Levi Sampson Bassham

01

From Tennessee to Alabama

Levi Sampson Bassham was Martha Ann Bassham’s father and Mary Amby Marbut Pritchett’s grandfather. Through Mary’s daughter Mabel Marzelle, his family line reaches the Birdwells and Clayton Hollingsworth.

The family history supplied by Clayton gives Levi’s birth as August 14, 1825, in Tennessee and identifies his parents as James Monroe Bassham and Arta Mae Holloway. These details come from a compiled Ancestry tree; its underlying birth and family records have not yet been examined.

Sources: Levi Sampson Bassham — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026 · Sarah Smith — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026

02

Marriage, children and a trade

Levi and Sarah Smith married on May 8, 1849, in Limestone County, Alabama, according to both supplied summaries. His chronology lists an 1850 census entry in Giles County, Tennessee, followed by entries in Limestone County in 1860 and 1880. These are leads to the household schedules, rather than transcriptions of them.

An occupation entry for 1860 identifies him as a blacksmith. It is the most specific detail presently available about his working life. No shop location, employer or account of his daily work has yet been established.

The supplied family histories name seven children: Joseph Calvin, Mary Jane, Martha Ann, John Wesley, James William, Bryant Smith and Phoebe Izola Bassham.

Martha Ann’s birth is given as April 15, 1853, in Limestone County. The summaries also record the death of John Wesley on October 6, 1861, and later births of Bryant Smith in August 1863 and Phoebe Izola in March 1866.

Sources: Levi Sampson Bassham — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026 · Sarah Smith — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026

03

The end of his life

Levi died on March 28, 1893, in Limestone County, aged 67 according to the supplied chronology. It names Hesters Chapel Cemetery as his burial place. Sarah survived him until 1908. Their daughter Martha Ann connects this Alabama household to the later Marbut, Pritchett and Birdwell family history.

Sources: Levi Sampson Bassham — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026 · Sarah Smith — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026

04

The questions still attached to his name

The profile heading calls him Levi Sampson Bassham, but its final page says his middle name may have been Sanderson. Sampson remains the display name used by the supplied source; Sanderson is preserved as an unresolved alternative.

The children’s chronology needs further checking. Both summaries give John Wesley a birth date of January 8, 1858, and James William a birth date of July 15 of the same year. Those closely spaced dates remain unresolved. Joseph Calvin’s reported birth on April 9, 1849, also precedes the reported May 8 marriage; original records are needed before drawing conclusions.

Sources: Levi Sampson Bassham — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026 · Sarah Smith — supplied Ancestry LifeStory, October 17, 2026