderson b 1825 N.C. m 1852 Martha Hubbard 11. Infant b c.1826; d c.1826 12. Jesse b 1828 KY m 1851 Nancy Gilbert; d 1863 13. Nancy b 1830 KY m 1852 William Williams 14. Patience b 1834 KY m 1852 Joseph Tuttle; d 1878 Adin Sasser (4) and his wife had 11 children born 1839-1861. Their second son, Thomas b. 1845, was killed in the Civil War. Son Eli b. 1849 married my mother's Aunt Mary Tuttle; they had 11 children; Mary Tuttle Sasser died in the lat4e 1880's and Eli Sasser re-married and moved to Oklahoma. Adin died in 1869, age 53. Henry Sasser named his son Arthur (5) for his friend in Smithfield, N.C. who had died shortly before his name sake's birth and whose only son would accompany Henry Sasser to Kentucky a few years later. Arthur and his wife had 10 children (9 survived infancy), born 1841-1858. One son and two daughters married Jonses (relationship undetermined). Barden Sasser (6) and his wife had 10 children, born 1847-1871. Their son Milton married his first cousin Louisa Sasser, daughter of Adin (4); Milton died in 1879, age 26, after five years of marriage and three children (A FOURTH WAS BORN AFTER HE DIED). One of Barden Sasser's daughters, Mary b.1855, married William Jones b 1854. Their daughter Elizabeth Jones b 1874 married her second cousin, my mother's brother "Jeff" Tuttle b 1871. Jesse Sasser (12) was named for his maternal grandfather, Jesse Kirby. He served in the 1st Tennessee Calvary Volunteers and was killed in action in Tennessee during the Civil War. He was 35 years old, had been married about 12 years and had fathered five children. One of his granddaughters, Rhoda b 1859, married Hiram Glass; their granddaughter, Rhoda Glass lived in Lexington, KY with her mother and taught high school during the 1920-30 period. Jesse Sasser's widow, Nancy Gilbert Sasser, did not remarry and was still living in Laurel County in 1900, age 72. Six of the seven Sasser brothers are known to have died before 1900. The widows of five of them were listed on the 1900 Laurel County Census. No trace of Adin Sasser's widow; he died in 1869. The seventh uncle, William Henry Sasser (9), is believed to have lived in Knox County. If he was still living in 1900, he would have been 76 years old. Piety Sasser Humfleet (7) had 10 children, born 1838-1860. Henry Sasser's 13 children-seven sons and six daughters-had 125 children who survived infancy, according to a list provided by one of my mother's nieces, a Tuttle-Sasser descendant. The grandchildren were born, generally speaking, between 1840 and 1880. Patience Sasser Tuttle (14) the youngest of Henry Sasser's children, was named for her maternal grandmother. She was married in 1852 to Joseph Tuttle. (This information was compiled by Edith Asher Gray of Clearwater, Florida in 1983. I have added or changed some information to fit our line. Received from Mary Ann Burrows and the Wallowa County Sasser Family Reunion) Dixie@locktrack.com Evans & Ricker, Inc. 7405 SW Tech Center Drive , Suite 144 Portland, OR 97223 Phone: 503-639-9296 Fax: 503-684-1411 ------------------------------

AMENDATION: My earlier message, last line shoud have read: "Who were the 3 or 4 WILLIAM Sassers....?" ------------------------------

I find the following Sassers who were probable participants in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge. They come from muster lists, therefore 2 names are not listed in other Revolutionary Records: Bejamin Sasser of Duplin County Joel Sasser of Duplin County Stephen Sasser of Dobbs County This may explain use of the name Stephen Sasser in Georgia. Who were the 3 or 4 Sassers in colonial/Revolutionary NC? Do they connect to any of the above? ------------------------------

Our incoming email is working again. sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused. Debbie Mauelshagen debbiem@isource.net ralph@isource.net ------------------------------

