married Ann Reid (born Dec. 25, 1747, daughter of George Reid) on Jan. 12, 1769 in
Abbeville, SC.
1. Mary Baskin (born Oct. 5, 1769 in Lowndesville, Abbeville County, SC, died Dec. 25,
1840 in Polecat Springs, Macon County, GA) married Adam Jordan Files on Apr. 30,
1790 in SC.
2. Margaret Baskin (born Mar. 20, 1771, died young).
3. Elizabeth Baskin (born Nov. 19, 1772 in SC, died Aug. 6, 1860 in MO) married her cousin,
John Craig Baskin (son of Charles Baskin & Mary Craig) on Dec. 24, 1795.
4. Ann Reid Baskin (born Apr. 3, 1774 in Abbeville, SC, died about 1844 near Clinton, AL)
married William Harkness.
5. Rosannah Baskin (born Mar. 17, 1776 in Abbeville, SC, died Aug. 9, 1840 in Botts County,
GA) married James Harkness.
6. William Cander Baskin (born about May 24/28, 1778 in Abbeville, SC, died Feb. 12, 1853
in Buena Vista, MS) married his mother's cousin, Margaret Reid, about 1803.
7. George Reid Baskin (born Jan. 13, 1780, died young).
8. Thomas Stuart Baskin (born Feb. 6, 1782 in Abbeville, SC, died about 1837 in Lexington,
MS) married Mary Noble on Jan. 21, 1806.
9. John Alexander Baskin (born Oct. 21, 1783 in Abbeville, SC, died June 1, 1869 in LA)
married Sarah Noble on Jan. 11, 1811 in Abbeville County, SC.
10. Margaret Cander Baskin (born Dec. 9, 1786 in Abbeville, SC) married John Hamilton on
Mar. 12, 1807.
11. James Hall Baskin (born Dec. 9, 1786 in Abbeville, SC, died about 1877 in Lowndesville,
Abbeville County, SC) married Margaret Hartgrove Thomson on Dec. 23, 1813.
William Baskin, Jr.
William Baskin, Jr. was the third son in a large colonial family. As such, he would have known from a young age that he would have to make his own way in the world. His older brother, John, would have received most of any inheritance, and his many sisters would likely have required dowries upon their marriages. This would leave little cushion for William Jr. to count on for his future. Many "second sons" in well-to-do families at this time would be expected to join the military, and growing up on the frontier would certainly have encouraged this path as well. Young William and his family grew up in very dangerous areas of the colonial frontier, and fear of Indian attacks would be very real to them. Add to this the fact that the Baskins were Scotch-Irish, still outcasts among the English colonists, and it's no wonder William Jr. was a fighter - he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
William was born on the Pennsylvania frontier about Feb. 14 1735/36. The family moved to newly opened lands in Orange County (later Augusta County), Virginia in 1740 with John Pickens' family and others where they were granted land to settle. This would have been more frontier land meant to be settled in order to provide a buffer between the colonists in the east of Virginia and the native population of that land. Obviously this would not have been an ideal situation to move into, but the Scotch-Irish had little choice if they wanted to own land. William Jr. undoubtedly learned to work the land and hunt during this time as the family grew. While growing up in Virginia, William's family attended Augusta (Stone) Presbyterian Church where the noted Rev. Craig led the congregation. For the Scotch-Irish and all Presbyterians at this time, the church was important in both spiritual and secular matters. Disputes between neighbors, cases of adultery, punishment for crimes were all handled by the elders of the church in these communities, not local government agents, for often there were none. The records of the church mention the Baskin family often as William Baskin, Sr. seems to have been very active in the church. William Jr. and his siblings must have grown up in a strict, harsh, hard-working community of survivors.
It is no surprise then that John and William both joined Captain Christian's company on Aug. 9, 1756 when war was declared on France and their Indian allies. Although too sickly to fight, their brother, Thomas, helped by collecting provisions for the militia as well. William seems to have really taken to military life as he continued his service at Fort Ligonier in 1761-62, and received 40 GBP (Great British Pounds) on Dec. 11, 1766 from the Virginia House of Burgesses for meritorious service under Col Bouquet on the expedition against the Shawnee and Deleware Indians.
We can assume that young William returned home after the French and Indian War, and soon moved to Abbeville, SC with the rest of the family. There the family attended Rocky River Presbyterian Church, and there are still Baskins in the area today. John, James, Thomas's widow, Margaret, Charles and William, Jr. all took up land near each other in Abbeville County, but soon after the move, William Sr. died. A few years later, in 1767, John died, too, and Charles chose to return to Virginia. When rumblings of revolution began in New England, the Baskins were in South Carolina, one of the last colonies to join the war. The Baskin brothers, however, seem to have wanted this break from England, as William, Jr. and his younger brothers, James and Hugh, joined the fighting in 1777. At Charleston on April 18, 1777, William Jr. was commissioned Captain in the South Carolina Militia under Col. Andrew Williamson, and his brothers were a lieutenant and sergeant, respectively, in their brother's command. William Jr. was taken prisoner at the battle of Carr's Fort in 1779, and released after the Battle of Kettle Creek in Feb. 1779. He lost a horse at Sawty on November 15, 1781 on campaign against the Cherokee Nation under General Pickens. On this expedition, James was wounded, but lived to tell the tale.
By the time William returned home, the world was a different place. The Baskins now lived in the United States of America, which was a new country indebted to France for aid during the war and trying to create a new form of government. It was an unstable place to be, but the Baskins were used to instability from years of frontier living. Now it was time for Captain William Baskin, Jr. to return to his farm and make a life for himself and his own family. His wife, Ann, had made due while William was away fighting, and had been raising their growing brood. Sadly, two of their children died young - Margaret and George - but the others seemed to be well. When he came home from war, William seems to have become an authority figure in the community. He began to be called "Esquire" in records from the time, which means he was an attorney, which makes sense since he served as Justice of the Peace in Abbeville in 1785. In the first census of the United States in 1790, he is listed as "Captain William Baskin" and had in his household 3 free white males age 16 and up, 5 free white males under 16 years of age, 7 free white females, and 7 slaves. In 1796 he served as executor of his brother, Hugh's, estate; and in 1804, at about the age of 69, Captain William Baskin, Jr. finally died. His children and grandchildren would be the first generation of Baskins to grow up in the United States of America thanks to men like him who fought for that opportunity.
Note: My research into the history of these times continues. I have found an account of the Battle of Carr's Fort which I intend to share with you, and I am always trying to flesh out the details of life on the frontier. As you may have noticed, we are beginning to touch on sensitive areas of American history: the treatment of Native Americans and slavery. There is a lot of history to be learned, and I find it more rewarding and interesting when I can attach these issues to our family history. I'll keep you all posted on my findings, but if any of you are history buffs, please feel free to share information/thoughts with me as well!
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