3 – Vollie Belle Haston – Marriage to Clarke Raymond

Vollie Belle Haston's Marriage to Clarke Raymond

Co-Authors: Becky Hitchcock Harris and Wayne Haston

I have learned that there is a lot of information “out there” (be it factual or inaccurate lore) about Vollie Belle Haston’s life and tragic death. I’d love to hear anything you have heard or know about Vollie Belle’s life or her death. WayneH37@aol.com

In March 1937 my grandfather Payne died. One of the dearest souls on earth. A man after Gods’ own heart I know he didn’t drink, ———, never cursed, and was a devout church member. He had a wonderful voice and led singing until his worn out body was paralyzed so he couldn’t even attend church. To this day when I hear certain old hymns I can hear his clear tenor notes ringing in my memory. His and granny’s’ life was so happy and it left her so broken, so unsatisfied she came to live with us part of the time and lived in her own home the rest of the time but I’ll tell you more about her later. But I know or feel like Grandpa Payne is at rest with Granny who followed this year. You are seeing a spot here and there on your pages I guess. Well dear diary that’s tears. When I recall what happiness we had together I can’t help but cry. I can barely see through the tears now what pals they were! My happiness was theirs, my heartaches also. But they went the way we’ll all have to go maybe tomorrow, who knows? And may God help me to live such a life as they so I may meet them!

My mistake in marriage made me very hard hearted but I finally decided I needed friends. I couldn’t go through life as I was at that time. In Nov. 1938, I gave Billie Hutchison a home town boy a date. He was swell he was three years my junior but was very good company. I was 24 and looked much younger than that. I didn’t care for Billie too much, oh I was fond of him in a funny sort of way. He was sweet and treated me like a queen. He changed his way to do the things I liked. He gave me numerous gifts, far above his means I’m sure. Of course, I was nice to him in that way too. He came to care………….

Here the text of the diary ends abruptly and 36 following pages were ripped out of the diary, apparently hastily and quite forcibly. The little (easily pickable) lock on the diary is still locked. When Vollie Belle locked it after her final diary entry, she had no idea of how it would eventually be opened again.

There is no mention of her final boyfriend, who became her second husband, (Clarke Raymond) in the diary because the part of the diary in which he probably was mentioned is gone.

In 1940, Vollie Belle (then age 25) was living with her parents in Spencer and had completed the first year of college, at Burritt College no doubt, but had not attended school in the previous year. Her folks lived very near the college. She was single at that time. No occupation was recorded for her on the census. In 1935, she and her parents were living in a “rural” area, but rural was anything less than 2,500 inhabitants and Spencer was small enough to be considered rural, so we can’t tell if she was living in Spencer in 1935 or somewhere that we might consider as being “out in the country”–but most likely in town on Mansion Street.

The woman in this photo appears to be Vollie Belle. The man beside her was Henry Holman, otherwise known by people in Spencer as “Doc Yak.” The date of the photo is unknown, but it was taken outside of the Nelson Drug Store in Spencer. Perhaps this was taken between the time of her divorce to James Hurd Cruise and her marriage to Clarke Raymond, but that is only a guess. There is no record, in Vollie Belle’s diary, of any connection between her and Doc Yak. They were probably just friends, or perhaps she worked for him in the Nelson Drug Store at some point.

Hoyte Cook’s recollection of Doc Yak:

I recall Doc Yak as a well-dressed old gentleman who always seemed to have a calm-and-controlled demeanor, who was consistently smiling and friendly, and appeared to walk as if he were being careful not to stumble. He had a rather deep voice, and spoke with a neutral accent. His speech would have identified him as ostensibly sophisticated and refined, and not native to Van Buren County, Tennessee. A visit to Spencer was not complete without a stop at Doc Yak’s for ice cream (one generous scoop for a nickel, two generous scoops for a dime). His store, as I recall, appeared somewhat disorderly and cluttered. There always seemed to be lots of magazines on racks. The only time I ever saw him engaged in a task that seemed to have him really focused and serious was one night when I walked into his store when the carnival was in town – and he was measuring out some medicine for one of the carnival ‘gypsies’. I believe that was the only time I ever walked into his store when he did not give me a cheerful greeting. Doc was a delightful fellow.”

Doug Woodlee: I don’t know if he actually owned Nelson Drug Store, but he is the only person I ever saw behind the counter. He had one of only two or three telephones in town for a long time. He had an ice cream freezer behind the counter. It had the large round cartons of ice cream and lids that he would lift and scoop out ice cream into cones. The floor was wood. He chewed tobacco and had a hole drilled into the floor behind the counter. He had a very large funnel inserted into the hole and I’ve witnessed him spitting tobacco juice into the funnel. It was quite nasty. Doc Yak always seemed a bit eccentric to me, but how was I, a very young boy, to know eccentricity? I used to love going in the store and browsing through his rack of comic books.

Henry L. Holman was age 63 and living in the Bouldin Hotel in Spencer when the 1940 census was taken.

Childhood Memories of Miss Vollie Belle - Early 1940s

My recollection of Vollie Belle goes back to when I was a child and neighbor of her and her parents. Their back door opened into a small backyard that adjoined the garden my grandparents and parents had. The Haston house fronted on TN Hwy. 30 which runs between McMinnville and Pikeville, coming through downtown Spencer.

I used to see Vollie Belle coming and going out the back door. The Hastons had a garage located on the alley/street that ran between Hwy. 30 and College St. I can’t remember, but they or Vollie Belle must have had a car they kept there.

There was a big pear tree in their backyard with limbs that overhung the Woodlee garden. Ripe pears would frequently drop into the garden and I would pick them up and eat them.