I received the Sasser Family Tree you sent via mail today. Thank you very much for your rapid response. I have a little information that expands a little bit on what you sent. It is prior research and was compiled by Michael Joseph Smith from Nederland, TX. Elizabeth Sasser b:1847 who married Thomas Smith in 1866 had at least one son William Smith. William married Sarah Gilbert in 1867. Sara (Gilbert) Smith's parents were: William W. Gilbert b: October 5, 1825 in Laurel Co., KY Nancy Taylor b: July 28, 1825 in Laurel Co., KY William & Nancy were married January 23,1845 Sara had 9 brothers and sisters: F Rhoda Gilbert b: January 16,1846 Knox Co., KY M Isaac Gilbert b: October 1, 1847 Knox Co., KY m: Malisa Martha Trosper December 21, 1871 F Mary Gilbert b: 1848 m: Felix Jones F Susan Gilbert b: October 12, 1849 Knox Co., KY m: Fielding Hammon(d)s M Wallace Gilbert b: 1851 F Nancy Gilbert b: April 14, 1853 Knox Co., KY M John Gilbert b: 1855 m: Mariah Hignite December 25, 1876 M Ezekiel Gilbert b: 1860 M William Thomas Gilbert b: 1864 Thanks again for your mailing. Jim Smith 1741 Loch Ness Ct. Beavercreek, OH 45432 (937) 429-5713 ------------------------------

In a message dated 97-06-02 16:57:11 EDT, SASSER-L@rootsweb.com writes: > The point I was trying to make was that I nor any of the researchers I > had hear of before now has seen any records stating we are of German > ancestry. On the other hand, the 13 original colonies were ENGLISH > colonies, founded by and for English/British settlers. There were > pockets of foreigners but these were few and far between and most have > been well documented. Robert, If I get a chance sometime, I'll look at some general history books on migration patterns through colonial North Carolina at the library. I've only scanned them in the past, so I can't give an educated report at this time. This discussion makes me want to get back to my local library again (Durham, NC), because I remember reading some book about a year ago that listed a Fredrick Sasser possibly coming to NC from MD. I think he may have been in a MD army regiment. Best wishes, Doug Sherman ------------------------------

FYI Our incoming email is down. Unfortunately we are expecting responses from several people on the list. Don't give up, our server is working on it. We will ask for the current messages to be forwarded to us once we are back up and running, hate to miss anything. This is one of the best and most active lists we are on. Thanks Ralph and Debbie ------------------------------

Until two weeks ago when I got onto the Sasser List, I had never heard of the idea that our Sasser ancestors were from Germany. I kept seeing references to this idea while at the same time, no one mentioned the fact there were Sasser's in America and England prior to the time some kinfolks were saying our ancestors came here from Germany. All I wanted to do was simply point out these facts and ask why they were being ignored. But I ended up having to "defend" these facts. Doug Sherman says that even though "we know there were Sassers in Somerset County, (Maryland) and these Sassers had names that show up in North Carolina. However, I don't see how we can say that these are *our* Sassers without supporting documentation." The point I was trying to make was that I nor any of the researchers I had hear of before now has seen any records stating we are of German ancestry. On the other hand, the 13 original colonies were ENGLISH colonies, founded by and for English/British settlers. There were pockets of foreigners but these were few and far between and most have been well documented. I am a descendant of one of the very few German settlements in the South. Ralph Mauelshagen wrote that "Have you considered that there may just have been some movement between Germany and England over the past 500 years? In a somewhat "scientific" approach, if you find someone in England in the early 1700's, you can automatically assume he is British until shown otherwise. Ditto for the English colonies: if they settled in an English colony, then we can assume they were British until shown otherwise. It sounds to me as though there are some of our kinfolks who are bound and determined to turn our Sasser ancestors into Germans, regardless of anything to the contrary. In other words, the burden of proof here is to prove otherwise. There were SASSER's in SEVERAL scattered counties in England in the 1600's; Sasser's were in Maryland by the 1600's; by the year 1742, there were still Sasser's coming to America from ENGLAND. In record after record, there is only an ENGLISH connectin. WHERE is any record on GERMAN Sasser's? Ralph also told me that folks of German ancestry now outnumber folks of English ancestry according to the 1980 US census. May well be, especially considering the flood of immigrants into the United States starting in the 1850's and 1860's. Huge numbers of immigrants in St. Louis, freshly arrived from Germany, were enrolled into the yankee army in Missouri to fight against native-born folks whose ancestors had founded the nation. But none of that concerns us in this discussion. We are talking about folks who settled in the English colonies in the early 1700's--not the waves of immigrants who came to the United States long after it was formed. The vast majority of folks who had settled in the 13 colonies before independence were British. England did not encourage foreigners to settle in HER colonies. I would rather lay aside this debate and get on with some real family history. Thanks for all the good comments I have been getting directly, especially the new records on Sasser's in Somerset County, Maryland. Your cuz, Robert Earl Woodham ------------------------------

