Is Every Haston a Descendant of Daniel Haston
1852 – James Haston, a Case in Point
When I see the HASTON name, I immediately begin to ask myself, “How did this James Haston fit into the descendancy of Daniel Haston, our c. 1750-1826 ancestor, from whom a massive FAMILY of Hastons (and other H-name variations) spread all across the United States in the 1800s and later?”
Probably at least 90% of the time, I do discover that the person descended from the Daniel Haston who was born in Virginia and later settled in White County, Tennessee, in about 1804. Why? Because Daniel’s Haston’s family is SO EXTENSIVE in the United States! But there are some exceptions.
The (born 1852) James Haston is an example of an exception. There were many of Daniel Haston’s family members who moved from Tennessee to Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, etc. So it is easy to assume that Kansan James Haston must have been one of them. Â
But when you read more about this prominent Kansan farmer, you learn that his grandfather came to America at age 13 from Scotland, and later fought for the Patriot cause in the Revolutionary War. He remained in Virginia after the war, and his descendants spread to other states.
The Scottish Hastons
The “Haston” surname is known to be native to Scotland, leading some descendants of Daniel Haston to assume that we are Scots or Scots-Irish (also known as Ulster Scots).Â
For example, the late Dougal Haston, of climbing fame in the Alps and on Mount Everest, was born in Scotland. And to this day, the Haston name is still common in that country.Â
So, if you come across a Haston in the United States or Canada who is not a descendant of Daniel Haston, the chances are very high that they have roots in the United Kingdom, eventually traced back to Scotland. Â
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However, I have learned that most of the Hastons who are now in the United States descend from Daniel Haston, who was originally Daniel Hiestand, from a Mennonite family that originated in Switzerland.
In addition to the many people who carry the HASTON name, there are many others who descend from Daniel Haston, whose family names are spelled HASTIN, HASTINGS, HASTING, HASTAIN, and probably other similar H-names.
How Can I Know If I Descend from Daniel Haston?
DNA can settle the question, but it is essential to know which DNA company to use and how to understand the results. You can not determine your family’s country of origin by DNA results that report what % (percent) of your DNA is from various parts of the world. Â
But we are willing to help.
If you can tell us your family line back a few generations, we can probably help you answer that question. Â
And if, it turns out that you descend from Daniel Haston, we can probably tell you exactly how you fit into the family.
In addition to the many people who carry the HASTON name, there are many others who descend from Daniel Haston, whose family names are spelled HASTIN, HASTINGS, HASTING, HASTAIN, and probably other similar H-names.
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Lucas Haston – Sparta TN
The Y’s Fitness Director, Nina Weston, has seen Lucas through this journey and could not be prouder. She shared part of Lucas’s story, as he got comfortable teaching the others in Special Olympics, and how the two of them worked hard to get him certified.
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Civil War – Haston Cousin Against Haston Cousin
One a Son of Jeremiah Haston, the Other a Son of Isaac Haston — Both, Grandsons of Daniel Haston
Sometimes, Haston family genealogists have confused these two men, but one was the son of (Daniel Haston’s son) Isaac Haston, and the other was the son of (Daniel Haston’s son) Jeremiah Haston. The “boys” were about 4 1/2 years apart in age and probably were close friends and playmates growing up. But issues that led to the Civil War drove a wedge between them.Â
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Jeremiah’s John Wesley Haston enrolled in the Missouri Home Guard in Dallas County, MO. I know that Isaac’s John Wesley Haston (in Cedar County, MO) was a Confederate sympathizer and very likely an active soldier, one way or another.
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Isaac’s grandson (son of John Wesley Hastin), David Haston (Haisten), was a Confederate soldier who was severely wounded in the Battle of Hartville, MO, and was known to be a “bloody bushwhacker.” More about him in another article. Â
Date | Isaac’s John Wesley Haston | Jeremiah’s John Wesley Haston |
October 12 1818 | Born (probably) in White County, TN | |
January 27 1823 | Born (probably) in White County, TN | |
August 5 1841 | Married Anna Brown in Greene Co, MO | |
January 15, 1846 | Married Mary Caroline Forrester in Greene Co, MO | |
January 1, 1849 | 40 acres: T32, R27, S23, NEÂĽNEÂĽ in Dade Co, MO 40 acres: T32, R27, S23, SWÂĽNEÂĽ in Dade Co, MO | |
January 1, 1850 | 40 acres: T33N, R19W,S32, NEÂĽNEÂĽ in Dallas Co, MO | |
1850 Census | “Wesley Haston” (age 27) and wife Anny (age 27), both born in TN, and son David, age eight. $400, real estate in District 25 of Dade Co, MO Year: 1850; Census Place: District 25, Dade, Missouri; Roll: 398; Page: 284a. | “John H. [sic, W.] Hastings [sic, Haston] (age 30 or 36?) and wife Mary C. (age 24), both born in TN, and daughter Hester, age one. $50, real estate, in District 26 of Dallas Co, MO Year: 1850; Census Place: District 26, Dallas, Missouri; Roll 398; Page: 339a. |
October 1, 1852 | 40 acres: T33N, R27W, S17, NWÂĽSWÂĽ in Cedar Co, MO | |
April 15, 1853 | 80 acres: T32N,19W,S20, E½NW¼ in Webster Co, MO | |
December 1, 1856 | 80 acres: T33N, R27W, S17, S½NW¼ in Cedar Co, MO | |
May 15, 1857 | 40 acres: T33N, R27W, S17, SEÂĽSWÂĽ in Cedar Co, MO 40 acres: T33N, R27W, S18, NEÂĽSEÂĽ in Cedar Co, MO | 40 acres: T32M,R19W,S20, NEÂĽSWÂĽ in Webster Co, MO |
1857 | “J.W. Haston” on a militia list in Sonoma (Santa Rosa Co), CA | |
How could J.W. Haston (Isaac’s son) have been in Cedar County, MO, in 1852, 1856, May 1857, and 1862, but in Sonoma County, CA, in 1857? Maybe he went there for gold, returned to Cedar County, MO (when others returned), and later left MO for TX. Or, perhaps this was not Isaac’s son. | ||
June 1, 1859 | His brother, Samuel D. – 40 acres: T33N, R26W, S21, NE¼NW¼ in Cedar Co, MO | 40 acres: T32N-19W,S20, SW¼NW¼ in Webster Co, MO |
1860 Census | J.W. Haston (age 38) and family in Linn of Cedar Co, MO Year: 1860; Census Place: Linn, Cedar, Missouri; 95. | John W. Hasten (age 41) and family in Washington of Webster Co, MO Year: 1860; Census Place: Washington, Webster, Missouri; 710. |
June 24, 1861 | Enlisted, Dallas Co, MO, Federal Home Guard | |
Pre-September 25, 1862 | In Cedar Co, MO, paid to have three cows driven to and sold at market. Suspicious to be Confederate sympathizer. | |
November 20, 1862 | Discharged from the army, over age; Dallas Co, MO. | |
July 1, 1863 | J.W. Hasten, on a Class II list of men in Lynn of Dade Co, MO, subject to Federal military service | |
1865 | J.W. Haisten was on the Fannin County, TX tax list, beginning this year. "Fannin, Texas, United States Records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-W6YW-1: September 20, 2021), image 1 of 1238; Texas State Library. Archives Division (Austin, Texas). | |
October 1868 | Samuel D. Hasting was on the 1868 voter list for Linn Township in Cedar Co, MO, but John W. Haston was not. To be qualified to vote, a man had to take an oath of loyalty to the USA. Southwest Tribune (Cedar County, Missouri), October 9, 1868. | |
August 23, 1870 | Assumed to be “residing in the State of Texas,” according to his father’s will | |
June 6, 1874 or… July 6, 1876 | Daughter A.M. (Matilda Agnes) Haisten married T.E. Lovelace in Fannin County, Texas, on July 6, 1876, or June 6, 1874. Matilda Agnes Hasting was his 2nd wife; Elizabeth Tabitha Genette Gaither died in 1876. Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Austin, Texas; Confederate Pension Applications, 1899-1975; Collection #: CPA16526; Roll #: 209; Roll Description: Pension File Nos. 04877 to 45350, Application Years 1916 to 1929. “Thomas Elam Lovelace,” FamilySearch.org, accessed January 29, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/KGST-FJS. | |
November 6, 1879 | J.W. Haisten married Emma Strange in Sherman, Grayson County, TX. | |
June 1, 1880 Census | J.W. Haiston (age 56) and wife, E.J. Haiston, were living in Precinct 3 of Fannin County, TX. Year: 1880; Census Place: Precinct 3, Fannin, Texas; Roll: 1302; Page: 382B; Enumeration District: 025. | |
1885 | Twenty years after J.W. Haiston’s first appearance on a Fannin County, TX tax list (although the “Location” column says, “Grayson Co.,”), he was still living there. "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1837-1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-W2B7-9, May 2014), Fannin County> 1885 > image 593 of 613; State Archives, Austin. | |
April 26, 1898 | John W. (Wesley) Haiston (Haston) died on this date in Benton County, Arkansas, and is buried in the Centerton Cemetery. He was 75 years old. "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29T-3R2C: 9 July 2020), John W Haisten, 1898; Burial, citing record ID, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. | |
May 2, 1898 | John Wesley Haston died and was buried in Dallas Co, MO | |
These same-name first cousins died less than one week apart - six days | ||
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Catherine Haston Austin’s Sons
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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.Â
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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.
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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. Â
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. Â
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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. Â
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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.
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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.Â
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*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.
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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.
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During the war, the 28th (Consolidated) Tennessee Infantry was active in several major battles, including Shiloh, Murfreesboro, Fishing Creek, Chickamauga, Port Hudson, and Atlanta.
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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.
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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.
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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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Catherine Haston Austin’s Daughters
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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.Â
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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.
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In the next article, I will introduce you to Daniel’s three Austin grandsons. But, ladies first. I want to introduce you to Daniel’s three Austin granddaughters.
Emmeline Austin (Doyle)
November 15, 1822 – Emmeline Austin, daughter of John and Catherine, was born in White County, TN, on November 15, 1822. On January 31, 1844, Emmeline married Downs B. (Brewster) Doyle, a planter (farmer). Downs was born in White County, TN, on September 10, 1817. Apparently, the newlywed couple moved to Bossier, Louisiana, very soon after their marriage, where they joined members of Downs’s family. Â
White County, TN residents, Simon Rogers Doyle (son of Simon Doyle) and Nancy White (daughter of John White, Sr. of White County, TN) moved to Bossier, LA, from White County sometime in the 1840s, but all of their children were born in Tennessee. Simon R. Doyle, Esq. was the coroner for White County, but resigned this position on July 5, 1841. I assume this was a step in the process of moving his family to Louisiana. Simon Rogers Doyle and Downs Brewster Doyle were first cousins; their fathers were brothers.
Downs and Emmeline were living in Bossier Parish at the time of the 1850 census, and their oldest child, age six, was born in Louisiana. Dossier Parish was one of the best cotton divisions of Louisiana.Â
The 1850 census indicates Emmeline was born in Georgia, which is inaccurate. And her recorded age of 22 is also inaccurate, but future censuses correct both. Notice that Emmeline named her second daughter Susan, perhaps a continuation of that name in Catherine Haston Austin’s family. Â
Downs became a prominent citizen in his parish. In 1847, he acquired 320 acres from the Bureau of Land Management (159.97 and 159.55). By 1872, he was a “police juror” for his district. In Louisiana, a police juror was an elected official who served as a member of the parish’s governing body, like a county commissioner in other states.  Even the town where they lived was named “Doyline” for the Doyle families!
In 1880, Emmeline was living with her husband and their family (five daughters and three sons) in the 3rd Ward of Webster Parish, Louisiana. Webster Parish, east of and adjacent to Bossier Parish, was formed in 1871 out of Bossier and a couple of other parishes.Â
Emmeline had 13 children during their marriage. She died on February 13, 1902, and is buried in Doyline Cemetery in Webster Parish, LA.
Susan Austin (Duncan)
February 13, 1829 – Susan Austin, daughter of John and Catherine, was born on this date. She married John J. Duncan on November 1, 1855. Rev. William Jared, who performed their wedding ceremony, was a popular Methodist circuit-riding and camp meeting preacher in White County and the surrounding area.Â
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In 1860, John J. and Susan Austin Duncan were living in District 12 of White County, John J.’s home district. His occupation was “County Officer.”* Even though they had been married for about five years, they had no children.  Â
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A Civil War Confederate document states he was a Clerk of the Circuit Court in White County when he enlisted.
In mid-1860, Susan’s husband was sued by George W. Gibbs* of Sparta, TN, for a breach of contract. The case was tried in the Tennessee 5th Circuit Court at Sparta, TN (where John J. Duncan was the court clerk), but was appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
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*George W. Gibbs was a prominent lawyer in Sparta. He served as a State senator and General in the War of 1812, as well as the first president of the Union Bank of Tennessee at Nashville, and the founder of Union City, TN. The locally famous Confederate General George Gibbs Dibrell of White County was a nephew and namesake of George W. Gibbs.
On September 21, 1857, John J. Duncan agreed to purchase 1,175 acres on the top of Cumberland Mountain in White County, for one dollar per acre. Gibbs accused Duncan of failing to pay for the purchase. But Duncan claimed the deal was void due to fraud because Gibbs had not provided a sufficient description of the land. The State Supreme Court sided with Duncan. But the $1-per-acre mountain land was probably part of Gibb’s Cumberland Mountain land, which later became a major coal producer.
On December 9, 1861, John J. Duncan enlisted for 12 months in Company D of the Tennessee 1st Infantry Battalion (Colms’) at Sparta, TN. Captain David Snodgrass was his enlistment agent.Â
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There are 12 pages in his Confederate files, detailing his medical history during the war, eventually leading to his dismissal for health reasons. Here is some of the information from his records.
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In January of 1862, he was “sent home on sick furlough from Camp Weekly [near Nashville].” He “had a cough and was spitting up blood.”
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May and June, 1863: “Absent at home on sick furlough from [Confederate hospital at] Lauderdale Springs, Miss.”
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In 1870, he was a farmer on a 90-acre farm,[i] which must have been difficult given his hemoptysis, which was triggered by the slightest fatigue. Susan and John, apparently, were still childless.Â
John J. Duncan died on September 2, 1873, and Susan Austin Duncan died six years later, on June 6, 1879, as a result of convulsions. They are buried side-by-side in the Old Bon Air Cemetery in the Bon Air community of White County, Tennessee.
Bird Austin
February 18, 1831 – Bird Austin, a daughter of John and Catherine, only lived two and a half years. She died on July 17, 1833, and is buried next to Catherine in the Austin Cemetery.
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October 2026 – MidAmerica All Hastons Gathering
It’s set – Mid-America Gathering for all descendants of Daniel Haston!
October 9 & 10, 2026 at the Ebenezer, MO Historical Society near Springfield, Missouri
Each morning, we will have coffee, etc., and light breakfast snacks.
Mid-day lunch included.
Late afternoon dinner included.
All for a total registration price of $50 per adult and teen, $25 per child ages 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under. Â
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Friday, October 9
- Welcome and Orientation to the Village of Ebenezer – Laura Nichols, President of Ebenezer Historical SocietyÂ
- Our Earliest Hiestand/Haston Family Roots – Wayne Haston
- Switzerland to Tennessee
- The Daniel Haston Family Tree, All of Daniel’s Known Children
- Jeremiah Haston Family of Dallas County, MO – Wayne Haston
Dallas County, MO Field Trip – Jeremiah Haston Family Historic Places
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Saturday, October 10
- The Westward Migrations of Hastons – MO, AR, OK, TX, CA and Elsewhere – Wayne Haston
(Hastons, Hastins, Hastings, Hastains, etc.) - Jesse Haston Family of Howard and Adjacent Counties – Wayne Haston
- Isaac Haston/Hastin and Other Greene County, MO Relatives – Wayne Haston
- Isaac Hastin Family in Cave Spring Area
- Jacob Mitchell (husband of Daniel’s daughter, Lucinda) in Ebenezer
Greene County, MO Field Trip – Isaac Haston Family Historic Places
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Wayne will have the first 4 (of 5) of his Daniel Haston Family History books available for sale, and he will autograph them for you. And you can pre-order the 5th book.
It’s centrally located to numerous sites where Daniel Haston’s children and grandchildren settled in the 1800s. And we will visit some of them! Plus, historical presentations about some of these ancestors, and more.
Directions to Ebenezer, Missouri
Click on the map to expand the map.

