The Bassey Family's immigration story as set out by Mark Gordon:
How did it come to pass with our entire ancestral family living in Pinsk, now part of Belarus, that the family we know as the Bassey family immigrated to the United States? How did it come to pass that the next generation was in the United States when World War II broke out when most of Jews in Europe and nearby areas, including most of our relatives in Pinsk, were murdered by the Germans?
Belle Bassivitz was the second child of Mark & Rose, born in 1897. Shortly after her birth she was stricken with Infantile Paralysis, a form of Polio, that stunted her growth. Every year Mark took her somewhere in Europe in search of a doctor who could cure this mysterious disease. Each time he came back to Pinsk by train carrying her. This was an indication to Rose that the disease was not cured. After several of these failed trips, they decided that they would take her to America in search of a doctor who had a cure. They couldn’t afford to move the family to America so their alternative was that Mark would go to America, find work, and save enough money to send for his family. He came in 1903. Enough money was finally saved for Rose, Irving, Belle, and Charles to make the trip, in 1910. To be more American the family name was changed from Bassevitch to Bassey and Mark and Rose had two more children, Gwendolyn & Marian.
In the United States Belle’s health stabilized enough that she was able to lead a full life and marry (Hugo Browne), but she never grew taller than a 7 year old and she never had any children.