Lot Bassett was born on 22 January 1755 in Dennis, Massachusetts, the son of Elisha and Ruhamah (Jennings) Bassett. The house he grew up in stood on the north side of Cape Cod, close by the seashore, where it was within easy reach of a British warship’s guns. His father, Elisha Bassett [SAR Patriot #: P-110433] had resigned his Royal Commission in 1774 and became a Member of the Committee of Observation and Prevention for Town of Yarmouth, 11 October 1774. 

The Revolutionary War broke out when Lot was 21 and he enlisted for four different tours and was subsequently discharged four times in the period of two years. 

• He first enlisted in Captain Joseph Palmer’s Company in Colonel Josiah Whitney’s Regiment. He arrived in the camp at South Kingston, Massachusetts on 11 May 1777. His unit initially responded to an alarm in Rhode Island, and after two months’ service he was discharged.
• Lot then enlisted as a Sergeant in Captain Elisha Hedge’s Company in Colonel Nathaniel Freeman’s Regiment and marched on a secret expedition to spy upon British positions in Rhode Island on 27 September 1777.
• The following spring 2 April 1778, Lot enlisted as a Sergeant in Captain Micah Hamlin’s Company in Colonel Jonathan Reed’s Regiment. They marched to Cambridge, where he saw service for three months.
• Lot’s last enlistment was as a Sergeant in Captain Mathias Tobey’s Company in Colonel Jacob Gerrish’s Regiment. This enlistment consisted mostly of guard duty at Winter Hill. Lot was discharged for the last time on 14 December 1778.

On 31 January 1782 in Yarmouth, Lot married Deborah Howes. They were the parents of the following known children:

• Deborah was born on 20 February 1784.
• William was born on 11 December 1782 and married Mary “Polly” Trow.
• Elisha was born on 27 July 1784 
• Mary was born on 19 January 1786 and died in 1806, unmarried.
• Thomas was born on 10 April 1789 and married Fanny Sears.
• Lydia was born on 10 February 1794 and married Lucius Smith.
• Francis was born on 14 May 1796 and married Mehitabel Ford.
• Abigail was born on 27 May 1799
• Samuel was born on 26 July 1802
• Lot was born on 13 March 1805

In early spring 1782 Lot and Deborah set off to the west lands of untamed Massachusetts. They probably traveled by oxcart since there were no stagecoaches or established roads. If other migrants were going the same way, they probably joined up into groups for convenience and sociability. The trip of 150 miles took them two weeks. As the years went on, and the flow of emigrants increased in volume, the route taken by Lot and Deborah became known as the famous “Massachusetts Trail.”

Lot and Deborah settled in what is now the town of Ashfield, Massachusetts, in an area called Spruce Corners. They built their house on a promontory west of the Swift River. The first settler there was Ephraim Williams, and he and Lot were the two principal surveyors of Ashfield for many years. What is now an intersection of two state highways, was called “Bassett Four Corners” in honor of Lot.

The Patriot died on 23 July 1835 and was interred in Spruce Corner Cemetery, in Ashfield. His epitaph states: “Lot Bassett, a soldier of the revolution and one of the first settlers of Ashfield.” Additionally, his gravesite is decorated with an SAR marker. His widow died on 6 January 1846.