Although I have a lot of evidence that Jeremiah Haston and some of his family members are buried (as late as 1913) in a "Haston Burying Ground" on land where they settled in about 1837, nobody in the county knows the location of the cemetery. Â
Charlie Dill's family owns the land where we think the cemetery is located. Charlie and his family have been super helpful! He drove us around the 40-acre tract where I feel confident the graveyard is located. Â
I was pleased to hear that all 160 acres (4 tracts) that Jeremiah and his oldest daughter, Minerva, owned are now in the Dill family and they are very interested in and supportive of what we are doing.

Charlie grew up on this farm and has run cattle on this land most of his life, but he found some large stones that he had never known were there. They were positioned in what appears to be a rectangular pattern, perhaps foundation stones for a very old homesite. And other similar large stones were located on the surface of the ground nearby. A perpetual spring is about 30 yards away. Â
Some of these stones could be gravestones, but if not there is plenty of room in that area for a burying ground.
Charlie told me that he had heard about a man, James Williams, who knew all about locating forgotten graveyards. You will learn more about James in the Thursday section of this story.

20 yards or so in front of the pattern of old stones is this site. Charlie estimates that some of these oak trees are 200+ years old, old enough to have been there when Jeremiah and daughter Minerva lived on this land. It is on a high point of land that Minerva purchased in 1874, two years before Jeremiah died in 1876! The site overlooks the 1874 40 acre-tract , and the fence row in the distance is the east side of the 40 acres that Jeremiah acquired after he settled there. We think this would be a prime site for a cemetery. We shall see. Â

After our exciting tour of the original Haston property in the community of Charity in Dallas County, MO. We drove through the little village of Ebenezer, MO, where we would meet with the board members of the Ebenezer Historical Society the next day, Tuesday.
The historical center of the hamlet of Ebenezer, Missouri is the Ebenezer Methodist Church, which was founded in 1832. The current (beautiful) building was constructed in 1894. It is the oldest continuously functioning United Methodist congregation west of the Mississippi. Lucinda Haston's (daughter of Daniel Haston) inlaws--Jacob Mitchell family--lived in Ebenezer in the mid-1800s and were active members in this church. One of Jacob's brothers was the pastor of this congregation in 1850. Jacob may have died in the village. Facebook Page

This is our meeting place for the October 2026 MidAmerica All Hastons Gathering.
The original building was the one-room school for the community of Ebenezer, MO. It has been beautifully remodeled, added to, and converted for meetings such as we will have there. Website Facebook Page

Laura and I discussed logistics and general planning related to the MidAmerica All Hastons Gathering. She also explained the layout of the historic village of Ebenezer, MO in its earlier years.

Laura showed us some of the historical locations of Ebenezer sites, such as the original church, the Methodist college, and the original road.

We visited the Friendship Baptist Church building, the church that some descendants of Isaac Haston attended.
The story of how this building was moved intact from its original location near Isaac Haston's land, down a creek bed to the current site on the Little Sac River is truly amazing--on wagons pulled by mules. You will hear that story when we visit here in October.

Some of Haston relatives worshiped in this building. The family that owns the property where the building is located is in the process of restoring it to, as near as possible, to its original condition.

Now known as the Cave Spring Memorial ChurchÂ
Isaac Haston/Hastin's land in Cass Township of Greene County, MO was about a mile east of this church, which was established soon after Isaac's family settled in Greene County. It was founded in 1839, a few years after the Ebenezer Methodist Church was organized. Before its founding, large camp meetings were held in this area.
Even though he was probably a Methodist, and not a Presbyterian, Isaac, Agnes, and members of their family no doubt attended here some times. There is evidence that some of their children were associated with this congregation.
This building, which was constructed in 1869, is being restored by members of the local community. After a few decades of the discontinuance of services, monthly services are now held in the building.

Originally, the church services were held in this room, upstairs in the church. You can see the "choir loft" and platform at the front of the church. Eventually, church services were moved to the first floor, due to the difficulty of getting caskets up and down the steps for funerals. Obviously, members with mobility issues had a difficulty time ascending the steps.

This room was originally used for a school, but later used for worship services, as it is monthly now. There are some interesting artifacts in the room. You will hear the story of the founding of this church and its many years of gospel ministry. Let's plan to sing a few old hymns while we are here.

On Thursday morning I visited the Dallas County Historical Society, where I met Jack and Linda Crawford. For several years, Linda, President of the Historical Society, has been my go-to person for historical information about Dallas County, MO. Jack's ancestors lived in the Cherry Creek community of White County, TN in the early 1800s. He's a great storyteller with lots of good stories about history. Website

I was happy that Charlie and James got to meet each other the morning I visited the Dallas County Historical Society. Charlie, whose family owns the possible Haston Cemetery property, and James, an experienced locator of "lost" or hidden cemeteries, are both interested in helping to find the old "Haston burying ground," as it is described in one family source.Â

James Williams grew up in Dallas County, Missouri but worked for a large cemetery in California for many years. Now, retired, he hopes to locate every "lost" cemetery in the county. He had read about the Haston family cemetery, but I was able to give him more detailed information about it and get him connected with Charlie. Â
James uses dowsing rods and says they are about 80% accurate in locating graves. He has already located about 50 previously old hidden cemeteries in Dallas County, MO. We hope he can add the Jeremiah Haston family cemetery to his list of successes. Â

Since the 1950s, this church is a Baptist Church. But its history goes back into the 1840s, when it was a Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It is located about 3 miles from where Jeremiah Haston settled. Although the church records for the earlier years of the church no longer exist, we do have evidence that members of Jeremiah's family were members there. Jeremiah's son, John Wesley Haston, may have been a member there for 50 years or more.
There is one Haston family buried in the old cemetery adjacent to the church.

On Friday, Sharon and I had lunch with the Board of the Ebenezer Historical Society (Nelson, Kevin and Laura), to make some additional plans for our October Gathering. Â

On Friday, we drove through Cave Spring again. You can see the old Mount Zion Presbyterian [now, Cave Spring Memorial] Church building and cemetery in the background. We were on our way to see the land that Isaac Haston owned while living in Greene County, Missouri.

When Daniel's son, Isaac, left Tennessee in about 1836, he owned no land and was apparently quite poor. But before moving to California in 1857, he owned 280 acres. His son, William Carroll Hastin, owned 40 acres when he died in 1845. Notice that West Farm Road 54 goes right through Isaac's land, making it possible to get some good views of the property he settled on and farmed.

When Isaac settled here in about 1836, this was prairie land, part of the Grand Prairie of Greene County, Missouri. Because of the thick prairie grass, the soil was extremely difficult to plow. The land proved good for pasture but not so good for many crops, such as corn.

About 20 miles north of Cave Spring, MO, the historic Mitchell Campground Cemetery is located in southern Polk County, MO. Daniel Haston's daughter, Lucinda married (Jacob Mitchell) into this family. The Mitchells moved there from East TN in the mid-1830s. They were stauch Methodists and established a church, cemetery, and campground there shortly after they arrived. The history of this site is legendary! Daniel Haston's family is probably connected to these Mitchells in another way. Sarah Nave, probably a close relative of Christina Nave (Daniel's wife), is buried in this cemetery. She married Rev. James Mitchell, a popular Methodist preacher from the family for which this site is named.

The Methodist Church and cemetery were organized on this site in 1839. Many of the graves are from the mid-to-late 1800s.
Meetings are still held annually to support the foundation that cares for the property.