One day I was in the garden looking for pears and Vollie Bell came out the back door with a cigarette in her mouth. She was a beautiful woman, even to a less than six-year-old like me. She spoke to me and I said to her “Miss Vollie Belle, I thought nice girls didn’t smoke.” I was probably around five and a half years old.

Later when she was killed, her “viewing” (wake) was held in one of the rooms of the house. I’m not sure which room, but it was probably their living room. Vollie Belle’s mother saw me in our garden and asked if I wanted to come in to see her. She took me into the room and held me up so I could look into the casket. I personally saw her face and there was no visible damage.

She told me that she wanted me to know that from the day I told Vollie Belle I thought nice girls didn’t smoke, Vollie Belle never smoked another cigarette.

-Douglas Woodlee

Clarke Raymond

1931 High School Graduation from Ennis High School in Ennis, Montana

In 2022, Ennis High School (grades 9-12) had 127 students.

Clarke Raymond – Military Information

Second Army (Tennessee) Maneuvers

The years 1942-1945 were “happy hunting” times for single women in Middle Tennessee looking for a husband.

In the autumn of 1942, the War Department decided to resume field maneuvers in Middle Tennessee. Large-scale war games had been conducted in an area around Camp Forrest, near Tullahoma, the previous summer, and General George S. Patton had perfected the armored tactics that were to bring him fame and his divisions victory in Europe. Between the wars Erwin Rommel, as a young military attache, had visited Nashville and Middle Tennessee to study and follow the cavalry campaigns of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest to help him develop a pattern for the use of tank units as cavalry. The army, perceiving in the Cumberland River and the hilly country to the south and north a similarity to the Rhine and Western Europe, decided to send divisions into the state for their last preparation before actual combat. Between September 1942 and March 1944 nearly one million soldiers passed through the Tennessee Maneuvers area.

Lebanon was chosen as headquarters and Nashville as the principal railhead. Over the hills and valleys of twenty-one counties “Blue” and “Red” armies engaged in weekly strategic “problems,” with troops moved in and out according to a calendar of “phases” that lasted about four weeks apiece. In the military’s scenario Nashville was Cherbourg, without the bombing. The first and second problems usually took place east of Davidson County, but the third in each phase would poise attacking Blue troops against Red troops in defense around Donelson in Davidson County and Couchville in Wilson County. This force would advance to the east toward hilly terrain. In one instance at least a problem involved the defense of Berry Field in Nashville against Blue airborne troops.

Maneuvers paused at noon on Thursday or Friday, when a light plane would fly over the mock battle lines, sounding a siren. Then thousands of soldiers would seek recreation in Nashville and the county seat towns. Facilities were limited, despite the best efforts of the U.S.O. and the American Red Cross; movie theaters and cafes were packed; drug store soda fountains were forced to shut down twice a day for cleanup. Each army PX was strained to the limit. Churches opened their doors and set up lounges; schools opened their gyms for weekend dances. The Grand Ole Opry had never drawn such crowds than during these months when Middle Tennessee hosted the army’s preparations for the eventual invasion of Normandy in 1944. Source

Memories of Margie Clark, 21 Years-Old Spencer Resident When Vollie Belle Was Murdered

Margie Clark attended all of the sessions of the first Circuit Court trial in which Clarke Raymond was tried for the murder of his wife.

Vollie Belle's best friend was Elizabeth Simmons. Charlie Simmons had a barbershop in Black Bottom [area in Spencer]. Haircuts 25 cents. Charlie's wife Mamie and daughter Elizabeth ran a restaurant there. I think that is how Vollie Belle met Clarke Raymond. She worked in an office, maybe an agricultural office. Clarke was out on the rifle range on Army maneuvers. It makes sense that he would go to a restaurant in town when possible. She was already divorced when Clarke came to town. I never heard the reason for her divorce or anything bad about Vollie Belle. She and Clarke married and I didn't hear anything about them until the shooting.

Margie Clark, through her daughter Brenda Clark Anderson

1944 Visit to Her In-Laws in Montana

Clarke Raymond's Honorable Military Discharge

Clarke and Vollie Belle - Their Post-War Married Life

From a 1947 court trial transcript (which you will learn more about in Part 5), Clarke provides some details about their life together after the war:

After Clarke was discharged, he went to Tennessee to meet the wife he hardly knew. Vollie Belle met him in Murfreesboro, TN. From there, they went to Vollie Belle’s parents’ home in Spencer and remained with her parents for two weeks. Then they traveled to Montana to visit his family. After spending three months with his family, Clarke and Vollie Belle remained another six months in Montana before returning to Spencer.

Was Clarke planning to make their home in Montana? Was Vollie Belle not happy living in Montana? Was Clarke not happy living in Van Buren County, TN? Just questions to ponder. -Wayne Haston

Around the first of December [of 1946] they moved to the farm in Cummingsville, TN that Vollie’s father owned–the place where Vollie Belle died less than a year later. Clarke’s family raised livestock, cattle and horses, in Montana. Even though he had no experience farming, Clarke began to farm his father-in-law’s Cummingsville land. Although Clarke doesn’t say it per se, the record indicates that Vollie Belle was employed somewhere in Spencer, while Clarke was on the farm alone during the day.

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

2 – Vollie Belle’s Marriage to and Divorce from James Hurd Cruise

Vollie Belle's Marriage to and Divorce from James Hurd Cruise

Co-Authors: Becky Hitchcock Harris and Wayne Haston

James Hurd Cruise

James Hurd Cruise was born on April 24 of 1912 in Doyle, Tennessee. His father, Robert L. Cruise, died on January 8, 1914, before James Hurd was two years old. In 1930, at age 18 James Hurd was living with his uncle, Luther B. Hurd, on College Alley in Spencer. There were 11 people living in Luther Hurd’s house #69. Four were nieces and nephews who might have been boarding there in order to attend school. At the same time, Vollie Belle Haston (age 15) was living four house numbers away with her parents on Mansion Street in Spencer.

