The story of John Gottlieb Asel parallels that of many children of immigrant families making their journey to Missouri in the mid-1800s. Many of these individuals, inspired by the bold pioneering spirit demonstrated by their parents, carved out a living in their new homes and went on to build businesses while strengthening the rural communities in which they settled.

John Michael Asel emigrated from his native Saxony, Germany, in 1849, and while traveling to the United States, met Margaretta Mueller aboard the ship. Upon their arrival in New York, the two parted ways until fate reunited them several weeks later.

“One Sunday morning … Margaretta, seated in a church pew in the capital city (Washington, D.C.) of her adopted homeland, was startled by a tap upon her shoulder,” wrote Chares E. Dewey in an article for the Sunday News and Tribune printed on July 8, 1946.

He continued, “Who in this strange land would approach her? Turning, her amazement gave way to join in the recognition of her ship companion, John Asel. Such a coincidence could lead to but one result — to romance, and so Margaretta and John were married in Washington County and their first child, John (Gottlieb) was born there (in 1852).”

John M. Asel soon fell ill, motivating his decision to move to Jefferson City with his young wife and their young son in hopes of improving his health.

Settling in a small log house near the junction of Ashley and Madison streets, the immigrant family grew by several children in the coming years. The family befriended local Native Americans, many of whom developed a fondness for Margaretta’s homemade breads baked in a large outdoor oven.

“During the Civil War, the Asels made considerable money selling sausage sandwiches to the soldiers,” explained an article in the July 6, 1964, edition of the Washington Citizen. “Increasing numbers of Jefferson City residents came to purchase fresh, cured and cooked meats.”

This soon grew into a family business of meat processing, providing a young John Gottlieb Asel with experience that would transition into a mercantile career. In the 1870s, he became a clerk for William H. Morlock, also the son of German immigrants, who had established a successful general merchandise operation in Jefferson City.

In 1877, John Gottlieb Asel was united in marriage to Johannah E. Bohnenberger. Her father, Michael Bohnenberger, was a farmer who also owned a store and saloon in Stringtown. The year following their marriage, John purchased his own general mercantile store in Jefferson City.

Asel and his wife welcomed five daughters and a son in the coming years. In the late 1880s, he made the decision to leave Jefferson City, moving his family several miles south near the small community of Brazito and embarking upon a career in mercantile management.

“Mr. John G. Asel, manager of the Co-Operative Association store at Brazito, is a popular and prominent man in business circles and will add much to its success,” explained the State Republican on July 10, 1890.

The following year, he became manager of a store in another nearby settlement.

Bass was located between Brazito and Hickory Hill near Old Bass Road along U.S. Highway 54 and was best known for a small store established by a group of local farmers. A post office was established in the store in 1890, at which time the little community received it designation.

The settlement was named for Metheldred Bass Sr., a farmer who owned a large tract of property in the area.

“A few miles from Brazito and we come to Bass; here the F. & L.U. have a large cooperative store; it is under the gentlemanly management of our old friend, John Asel who, together with his assistants, is kept busy all day by waiting on customers,” reported the State Republican on Feb. 19, 1891.

The political leanings of Asel were aligned with the Republican Party. In 1892, he vocalized his support for William Warner, a Civil War veteran and Kansas City mayor running for the office of governor of Missouri. Warner, who campaigned on the slogan “A New Missouri,” lost the election to the Democratic nominee, former Congressman William Stone.

In 1902, he became a charter member of the German Evangelical Welcome Friedens Church in Brazito (now the Friedens United Church of Christ).

With business continuing to increase in the community of Bass, Asel eventually purchased the Bass Mercantile Company. However, unexpected tragedy brought an abrupt closure to his mercantile endeavors.

“John G. Asel, a merchant residing at Bass … committed suicide today by shooting himself with a .22-caliber rifle,” published the Kansas City Star on Dec. 13, 1912. “He had been in business there … and was in good circumstances.”

The body of the 60-year-old Asel was laid to rest in the Central Evangelical and Reformed Church Cemetery in Jefferson City, where his parents were interred. In 1965, his remains were among several relocated to Riverview Cemetery to make way for the new U.S. Highway 54.

Soon after Asel’s death, his widow, Johannah, moved to Kansas City, where her son, Otto, was employed as an optometrist for the Goldman Jewelry Company. She died in 1946 and was buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas.

In her book “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” V.E. Schwab wrote, “… it is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing, to be forgotten. To remember when no one else does.”

The post office closed in 1913 and Bass soon faded from the maps. The mercantile building was eventually demolished and only muted whispers of a once-eventful settlement remain. Asel and the community he helped grow have receded from the landscape, but represent fascinating historical moments worthy of commemoration.

Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of “Moments on the Moreau.”