Doug, When I said that we shouldn't expect to find too many documents on our Sasser family dated before the 1800's; and especially anything particulary saying they had moved from Maryland to North Carolina, I wasn't thinking of "private papers" but rather public documents. When I first visited the North Carolina State Archives back in the 1960's, the State Archivist tried to explain to me why there weren't more public records surviving from the Colonial period. She told me that for many years, there was no permanent capitol. Court officials traveled from district to district and all the public records traveled along, packed into two-wheeled carts. These records, which we think of today as so prescious, were open to the elements. Many were lost off the carts. Many other records were lost over the years in courthouse fires and other disasters. Over the years, I have been frustrated by the so-called "burned" courthouses than by any other problems. Even floods. Just three or four years ago, the courthouse in Elba, Alabama was flooded and the public records there were devasted. Baker County, Georgia has lost their records in several floods. This "mother county" lost all their records prior to 1871 and several times since then. And this is just part of the problem: you will find that many public records were simply discarded. Talk to state archivists today and you will find a growing trend to microfilm records or put the information on computers and then simply throw away the original documents. In the 1970's, the National Archives Center in Atlanta microfilmed the 19 million Selective Service registration cards for all the men who had registered for the draf during World War I. ALL the original cards were stored at the Atlanta center for the entire nation. They took up a lot of room. The folks there didn't consider them to be of much value and wanted to get rid of them so they could use the extra room for storing income tax returns. At the time, I seemed to be one of the very few folks who even knew about these cards, much less used them frequently. I considered them to be of profound historical importance: here were registration cards that gave a man's complete name, date and place of birth, next of kin, occupation, residence and physical descriptions among other things. Registration was from 1917 to 1919: that meant that men born in the early 1870's were included. Where else could you find so many men's exact birth dates? The 1870's and 1880's was long before birth certificates came into general use and men born then could often go through their entire lives without ever recording their birthdate anywhere else. When I learned that the National Archives planned to destroy these records, I raised a major ruckus. I sent out letters and newsletters and made many phone calls to get this stopped. I began going through roll after roll of the microfilm that had been made. It was contracted out to a private company. I found entire rolls which had been over-exposed and all you could see was a washed-out white background, while others were almost totally black. I found dozens of rolls that were completely useless. This helped me convince the Director (who had become a friend after my many visits) not to destroy these registration cards. I convinced him that the public would certainly want to use these if they only knew about them. They then put up a display in their new visitor's center and had the original draft registration cards for Al Capone and Jack Benny (the famous movie and TV star--using his real name) and many other famous persons. Not until I found my Granddaddy's registration card did I know that he was red-haired. I had always known him as an older, gray-haired man and it was a real shock to learn he had once been red-headed! I state all this to try and explain that even today, we are still loosing PUBLIC records. If this is being done today, imagine how many records were lost in Colonial times and later in the 1800's simply because one person may not have considered then important enough to keep around. A good example of this is tax lists. Why keep an old tax list around after the taxes have been paid? It just takes up room and serves no purpose. In a lot of instances, tax lists are the ONLY kind of document left which mention a person from that period. And there are very, very few tax lists surviving today for the Colonial period in all the Southern states. As for deeds telling anything about migration movements, this is also extremely rare. Most deeds from this period don't even give precise measurements of the land, much less anything personal about the folks involved. I have gone over EVERY deed existing today for many of the counties in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia and finding any kind of personal information in deeds is like finding a gold mine. They are so rare, you can't help but let out a whoop! As more than one state archivist has explained to me, these are just SOME of the reasons why we can't expect to find many records from the Colonial period and the early 1800's. Robert Earl Woodham ------------------------------