In my 3rd year 1931 I met a red-headed boy from Palmer, Tenn. He was of nice family, sort of handsome, and by far the smartest boy in class – Ray Hatfield was his name. Came to Burritt with aspirations as a lawyer. We were sweethearts until he left school. He wrote faithfully and we both had too much independence so we drifted apart. In the fourth year 1932, I met Billie Taft who was one of my teachers brothers. He was in first year of college at that time. We were very good friends but he never seemed to care so so much for me until I started dating the boy that was to be my future husband. Immediately forgot Billie and fell desperately in love with James Hurd Cruise, so I thought. What could a child of 16 know of love and marriage and the way of life? In June 1932 I graduated Jim gave me a beautiful watch.

All that summer vacation he [Ray Hatfield] gave me a brush. So in Sept, the 17th to be exact I eloped with him [James Hurd Cruise] to Albany, Ky and was married by Judge Ferguson.

Look carefully at the face-side of the watch.
There are two observations that we will make in a later article about what you can see there.

Marriage to James Hurd Cruise - September 17, 1932

At the time of the (below) 1933-34 photo, Vollie Belle would have been married to Jim Cruise and in college at Burritt.

My parents were heartbroken for they had plans of a college career for their only child. Besides that they were very much opposed to him for they could see his worthlessness. He was the best athlete in our school, the best debater, and the Prince Charming an handsomenesses. For four years all was well although he did not want to work very much. In the mean time I had gone to college and was able to teach in elementary school, so was he. We taught our first school together at Welchland School.

From a Story Written in 1984 by Daisy Cook Rhinehart, Vollie Belle's Co-teacher at Welchland in Van Buren County.

More About the Welchland Teaching Experience as Per Daisy Cook Rhinehart

After her teaching experience at the Haston School on Cane Creek.

Then the second year I [Vollie Belle] taught alone [without her husband] at the same place. Then our trouble began. He being alone most of the time, decided to have a fling at romance again. He secured a job as recreation leader which was right down his alley (as the old saying goes) since he loved to play tennis. The only hitch was the recreation partner leader a beautiful brunette. Truthfully, diary I don’t know how far that friendship went but it must have gone too far. She told my friends that he wanted her to run away with him. Her name was Rachel _____, a divorcee already at that time. She made her boast that she could get any woman’s’ husband. Well she or someone started his unfaithfulness. I went through hell and back in 1936-37. I wanted so much to make a success of my marriage to have a home and later children. He left and went to Ky to his parents.

They [his parents] were partly to blame for our separation not meaning to, however, they gave him too much money without his having to work for it but so did my Dad as to that matter. When Dad took a survey of what he had done for him and what he’d cost, it went into the hundreds – $500.00 in a car. And ——- I this day the checks he gave on my own bank account. And he probably took his girlfriends out with the money. I bail to even think of it today. As I said he went to Ky to work. For weeks I didn’t hear from him and then he wanted a divorce. What agony I went through! After the shock I went back to school in a few months for I had almost had a nervous collapse and had to quit teaching. I entered Middle Tenn State Teachers College, at Murfreesboro, Tenn. I finally wore off the first paints in my heart. In the meantime Jim had gone to Detroit and secured employment. He then begged me to come back to him. Because my parents asked me to give him a chance I went back to him but without confidence. I stayed two months he wasn’t even true to me while I was there. His boyfriend, Walter Powers and Dot and Bill Denney later told me how he dated other girls. They were afraid I might divorce him if I knew. In Nov. 1937 I came home never to return to him I knew he went to the Detroit Bus Depot to see me off with tears in his eyes.

Oh the deceit of men!!

Middle Tennessee State Teachers College - Spring 1937

I’ve done some digging into our legacy files and documents regarding information for Vollie Belle Cruise, and I do find that we had a student by that name here for one quarter in the Spring of 1937. She appears to have just taken classes that one term after transferring to MTSTC from another school, so that pin is not associated with completing a program. I’ve gone back into our old catalogs and whatnot to find information about that pin, but so far I’m not able to locate anything. You may have more luck finding out information about the pin from the Gore Research Center here on campus. Thanks, and good luck with your research!

Tyler Henson, Ed.D.; Assistant Vice Provost of Registration and Students Records & University Registrar, MTSU Registrar’s OfficeShe

Divorce from James Hurd Cruise - October 31, 1938

On October 1, 1938, this same James H. Cruise married Maxine Arnett in Paintsville, Kentucky. That was in the coal-mining area of eastern Kentucky, more than 250 miles from Spencer, Tennessee. According to his marriage license, Jim Cruise was an engineer, perhaps involved in the coal mining industry.

Strangely, on October 1, 1938, James H. Cruise indicated on his marriage bond that he was “Single,” instead of “Widowed” or “Divorced.” In fact he was neither–he was still married to Vollie Belle!

In 1938, his lawyer wrote and asked me to sign divorce papers so he might obtain a divorcee. I consulted my lawyer, Clarence Haston, and decided to be sure it was lawful I should obtain a Tenn. divorce. Also I wanted my maiden name. I got my divorce in Oct and ceased to be known as Mrs. Jas.H. Cruise.

As per Chapter 38 of the Tennessee Public Act of 1931, Circuit Court sessions for Van Buren County, TN occurred on the “first Monday after the fourth Monday in October and April.” Thus, in 1938, the Circuit Court session would have been held on Monday, October 31, 1938 – a Happy Halloween for Vollie Belle.

Apparently, from October 1 to October 31, 1938, James Hurd Cruise was married to two women at the same time. If so, he was a one-month bigamist! Bigamy in Kentucky (where James Hurd Cruise married Maxine Arnett) currently is a Class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison.