The Mitchell Methodist "class" (church plant) was organized in the house of Ransome Cates in 1834 or 1835. A hewed log meeting house was built in 1836, and the Mitchell Camp Ground was established in 1841, in which year the first camp meeting was held there. In 1858, a brick church building was erected at that location. There was a fire in 1904 that partially damaged the building, and it had to be rebuilt. The church [building] was dedicated in 1905.
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E.C. Haston – WCHS Principal
E.C. Haston - Principal of White County (TN) High School
Van Buren County, TN – Born and Grew Up
Edwin Cummings Haston was born on November 9, 1913, in Cummingsville, TN (3rd District in Van Buren County, TN). Â
Middle Tennessee State Teacher College – Murfreesboro, TN
1938
Cassville in Bartow County, Georgia
White County High School, Sparta, TN – 1951-1958
Death
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1896 – Hastons in the News
1896 - Interesting Facts and Stories About Our Earlier Cousins
Thanks to the “now” online availability of historical newspapers, we can learn interesting facts and stories about some of our Haston relatives, especially the ones who lived in communities where there were newspapers that have been digitized and become accessible through the Internet. Â
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I focus only on the Hastons known or suspected to be members of the Daniel Haston FAMILY. That includes the Hastains, who changed the spelling of the family name in Missouri and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, I am unable to include those who adopted the English Hasting and Hastings spellings, because only a tiny percentage of the people with those spellings are Daniel’s descendants.
1896, March 15
Mayor P.D. Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: Pleasant Dawson (P.D.) Hastain, great-grandson of Daniel Haston, was a controversial mayor in Sedalia, MO — Daniel > David > Daniel McComisky Haston/Hastain > Pleasant Dawson Hastain. In the Republican municipal primary, incumbent Mayor Hastain bested his opponent by 911 to 721 votes. Frequently, there was some controversy or fracas anytime Mayor Hastain was involved in an event, but this election went amazingly peacefully.
1896, March 20
J.M. Haston
Joel Montgomery Haston (son of Montgomery Greeneville Haston) was a vice postmaster at Cummingsville in Van Buren County, TN. In two papers on the same day–one says he had deceased, the other said he had resigned. Well, I know he was not deceased until 1925.
1896, April 16
W.C. Haston
Cedar County Republican and Stockton Journal: Attorney W.C. (William Carroll) Hastin, grandson of Isaac Haston (Daniel Haston’s son) was a Democrat. His cousin, P.D. Hastain, of Sedalia, MO was a staunch Republican.
1896, May 2
Mayor P.D. Hastain
The International. The African American (negro) population in Missouri were not shy about letting it be know that Mayor P.D. Hastain was their friend.
International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor
It was founded as the International Order of Twelve in 1846 as an antislavery society. The Order was re-organized in 1872 as a fraternal organization in Independence, Missouri. The new leader of the group was Moses Dickson, a clergyman of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In the 1890s the group claimed to have 100,000 members in thirty US states, the West Indies, England and Africa. Men’s lodges were called “Temples” and women’s lodges were “Tabernacles”. There were also juvenile lodges of the order called “Tents”. Male and female junior members were known as Pages of Honor and Maid, respectively.
1896, May 4
Jesse Haston (Jr)
The Independent Record (Helena, Montana): Jesse Haston, Jr., grandson of Daniel Haston and son of Jesse Haston from Howard County, MO was the ultimate cowboy. He dealt in thousands of cattle at a time.
1896, May 7
Haston Cemetery – Dallas County, MO
Buffalo (MO) Reflex: This is the Haston Cemetery in the county where Jeremiah Haston and his family lived. But no one in that area seems to know where the cemetery was/is located. I suspect it was on Jeremiah’s land, or perhaps the property of one of his children. It’s just seems to make sense to me. – Wayne Haston
1896, May 14
Wm Haston – Emma Melvina Banks
The Carthage (MO) Press: I don’t know how this William Haston fits into Daniel Haston family line, but since he’s from an area where several of our Hastons settled, he probably fits in somewhere. It’s a “sweet” story of young lovers madly in love.
1896, May 15
Mayor P.D. Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: Republican mayor of Sedalia, MO reminded the negros in Missouri that he “had always been the friend of the negro, in public and in private.” He told them that he wanted to see them prosper and fit themselves for the same positions among their own people that white men occupy among theirs.
1896, May 21
Mrs. W.C. Hastin & “Dow” Hastin
Stockton (MO) Journal: Attorney William Carroll Hastin was the son of Samuel Douthard (“Dow”) Hastin, whose father was Isaac Haston (son of Daniel Haston). They were in Cedar County, MO.
1896, June 3
Jesse B. (Bascom) Haston
St. Louis (MO) Globe-Democrat: Jesse B. Haston, son of William Asbury Haston and grandson of Jesse Haston, Sr., received an “A.M.” degree (now called a Master of Arts, M.A. degree) from the Add-Ran Christian University, now Texas Christian University. It was named Add-Ran for two brothers, Addison and Randolph Clark, who were ministers and teachers in the Fort Worth, TX area, who had a vision for a Christian university. The school was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).Â
1896, June 16
Mayor P.D. Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: Mayor P.D. Hastain never shied away from a fight and sometimes instigated them. In a session to select national committeeman, Mayor Hastain made a remark that sparked an opposing delegate to stand up and make a sharp personal attack on the mayor. Hastain pulled a knife from his pocket in response. Fortunately, friends stepped in to separate the two men.Â
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Two days later, the same (Democrat) newspaper that made the report about the knife, published a different story, saying Mayor Hastain did not have a knife – that it was only a shining match case.Â
1886, July 17
Mrs. Jane Haston
Marceline (MO) Journal Mirror: I am not sure how Jane Haston fits into our Haston family, but the fact that the wedding was held at Chillicothe, MO is a clue that she was probably from the extended Jesse Haston family. But, I don’t know what she was doing living in Massachusetts. But, what a touching love story!
1896, July 19
Mina Haston
The (Nashville) Tennessean: Mina Haston (probably Minnie Lavina Haston, daughter of James Woodville Haston, Sr. and Celia Jane Womack) was an officer in Alma Rebekah Lodge, No. 25, at Onward Seminary in White County, TN. Onward was a community a mile or so east of the town of Doyle, TN. She married John Andrew Johnson Savage on February 26, 1899.
The Daughters of Rebekah, founded in 1851, began as the female auxiliary of The Independent Order of Odd Fellows. As a single woman at the time of this story, Mina’s father would have had to be a member of the Odd Fellows.
1896, July 21
Mayor P.D. Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: In debates about moving the MO capital from Jefferson City to Sedalia, MO, Jefferson City mayor was not match for Sedalia’s Mayor P.D. Hastain. This was certainly true at the 15th anniversary of the discovery of the El Dorado springs in Cedar County, MO.
1896, August 14
C.T. and Van and Dick Haston
The Sparta (TN) Expositor: Three Hickory Valley (southern White County, TN) Hastons were on the committee to organized a reunion of Civil War veterans. Â
C.T. [Charles Thomas] Haston (son of William Carroll Haston and grandson of David Haston and great-grandson of Daniel Haston) was my great grandfather on my dad’s paternal side. J.C. [John Calvin] Wallace was my great-grandfather on my dad’s mother’s side. He was a Confederate Civil War veteran and was a POW, but escaped. Van [David Lavander] Haston was a brother of C.T. Haston. -Wayne Haston
Jesse Haston, in Miles City, MT, died of a broken heart, 15 months after the death of his wife. They left behind three orphaned children. He was only 55 years old.
1896, October 22
D.L. Haston
The (Nashville) Tennessean: It appears that D.L. Haston was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $100 in a Federal Court in Nashville, TN. There were three D.L. Hastons in White and Van Buren Counties at that time. We are not told what the crime was and we can not be sure which D.L. Haston this was, but other sources indicate that D.L. Haston, the son of Isaac T. Haston, conducted business in Nashville, which was approximately 80 miles west of where he lived. He was known to distribute illegal whiskey.
1896, October 23
Mayor P.D. Hastain
Sedalia (MO) Weekly Democrat: Pleasant Dawson Hastain’s most significant political maneuver as Major of Sedalia, MO was an attempt to move the capital of Missouri from Jefferson City to his down, Sedalia, MO.
1896, December 9
George Hastain
George was the son of Woodson Asbury Hastain. He was born on October 27, 1881, so he would have been 15 years old at the time his coat was stolen.
1896, December 5
W.A. Hastain
The Clinton (MO) Eye: Woodson Asbury Haston was a son of Daniel McComisky and Anna Greene Hastain. His mother, Martha J. Wade Hastain, was the second wife of his father. So, he was a half-brother of Pleasant Dawson Hastain, mayor of Sedalia, MO. Â
1896, December 20
Mayor P.D. Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: Mayor Hastain came with an idea of providing work for the deserving poor, to help them provide for their families.
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Who is Buried in the Christina Nave Grave
When he was approximately 23 years old, our ancestor Daniel Haston (originally Hiestand) married Christina Nave on September 28, 1773, in Dunmore/Shenandoah County, VA. I think we can say with confidence that she was the mother of Daniel’s first four or five children, at least.
And we can be sure that for the first few years of their marriage, including the birth of the first four or five of their children, they were living along Passage Creek in Fort Valley on top of the Massanutten Mountain between New Market, VA, and Strasburg, VA.
But…there are reasons to believe Christina died in VA, or maybe somewhere on the way to TN.
I do not believe Christina Nave is buried in the “Christina Grave” in the Big Fork Cemetery,Â
next to Daniel’s grave. But, I think his post-Christina wife is buried there!
Who was she?
John Sevier, the first governor of the State of Tennessee, knew, and he gave us the answer!
John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee, came to Tennessee from the same area of Virginia that Daniel Haston came from. When he was governor, Knoxville was the state capital. Sevier owned a farm southeast of Knoxville, where he spent much of his time when he was not doing “governor stuff” in Knoxville.    Â
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To get to his farm, he took a ferry across the Holston (now Tennessee) River and took the road toward what is now Sevierville, TN. In doing so, he passed by the lot where Daniel Haston’s family lived.Â
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According to his journal (see below), in 1796 he purchased garden products from Mrs. Haiston. Her name was Suza. Mrs. Haston’s name, at that time, was not Christina.
OK, I’ve known this much for several years, and it has made me suspect that Daniel’s second wife was someone named Suza, with her more formal birth name being Susan. But, is there supporting evidence to confirm this suspicion?
I was recently working on chapter 21 for Book 3 in the four-part series, The Heritage, Life, and Legacy of Daniel Haston. Chapter 21 covers the life of Daniel’s daughter, Lucinda Haston, and her husband, Jacob Mitchell.  I noticed something that I had not seen before: Â
- Lucinda named her first daughter Susan!
- Lucinda’s first son (Lorenzo Dow) named his first daughter Susan.
- Lucinda’s second daughter (Rhoda Jane) named her second daughter Susan.Â
- And given the infant mortality of that era, it’s possible there were other girls who were given the name Susan in Lucinda’s family.
These multiple appearances of “Susan” in the family were certainly not coincidental–there was a reason behind it. And Susan was not a common name in the Daniel Haston family, nor the Mitchell family of Lucinda’s husband. And it’s common knowledge in genealogy that children were often named after their parents or grandparents. Â
I now believe that Daniel’s post-Christina wife was someone named Susan. And I think she probably was the mother of Lucinda and the later batch of Daniel Haston’s children. Lucinda was probably born in the 1790s, along with Isaac, Jesse, Jeremiah, and probably Catherine. Maybe others! Â
At the time of the 1820 White County, TN census, a female “of 45 years old and upward” (column 11) was living with Daniel. That means this woman was born sometime before 1775. Unfortunately, the census does not tell us the “upward limit” beyond age 45, so we don’t know how young she was. If that was Mrs. Suza Haston who sold garden produce to Governor John Sevier in the mid-1790s, she could have been the right age to be Lucinda’s mother and the mother of several of Lucinda’s siblings.
