Z 2078.000 Bass (Ivan E.) Genealogical Collection, Accretion

Z 2078.000 S
BASS (IVAN E.) GENEALOGICAL COLLECTION, ACCRETION

Ivan Ernest Bass was born near Columbia, Marion County, Mississippi, on July 29, 1877. He was the son of farmer and pecan-nursery owner Isaac Esau Bass and his wife, Mary Eliza Wilkes Bass. One of eight children, Bass graduated from Columbia High School and entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, on May 20, 1897. He earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the academy on June 7, 1901. After serving two years as a midshipman, Bass received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Navy.

On November 26, 1915, Bass married Florence Victoria Bouché of Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. During his long naval career, Bass served as head of the machinery division of the Boston and New York navy yards and as engineer of the Asiatic fleet. He was awarded the Silver Star for meritorious service during World War I. Bass was eventually promoted to the rank of rear admiral on March 1, 1934. He applied for retirement in August of 1941, but after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, Bass requested to be placed back on active duty. He remained on active duty until his retirement on December 31, 1947.

Bass was an avid genealogical researcher who published two books on the Bass and Wilkes families of Mississippi. He continued his research until his death at the age of ninety on November 1, 1967.

This collection consists of the genealogical research and personal papers of Rear Admiral Ivan Ernest Bass. The collection is focused on his research for the books, Esau Bass (Revolutionary Soldier), His Brother, Jonathan Bass, and Their Descendants and Wilkes Family History and Genealogy: Thomas Wilkes (ca. 1735-1809) and His Descendants, and his research on the allied Allen, Arundell, Buckley, Conyers, Cranford, Harris, Jordan, Mason, and Pace families.

1. Papers (Personal). 1897-1965. 17 folders.

This series is primarily focused on the naval career of Bass, and it contains commissions, photographs, illustrations, and brochures.

Box 1, folders 1-3 and 5
Box 3, folders 1-7
Box 4, folders 1-3
Box 5, folders 1-3

2. Genealogical Research (Bass and Allied Families). 1949-1966. 53 folders.

This series is organized into the following subseries: Bass Family, Wilkes Family, Maps, Correspondence, and Publishing Materials.

2.1 Genealogical Research (Bass Family). 1949-1966. 20 folders.

This subseries contains handwritten and typewritten research notes of Bass, with accompanying correspondence, family photographs, genealogical charts, and photocopies of deeds and wills on the Bass family and the allied Pace family.

Box 1, folders 8-24
Box 3, folders 8-9
Box 4, folder 4

2.2. Genealogical Research (Wilkes Family). 1952-1965. 18 folders.

This subseries contains a typewritten copy of Basss history of the Wilkes family, handwritten and typewritten research notes with attached photographs of various family members, correspondence and genealogical charts, and copies of deeds and wills relating to the Wilkes family and the allied Allen, Arundell, Buckley, Conyers, Cranford, Harris, Jordan, and Mason families.

Box 2, folders 1-13
Box 3, folders 10-11
Box 4, folders 5-6
Box 5, folder 4

2.3. Maps. ca. 1600-1900. 15 folders.

This subseries consists of historical maps (oversize) of Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, which Bass used in his genealogical research.

Box 3, folders 12-13
Box 4, folders 6-10
Box 5, folders 5-12

2.4 Correspondence. 1957-1971. 2 folders.

This subseries consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence of Bass. Topics include the Bass family and the allied Pace family. There is also a letter of condolence to the estate of Ivan E. Bass from the Genealogical Book Company.

Box 1, folders 4 and 6

2.5 Publishing Materials. 1955-1965. 2 folders; 1 box.

This subseries contains the original printing blocks used for the book, Esau Bass (Revolutionary Soldier), His Brother, Jonathan Bass, and Their Descendants, which was published by Bass in 1955. Also included is a notebook containing account information on sales of Esau Bass (Revolutionary Soldier), His Brother, Jonathan Bass, and Their Descendants and Wilkes Family History and Genealogy: Thomas Wilkes (ca. 1735-1809) and His Descendants.

Box 1, folder 7
Box 6

• Isaac Esau Bass [frontispiece]
• Esau Bass [p. 11]
• Esau Bass [p. 12]
• Esau Bass [p. 13] (2 blocks)
• Esau Bass [p. 14]
• Esau Bass, Jr. [p. 15]
• Jeremiah Bass [p. 23]
• James Albert Bass [p. 25]
• Seaborn Esau Bass [p. 50]
• William Jefferson Bass [p. 59]
• Virgil Muratt Bass [p. 60]
• Jeremiah Jonah Bass [p. 70]
• Francis Simeon Bass [p. 91]
• John Franklin Bass [p. 110]
• Levi Bass [p. 141]
• Mary Eliza Wilkes Bass [p. 158]
• Malachi Bass [p. 215]
• Isaac Esau Bass [p. 231]
• William Silas Bass [p. 241]
• June Forrest Bass [p. 242
• John Ephriam Bass [p. 259]
• Ephriam Alexander Bass [p. 301]
• Jonathan H. Bass [p. 303]
• Ephriam Alexander Bass [p. 305]