I wonder if Vollie Belle ever knew that her husband was already married to another woman before she received a request for a divorce.

Van Buren County, TN Circuit Court Minutes – Roll 3, Volume H, Page 379 – Courtesy of Tennessee State Library and Archives

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

1 – Vollie Belle Haston – Her Early Years

Vollie Belle Haston - Her Early Years, From Birth to Marriage

Co-Authors: Becky Hitchcock Harris and Wayne Haston

Vollie Belle's Haston Lineage

Vollie Belle's Diary

On November 20, 1942, Vollie Belle began to create a diary. It wasn’t a typical day-by-day diary, but more of a summary of her life. She was 28 years old when she began to write. Her life up until that time had been filled with many early joys. But one fairly recent heartache had deeply wounded her spirit. It appears that she was beginning to recover from that experience as she started working on her diary.

As much as possible, I will weave this account of Vollie Belle’s story around the complete surviving text of the diary, exactly as she wrote it. The 24 pages that survived some apparent attempt to extinguish the latter part of her story reveal much about her character, her giftedness, her love of life, and her resilience to overcome devastating circumstances. The 36 pages that were ripped from her diary and destroyed (or permanently removed and never found) probably tell us something important about her death. But we’ll never know what was in those missing pages and why they were removed. However, in the final article in this series, I will share some theories about her death that have been proposed by interested individuals and why the diary may have been ripped apart and more than half of its contents removed.

11–20-42
1942 Dear Diary:

For years I have meant to write you. Who else could sympathize with me as well as you? Who’d be so glad to share my joys? And who’d be as dejected at my sorrow? I know you’re wondering why I have chosen this little red book and purple ink. It isn’t that my life has been so gay but every bright color to me suggest a brighter future. I have decided to write my life to the present date, barring nothing not even my worst sins and my shortcomings. As Christ said, “Let him without fault cast the first stone.”

I hope dear diary this won’t be boring but here’s how my story goes:

I was born at Spencer, Tenn on June 26, 1914 the year the First World War broke out. My mother was Maude Payne Haston age 24 at my birth. My father Bransford Lewis Haston was 23 at my birth. My life as a child was almost perfect – happiness, love, and the best of care. My grandparents, Sarah and James Payne, centered their whole life around me since I was an only grandchild. My wish was law. I admit I was spoiled a bit, but never allowed to be selfish. I was a bit lonesome too. An only child craved companionship, I think if ever I am a mother I hope I will be able to have more than one child. My mother almost gave her life to bring me into the world. She has since that time been frail. To me she is the sweetest dearest, and one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. My ‘Dad’ is easy going, a good provider, and a good man above all. I was reared on a farm until I was six. My father bought a store at Doyle, Tenn and I entered school [there for] my first [grade]. I made my first speech before a crowded auditorium and then came that urge for education. I thoroughly enjoyed every performance I ever did, regardless of how small and still do. I went to school at Doyle until I was in the 3rd grade year.

My father had an emergency appendectomy in 1922 which almost cost his life; for two years he was disabled to work. It cost almost everything we had in worldly good to pay the hospital bill and live. How glad we were to live scanty and have him home with us!! My Dad has the grit and backbone to not let anything get him down. We had to sell our home and start all over. And I might add without bragging, he’s done unusually well.

My life was uneventful during the rest of the time in the grades. My teachers were as follows:

Miss Minnie Myers’s

Miss Olus Graham

Miss Osma Lewis

Paul Miller

Uncle Edd Shockley

And Creed Shockley

In Sept 1928 I entered high school. I’m not boasting but my grades were good all four years but I really worked for them. I had no other interest other than my work except in the third and fourth years, which I will explain later.

I was valedictorian of my class. I had four years music, and eight years expression (4 years in the grades and four high). I was a member of the Philomathesian Society and was honored by being selected Valedictorian of my society in 1932, the same year I delivered the Valedictory for my class. Burritt College a Church of Christ school, was my alma mater. There’s no school whose standards were any higher. We girls, were taught that – “ A good name was rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather than silver or gold”. So many times we were read the last chapter of Proverbs the only proverb addressed to women. I recall one verse that has been ringing in my ears all these years- “Who can find a virtuous women? For her price is far above rubies”. And dear diary, where I probably would have erred from my mother’s teaching and my Bible have kept me in the straight and narrow. I am no angel but I do have a good character and so help me I mean to keep it.

Highlights of Vollie Belle's Early Years

June 26, 1914

Birth of Vollie Belle Haston

I was born at Spencer, Tenn on June 26, 1914, the year the First World War broke out. My mother was Maude Payne Haston, age 24 at my birth. My father Bransford Lewis Haston was 23 at my birth.

1920

Living in White County, Civil District 3 (Near Doyle, TN)

At the time of the 1920 census, her family lived in Civil District 3 of White County, Tennessee, on a "road by Taylors Mill to Doyle in Sparta."

1920-1924

Probable Years

Elementary School in Doyle, TN

I went to school at Doyle until I was in the 3rd grade year.

1922

Father's Emergency Appendectomy

My father had an emergency appendectomy in 1922 which almost cost his life.

1924-1928

Probable Years

Elementary School at Burritt in Spencer, TN

She started to school at Burritt "College" in the 3rd grade.

1928

Started High School

In Sept 1928 I entered high school.

1930

Federal Census

Family Living in Spencer, TN

The 15-year-old Vollie Belle and her family were living on Mansion Street in Spencer, Tennessee and she was attending school.

1931

3rd Year of High School

Met Ray Hatfield from Palmer, TN

In my 3rd year 1931 I met a re-headed boy from Palmer, Tenn. He was of nice family, sort of handsome, and by far the smartest boy in class - Ray Hatfield was his name.