Still waiting for information about Nancy Catherine Sasser. She was the 1st daughter of Abraham Henry Sasser, (b April 5 1864) Her Mother was Lousia Russell. When Abraham Moved to Wallowa county Oregon in 1903 , Nancy Catherine ( catty, as she was called by friends and family) stayed in Laural County , Kentucky , as she wanted to marry in Kentucky and not face the "savage Indians in Oregon. Thanks , Mike Sasser MikelSas@aol.com ------------------------------

In a message dated 97-06-01 02:28:53 EDT, SASSER-L@rootsweb.com writes: > Don't expect to find too many documents on our Sasser family dated > before the 1800's. And especially don't expect to find anything "saying > that they had moved from Maryland to North Carolina". > I was not thinking of personal papers that would describe the move. I was thinking more of official documents such as deeds. > As for speculation, what we DO know is that our Sasser family was in > Somerset County, Maryland in 1724. > This fact is from a 1724 tax list: this tax list included Benjamin, > Thomas and William. > > Sasser's remained there when our ancestors moved on south into the new > (and better) lands in North Carolina. They can still be found in > Somerset County on the first US census of 1790 and still later. Please allow me to nit-pick for a moment. Yes we know that there were Sassers in Somerset County, and these Sassers had names that show up in North Carolina. However, I don't see how we can say that these are *our* Sassers without supporting documentation. I see this more as a good working hypothesis, and study of the Somerset records would be a good place for research that might lead to the missing connections. Along similar lines, I have shared with the group that there are at least 4 William Sassers in NC between 1733 and 1820. We have to be careful when we run across the name William Sasser in a document to know which one we are dealing with. It is extremely easy to make a mistake, and it took me a good year of researching them all to sort these out. For all I know, there could be more. > The fact also remains that the Sasser family name can be found in > ENGLAND since the 1500's when "family" (or surnames) names came into > general use among commoners. They > can be found in several English counties but were concentrated in > southeastern England. > > There is also the fact that JOHN SASSER came to the colonies in 1742 > from ESSEX County, England aboard the English ship "Jubilee. I do not > know whether he had made a trip to England or whether he was a new > immigrant. In any event, Sasser's were already in North Carolina by > this time. The John Sasser who settled in NC was here by 1733, as evidenced by his signature on a petition to Gov. George Burrington not to move the seat of government to Edenton, NC. [The Colonial Records of North Carolina, Records of the Executive Council 1664-1734, Vol VII, 1984, Robert J. Cain, Ed., pp. 301-303] Was this John Sasser the one who died while aboard? I remember reading a book of immigrants from England to NC that listed a John Sasser who died on the ship. > > If we need documents for proof, then we SHOULD be concerned with about > the supposed German origin is that BEFORE we can accept this, there must > be a legimitate document showing they came from Germany. So far, I > don't know of any document showing our Sasser ancestors came from > Germany. If there is no public document showing a German origin, let's > forget it and get on with research on our REAL origins. > I would agree whole-heartedly. I have wondered if anyone has tried to research records from Heimersheim to see if such a connection could be made. However, lack of such documents does not prove that such a connection does not exist. How many researchers have found their family lines grind to a halt thanks to courthouse fires? I'm not trying to be a proponent of the Heimersheim story. As far as I'm concerned, both Heimersheim and MD are good places for further research. If I can't find concrete evidence to prove either one, however, then the most I can really say is that I can trace my Sasser line to NC. Period. At the same time, I enjoy learning oral traditions, and they add flavor and spice to genealogy. As much as I like going to archives and libraries to dig up the facts, I still place a high personal value on letters, wills, and the like, because they put flesh on my facts and figures and remind me I'm dealing with the lives of people who went before me. Genealogy can be pretty dry if all I collect are date of birth, date of marriage, and date of death. Please don't take this as any sort of attack, because that is not my intention. I really do agree with your main points, and I enjoy the discussion. Doug Sherman dougsherma@aol.com P.S. For what it's worth, I remember seeing a newspaper clipping in the Laurel County Historical Society two years ago that dated to WWII. There was a photo of a Sasser talking to a German official, whose name was Stasse or something similar. I think the caption said the German wondered if the two were related. ------------------------------