So, if I had to guess who is buried in “Christina Nave’s grave,” I would guess that her given name was Suza, a nickname version of Susan. But, I still haven’t a clue what her maiden family name was.
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Hastons in Early Van Buren County, TN Court Minutes – 1860-1866
Hastons in Court - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Year of 1860
| Page | Name | Description |
| 361 | Wm. C. Haston | Mentioned here as a constable. |
|  | Ritchmand (Richmond) Haston | State vs. Richmond Haston (small offenses court) – cost or fine of $2.00. Note: This was probably Richmond T. Jones, who lived in the David Haston household and may have been adopted by David and Polly Haston. |
| 362 | M.G. Haston | State vs. M.G. Haston – cost or fine of $3.00. |
| Â | W.C. Haston | 2 cases – State vs. Joseph Simmons, Execution in W.C. Haston …? |
| 367 | James A. Haston’s place Emely Haston | 2nd class road from the crossroads near W.B. Cumming’s to the two-mile post on the mountain near James A. Haston’s. On the road crew were hands on W.B. Cumming’s place, except for where Emely Haston lived. Who was Emely Haston? |
| 373 | W.C. Haston | Mentioned here as a constable. |
| 376 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (April term) |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Produced his commission as a Justice of the Peace. |
| 383 | M.G. Haston | Voted in the affirmative on court action regarding some bills of cost. |
| 384 | M.G. Haston | Voted “yea” on court action regarding a court expenditure. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Voted “yea” on court action regarding a court expenditure. |
| 388 | William C. Haston M.G. Haston | William C. Haston produced his certificate for re-election as 3rd District Constable. M.G. Haston was security for him. Also, see below and on the next two pages. |
| 389 | William C. Haston M.G. Haston | Continuation of the re-installation of William C. Haston as constable. |
| 390 | William C. Haston M.G. Haston | Continuation of the re-installation of William C. Haston as constable. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | J.P. – count court (adjournment of the Monday session of the April term). This appears to be the personal signature of M.G. Haston. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (Tuesday session of April term) |
| 398 | Nancy Haston W.B. Haston | W.B. Cummings was appointed guardian for Nancy Haston, daughter of W.B. Haston and his wife, Tansy Haston, deceased. Isaac T. Haston was a security for this arrangement. This transaction calls Tamsy Haston the “former wife” of W.B. Haston and indicates that she was deceased. Note: Some records indicate that W.B. Haston married Mary Dunham (second wife) on July 13, 1845, in VB County. A man by the name of W.B. Haston (54 years old, farmer, born in TN) and Mary (35 years old, born in TN) appear on the 1860 Sebastian County, Arkansas census. If this is accurate, why would W.B.’s daughter (born to Tamsey Austin Haston…his first wife) be put into the care of a guardian in Tennessee? Census records indicate that she would have been about 20 years old at the time, which would have still been a minor. Perhaps she chose to stay in Tennessee when her father and stepmother moved to Arkansas. |
| 399 | David Haston – now deceased | David Haston had died. Isaac T. Haston was appointed as the administrator of his estate. Wm. Sparkman and Ichabod Mitchell were his securities. No mention is made of W.C. Haston or M.G. Haston, or other Hastons. |
| 412 | James A. Haston | Ordered to take oversight of the road from Spencer to the 2-mile post near the top of the mountain on the Spencer and Sparta road. |
| 413 | Montgomery G. Haston | Appointed to serve on the December 1860 circuit court. He lived in the 4th district. |
| 421 | James R. Haston | James R. Haston had been overcharged for one pole (poll) at the rate of 70 cents. |
| 422 | M.G. Haston | M.G. Haston was a judge in the 4th district for the 1860 presidential election. Note: This was the election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected and which ultimately precipitated the Civil War. |
| 426 | M.G. Haston | M.G. Haston was a bondsman for this legal arrangement regarding J.W. Mitchell’s appointed role as guardian of minor orphans. |
| 432 | M.G. Haston Wm. C. Haston | Both were appointed to lay off and set apart to Nancy Jane Myers, widow of Dillard P. Myers, deceased, one year’s support. |
| 434 | M.G. Haston | Apparently, Hester Seamans (formerly Hester Mitchell) had been put under the guardianship of James W. Mitchell, but is now married to James Seamans. M.G. Haston had been a bondsman for the guardianship arrangement. |
Year of 1861
Year of 1862
| Page | Name | Description |
| 90 | Montgomery G. Haston | J.P. – county court (January term) |
| Â | William C. Haston | Was one of the poor house commissioners for 1862. |
| 91 | Isaac T. Haston | Â |
|  | J.A. Haston | J.A. Haston appointed for April 1862 circuit court jury duty from the 7th district. Was this James A. (Alfred) Haston? If so, how could that be since he was attached to the 3rd district in the previous year? |
| Â | James M. Haston | State vs. James M. Haston – $6.75 fine or court cost. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Voted to certify the court costs presented to the court (including the James Haston case) |
| 93 | M.G. Haston | Voted for payment of last year’s services by quorum court members – paid $1.00 per day of service. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Voted to pay the Superintendent of the Poor House $352.95, possibly for a year’s service. |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston | Appointed as one of the 1862 poor house commissioners. |
| 94 | M.G. Haston | Voted to pay A.L. Parker, court clerk, for a records book he had purchased, probably the very one that he was using at this time. |
| 95 | M.G. Haston | Voted to pay G.B. Johnson $23.92 for something. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Voted to pay the revenue commissioners $5.00. |
| 98 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of Monday session in January term)Â This appears to be the personal signature of M.G. Haston. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (Tuesday session in January term) |
| 99 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of January term)Â This appears to be the personal signature of M.G. Haston. |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston M.G. Haston | Wm. C. Haston and M.G. Haston appeared in court as securities for John J. Walker as a guardian of the heirs of David A. Walker decd. |
| 101 | Wm. C. Haston | State vs. Wm. C. Haston – It appears that Wm. C. Haston owed $2.00 in court costs from an 1861 case. |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston | Referred to as Sheriff. |
| 102 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (Tuesday session in April term) |
| 107 | Montgomery G. Haston | Mongumery [sic] G. Haston was security for John M. Billingsley, who had been elected as county trustee. |
| 108 | M.G. Haston | Another bond for John M. Billingsley, with M.G. Haston’s signature. |
|  | William C. Haston Isaac T. Haston Montgomery Haston | William C. Hastin elected as Sheriff, as of March 1, 1862. Isaac T. Hastin, Mongumry G. Hastin, and John J. Walker were his securities. |
| 109 | W.C. Haston M.G. Haston Isaac T. Haston | Signatures for the election of W.C. Haston as county Sheriff. |
| Â | W.C. Haston M.G. Haston Isaac T. Haston | Another bond for Wm. C. Haston as the elected Sheriff. |
| 110 | William C. Haston | Took his oath for the office of Sheriff. |
|  | W.C. Haston | Was appointed to make sure that the able bodied men in the 3rd district from 18-55 years old reported for military duty immediately. Note: Wm. C. Haston was in this age range too. |
|  | M.G. Haston | Was appointed to make sure that the able bodied men in the 4th district from 18-55 years old reported for military duty immediately. Note: M.G. Haston was in this age range too. |
| 113 | Montgomery G. Haston Wm. C. Haston | Elected to be the revenue collector of county and state taxes for two years. Wm. C. Haston was one of his securities. |
| 114 | Montgomery G. Haston | Another bond for M.G. Haston’s election as tax collector. |
| 115 | M.G. Haston W.C. Haston | Signatures for M.G. Haston’s appointment to the office of tax collector. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Took office for his new role as tax collector. |
| Â | Isaac T. Haston | Security for John H. Jones, who had been elected as constable of the 3rd district. |
| 116 | Isaac T. Haston | His name on another bond for John H. Jones, 3rd district constable. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Voted to pay the previous Sheriff for his services. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Voted to use the money from the jail tax to be applied to pay off the _____. |
| 121 | W.C. Haston | Mentioned as the Sheriff. |
| Â | W.C. Haston | Mentioned as the Sheriff. |
| 123 | W.C. Haston | Mentioned as the Sheriff. |
| 124 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (July term) |
| 125 | M.G. Haston | Appointed for jury in December 1862 circuit court, representing the 4th district. |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston | Mentioned as the Sheriff. |
| 127 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of August term)Â This appears to be the personal signature of M.G. Haston. |
| 129 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (October term) |
| Â | M.G. Haston | He and William Worthington approved quorum for the unexpired term of the present year. |
| 131 | Â | J.P. – county court (adjournment of October term)Â This appears to be the personal signature of M.G. Haston. |
| 132 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (November term) |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston | Appointed as an assessor (?) for the 3rd district. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Appointed as an assessor (?) for the 4th district. |
| 133 | Abijah Crane’s death | Death of Abijah Crane. |
| 134 | Wm. C. Haston | Security in estate settlement of M.D. Walker. |
| 135 | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (Wednesday session of November term) |
| 136 | Wm. C. Haston | He and others appointed to lay off one year’s support for widow of M.D. Walker decd. |
| Â | Isaac T. Haston | Isaac T. Haston, as administrator of David Haston’s estate, was in court. Apparently the estate was settled and recorded. |
| Â | William C. Haston Isaac T. Haston | Securities for G.W. Sparkman who was elected to the county court. |
| 137 | William C. Haston Isaac T. Haston | Signatures as securities for G.W. Sparkman’s election to the court. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of Monday session in November term)Â This appears to be the personal signature of M.G. Haston. |
| 138 | Wm. C. Haston | Report to the court (by him and others) regarding the assignment in the previous term to lay off one year’s support for widow of M.D. Walker decd. |
Year of 1863Â Â January – August Only
| Page | Name | Description |
| 141 | W.C. Haston | Appointed as a commissioner for the poor house for this year. |
| 142 | James R. Haston | On the tax collector’s list:Â James R. Haston for the amount of 80 cents. |
| Â | William C. Haston | As the Sheriff he was to be allowed $23.20 for various reasons. |
| 150 | M.G. Haston | Resigned as the enrolling officer for the 4th district. |
| 151 | Robert Gamble died | He died in 1862. |
| 152 | Robert Gamble (Sr.) estate settlement information | Robert Gamble, Sr. estate settlement information. His property was in the 4th district. It is interesting that not much (if anything) was said about him in recent years, previous to his death. |
| 153 | W.C. Haston | W.C. Haston was one of several people to divide Robert Gamble, Sr.’s land for estate settlement purposes. |
| 156 | M.G. Haston | April 6, 1863 – M.G. Haston (4th district) resigned his office as Justice of the Peace. He also resigned his office of tax collector on the same day. On March 2 of this same year, he had resigned his office as enrolling officer.  Note: As per his C.S.A. records, he enlisted in military service on July 17, 1863 and deserted on July 31, 1863. He enlisted for a term of “three years or war.” |
| 160 | W.C. Haston | Reference to him as one of the men who divided estate lands of Robert Gamble, Sr. deceased. |
| 161 | Wm. C. Haston | Owned 100 acres, for which it appears that he owed some taxes. |
| 162 | M.G. Haston | As tax collector he turned in a list of land owners and taxes, which had been paid or were due. |
| 166 | Isaac T. Haston | Elected as justice of the peace for the 3rd district. |
| 167 | I.T. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of July term)Â This appears to be the personal signature of I.T. Haston. |
The court minutes (recorded in this book) end here, | ||
Year of 1864
There are no (known existing) Van Buren County, TN court minutes for the year 1864.
It appears that there was no active Van Buren County Court for two years during the Civil War. After Confederate General Braxton Bragg retreated from Tullahoma to Chattanooga, Federal troops roamed freely throughout the county.
Year of 1865Â Â August – December Only
The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. | ||
| Page | Name | Description |
