John Alexander Baskin

III. John Alexander Baskin (born Oct. 21, 1783 in Abbeville, SC, died Jun. 1, 1869 in LA) married Sarah Noble (born Mar. 1, 1790 in Abbeville, SC) on Jan 11, 1811.

1. William Orren Baskin (born Mar. 3, 1811 in Abbeville Co., Rocky River CH, SC, died Feb. 6, 1890 in Falls, TX) married Mary Ann Mitchell (born Sep. 28, 1825, died Dec. 18, 1907) on Feb 14, 1842 in Franklin Parish, LA.

2. James Noble Baskin (born Nov. 13, 1813 in Abbeville Co., SC, died June 18, 1876 in Franklin Parish, LA) married Nancy Ann Neal (born Oct. 11, 1813, died June 18, 1872) and then M.A. Mecklin on Dec. 23, 1875 in Franklin Parish, LA. Complete the degree of M.D. at the University of South Carolina in 1834.

3. Jane Love Baskin (born Jan. 1, 1816, died Jun. 30, 1893 in Baskin, LA).

4. Ann Reid Baskin (born Mar. 6, 1818).

5. Mary Elizabeth Baskin (born Feb. 13, 1820).

6. John Alexander Baskin, Jr. (born Mar. 24, 1822 in SC, died Dec. 13, 1904) married

Margaret I. Williams (born Aug. 29, 1841, died Sep. 23, 1874) on Jan. 18, 1870 in

Richland Parish, LA.

7. George Reid Baskin (born Jan. 26, 1824, died Jun. 6, 1904 in Franklin Parish, LA)

married Jamima Aurelia (a.k.a. Arrillia J.) Cummings (born Jan. 9, 1840, died Dec. 27,

1908) on Aug. 1, 1877 in Franklin Parish, LA.

8. Sarah Lorinda Baskin (born Dec. 25, 1825).

9. Thomas Stuart Baskin (born Sep. 12, 1828)

10. Moses H. Baskin (born Jun. 8, 1831, died Dec. 13, 1862 in service, Fredericksburg, VA).

11. Adolphus McDuffie Baskin (born Sep. 27, 1833, died July 18, 1912 in Baskin, LA)

married Margarette Neal.

The historical records don't often mention John Alexander Baskin, largely because record keeping in the new United States of America was presumable not a priority, but also because fires have destroyed many of the records that did exist. What I could piece together is this:

John Alexander Baskin was born on Oct. 21, 1783 in Abbeville, SC to Capt. William Baskin, Jr. and Ann Reid Baskin. It was the end of the Revolutionary War when this ninth child was born to this proud family. His childhood would doubtless have been filled with stories of his father's experiences in the early wars of this land, hour spent in church and school, and learning the business of running a successful plantation in the antebellum South. John married his sister-in-law, Sarah Noble, on Jan. 11, 1811 in South Carolina, and the couple very shortly welcomed their first son, William Orren Baskin, on March 3rd of that year. Though they may have been forced to marry, they seemed to be a happy couple as the children kept coming: James Noble was born in 1813, Jane Love in 1816, Ann Reid in 1818, Mary Elizabeth in 1820, John Alexander, Jr. in 1822, George Reid in 1824, Sarah Lorinda in 1825, Thomas Stuart in 1828, Moses H. in 1831, and Adolphus McDuffie in 1833. judging by the names of their children, the Baskins must have been a close knit family with great love and knowledge of their ancestors. Ann Reid, for example, must have been named for her grandmother, and George Reid for his Great Grandfather.

With such a large family, John must have been doing well in South Carolina, but decided to move to Alabama in 1835. Once again the may have moved with a group of other Scotch-Irish as the community was called Hebron Presbyterian Church, near Pleasant Ridge, Green County, AL. Census records before 1850 list only the heads of household by name and give little more information on the family. The 1850 census is very telling, however. In the "Schedule I. - Free Inhabitants," the family is shown living in Greene County still, and John was a 65 year old farmer with the value of his real estate listed as $3800. His first son is no longer listed in his household, having started a family of his own by this time, but his younger son, John Alexander, Jr., is listed as his overseer. The three youngest children, Thomas, Moses and Adolphus were students at the time. They were neighbors with the local Presbyterian minister. But it must be remembered that at this time "real estate" included people - slave. In the "Slave Schedule" for the same census year John was listed as owner of 31 slaves. They were listed individually, though not by name, and ranged in age from 50 years old to 1 year old. It is a sad fact that this would have been a mark of John A. Baskin's success in his time. He must have had quite a bit of land to work to necessitate so many slaves, and he was not alone among our clan. Many Baskins are listed in the Salve Schedule for 1850 and other years. Mind you, these were good, church-going folk, but this was the reality of the times in which they lived. (As an aside, there are many black Baskins in this country today, and although I haven't yet found a link between their families and ours, such a link may well exist.)

It isn't surprising then that when the Civil War came along, John's sons and grandsons fought for the Confederacy. His son, Moses, was killed at Fredericksburg in 1862. His grandson, George Baxter Baskin (more on him later) served in Col. Martin's Escort in 1864-65. Several of his nephews were taken prisoner at Vicksburg. And, yes, there were Baskins on both sides of that war, but our direct ancestors were Confederates and former slave owners. It is important to remember this sad history and the people who suffered by our ancestors' hands.

Before the war began, John and his family moved to Louisiana. There a town called "Baskin" was settled by two brothers according to local history. which Baskin brothers they were, I don't know, but our people weathered the turbulent years during and just after the Civil War in that place. That is where John Alexander Baskin, his wife, and most of their children and grandchildren are buried. There is a cemetery (and not much else, as I understand it!) there called Union Presbyterian Cemetery which is just full of our relatives and ancestors.