J L Bass Family

John Launier Bass was born March 24, 1805, in Wilson County Tennessee.

At a birthday celebration (1914) for his son Henry's 83rd Birthday, Henry told the newspaper correspondent “His father John L Bass or as he generally called himself “Jackey”, was a regular Baptist preacher of some note and was a pioneer of Lawrence County."

The Lawrence County Illinois death record for john Launier Bass states that he died November 7, 1879, in Lukin Twp. He was a widower, and he was buried at Bell Cemetery.  His age at death of 74 years, 6 months, and 12 days.  Cause of death was valvular heart disease and Brights disease of the kidneys for which he had been treated by a doctor for about a year.

Four of John’s sons fought in the Civil War. Ezekiel and Burrell joined CO G 48th Ill INF in 1861 and Henry joined CO D, 130th Ill Inf in 1862.When John turned 18, he joined the same company as Ezekiel and Burrell--CO G 48th Il US Inf. In late May of 1864, during heavy fighting near Dallas, Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta, Burrell was mortally wounded. He died on or about June 1, 1864, and was buried in the Marietta National Cemetery, Marietta, Georgia.