| 168 | [Wm. C. Haston] | James Hunter was commissioned as Sheriff. The last time county court minutes were available, Wm. C. Haston was Sheriff. Apparently, he was not or chose not to be re-elected at some time during the Civil War. |
| 173 | Isaac T. Haston | Appointed to jury duty for the August 1865 circuit court, to represent the 3rd district. |
| 176 | Isaac T. Haston | Produced a commission in court for the office of Trustee of Van Buren County. |
| 177 | Isaac T. Haston | J.P. – county court (July term) |
|  | Isaac T. Haston | A 2nd bond for Isaac T. Haston’s installation as trustee. W.A. Myers, Wm. L. Steakly and A.L. Parker were his securities. |
| 185 | Haston’s place – top of the mountain | 2nd class road from W.B. Cummings’ stoar [sic] house to the top of the mountain of Haston’s… |
|  | John Shepard Dock Shepard Miles N. Haston | John Shepard was appointed overseer of the 2nd-class road from W.B. Cummings’ stone house to the ford of the Caney Fork at the mouth of Cane Creek. Dock Shepard and Miles N. Haston were on that crew. Note: Miles N. Haston was probably the son of Isaac N. Haston, son of Joseph Haston (Daniel’s son). He married Mary A. Shepard. For information on John and Dock Shepard, see the material on the Daniel Haston family prepared by Howard H. Hastings, Sr. |
| 186 | James R. Haston M.G. Haston | Both were on a road crew – 3rd third-class road from the lower end of James Myer’s farm at the forks of the road to the top of the mountain near Aaron Seitz’s. Note: This is the first court minutes mention of M.G. Haston after the Civil War. |
| 187 | James Haston | On a road crew – from the county line at Lynn Mitchell’s farm to the foot of the mountain at the Crain farm. This may have been from the White County – Van Buren County line to the foot of what became Yates Mountain (now, Lemont) Road…up the mountain by Spring Branch. The previous road (just mentioned) was probably the mountain road extension of this current road. |
| Â | M.G. Haston’s place | 3rd class road between the end of the lane at M.G. Haston’s and the end of the lane near Joseph Walker’s. |
| Â | W.C. Haston’s shop William Haston Wm. C. Haston Isaac Haston, Jr. Isaac T. Haston | 3rd class road from Wm. C. Haston’s Shop to the forks of the road at Crain’s farm – William Haston, Wm. C. Haston, Isaac Haston, Jr. were on that crew. Isaac T. Haston was the road overseer. |
| 194 | William C. Haston | Appointed to jury duty for the December 1865 circuit court, representing the 3rd district. |
| 198 | M.G. Haston | On a jury to view and change the road…leaving the road at the forks between Jesse Brock and the top of the mountain. |
| 199 | Samuel Haston John Haston | 2nd class road from Spencer to two two-mile post at the top of the mountain…Samuel Haston and John Haston on that crew. |
|  | W.C. Haston’s place Miles N. Haston | Road from W.C. Haston be extended to Wm. Moore’s. Miles N. Haston was appointed to the overseer. |
| 201 | James A. Haston | “Proved” a wild cat scalp in court. |
| 220 | M.G. Haston | He was security in the estate settlement of Daniel Mooneyham. |
| 222 | Wm. C. Haston | Was security for the estate settlement of Ste___? Hollingsworth, deceased. |
| 239 | Isaac T. Haston David Haston, decd. | More on Isaac T. Haston’s settlement of the David Haston estate. |
| 241 | Richmon Haston M.G. Haston’s fields | Richmon (probably “Richmond”) Haston on a jury with a view to laying off and marking a change in the road from the north east corner of M.G. Haston’s fields to the old road at the north east corner of Drake’s field. |
| 242 | M.G. Haston | Appeared in open court with John J. Walker, who was the guardian of the minor heirs of David Walker. M.G. Haston was a security for this arrangement. |
Year of 1866Â Â January – JuneÂ
| Page | Name | Description |
| Note: The last page for the minutes of the December 1865 term was page 242. The first page for the minutes of the January 1866 term was page 259. | ||
| 264 | Release from tax obligations | Van Buren County people were released from the obligation of 1862, 1863, & 1864 taxes. |
| 265 | Some changes in civil districts | Some changes in the civil districts, especially district 1. Districts 2 & 3 remained unchanged. |
| 267 | I.T. Haston | I.T. Haston was appointed to serve as a judge for official business, representing the 3rd district. |
| 271 | W.C. Haston lands | Plumlee lands (about 800 acres) were adjacent to land owned by W.C. Haston on the east, in the 3rd district. |
| 277 | Mirah Haston | Appointed as administratrix of the estate of James (M.) Haston, deceased. James Sparkman and John A. Head were securities for this estate settlement. |
| 279 | Mira / Myra Haston | Administratrix of James M. Haston, deceased. She signed with her mark. |
| Note: Page numbers 281 – 300 & 303 – 318 & 323 – 338 are missing. It appears, however, that no court minutes were skipped. | ||
| 321 | Dock Shepard Miles Haston | 2nd class road from mouth of Cane Creek to Cummings’ stone house – Dock Sheapard (Shepard) and Miles Haston were on that crew. |
| 340 | Arthur Mitchell’s farm | Road passing near Hodges Ferry changed…until it strikes the line between Arthur Mitchell and Wm. Hodges farms. |
| 345 | W.C. Haston | Introduction to W.L. Mainard’s election to the office of constable (see next page). |
| 346 | W.C. Haston | W.C. Haston was a bondsman for W.L. Mainard, elected to the office of constable for the 2nd district. |
| 347 | W.C. Haston | Bondsman’s signature for the W.L. Mainard election to the office of constable. |
| 351 | M.N. Haston W.C. Haston | M.N. Haston produced in court a certificate of his election to the office of 3rd district constable. Who was he? Was W.C. Haston a security for him? |
| Â | M.N. Haston W.C. Haston | Their signatures for M.N. Haston’s election to the office of 3rd district constable. |
| Â | M.N. Haston | He took the oath for the office of constable. |
| 352 | M.N. Haston | The post-Civil War climate is seen here as M.N. Haston is required to pledge his loyalty to the United States of America in a very explicit way. |
| Â | M.N. Haston | M.N. Haston officially assumed the office of constable of the 3rd district. |
| 353 | W.C. Haston | Security for William A. Myers for his election to the office of Trustee of Van Buren County. |
| Â | W.C. Haston | His signature is related to the William A. Myers election as a trustee. |
| 354 | W.C. Haston | 2nd bond for William A. Myers |
| Â | W.C. Haston | Mentioned again in the William A. Myers installation as a trustee. |
| 360 | I.T. Haston | Security in estate settlement for F.E. Plumlee, decd. |
| 361 | I.T. Haston | He signed as a bondsman for the F.E. Plumlee estate settlement. |
| Â | Isaac T. Haston | Appointed to jury duty for the August 1866 circuit court. |
| Â | M.N. Haston | Appointed to serve as the constable for the August 1866 circuit court. |
| Â | James A. Haston Isaac T. Haston | Appointed to be judges in the 3rd district for the election of attorney general. |
| 362 | Isaac T. Haston | Was security for the estate settlement of Hesekiah (Hezekiah) Mooneyham. |
| Â | Isaac T. Haston | Signed as a bondsman for the Hezekiah Mooneyham estate settlement. |
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Murder of Sheriff Montgomery G. Haston – 3
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Murder of Sheriff Montgomery G. Haston – 2
Links will be activated when the stories are posted.
I’ve been taught, and have taught others, that the stories we tell ourselves create emotions, and it is those emotions that sometimes drive us to reactions that we often later regret. Here is a classic example.
Here are some clippings from the many newspaper accounts of the June 13, 1936 murder of Van Buren County, Tennessee’s Sheriff, Montgomery Greenville Haston. Each article tells a little bit about that sad event.
M.G had apparently just paid for something in the garage (probably gasoline), and had just walked out of the garage. According to my mother (who attended the murder trial), he had some loose change in his hand when he was shot. He was standing on the north side of the street - right in front of the garage (which faced south). Raleigh Hutchinson's restaurant, which was across the street and slightly southwest, can be seen in the 1939 aerial photograph. The big building just east of the gas pump was Morgan Lewis' store.
Hoyte Cook
You will see contradictions (and untruths) within these newspaper reports, but that’s the way it is with newspaper reports.
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Murder of Sheriff Montgomery G. Haston
Links will be activated when the stories are posted.
Who would have thought that this innocent-looking little boy would become the Sheriff of Van Buren County, TN, and be gunned down in such a horrific way?
Montgomery Greenville Haston, born June 9, 1898, was the son of Isham (Isom) B. and Mary Emma Lewis Haston. His grandparents were Montgomery Greenville and Rachel Wheeler Haston. He was the namesake grandson of Montgomery Greenville Haston, the prominent Van Buren Countian who died in 1869.  He was a great–great-great-grandson of Daniel Haston, but Daniel may have held him in his arms as a baby or a toddler.Â
                  –
Montgomery was completing his first term as Sheriff and was planning to run for another term, but that may not have been a factor in what happened about two months before the election.Â
                   –
On June 13, 1936, Sheriff Montgomery G. Haston was murdered by an angry citizen of Van Buren County, TN. The Sheriff pulled in front of a business across the street from the county courthouse in Spencer, TN. Charles M. Clark pulled up, opened the door of his vehicle, confronted Sheriff Haston with a shotgun, and shot him point-blank. Montgomery’s death certificate[i] says he was “shot down on the street; death was instantaneous.” “Shot [twice] with a shotgun, 70 [# 8] buckshot in the abdomen.” Â
                   –
There are different versions of the story. Mr. Clark’s granddaughter candidly shared with me the most likely real story. As that story goes, Montgomery and his brother, Ray Haston, had an earlier disagreement with Charlie Clark over some wood that Charlie had cut on the Hastons’ property, a relatively minor matter. Â
                   –Â
Charlie Clark accused the Hastons of lying about him, which was the incident that sparked Clark’s volatile temper. Clark was convicted of first-degree murder and spent several years in prison.Â
                    –
[i] “Montgomery G. Haston,” Tennessee, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1965 (Year 1936, Roll Number 6). Nashville, TN: Tennessee State Library and Archives.
That’s the basic story, but there is more to the story.
The story of Sheriff Haston’s death was covered by newspapers all across the USA. Some of the stories provide additional details, and sometimes the stories contradict each other. In the next episode, I will share some of those nuanced newspaper stories. In the third episode, I will present the aftermath of the murder of Sheriff Haston, what happened in the months and years to follow his death.
Links will be activated when the stories are posted.
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David Montgomery Haston – Trouble Getting His Confederate Pension
65 Years After the War - Confederate Pension Denied
Jane Ritter’s Memory of the Family Story About Her Maternal Great-Grandfather, David Montgomery Haston
The only thing I remember my Haston mother saying was that he never ate biscuits after the war because of worms or bugs, something was in them. He always ate and enjoyed cornbread.
Jane Ritter
David Montgomery Haston was born and grew up in Van Buren County, TN, but in 1930 he was living in Stephens County, Oklahoma.Â
Oklahoma’s Confederate Pension Act of 1915 provided pensions for disabled or indigent Confederate veterans and their widows who were residents of the state. Applications were handled by the state’s Board of Pension Commissioners, and records can be found through the Oklahoma Historical Society or its digital archives, which preserve the index cards for these pensions. It’s important to note that this was a state-level program, as the federal government did not issue pensions for Confederate veterans.
https://digitalprairie.ok.gov/digital/collection/pensions
In 1915, the Oklahoma Legislature approved the Confederate Soldiers’ Pension Bill. The Board of Pension Commissioners received applications and allowed, or refused, pensions based on established criteria, including the applicant’s residence in Oklahoma for 12 months prior to the passage and approval of the Act. -Oklahoma Department of Libraries
At the age of 84 and living in Marlow, OK, David Montgomery Haston file an application for a pension, 65 years after the war ended and he was discharged. Â
It’s so sad!
After serving for three full years, fighting in such an active outfit for a cause so dear to him, 84-year-old David Montgomery Haston’s petition for a pension was rejected. Why? Because all of his known soldier friends had died, and no one remained to vouch for him. He lived three years and died in 1933. Â
Why Could the Pension Commissioner Not Find a Confederate Record for Him?
Many Confederate soldier records are missing due to poor record-keeping, the destruction of Confederate archives after the war, and a lack of a centralized personnel system. Additionally, many records were lost, misplaced, or never created in the first place.
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1895 – Hastons in the News
1895 - Interesting Facts and Stories About Our Earlier Cousins