1932

4th Year of High School

Met Billie Taft

In the fourth year, 1932, I met Billie Taft who was one of my teachers' brothers.

1932

4th Year of High School

Began Dating James Hurd Cruise

We [Billie Taft and I) were very good friends but he never seemed to care so much for me until I started dating the boy that was to be my future husband [James Hurd Cruise].

1932

High School Graduation

I was a member of the Philomathesian Society and was honored by being selected Valedictorian of my society in 1932, the same year I delivered the Valedictory for my class.

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

The Daniel Haston Short Story

The Daniel Haston Short Story

Daniel Haston’s family lived “south of the Holston [now Tennessee] river opposite Knoxville, TN shortly after the town was established and when Tennessee became a state in 1796.

Daniel Haston moved from Knox County, Tennessee to the area of middle Tennessee that became southern White County, a year or two prior to that county’s 1806 creation. In fact, he was one of the petition signers who helped bring White County into existence. Daniel settled on the Big Spring Branch (later known as Haston Big Spring), which flows into Cane Creek one mile before Cane Creek joins the Caney Fork River.

Location of the Daniel Haston Home

A few years after his death, Daniel’s homesite was on the northern edge of a new county–Van Buren County. Circumstantial evidence seems to indicate that he was born in the mid-1750s and we know that he died in or about 1826. Daniel Haston was buried in the Big Fork Cemetery, less than a mile northwest of his home.

For many years, Daniel Haston family researchers were not able to determine their European roots with any high degree of certainty. Some evidence suggested that Daniel was of German or SWISS-German descent, but some of his descendants (even some of his great-grandchildren) insisted that Daniel’s ancestors were English or Scots-Irish.

The graphic above shows DNA of descendants of all five known sons of Daniel Haston who have living male descendants. Compared to a descendant of SWISS-German Mennonite Henry Hiestand, Daniel’s oldest brother Jacob Hiestand.

In October of 2008, DNA testing confirmed that Wayne Haston (whose genealogical lineage is from Daniel Haston > David > William Carroll > Charles Thomas > Charles Beason > Ernest Boyd > to Donald Wayne Haston) was definitely related to members of a SWISS-German (Anabaptist/Mennonite) Hiestand family that settled in what is now Page County, VA. Subsequent DNA tests involving other descendants of Daniel Haston through all five of his known sons with living male descendants have confirmed their connections to Daniel also. This DNA evidence, combined with much historical and genealogical evidence compiled through years of research, indicates (with no room for doubt) that Daniel Haston was the son of a SWISS-German Mennonite, Heinrich Hiestand. Switzerland was their first known roots and Germany became a later refuge land.

The European Hiestands, at least some of them, were Anabaptists (later known as Mennonites) in the village of Richterswil of Canton Zurich in Switzerland but were forced to flee that country in the mid-1600s because of religious persecution by followers of the Swiss Protestant Reformer Ulrich Zwingli.

Richterswil in Canton Zurich, Switzerland

The Hiestand Anabaptists moved in the mid-1600s to Ibersheim, a village near the Rhine River in southwest Germany, where they suffered hardships due to constantly being overrun by warring European armies and religious intolerance.

Old but active Mennonite church building in the middle of Ibersheim, Germany.

Ibersheim-Worms, Germany

As a young man, Heinrich Hiestand left Germany and emigrated to America in about 1727. In 1734 land was surveyed for him in the Hempfield Township of western Lancaster County, PA.

East Hempfield Township, Lancaster Co, PA

Less than a decade later Henry Hiestand purchased land and settled on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in what is now Page County, VA where he lived the remainder of his life.

Hiestand Homesite in Now-Page Co, VA

A North Carolina Revolutionary War land grant and an 1830 mortality survey index card for Revolutionary War veterans suggest that Daniel might have been a veteran of that war. However, some mysteries surrounding both of those documents make it impossible to affirm, for sure, his military service in the War of Independence. Most likely, our Daniel Haston was not a Revolutionary War soldier. The “Daniel Haston” North Carolina military land grant was probably forged. The officer who vouched for the grant died in prison for similar kinds of fraud.

A Shenandoah County, VA marriage record indicates that “Daniel Histand” married Christina Nave (or Neff) in that county in 1773. Nave and Neff are different English ways of spelling the Swiss name Näff. Christina may have been the daughter of Dr. John Henry Neff of Shenandoah County, VA or Henry Nave of northern Rockingham County, VA. The date and location of that marriage, make it virtually certain that “Daniel Histand” was “Daniel Haston,” the subject of this article.

It’s very possible, based upon what we know of the mortality rate of frontier wives of that era and some very sketchy circumstantial research evidence, that Daniel was married more than once. Christina, in fact, may have died early in their marriage before Daniel moved from Virginia.

Daniel seems to have been man of limited social and political involvement. His known civic affairs are limited to several jury duty stints in Knox County, TN. Even his institutional religious involvement has never, to our knowledge, been positively documented by researchers. Apparently, he never owned land until he was over 50 years of age when he received an 1807 occupant claim for 150 frontier acres in White County, TN. His name appears on the petition to form that county. Seemingly, he could not read nor write in English. But, it is very possible that he was literate in German (Deutsch) since we have a copy of his signature in German script.

Yet, his genealogical legacy is vast and, in many cases, impressive. Of the thousands of men and women who have knowingly or unknowingly descended from this humble American pioneer, many of those have served their generations nobly and with great positive impact.

One of Daniel’s grandsons said that his grandfather (Daniel) Haston had 13 children.

David, Joseph, Isaac, Catherine (Austin), Lucinda, Daniel, Jr., Jesse, and Jeremiah, have been identified beyond a reasonable doubt. We know of a Elizabeth (Roddy) who was also probably his daughter. The identities of the others remain unknown.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with others who might be interested.

