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Daniel Haston’s daughter, Catherine, married John Austin in about 1819. John’s first wife, Rachel, had recently died. Catherine inherited seven of Rachel’s children, immediately becoming a busy step-mother.
Over the next 23 years, Catherine gave birth to six children of her own–three girls and three boys. Even though they have generally been overlooked or forgotten, we need to realize and remember these children were grandchildren of Daniel Haston.
In another article, I introduced you to the daughters of Catherine Haston Austin. Now, I want you to get to know Catherine’s three sons, grandsons of Daniel Haston.
Pleasant Richard Austin - 1820-1900
The following information about Catherine Haston Austin’s firstborn son was published in 1886 in one of the “vanity biography” books of that era.
Pleasant Austin, a prosperous agriculturist of the Second [Hickory Valley] District, was born September 8, 1820, on the farm upon which he now resides. His parents were John and Catherine (Haston) Austin. The father was born on January 6, 1779, in Virginia, of English descent. He immigrated to Tennessee at an early date and died there on February 28, 1858. The mother is thought to have been of Dutch [German-speaking] descent. She was a native of Tennessee, and her entire life was passed in the State. Our subject was brought up on the farm and educated in the school in the vicinity. After attaining his majority, he purchased land in the county and farmed for about six years. At his father’s death, he bought the homestead and moved to it, where he has since resided. He is a substantial, honorable, and worthy citizen. He is interested in the advancement of education and all beneficial enterprises. He is a Democrat. On September 14, 1852, he was united in marriage to Mary E., daughter of Bluford and Sarah (Yates) Warren. The father was raised in Halifax, NC, and the mother in Halifax, VA. The grandfather Yates lived to the unusual age of one hundred and twelve years. Mrs. Austin was born October 15, 1825, in Tennessee, and is the mother of John W., William Bluford, Robert S., Sarah Alice (wife of Norman Gist, who resides near Sparta), Flora C. (wife of Lewis Akins), James Mc., and Frank P.
Tennessee History and Biographies: White County, TN (Goodspeed Publisher, 1886), page 7.
Robert (Robin) S. Austin - 1826 - After 1910
Robert (“Robin” in Civil War records) enlisted in (initially, Mounce L. Gore’s) Company D of the Confederate 13th Regiment of the Tennessee Cavalry on September 1, 1862, in Sparta, TN, where the unit was organized. A month later, the unit joined Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest’s Brigade and reorganized as the 8th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, commonly known as Dibrell’s 8th Cavalry.
As partisan rangers, they acted independently of the rest of the army. They fought fiercely in many battles and skirmishes across the South, from Chickamauga (GA) to Saltville (VA) and elsewhere, and served as Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s escort at the end of the war, until they were captured and forced to surrender in Washington, Georgia, in May 1865. Amazingly, Robert was never seriously wounded, according to his pension application.
Robert was mustered out on May 11, 1865. He ranked in and out as a private. On February 9, 1900, he filed an application for a pension based on complications from rheumatism and hemorrhoids resulting from his service in the war. The application was rejected because he had “not proved” he was incapacitated by the stated health issues. At the time of the application, he was living in Lost Creek, where the post office was Greentree.
By occupation, Robert was a farmer and blacksmith. He never married and, according to census records, lived with family members most of the time. In 1900, Robert (age 73) was living with the family of his nephew, Frank Austin. His brother, Pleasant Austin (age 79), was also living there.
He (Robin Austin) was still alive at age 84 in 1910 and living in the 4th District of Bledsoe County, TN, with the family of his niece, Flora*—Mrs. Lewis P. (Pollard) Akin(s). I have no record of when or where Robert/Robin died or was buried, but those events may have occurred in Bledsoe County (Pikeville), Tennessee.
*Flora Elizabeth Austin Akins was the daughter of Pleasant and Mary E. Austin.
William Edward Austin - 1833-1890
William Edward Austin, the last child of Catherine and John Austin, was born on this date. At the time of William Edward’s birth, John would have been about 54 years old, and Catherine in her 40s.
Catherine’s son, William, was the second son of John, named William. John and his first wife, Rachel, named their first son William. But Rachel’s William died on April 7, 1833, and was buried in the Austin Cemetery. According to family stories, on September 28, 1833, William was named in honor of his older half-brother, whom he would never meet. Catherine was pregnant with this William Edward when the older half-brother William died.
William E. Austin married Mary Lou Frazier on January 24, 1859. According to her tombstone, Mary was born on October 6, 1824. If so, she was about nine years older than her bridegroom. The following year, the couple was residing in Precinct 4 of Dallas, Texas, where their daughter Maggie was born. Later census records confirm Dallas as Maggie’s place of birth. But Maggie’s parents did not linger long in Texas.
The Confederate 28th Tennessee Infantry, also known as the 2nd Tennessee Mountain Volunteers, was organized during September 1861 at Camp Zollicoffer in Overton County, Tennessee. Men for this unit were recruited from White County and other counties of upper middle Tennessee. As a private, William E. Austin enlisted in this Confederate infantry.
During the war, the 28th (Consolidated) Tennessee Infantry was active in several major battles, including Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Fishing Creek, Chickamauga, Port Hudson, and Atlanta.
On June 15, 1870, William Edward and Mary L., with children ages 3, 7, and 9, were living in the 1st Civil District in White County. He was a farmer. An 87-year-old “unable to work” female, Claricy Frasier, was living with them. This may have been Mary Lou’s mother.
On June 23, 1880, the William E. Austin family was still living in Civil District 1 of White County. The census record indicates that Mary and her parents were born in North Carolina. And their 19-year-old daughter, Maggie, was born in Texas, which is consistent with the 1860 and 1870 censuses. William’s brother Robert, a blacksmith, was living with them.
William Edward died in 1890, and Mary Lou also died that year, on October 18, 1890. They are both buried in the Bethlehem Cemetery in White County, near Doyle, TN. There is a tombstone for Mary, but none for her husband.
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