Part 1 - Why Mid-America for a Gathering of Daniel Haston Descendants?
Haston – Hastin – Hastain – Hasten – Hasting – Some Hastings (and maybe other H-names)
Early Middle Tennesseans, especially the second generation of pioneer families, felt little or no emotional attachment to their state, town, or local community. Procuring good land was much more important to them than attachment to where they grew up or even close proximity to their nuclear or extended families. By the time the second generation attained legal age, most good land in Middle Tennessee was either already claimed and settled or too expensive for start-up families. A pioneer spirit was bred into them, so naturally they loaded their wagons and carts and headed west of the Mississippi River.
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Before the mid-century mark of the 1800s, four of Daniel Haston’s sons and daughters had moved to Missouri, along with some of his grandchildren.
Jesse Haston, a son of Daniel, married a neighborhood girl, Elizabeth Jane Terry Gillentine, in about 1816, and soon after moved to Howard County, Missouri. They settled near the Missouri River, "when people of that State still had to live in forts to protect themselves from the Indians." That was three years before Missouri became a state.
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Jesse had three wives due to the deaths of his first two wives. And he had 21 children. Even today, numerous descendants of Jesse Haston live in Missouri. Several of his children accomplished some remarkable feats and lived amazing lives. One of his grandchildren was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in the U.S. Navy. In future articles, I will share some of their stories with you.
Daniel's daughter, Lucinda, married Jacob Mitchell sometime in the first decade of the 1800s. They lived on a 50-acre tract, which joined Daniel's 150 acres on the Big Spring Branch, which flowed into Cane Creek in what is now northern Van Buren County.
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Jacob, a son of Morris Mitchell, was from an avid and somewhat famous Methodist family. His father, a Revolutionary War veteran, was a Methodist preacher, as well as some of his brothers and nephews. But some of his descendants have thought that he was a "black sheep" in the family, or at least less devoted to the faith.
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In about 1834 or 1835, we think Jacob and Lucinda moved to Washington County, MO, where he probably became engaged in lead mining, a booming industry there at the time. Apparently, Lucinda died in Washington County, and Jacob showed up alone in the village of Ebenezer of Greene County, MO, in the 1840s--the very village where our October 2026 All Hastons Gathering will be held. From what I can tell, that is where he died.
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I'll add an article on Jacob and Lucinda, as well as the other early Hastons in Missouri, later in this series.
Isaac fought heroically in the Battle of New Orleans at the end of the War of 1810. After marrying Agnes Simpson and having a batch of kids, they moved to the Hiawasse District, which had been newly acquired from the Cherokee Nation. But after about 10 years there, he moved to Missouri in search of better opportunities. And he found them!
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Isaac settled his family near Cave Spring in Cass Township of Greene County. Twenty years later, he had amassed 333 acres, which he sold for $3,333.00. Missouri was good to Isaac's family, but when his son returned from the gold fields of California and told him about the rich valleys of Northern California, Isaac sold all his properties in Missouri and, at about age 62, headed to California.
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As part of the October 9-10, 2026 Family Gathering in Missouri, we will visit the farmland Isaac owned, as well as sites in that area connected to his family.
Like other young men of his time, Jeremiah married a neighborhood girl he probably had known all of his life--Esther Riddles. It was probably about 1818 when Jeremiah led his young family westward. But after they crossed the Ohio River, they settled in Gallatin County, IL, for about 20 years. Jeremiah probably worked in the salt industry there. While there, his wife Esther died and left him with nine children. She may have died of malaria, or possibly as the result of giving birth to her last child.
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Jeremiah and his wife-less family trudged on westward and settled in Dallas County, Missouri, not far from his brother Isaac in nearby Greene County. At the October 2026 MidAmerica Gathering of Daniel Haston descendants, you will hear some of the interesting stories about his family in Dallas County, and we will visit the farmland he settled on.
Daniel McComisky Haston was a son of David Haston, Daniel's oldest son. He was the first of Daniel's grandsons to venture west of the Mississippi River.
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He even preceded his Aunt Lucinda, Uncle Isaac, and Uncle Jeremiah!
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His first wife, Annie Greene, died shortly after living in Missouri. He married Martha Jane Wade in January 1838. Apparently, Daniel MC was the one who decided to spell the family name "Hastain," which still is used by his descendants.
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In the 1840s and 1850s, he acquired a lot of land in Henry County. At some point, he moved over to Benton County, where he became a store owner in the town of Warsaw and a prominent citizen.
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Daniel Mc's youngest son, Pleasant Dawson Hastain, became a prominent and powerful attorney in Missouri and a two-term (often controversial) mayor of Sedalia, MO.
Isham Bradley Haston, another son of David Haston and grandson of Daniel, was one of the earliest Justices of the Peace in Van Buren County, TN. However, Isham B. was only in that role in Van Buren County for a short time, as he moved to Hickory County, Missouri (approximately 60 miles directly north of Springfield, Missouri) sometime between 1843 and 1845.
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On August 3, 1845, Isham B. Hastain (yes, he picked up the Hastain spelling from his older brother) was one of the first Justices of the Peace appointed in Green Township of Hickory County, Missouri. Isham B. signed his name as the President of the Hickory County Court on August 7, 1850.
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During the Civil War, he played a prominent role for the Union Army in Hickory County as a Pro-Federal civic leader.
These six men greatly influenced the early history of Missouri. But they were just the forerunners of other Hastons who would move west and influence Missouri and other states in MidAmerica. I will share other stories in the upcoming weeks.
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