The Story of the Daniel Haston Family – Book

The Book: The Story of the Daniel Haston Family

Scroll Down to Order a Copy or Copies of the Book

Remember the days of old;
consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.
Deuteronomy 32:7 (NIV)

In this book, I want to tell a story—a historically true story about our Haston family roots in Europe, beginning near the end of the Middle Ages. The story will continue as I describe some of the dreadful experiences they were forced to endure in Europe because of their evangelical Christian faith and how our immigrant ancestor (earliest-to-America ancestor) got to America. But the most extensive part of the story will focus on how our American forefathers moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia, from Virginia to Tennessee and Kentucky, and from there, all across the United States.

Preview Two Pages per Chapter from the Book

Use the full-screen icon (last icon on the right, above) to get a larger view. Then, use the Escape keyboard key to return to this view.

Before you choose a shipping option, be aware that...

Local Pickup option is only for situations where shipping is not required.
Library Rate is only to be used between libraries, etc., and does NOT include shipping to donate a book to a library.
Media Rate may take up to two weeks, or more, and may be handled more roughly than Priority shipping.

Other Payment Options

Option 1 – Call and give us your credit card information for the payment. That’s how many archives, historical societies, etc. transact credit card payments. Send your phone number in an email and tell me when it’s convenient to call. WayneH37@aol.com
Option 2 – Mail a check, but contact me before writing the check so we can calculate shipping costs.

WayneH37@aol.com or 717.648.2383 – Mail check to Wayne Haston, 11979 Old Kentucky Road, Walling, TN 38587

Also, please include your email address with your check.

Purchase Through Amazon.com

Purchase and Pickup a Copy at These Locations

Postage-free copies are available…

Sparta, TN at the White County Archives
Sparta, TN at the White County Heritage Museum
Sparta, TN from the author by (717) 648-2383) or WayneH37@aol.com
Spencer, TN at the Van Buren County Heritage Museum
McMinnville, TN by contacting Marilyn Haston McGee (931-808-4317)
Lancaster, PA at Mennonite Life (formerly Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society)

You can pay by check or cash at any of the above locations.

Or, you can pay at those locations by PayPal or Credit Card as you proceed through the “Purchase Copies of the Book” process (button above) and choose “Local Pickup” instead of adding a shipping option.

Note: The PayPal and Credit Card payments at these locations must be done through the payment process on this website, not through the payment processes of the organizations holding the books on consignment.

The 31 Chapters in the Book

Section One – Our Haston Family Roots in Europe

Chapter 1 – The Pre-DNA Search for Our Family Roots

Chapter 2 – Switzerland, Our Deepest European Roots

Chapter 3 – Anabaptists in Switzerland

Chapter 4 – Anabaptists Flee to Eastern France and the Rhineland of Germany

Chapter 5 – Ibersheim in the Palatinate of Germany

Chapter 6 – Emigration to America

Section Two – Henrich Hiestand in America

Chapter 7 – Henrich Hiestand in Pennsylvania

Chapter 8 – Henrich Hiestand in Virginia

Section Three – Daniel and Abraham Hiestand

Chapter 9 – Daniel Haston in Virginia

Chapter 10 – Daniel Haston, a Revolutionary War Veteran?

Chapter 11 – Daniel Haston’s Early North Carolina Connections

Chapter 12 – Hiestand Families in Upper East Tennessee

Chapter 13 – Hiestand Families in Early Kentucky

Section Four – Daniel Haston Family in Tennessee

Chapter 14 – Daniel Haston Family in Knox County, Tennessee

Chapter 15 – David Haston’s Young Family

Chapter 16 – Daniel Haston’s Family in White County, Tennessee

Section Five – Children of Daniel Haston

Chapter 17 – David Haston in White County, Tennessee

Chapter 18 – David Haston in Van Buren County, Tennessee

Chapter 19 – Grandson, Montgomery Greenville Haston

Chapter 20 – Joseph Haston

Chapter 21 – Jacob and Lucinda Haston Mitchell

Chapter 22 – John and Catherine Haston Austin

Chapter 23 – Isaac Haston in Tennessee

Chapter 24 – Isaac Haston in Missouri

Chapter 25 – Isaac Haston in California

Chapter 26 – Jesse Haston

Chapter 27 – Jeremiah Haston

Chapter 28 – Daniel Haston, Jr.

Chapter 29 – James and Elizabeth Haston Roddy

Chapter 30 – Mary/Polly and Peggy Hastings?

Addendum

Chapter 31 – Big Fork Baptist Church and Cemetery

Please share this information with others who might also appreciate it.

Donate The Story of Daniel Haston Book to a Library

Help Make the Book Available to Others for Reading & Research

Legends and Stories of White County, TN

Legends and Stories of White County, TN

By Miss Coral Williams

In 2002, I contacted Miss Byllee Burgess, the niece of Coral Williams, and received her approval to rescue her aunt’s 1930 thesis from total obscurity in a Vanderbilt library.

Abstract by Miss Williams

The purpose of this study is to bring together the legends and stories of White County, Tennessee, and thus to collect and preserve the adventures and experiences of those hardy pioneers who established the country and of those brave characters who endured the fortunes of the Civil War. The legends were gathered from two sources. The first is found in two scrapbooks, copies of early newspapers, and a few early histories and biographies. The second, a more profitable source of information, was gleaned through personal conversation with old Civil War veterans or their descendants, relatives, and friends, and through material collected by the White County High school pupils. The results of the study show that seventeen legends treat of place-names; that the Indian contribution was four main trails, and four minor trails for the settlers who first came into White County; that there were twelve noted schools in the county before 1887, three denominations, four courts, and nine newspapers; that there were fourteen characters around whom legends center; that there were five main battles fought on White County soil; and that the exact number of skirmishes in the country can never be known.

