He came to Ida County in 1877 and was identified with the contracting and building interests in Ida Grove, Iowa. He located there when the town was just starting and put up many of the best buildings in the city. Thomas Bassett and his son, William H., were partners for a number of years.
Thomas was born in the County of Cornwall, England, August 2, 1828, son of Thomas & Jane (Pierce) Bassett. He married Eliza A. Rouse in his native land; and in 1854, came to America. He remained in Zanesville, Ohio, until 1875 and went to Greene County, Iowa, until coming to Ida County. He and his wife had six children: Emily A.; Elizabeth (wife of Charles S. Barnes of Des Moines); Eliza; Mary J. (wife of W. C. Moorehead of Ida County); William H.; and Laura.