Thanks to the “now” online availability of many historical newspapers, we can learn interesting facts and stories about some of our Haston relatives, especially the ones who lived in communities where there were newspapers that have been digitized and become accessible through the Internet.   Â
I focus only on the Hastons known or suspected to be members of the Daniel Haston FAMILY. That includes the Hastains, who changed the spelling of the family name in Missouri and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, I am unable to include those who adopted the English Hasting and Hastings spellings, because only a tiny percentage of the people with those spellings are Daniel’s descendants.
J.P. (James Preston) Hastain, the son of Daniel McComisky Haston/Hastain, and his business partner, ran this newspaper ad throughout the year 1895. Appleton, MO was in St. Clair County.
When James Preston Hastain was born in 1831, in Tennessee, United States, his father, Daniel McComisky Hastain, was 23 and his mother, Anna N. Greene, was 16. He married Octavia Hinckle on 21 March 1867, in Henry, Missouri, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Monegaw Springs, St. Clair, Missouri, United States in 1880 and Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States in 1900. He died in 1913, in Missouri, United States, at the age of 82, and was buried in Appleton City, St. Clair, Missouri, United States. FamilySearch.org
1895, January 26
Dave Hastin
The Clinton (MO) Eye: Dave Hastin, who was once a “bloody bushwhacker” in Cedar County, MO returned to his home county after being away for 20 years. He was a Confederate soldier in the Civil War and moved to Texas, then Arkansas, after the war, probably to escape revenge from some of his Union neighbors. He was a grandson of Isaac Haston, who moved to California before the war. Apparently, his war activities were remembered 20 years later.
1895, January 31
Miss Anna A. Hastain
The Clinton (MO) Daily Democrat: The marriage of Anna A. Hastain, daughter of W.A. Hastain, to Bendix Holst was announced. W.A. Hastain was the son of Daniel McComisky Haston/Hastain.
1895, February 4
Mayor P.D. Hastain
St. Louis Globe-Democrat: In the previous months, Cheyenne County, Kansas, had suffered because of a drought and grasshopper invasion. Mayor Pleasant Dawson Hastain, led in a relief effort to provide assistance to the county.
Mayor Hastain also organized efforts to assist other counties that had suffered from the same fate.
1895, February 7
George Haston
Buffalo (MO) Reflex: This was probably George W. Haston (born 1866), son of Jeremiah McKinley Haston II and Nancy E.N. Cooper (Haston). According to family records, he married Martha Priscilla White on January 13, 1889.Â
Â
Box (or pie) suppers used to be money-raising events, where girls made pies and cakes, etc., and boys bid on them, which came with the opportunity to eat with the girl. Sometimes the pie, cake, or whatever was hidden inside a box, thus the term “box” supper.  I’ve been there, done that! George Haston was voted the “Ugliest Man,” which doesn’t mean he was actually the ugliest. It was good entertainment, especially in the years before TV and internet.
1895, February 18
Bertha Hastain
The Clinton (MO) Daily Democrat: Bertha May Hastain (born 1875) was the daughter of Woodson Asbury Hastain and Sarah Jane Walker Hastain, and granddaughter of Daniel McComisky Hastain and Anna N. Greene Hastain. She married Joseph Shelby McCuan in 1895. She apparently was a leader in the Epworh League, a Methodist young adult association fo rpeople aged 1835.
1895, February 21
Mrs. J.W.B. Haston, Sr.
Buffalo (MO) Reflex: The wife of John W. Brownlow Haston was honored with a birthday dinner. According to family records, she was Mary Adeline Holmes (Haston), born December 5, 1867. If she were born on December 5th, why would she have a birthday dinner in mid-February? John W. Brownlow was the son of John Wesley Haston and Mary Caroline Forester Haston. Was he given the Brownlow part of his name because of “Parson” (William Gannaway) Brownlow the prominent Tennessee politician and Methodist minister who remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War, later to become Governor of Tennessee (1865-1869)? Brownlow became Tennessee’s governor the year J.W.B. Haston was born.
1895, February 22
Mayor P.D. Hastain
Rocheport (MO) Commercial: Mayor P.D. Hastain led an effort to move the capital of Missouri to Sedalia from Jefferson City. Mayor Hastain and his associates were mocked for this attempt, which failed by a margin of 65% to 35%. Jefferson City was established as the state capital in 1821, but Sedalia experienced rapid growth after the Civil War due to its railroad connections and the surrounding area developing as an agricultural region.
In March of 1895, Mayor P.D. Hastain entertained members of Missouri’s General Assembly. “Not less than 10,000 persons turned out to welcome the General Assembly, officials, and clerks of the House and Senate.” Major Hastain and the town of Sedalia were trying to showcase the town in an effort to win the 1896 vote to make Sedalia the capital of Missouri.
1895, March 29
Mayor Hastain
The Standard Herald: Apparently, Mayor P.D. Hastain of Sedalia, MO wanted a local paper that was supportive of his Republican agenda, especially at the time he was working to move the Missouri capital from Jefferson City, MO to Sedalia, where he was the mayor.
1895, April 12
John Haston
Chariton (MO) Courier: The county seat of Buchanan County, MO, was St. Joseph, MO. At this time, I do not know who this John Haston was.
1895, April 24
Mr. (P.D.) Mayor Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: Mayor P.D. Hastain was a controversial man, especially as a politician and mayor. Apparently, you either hated him or respected him. I doubt that many loved or liked him as a person. It appears that he made decisions that drew the ire of people in Sedalia, MO.
1895, May 23
ED Hastain
The Butler (MO) Weekly Times: Ed Hastain, the stenographer of the Circuit Court of Butler, MO, was married to Miss Mary Crawford in Appleton City, MO. Edwin Hastain was the son of James Preston Hastain and Octavia Hinckle Hastain of Henry County, MO. The Wedding
1895, May 23
Haston Cemetery in Dallas County, MO
Buffalo (MO) Reflex: As happened in May 1891, the Haston Cemetery was mentioned and Sanford Creek was appointed to clean and decorate it. This annual event indicates that there was at least one Civil War veteran buried in the cemetery. As of now (8-4-2025), the location of Haston Cemetery is unknown to the Dallas County Historical Society. I have evidence that suggests it was on the property of Jeremiah Haston or one of his children, north of Charity, MO in the Jackson Township.
1895, June 21
T.J. Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat:Â Mayor P.D. Hastain’s brother, Thomas Jefferson Hastain, said that his brother (the mayor) is the stray sheep (politically) of the family.
1895, July 12
Mrs. Jesse Haston, Jr.
After only barely five years of marriage, the wife (Ida McMelan) of Jesse Haston, Jr. (grandson of Daniel Haston), passed away. She left behind three daughters and a baby boy.
1895, July 18
Mayor P.D. Hastin
The Milan (MO) Republican: Mayor P.D. Hastin and some of the Sedalia, MO councilmen were arrested for violating a Judge’s restraining order.
1895, August 1
J.H. Hastin
The Springfield News-Leader: J.H. Hastin and Son was a firm doing business at Cave Springs in Greene County, MO (the community where Isaac settled in the late 1830s. Apparently, they were in debt and their deeds were collateral for the debt.
1895, August 30
Peggy Hestand
The Paducah Sun: This lady’s husband would have been a descendant of Abraham Hiestand/Hestand, Daniel Haston’s older brother. The family lived in Monroe County, KY, south-central KY. What would she have done to have caused someone to poison her entire family?
1895, September 29
Mayor Hastain
The Sedalia (MO) Democrat: Even the local Democrat newspaper seemed to agree that Republican Mayor P.D. Hastain was the handsomest mayor of Missouri’s 30 largest cities.
1895, October 17
Bertha Mae Hastain
The Clinton (MO) Daily Democrat: Bertha Mae Hastain, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Hastain, was married on this date. This article gives a very detailed description of the wedding. It was a big event!
1895, October 17
W.R. Haston
Buffalo (MO) Reflex: William Riley Haston and a friend were arrested for burglary in December of 1893. Nearly two years later, W.R. was declared “not guilty.”
1895, October 31
Jerry (Jeremiah III) Haston
Buffalo (MO) Reflex: Jerry Haston, apparently, was moving away from Dallas County, MO, to Christian County, which was south of Greene County, MO. Here is his lineage back to Daniel Haston: Daniel>Jeremiah, Sr.>Jeremiah MC (McKinley; “Mac”)>Jeremiah III (“Jerry”)
1895, November 22
Haston Broaddus
Chariton (MO) Courier: The daughter of Jesse Haston, Sr., Elizabeth (Bettie) V. Haston, married John A. Broaddus (Sr.) in Glasgow, MO on September 22, 1859. John died in 1897, and Elizabeth went to southeastern Montana to live on a ranch with her son John, Jr. Haston Broaddus was one of John and Bettie’s sons. There were twelve children in all. The oldest son was Oscar. The town of Broaddus, MT was named for her sons. Â
1895, December 20
Son of Rev. & Mrs. J.B. Haston
Weekly Graphic (Kirksville, MO): Rev. Jesse Bascom Haston and his wife, Coramantha Baldwin Haston, experienced the death of their (approximately) one-year-old daughter, Helen Washington Haston, in April of 1893. Now, they had a baby boy!
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Scalding Death of Isaac T. Haston Jr.
The Horrible Death of "Shack" (Isaac T. Haston, Jr.)
The Chattanooga (TN) Commercial, January 1, 1887
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150 Years – Haston Cemetery
150 Years of History in the (Isaac T.) Haston Family Cemetery
Imagine:Â For 150 years, descendants of Isaac T. and Elizabeth Sparkman Haston have been visiting this cemetery!Â
On Sunday, October 12, 2025, a few dozen Haston family members gathered for the annual decoration at the Haston Cemetery on Tandy Lane off TN Highway 285 (Cane Creek – Cummingsville Road) in northern Van Buren County, TN, for what was really a historic event. As of this year (2025), it has been 150 years since Isaac T. Haston became the first person buried on his farm, just east of where his father (David Haston) and grandfather (Daniel Haston) lived. In the years since his death and burial, many of his and Elizabeth’s, descendants have been buried there.
I (Wayne Haston) was invited to share some stories about the history of the Isaac T. Haston family, his farm, the cemetery, and a few of the stories of people interred there. Most of that information, and much more, can found on the following pages.
Although Dr. Fred Dexter Haston was not buried in this cemetery, his father (Erastus S. Haston – son of Isaac T.) is buried here.
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Hastons in Early Van Buren County, TN – Court Minutes – 1855-1859
Hastons in Court - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Year of 1855 (June – December)
| Page | Name | Description |
| 3 | Isaac T. Haston Abraham Trogdon, decd. | Isaac T. Haston, administrator of Abraham Trogdon’s estate, petitioned to sell Trogdon’s land at the court house on Monday, June 4, 1855. |
| 4 | Heirs of Abraham Trogdon, deceased | Abraham Trogden (Sr.) died sometime in 1854. Loucinda Trogden was his widow. Heirs: Albert L. Trogden, James Trogden, Charles (Charley) Trogden, Nathan Trogden, Milton Trogden, Abraham Trogden, Jr., David Trogden, George W. Trogden and John Brock and Nancy Brock. Most of these were minor children. He lived on “waters of Cane Creek” in 4th district. His land (50 acres) was on and crossed Cane Creek. Note: John and Nancy Brock were Abraham’s grandchildren. Sarah, his oldest child (born of Abraham’s first wife) married Allen Brock. Allen Brock married three times. Apparently, Sarah was deceased at the time of her father’s death. -As per Kim Jackson |
| 5 | Isaac T. Haston Abraham Trogdon, decd. | Isaac T. Haston signed the above description of Abraham Trogdon’s heirs and estate property. |
| 9 | Wm. C. Haston | Appointed to be a judge for the August 1855 election in the 3rd district. |
| 12 | Gillentine & meeting house reference | Terry Gillentine and others to examine the road opened by L.B. Denton’ .. past his house to the “meeting house.” Was this the Big Fork Baptist meeting house? |
| 15 | Jacob Stipe | Jacob Stipe’s mental condition evaluated by a jury appointed in previous court term. The report was that he was of sane mind. |
| 20 | William C. Haston James A. Haston | Overseers on the public roads and were given a credit on their poll taxes. |
|  | Road from Spencer to mouth of Cane Creek | Road from Spencer to Caney Fork, at mouth of Cane Creek was ordered to be a 1st class road. Note: Presumably this was the road that ran by Big Fork Baptist Church and Cemetery. |
| 21 | James A. Haston’s place at the 2 mile post on the road from and north of Spencer | Road from Spencer to the 2 mile post at James A. Haston.  Formerly a “Widow Parker” lived at or near this location. Then Isaac Haston live at or near here. James A. Haston’s place at the 2 mile post will become a regular marker for road assignments in subsequent court minutes. |
|  | James A. Haston’s place I.T. Haston James Haston | He lived at the top of the mountain, up above Cummingsville. I.T. Haston and James Haston were on this road crew – 1st class road. |
