Henry Joseph Bassemier Sr. was born in Ost-Hafen Hessen, Germany.  He was the first surviving son of Heinrichus "Henry" Bassemier and Sophia Krohn.  By 1854, both of his parents were dead, and Henry was looking to set out on his own.  He crossed the Atlantic aboard the ship South Carolina and landed in New Orleans on March 15, 1855.  He was following his uncle, aunt, and younger brother Philip, who had emigrated the year before.  It is unknown how he gained experience as a brewer, but by 1869, he was operating his own brewery, called the Liberty, at 1010 Tchoupetoulas Street.  Some time earlier, he met and married Catherine Malzer (also Meltzor, Maltzer, or Welzer).  They would eventually have five children together.  On May 18, 1881, after what appears to be a short illness, Henry died. On May 22nd, Catherine vowed in the New Orleans newspapers to carry on the business, showing just how much of a small family enterprise the brewery was.  Soon, Catherine married a drayman named Peter Maus, who possibly worked for the brewery.  Her death just months later at age 39 years on January 26, 1883, brought their short-lived marriage — and the brewery — to an end.  On January 5th, 1884, the Liberty Brewery property was auctioned in a sheriff's sale.  The brewery passed to John, George, and Joseph Wegmann, local grocers, who are not related to the Wegman grocery stores of today.

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Associated Breweries