More Jasper Genealogy - Gaston

by John Harvey

GASTON

In other articles we have followed two of the families researched by Mrs. Elizabeth McPherson in the late 1930's.  They were the Reid and Harvey families.

All five of the families in her book had connections in Jasper County.  The other families in her book are the Gaston's, Simonton's and Tomlinson's.  In future articles we hope to give a general synopsis of each family.  In her opening statement, Mrs. McPherson states that her research covered the five original families and in the tracing of descendants and marriages she lists 817 family names and 41 states, many of the names still common to Jasper County.

The earliest known direct ancestor of the Gaston family is John (Jean) Gaston de Foix, Duke of Orleans.  His father, Jion de Fiox, married Marie de Orleans, only daughter of Charles de Orleans. 

John (Jean) and Marie had two sons, John and William.  William fought on the side of the English in the French Wars.  When the Peace of Nantes was signed in 1598, William, who was also a Huguenot was forced to emigrate to Scotland.

In Scotland, William Gason de Fiox married a Miss Olive Lemon, they had nine children, four girls and five boys, who all eventually emigrated to America.  The nine Gastons with their husbands and wives, settled one each in Connecticut and Massachusetts, two in New Jersey, the others in Pennsylvania.

A few years later, Dr. Alexander Gaston, M.D. removed his family from New Jersey to Chester County, S.C.  He was shortly thereafter joined by his brothers, Hugh and Matthew and their families from Pennsylvania.  At a much later date, they were joined by a fourth brother, James and his family from Massachusetts.

During the Revolution, the sons of the four brothers all served in Col. John McClure's Brigade.  Col. McClure was a cousin, the son of Mary Gaston.  Also serving in this brigade were the eleven sons of John Gaston who came from Pennsylvania.  In all, McClures and Gastons, thirty two family members served in the brigade.  It was said to be the "nucleus" of General Sumpter's Regiment in what was to become Gen. Nathaniel Greene's army.  Four Gaston sons lost their lives at the Battle of Savannah.

After the Revolutionary War, Matthew, Hugh, James, Ebenezer and other Gaston family members drew land in Greene and Baldwin Counties in Georgia for their military service.  Part of Baldwin later became Jasper.  In 1834, Hugh Gaston, now 83 years old and living in Alabama, made application for bounty land due him as a Revolutionary War veteran.  He stated that he had served in "McClure's Brigade", served six months in a company of "Rangers" under Capt. Cashaw, served in Col. Thompson's Regiment, fought in the Reedy River Campaign, the Battle of Savannah, the Battle of Charleston, and while at Charleston as a soldier in the garrison at "10 mile house" he had been captured and spent six months as a prisoner of the British on Sullivan's Island.  With the recapture of Charleston he had finished out the war guarding Tory prisoners in the prison where he had been a prisoner himself.

Included in the book are the stories of other family members, both men and women all equally exciting and interesting.

In the period of the War of 1812, we find another generation of Gaston's served their country, but now most of them have moved on to Alabama though there are still some from Greene and Jasper Counties in Georgia.  Families to which they were related were McClure, Walkers, Reid's, Simonton, Halls and Riley's. 

Additional Comments:
Transcribed by Suzanne Forte (suzanneforte@bellsouth.net) April 2005,  from copies of articles contained in the Monticello News. There articles were prepared by Mr. 
John Harvey and published in this newspaper during the 1970's and 1980's time frame. Some were under the title "Jasper Reflections", others "Bicentennial Bits".
Permission has been granted by Mr. Harvey for use of these very valuable and informative articles.

Copies of articles provided by Benny Hawthorne.