Coral Williams, 1930

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with others who might be interested.

LaRowe – Andrew Willis

1954 –

Senior Airman Andrew Willis LaRowe

Rank and Branch of Military

Senior Airman, Air Force

Years of Service

1974-1978

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Lackland AFB, Malmstrom AFB

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Descends through David Haston, Daniel’s son

Add Yourself or Your Haston-Related Relative to the Legacy of Service Honor Gallery

Please share this tribute with family members of the veteran and your friends.

Historic Event – First All-Hastons Gathering in 200+ Years

Perhaps THE Historic Haston FAMILY Event of Two Centuries+

Saturday Lunch and Supper-Leftovers

Saturday Afternoon Historic Haston Sites Tour

Fellowship Hall Entrance - Hickory Valley Baptist Church

5865 Hickory Valley Road, Sparta, TN 38583

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Davis – Wallace M.

1919 – 2006

Group Commander Wallace M. Davis

Rank and Branch of Military

Group Commander, Navy

Years of Service

1943-1971

Obituary

Wallace M. Davis obituary

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Saipan, Tinian, Okinawa, Tarawa

Military Schools Attended

U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Northwestern University

The Northwestern University Archives, with the help of Northwestern’s Digital Collections department, presents digitized versions of three short, color films on the US Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School that was located at NU from 1940-1945.

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

While serving on the USS Mackinac shortly after the battle of Tarawa, “Tokyo Rose” announced that the Mackinac would be sunk and all hands killed. Japanese planes did attack, but were shot down without damage to the ship. His active duty profoundly affected his commitment to national service, and after his active duty he continued to distinguish himself in the Naval Reserve, where he earned the rank of Commander and was among the first Group Commanders in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He participated in training missions on many ships during his Reserve Career, including the aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea when it was diverted for a search and recovery mission for a Pan American airliner that crashed in the Pacific Ocean.

Stories of Interest Involving the Service Member

Commander Wallace M. Davis, United States Naval Reserve, Retired

Wallace Martin Davis was a 1942 graduate of the University of Chicago, attended U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Northwestern University, receiving a commission as an Ensign on 5 March 1943. On 6 March 1943, he married his high school sweetheart, Lucille Peppers, and five days later, shipped out to serve in the South Pacific during World War II. He fought as a gunnery officer and navigator on the USS Mackinac, USS Yakutat and the USS Fortune in major naval engagements, among them Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. While serving on the USS Mackinac shortly after the battle of Tarawa, “Tokyo Rose” announced that the Mackinac would be sunk and all hands killed. Japanese planes did attack, but were shot down without damage to the ship. His active duty profoundly affected his commitment to national service, and after his active duty he continued to distinguish himself in the Naval Reserve, where he earned the rank of Commander and was among the first Group Commanders in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He participated in training missions on many ships during his Reserve Career, including the aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea when it was diverted for a search and recovery mission for a Pan American airliner that crashed in the Pacific Ocean. Commander Davis retired from his distinguished naval career in July 1971, a span of 29 years of loyal and dedicated service to our nation. He passed away, surrounded by family on November 7, 2006.

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Descends through Jeremiah Haston, Daniel’s son

Submitted by

Granddaughter, Claire Aufrance

Add Yourself or Your Haston-Related Relative to the Legacy of Service Honor Gallery

Please share this tribute with family members of the veteran and your friends.

Elwood C. Haston

Sergeant Elwood C. Haston - Veteran of WWII in Europe

Soldier from the "Greatest Generation"

On this day, July 11, 2022, Sergeant Elwood C. Haston would have been 100 years old. Today, and in future days when you read this article, we hope you will say “Thank you, for your service!” in your heart for this brave American. His service for our country should make all of us in the Daniel Haston family proud to be Americans and proud to be Hastons or Haston relatives.

Elwood Haston was born in Cummingsville, TN on July 11, 1922, the son of Taylor Casto Haston and Ida Grace Jordan.

Elwood Haston's Draft Registration and Draft

Elwood registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, and was drafted on December 7, 1942, into the US Army. He reported for training at Fort Oglethorpe, GA. After his initial training as a telegraph and radio operator, on August 20, 1943 Elwood was transferred by sea to England. He arrived there on September 4.

Operation Exercise Tiger - The D-Day Rehearsal

Elwood Haston participated in Exercise Tiger.

It was supposed to be a secret: On April 28,1945, hundreds of allied troops carried out a training mission off the British coast. It was a rehearsal for the D-Day invasion of France, but unlike that mission, the Nazis found out, and it would cost hundreds of American lives. -CBS News

Please watch the videos to understand how Elwood Haston and thousands of other American sailors and soldiers fought bravely against the odds stacked against them to stop Adolph Hitler and his German Nazis from controlling Europe and, perhaps later, the United States.

Company A, 1st Infantry Division, 35th Signal Battalion

Elwood Haston was assigned to Company A,1st Infantry Division, 35th Signal Battalion.

Company A was the unit Elwood remained with until the end of the War. The 35th Signal Battalion was established in England and assigned to aid the Beach landings in France. Each of the companies was embedded in a beach landing. A Company was assigned to First Army ( Big Red One). Various specialty groups were embedded with the Signal Corps: Stars and Stripes war correspondents, photographers, and cameramen. They came ashore at Omaha Beachhead.