|  | Wm. C. Haston | On the crew for 1st class road from foot of mountain to Cane Creek. John Gillentine was the overseer of this crew. This would have probably gone past Big Fork Church & Cemetery. |
| 25 | Dillard Haston | On road crew from first branch south of the school house from Passons’ on to the Maple Branch. Note: This would have been William Dillard Haston, son of Wiley B. Haston. |
| 26 | James A. Haston’s place | Reference to 1st class road up the mountain to James A. Haston’s place. |
Year of 1856
| Page |
Name |
Description |
| 30 | Isaac Haston | Appointed to serve circuit court duty in April 1856, for the 3rd district. |
| 33 | Isaac T. Haston | Apparently was paid $60 for use of Jesse & Martha Davis for a certain number of months. It appears that they were paupers. |
| 43 | Lucinda Trogden | The widow of Abraham Trogden petitioned for a dower. She was a daughter of David and Peggy Roddy Haston. |
| Isaac T. Haston | Isaac T. Haston was administrator of Abraham Trogden’s estate. Details of the estate were recorded here, including description of the two tracts of land that Trogden owned on Cane Creek. | |
| 45 | Isaac T. Haston Lucinda Trogden |
Isaac T. Haston petitioned to sell the land in Abraham Trogden’s estate. Children of Abraham and Lucinda are named, as well as some children with the surname of Brock. |
| 69 | Lucinda Trogden | Her dower is laid off. The land boundaries are described and there is a simple rectangular sketch of the plat. |
| 70 | Isaac T. Haston Lucinda Trogden |
Report on the situation of the estate of Abraham Trogden. |
| Note: There are two copies of page 77 (the same page). The first is partially covered with a bond certificate. | ||
| 77 | William C. Haston | Became constable in the 3rd district. A copy of his certificate is photographed on top of the text at the top of this page. His bond details are described at the bottom of the page. |
| 77 | William C. Haston | Same page as above, but on this copy the bond certificate has been flipped out of the way to show the text at the top of the page, which simply states that William C. Haston produced his certificate in court to prove that he had been elected to the office of constable for the 3rd district. |
| 78 | William C. Haston | Took his oath for the office of constable. |
| 82 | Abraham Trogden’s estate | David A. Walker purchased the land from the sale of Abraham Trogden’s estate. |
| 85 | Road to mouth of Cane Creek | The road from Spencer to the county line at the mouth of Cane Creek was reduced to a 2nd class road. |
| 87 | James Haston | On a crew for a 2nd class road up Cane Creek, from forks of road near Carter Drake’s up the creek to Nathan Durham’s shop. |
| 93 | W.C. Haston’s lane W.C. Haston Isaac T. Haston |
2nd class road from Crain’s lane by the way of W.C. Haston’s lane on to the Sparta Road at William Moore’s. Isaac T. Haston and W.C. Haston were road hands. |
| 94 | James A. Haston’s place Willie B. Haston |
James A. Haston lived at the top of the mountain on the 2nd class road. Willie Haston was on that crew. Note: This was probably the Willie B. Haston (son of James A. Haston) who was killed at Perryville, KY in the Civil War. |
| 98 | Wm. C. Haston’s shop | 3rd class road from Wm. C. Haston’s shop up the mountain to the Spencer & Sparta road near the mile post. |
Year of 1857
| Page | Name | Description |
| 106 | James A. Haston’s place | Road from Spencer to roof of mountain at James A. Haston – 2nd class road. Willie Haston was on that crew. This was probably the Willie B. Haston (son of James A. Haston) who was killed in the Civil War battle of Perryville, KY a few years later. |
| 113 | Isaac T. Haston | Reference to him as the administrator of the Abraham Trogden estate settlement. |
| 120 | Isaac T. Haston | Reference to him as the administrator of the Abraham Trogden estate settlement. |
| 146 | W.B. Haston | Appointed juror for January 1858 circuit court, representing 4th district. |
Year of 1858
| Page | Name | Description |
| 155 | W.D. Haston | Appointed overseer of 2md class road from first branch south of the school house near William Passons to the eight mile mark. |
| 157 | Antioch Meeting House | Near Dillon’s Ferry road. |
| 158 | James Haston | State vs. James Haston – fine of $20. |
| 159 | Southwestern Rail Road | Seeking to put a railroad in this county. |
| 193 | Isaac T. Haston | Appointed to represent the 3rd district in the May 1858 circuit court. |
| Â | William C. Haston | Appointed, as constable, to “wait on” the May 1858 circuit court. |
| 207 | William C. Haston | In court and produced a certificate for his election as constable. John Stewart & W.B. Cummings were his bondsmen. He was elected on March 6, 1858 in the 3rd District. |
| 208 | William C. Haston | 2nd bond for William C. Haston as newly elected constable for the 3rd District. |
| 209 | William C. Haston | 3rd bond for William C. Haston as newly elected 3rd District constable. |
| 210 | William C. Haston | Took his oaths for the office of constable. |
| 216 | James A. Haston’s place Willie Haston | 2nd class road from Spencer to James A. Haston’s. Willie Haston appointed to that crew. This was probably the son of James A. Haston who died in the Civil War. |
| 218 | Road from White County line to foot of mountain | 2nd class road from White County line to to the foot of the mountain near Abijah Crane’s. Wm. L. Mitchell had been overseer of that road previously. |
| 232 | Common school commissioner | Common school commissioner (W.B. Parker) appointed to examine applicants for commons schools in Van Buren County. |
| 250 | Isaac Haston | Appointed to represent the 3rd District as a juror for December 1858 circuit court. |
| 251 | James Haston | On a crew for a 3rd class road from Newel Crain’s up Cane Creek to Nathan Durham’s. |
| 255 | Isaac Haston W.C. Haston’s blacksmith shop | Appointed overseer of a road from Abijah Crain’s to the mouth of the lane at W. C. Haston’s blacksmith shop – 2nd class road. |
|  | Carel Haston’s farm hands | 3rd class road from forks of the road at Gillentine’s house intersecting the Spencer – Sparta Road at the head of the muddy branch. Samuel Shockley was the overseer. All of the hands of Carel Haston’s farm were appointed to the crew. |
| 256 | Death of John W. Gillentine | John W. Gillentine had died with no will. John Stewart was appointed administrator. William Wallis and F.E. Plumly were security. |
| 260 | James A. Haston’s place Willie B. Haston | 2nd class road from Spencer to the two mile post at James A. Haston’s. Willie B. Haston (probably the son of James A.) was on the crew. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Appointed as overseer of 2nd class road from mouth of Cane Creek to the fork of the road near W.B. Cummings. |
| 263 | Manerva Gillentine dower petition | Manerva Gillentine (wife of deceased John W. Gillentine) vs. John Stewart, Elias B. Gillentine, & Sarah J. Gillentine (petition for a dower). John W. Gillentine died on September 7, 1858. His 3rd District land (180 acres) is described here. No mention is made of the Big Fork Church or Cemetery. |
| 271 | Manerva Gillentine dower petition | More on John W. Gillentine’s land. More descriptions of the land. |
| 276 | James A. Haston | He and Edmond Seals heard a deposition from Thomas J. Shockley regarding the value of the land and machinery in the John W. Gillentine estate. |
Year of 1859
| Page | Name | Description |
| 279 | James A. Haston’s place | 2nd class road from the crossroads near W.B. Cummings to the two-mile post near James A. Haston’s at the top of the mountain. |
| 280 | James Haston | Appointed to jury duty for the April 1859 circuit court, representing the 4th District. |
| 286 | W.C. Haston | Allowed $1.00 for arresting William Brimer (spelling?). |
| 293 | W.C. Haston | Security for John J. Walker, who was appointed guardian of some minor children, heirs of David Walker, who was now deceased. |
| 294 | W.C. Haston | Co-signed for John J. Walker, who became guardian of some orphaned children. |
| 295 | Manerva Gillentine’s ferry | Apparently, Manerva Gillentine, widow of John Gillentine, had a ferry boat. |
| 305 | Gillentine’s mill on Cane Creek sold | Jonathan Simmons bought the mill (on Cane Creek) of the deceased John W. Gillentine in a public sale. |
| 307 | James Haston court case | State of TN vs. James Haston – the court collected $4 for that case. |
| 309 | Hodges ferry | Jasper Hodge established a ferry on the Caney Fork at the mouth of the Calfkiller River. |
| 313 | Road to the mouth of Cane Creek | Road from the mouth of Cane Creek to Spencer was classed as a 2nd-class road. |
| 314 | W.C. Haston’s lane Montgomery Haston’s place | Road from the mouth of W.C. Haston’s lane to Montgomery Haston’s on Cane Creek was classed as a 3rd-class road. Note: Montgomery Haston was mentioned here after a long absence from these court records. This is now April 1859, and the last reference to him in these minutes was a January 1854 court case, in which he and David Lewis had been cited for an affray. The most recent reference previous to that was in September 1851. |
| 331 | M.G. Haston | M.G. Haston made a motion in court regarding a change in a road on Cane Creek. What position did M.G. Haston hold at this time? |
| 333 | William C. Haston | Appointed to be the constable in the August 1859 circuit court. |
|  | M.G. Haston | M.G. Haston & J.J. Walker authorized the Sheriff, Wm. L. Steakley, to return the jury of view that was granted to them on petition at the last term of this court (not executed). It was ordered that Haston and Walker pay the court costs. This was probably the road jury to check on the Cane Creek road. |
| 334 | Marthy A. Haston | George Sparkman, Jr., was accused of being the father of a bastard child, born of Marthy A. Haston, a single woman. The child was born on May 21, 1859. Who were the parents of Marthy A. Haston? |
| 335 | Isaac T. Haston | Was one of the men who bound themselves to assure that the bastard child of Mathy A. Haston (and George Sparkman, Jr.) would never become a liability to the state. Was Isaac T. Haston the grandfather of this child? |
| 340 | Montgomery Haston’s place | 3rd class road from where Newel Crain lived to where Mongomery [sic] Haston lived. |
| 342 | M.G. Haston | Appointed to court duty for the December 1859 court, representing the 4th district. |
| Â | J.A. Haston | Appointed to court duty for the December 1859 court, representing the 7th district. |
| 344 | James Haston | He and others were released from their duties as overseers of public roads in Van Buren County. |
| 347 | M.D. Haston | Some tax adjustment for one pole (poll) in the amount of .85 for M.D. Haston. Who was he? |
| 348 | James A. Haston’s place Wiley B. Haston | 2nd class road from Spencer to the 2-mile post near James A. Haston’s at the top of the mountain on the Sparta Road. Wiley B. Haston was on that crew. |
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Hastons in Early Van Buren County, TN Court Minutes – 1850-1854
Hastons in Court - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Year of 1850
| Page | Name | Description |
| 292 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (January term) |
| 294 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (Tuesday session of January term) |
| 296 | W.B. Haston | Appointed as judge for the May 1850 elections in the 4th district. |
|  | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of January term) This appears to be the personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| 297 | James A. Haston | Appointed to serve on the jury for the May 1850 circuit court. |
|  | H. Shackleford | Presumably, “Harrison Shackleford” was in the 7th district at this time. If so, he was probably an ancestor of Sarah Ophelia Colley (known popularly by the name “Minnie Pearl”). |
| 298 | W.B. Haston’s old house | 2nd class road from W.B. Haston’s old house on to Abijah Crain’s. |
| 303 | William C. Haston Montgomery G. Haston | Elected as constable in the 3rd district. Montgomery G. Haston was one of his securities. |
| 304 | William C. Haston Montgomery G. Haston | These men signed for the proceedings associated with William C. Haston’s election to the office of constable for the 3rd district. |
| Â | W. C. Haston M. G. Haston | Securities for Edmon Seals, elected constable for the 4th district. |
| 307 | W.B. Haston | He and others on a jury to lay off and mark out a road from Wm. L. Mitchell’s on to intersect the old road near John W. Riddle’s old place on the mountain. |
| 308 | J.A. Haston | As a justice of the peace, he and others entered into a new bond required by law. |
| 310 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of April term) This appears to be the personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| 311 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (June term) |
| 312 | W.B. Haston | Appointed to serve on the August 1850 jury, presumably for the circuit court. |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (July term) |
| 313 | W.D. Haston | On the crew for a 2nd-class road from Spencer onto Samuel Mattheis’ mill place. Note: The second initial was clearly a “D” in the text of the minutes. This was probably “William Dillard Haston,” oldest son of Willie B. and Tamsey Austin Hsaton. See also page 335. |
| 314 | William C. Haston | Resigned as constable for the 3rd district. |
| 318 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of September term). This appears to be the personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (October term) |
