According to the 1850 census, 400 of the 600 families in Dallas County came from Tennessee.  The “Hastings,” family* was one of the earliest families to settle in the county.[i] 

*The “Hastings” spelling of Jeremiah’s family name appeared in early Dallas County documents, but it morphed into Hastin, Hasten, and eventually Haston through the years, especially after two of Jeremiah’s sons became well-known county officials.  “Haston” was the way Jeremiah’s family spelled the name back in Tennessee.

At the time of the early settlement of the county, the land was full of many kinds of wild animals, such as elk, deer, turkeys, geese, and other small game.  But wolves, panthers, wildcats, and some bears were there to terrorize pioneer families.  

Unfortunately, the pre-Civil War county records were destroyed during the war by courthouse fires.  Consequently, much of what could have been known about Jeremiah Haston’s family in the first three decades of their life in Dallas County is not available to us.  Marriage records, tax records, deeds, court records—all these pre-Civil War records are gone! 

But post-Civil War Dallas County records are replete with records of Jeremiah Haston’s family, including Civil War records for all three of Jeremiah’s sons, as well as some of his sons-in-law.  They figured prominently into the history of Dallas County.

[i] Dallas County Historical Society, 4-5.