| 319 | William C. Haston | Appointed to the December 1850 jury, presumably for the circuit court, to represent the 3rd district. |
| Â | M.G. Haston | On a crew for a 2nd class road from the top of the mountain near the two-mile post to the south side of the branch near Denny’s old still house place. |
| 320 | Sparta-Pikeville turnpike | Reference to the turnpike road leading from Sparta to Pikeville. |
|  | Road to the mouth of Cane Creek | 2nd-class road from the Wm. Denny, Sr. place to the mouth of Cane Creek. |
| Â | Road to ford of Caney Fork | Road from the mill near Joseph Stipes’ passing Fines E. Plumlee to the ford of the river be disannulled. |
| Â | Arthur Mitchell | Farm hands from Arthur Mitchell’s farm assigned to road crew – from the mill near Joseph Stipes to the forks of the road near William Denney, Senior’s. – 2nd class road. |
| 322 | James A. Haston | Security for Seth Wright as elected constable for the 7th district. |
| 323 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (November term) |
| 324 | James A. Haston | Ordered to have some repairs done to the justice bar of the courthouse. |
|  | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of November term) This appears to be the personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| Â | Road from the ford of Cane Creek to Robert Gamble’s | 2nd class road from the ford of Cane Creek near Joseph Moore’s to the mouth of Robbert Gamble’s lane. |
| 325 | Road to Cane Creek | Order to change the Cane Creek road so as to leave 250 yard from the college gate. Note: This apparently started on top of the mountain near Burritt College. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Appointed to a jury of view to change the road near where M.T. Gillentine formerly lived. |
| 326 | Thomas & Margrt Creely or Crawley? | Discussion regarding the death of these persons. Margrt was the wife of Thomas. He died on July 1, 1843, and she died on December 5, 1844 (appears to be 1844, but second the last number is blotched). |
Year of 1851
| Page | Name | Description |
| 327 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (January term) |
| Â | M.G. Haston | Appointed to serve in April 1851, presumably on the jury of the circuit court, representing the 3rd district. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Appointed to serve in April 1851, presumably on the jury of the circuit court, representing the 7th district. |
| 328 | James A. Haston | Appointed to be a revenue officer for the 7th district. |
| Â | Road at Crain’s Gate | Road crossing the Pikeville road at Crain’s long gate and running by the __ ___ and intersecting the same at his stable. |
| 329 | Arthur Mitchell | Released of thirty-five cents on tax. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Appointed as coroner. |
| 330 | W.B. Haston’s place | 2nd class road from the forks of the road near Gamble’s to the ford of Cane Creek above W.B. Haston’s. |
| 331 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (Tuesday morning of January term) |
| Â | Arthur Mitchell | Hands of his farm appointed to a road crew, from Dry Branch to Wm. Denney’s old house. |
| 334 | Road from Denney’s old still house | 2nd class road from Denney’s old still house on the side of the mountain to Wm. Denney’s __ cross road at the foot of the mountain. |
| 335 | David McHaston | On road crew from Camp Ford on Cane Creek to the foot of the mountain above Birden Wheeler. |
|  | Wm. D. Haston James W. Haston | Attached to John Vrack Road. Note: By comparing the “D.” in “Wm. D. Haston” to other capital “D’s” on this page, this seems to clearly be “Wm. D. Haston.” This was probably William Dillard Haston, the oldest son of Willie B. and Tamsey Austin Haston. See also page 313. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Voted in favor of John Brock’s appeal for some allowance for his cost as overseer of his road crew. |
| 336 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of January term) This appears to be a personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (February term) |
| 337 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of February term) This appears to be a personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| 338 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (March term) |
| Â | Road to the mouth of Cane Creek | 2nd class road from the crossroads near Wm. Denney’s to the mouth of Cane Creek. |
| 339 | M.G. Haston | On crew for 2nd class road from the top of the mountain near the 2-mile post to the south side of the branch near Denney’s old still house. |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (April term) |
| 343 | Isaac Haston | On a crew for a 2nd-class road – probably in Sparkmantown area. |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston David McHaston David Haston’s lane | Wm. C. Haston to oversee a 3rd class road from David Moore’s to David Haston’s lane. David McHaston (older brother of Wm. C. Haston) was appointed to that crew. |
| 344 | Town of Spencer incorporation | Citizens of the town of Spencer present a petition for the incorporation of the town with a mayor and aldermen, which is granted.  Spencer was located in a 50-acre tract. |
| 345 | James A. Haston | Voted for the incorporation of Spencer. |
|  | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of April term) This appears to be a personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| 346 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (May term) |
| Â | David Haston | Appointed to jury duty for the August 1851 circuit court, from the 3rd district. |
| 347 | Isaac Haston | Lived at the break of the mountain – 2nd class road from Spencer to there, and Isaac Haston was on that crew. |
|  | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of May term) This appears to be a personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (June term) |
| 348 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of June term) This appears to be a personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (July term) |
| Â | Wm. C. Haston’s road | David Moore and his road hands were attached to Wm. C. Haston’s road (probably the road that Wm. C. Haston was appointed to oversee). |
|  | Blunt Haston | Ordered that a “road be established from the corner of the college lot following the Blunt Haston road to a place known by the narrows thing following a __ direction of a __ __ made by Solomon Reese, an that the Reese Road from the junction to college hill be disannulled.” Question: Who was “Blunt Haston?” Was this the middle name for W.B. Haston? Was his name “Wiley Blount Haston?” A militia listing for 1828 in White County mentions a “Blount Hasting.” |
| 349 | David McHaston | On a road crew from the top of the mountain near Aron Seitz to James B. Myars’ – 2nd class road. Note: This July 1851 reference appears to be the last mention of David McHaston in the Van Buren County, TN court minutes. David McHaston moved to Missouri at some point shortly after this time. |
| 350 | Road near the Big Spring | 2nd class road from the middle of the old near G.W. Sparkman’s on to the old road near the Big Spring. |
| 351 | Road from Camp’s Ford on Cane Creek | 2nd class road from Camp’s ford on Cane Creek on to the foot of the mountain above Col. Wheeler’s. |
| Â | William Denney | His death was recorded in court. |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (September term) |
| 352 | William C. Haston William Denney, deceased | William C. Haston and others related to William Denney, Sr. came to court and presented a petition to sell (not divide) property owned by Wm. Denney Sr. He owned about 238 acres (where he lived) when he died, plus 4689 acres on the mountain. He also owned four slaves. Note: William C. Haston married Jane Denney, the daughter of William Denney, Sr. |
| Â | William C. & Jane Haston | “William C. Haston & wife Jane.” |
| Â | The court agreed to sell Wm. Denney’s lands & slaves | The court agreed to sell the lands and slaves of Wm. Denney Sr. & Joseph Cummings appointed to lead that process. |
| 353 | M.G. Haston | 2nd class road from the top of the mountain to Denney’s old still house – M.G. Haston on that road crew. This is now September 1851, and it is the last time that M.G. Haston appears in these county court minutes until April 1859, except for a January 1854 reference to him having been involved in an affray case. The 1860 census indicates that two children had been born to Rachel and him…in Georgia…sometime in the mid to late 1850s. It is interesting that David McHaston apparently left Van Buren County at about this time. See page 349. |
| 355 | W.D. Haston | Name crossed off a road crew list. This was probably William Dillard Haston, son of W.B. Haston. |
| Â | W.C. Haston | Attached to a road crew. |
| 357 | W.B. Haston W.D. Haston | On a road crew, working under James Durham. W.B. was the father of W.D. Haston |
| Â | Road from the ford of Cane Creek to Denney’s. | Milton Gamble appointed to oversee the 2nd class road from the ford of Cane Creek near Abijah Crain’s on to the crossroads near Denney’s. |
| Â | Road from Camp’s Ford on Cane Creek. | 2nd class road from Camp’s ford on Cane Creek on to Gamble’s land. |
| 358 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (November term) |
| Â | Wm. Denney’s estate report | Joseph Cummings brings a report of William Denney Sr.’s estate into court. |
| 360 | Date of William Denney’s death | William Denney, Sr., died on October 4, 1851. |
| Â | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (December term) |
|  | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (adjournment of December term) This appears to be a personal signature of Jas. A. Hastin. He spelled his last name “Hastin.” |
Year of 1852
Year of 1853
| Page | Name | Description |
| 399 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (January term) |
| Â | James Haston | 2nd class road from the ford of Caney Fork near Warren’s mills on to intersect the Pikeville Road at the foot of the mountain – James Haston on that crew. |
| 400 | Isaac Haston’s place | 2nd class road from the top of the mountain at Isaac Haston’s to the branch at Denney’s old still house place. |
| Â | W.B. Haston | Appointed as revenue commissioner for 4th district. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Appointed as revenue commissioner for 7th district. |
| 403 | James A. Haston | As Justice of the Peace, he handled the case of the State vs. Thomas Stipe and J.P. Denney (affray). |
| Â | James M. Haston | State vs. James M. Haston and A.L. Trogden (affray), handled by James Durham, Esquire. |
| 404 | W.C. Haston | On a crew for a 2nd class road from Spencer on to the ___ house & ___. |
| 406 | W.B. Haston | Reported that he had received no money for the last year __ under the account per the punishment of small offenses.” It appears that he wrote his signature at the end of this entry in the court minutes. |
| 407 | W.B. Haston | He and others appointed to examine the situation of Jesse Crain’s mind and report instantly whether he be an ___ or a lunatic. |
| Â | W.B. Haston | Jesse Crain was determined to be a lunatic, as per the men (W.B. Haston and others) who were assigned to report his condition. |
| 413 | Isaac Haston | 2nd class road from Spencer to the __ mile post on the … to Sparta. Isaac Haston was one of the road hands. |
| Note: The following page should be 416, but there is a page numbering error. It reads “406” instead of 416. | ||
| 406 | Â | 2nd class road from Denney’s crossroads to Denney’s old still house… |
| Note:Â The page numbering error on the previous page is corrected beginning with this next page. | ||
| 417 | Isaac T. Haston | He and others were ordered to investigate Glap__ Stipe’s mind and report at the June term whether she is a lunatic or not. |
| 423 | James A. Haston | J.P. – county court (July term) |
| 424 | James A. Haston W.B. Haston | They voted in the affirmative for what appears to have been the incorporation of the town of Spencer. |
| 428 | Report on William Denney’s estate | Joseph Cummings made his report on the estate settlement of William Denney, Sr |
| Â | David Haston | Appointed to be an election judge for the 3rd district in the August 1853 elections. |
| Â | W.B. Haston | Appointed to be an election judge for the 4th district in the August 1853 elections. |
| 429 | Death of Thomas Shockley | Thomas Shockley had died, and Sarah Shockley was appointed to oversee the estate. |
| Â | Spencer road to Durham’s and Craine’s | 2nd class road from the Spencer Road to Durham’s shop on to Abijah Crane’s. |
| 430 | James A. Haston W.B. Haston | J.P. – county court (October term) |
| 432 | Abraham Trogdon | Hands of Abraham Trogdon’s farm were appointed to a road crew. |
| Â | James A. Haston | Had served as a road overseer since the passage of some Act of the TN General Assembly. |
| 433 | James A. Haston | Paid $20 for repairs on the jail for which he had paid from personal funds. |
| 435 | Isaac Haston | 2nd class road from Spencer on to the two-mile post near Isaac Haston. He (Isaac Haston) was a member of this road crew. |
| 436 | Wm. C. Haston David Haston’s lane | Appointed as a road overseer for the 2nd-class road from David Moore’s shop to the south end of David Haston’s lane. He had held this position previously. |
| 437 | Pikeville Road at Gamble’s land | 2nd class road from Jesse Dodson’s to the Pikeville Road at Gamble’s land. |
Year of 1854
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