Omaha Beach Landing

The First Army landed on Utah and Omaha Beaches on June 6, 1944. Signal personnel in A Company went ashore with the first wave arriving on Utah Beach at 7:30 am. Their landing craft ran aground and flooded 400 yards from shore. They waded and swam ashore with full packs, guns, and equipment. They fought continuously in Normandy, Northern France (Liberation of Paris) the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), the Rhineland, and Central Europe. They were the first on the beaches of Normandy, the First to enter Paris, the first to break the Siegfried Line, the first to cross the Rhine River, and the first units to link up with the Russians at the Ebi River where they were ordered to stand down and allow the Russian Force the honor of capturing Berlin. Seven Corps and 40 Divisions fought in the First Army.

Reminders of His Brave Service

World War II Victory Medal
European Campaign Medal with five campaign stars
Good Conduct Medal
American Defence Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
French Government Awarded – Croix de Guerrero Medal for Participation in the beach landing and liberation of Paris
Presidential Unit Merit Wreath Patch
Combat Infantryman Badge
Honorable Discharge Patch
“Ruptured Duck” Patch Combat Unit Patch
1st Army

Elwood's Lineage in the Daniel Haston Family

c. 1750

Died 1826

Daniel Haston

Daniel Haston was born in about 1750 to Henrich Hiestand (and wife unknown) on the Hiestand farm on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in what is now Page County, VA.

January 9, 1780

Died c. 1830

Joseph Haston

From what is known about the Daniel Haston family, Joseph was likely born on Passage Creek in Powell's Fort Valley on the Massanutten Mountain, northeast of New Market, VA.

November 25, 1807

Died February 1, 1880

James Alford Haston

James Alford and Livinia Fidella King Haston Family - About 1860. James Alford Haston was a prominent civic leader in Van Buren County. He served about 20 years as a Justice of Peace for his district.

April 25, 1844

Died January 2, 1923

John Taylor Haston

John Taylor Haston enlisted in Colonel Murray's Fourth Tennessee Confederate Cavalry at Chattanooga, TN on June 14, 1862. He was captured and sent to Camp Morton military prison in Indianapolis, IN--one of the most inhumane northern Civil War prison camps.

December 10, 1887

Died August 24, 1960

Taylor Casto Haston

Taylor Casto Haston married Ida Grace Jordan. They were the parents of 12 children, 10 of whom lived to maturity. Two of their sons served in World War II. Taylor Casto served in a variety of Van Buren County leadership roles and was a supporter of fellow-Haston, Ernest Nathaniel Haston. After the war he worked for General Electric Corporation in Mansfield, OH.

July 11, 1922

Died October 14, 2007

Elwood C. & Thelma Louise Roberts Haston

After the War in Europe ended Elwood returned with his unit to Fort Polk, Louisiana. His unit was placed on inactive standby and issued tropical uniforms and gear to go to the Pacific arena and join in the projected invasion of the Japanese homeland. During this period he married his childhood sweetheart Louise Roberts from his hometown of Spencer, TN on July 7, 1945. She was 16 years old. They were living in Louisiana when the war ended. Elwood and Louise were married for 62 years when he died on October 14, 2007.

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Chris Haston – NBC Photographer

Chris Haston - Our Reunion Portrait Photographer

Brief Bio of Chris Haston

Source: https://www.marathi.tv/anchor/chris-haston/

Chris Haston was born Christopher Haston on June 27, 1962, in Harbor City, CA, where he was also raised. When he was nine years old, his stepfather gave him a camera and he has been hooked on the art of photography ever since. Growing up in the 1970s, Chris used his camera to photograph his friends and peers. He was also involved in taking photographs for his high school yearbook.

Chris worked as an automotive racing photographer for six years, a job that was more high-risk than others. It also involving traveling all around the United States. After his stint as a racing photographer, Chris was given his dream job at NBC Universal studios as a still photographer. He has been working for NBC Universal ever since.

Throughout his career at NBC Universal, Chris has done still photography work on numerous NBC Series, such as the hugely popular Will and Grace and The Office. Chris has also been a celebrity photographer for over two decades. He has taken portraits of Donald Trump, Bob Hope, Martin Sheen, Shelly Morrison, and innumerable others. He has also worked as a still photographer on NBC’s talent show, The Voice.

Chris is the father of three children: daughters Katie Haston and Sarah Emmeline Haston, and son Louis Haston.

While working on the set of The Office in 2006, Chris met actress Kate Flannery. The two started dating soon afterward and have been committed partners to each other ever since.

Chris Haston's Lineage to Daniel Haston and Immigrant Ancestor, Henrich Hiestand

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Davis – William M.

1949 –

Lieutenant Colonel William M. Davis

Rank and Branch of Military

Lieutenant Colonel, Army

Years of Service

1972-1998

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Wiesbaden, Germany; Frankfurt, Germany; Iraq; The Pentagon

Military Schools Attended

Basic training at at Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

William M. Davis enlisted in the US Army in May 1972, reporting for active duty at Fort Jackson South Carolina on 7 July 1972. After eight grueling weeks of basic training in the July and August heat and humidity of South Carolina, he arrived at Fort Sill Oklahoma for 6 months of even more intensive training at the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School. As graduation and commissioning was approaching, he was informed that he would be going to Vietnam as a Forward Observer. This entailed being positioned at the front line of forces to direct artillery fire on enemy soldiers. Life expectancy of these soldiers ranged from 30 seconds to 20 minutes in combat. Luckily, President Nixon declared the war over and Second Lieutenant Davis was sent to another exotic location: Fort Jackson S.C. There he served as a Basic Training Officer and Battalion Adjutant. In 1975, First Lieutenant Davis reported to a Lance Missile unit in Wiesbaden Germany where as a Platoon Leader, he was responsible for not only the care and wellbeing of 45 soldiers, but also the care and wellbeing of the unit’s nuclear weapons. Captain Davis completed the Officer Advanced Course and was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division in Fort Stewart Georgia. Captain Davis was selected to attend the Gunnery Instructors Course prior to arriving at the new assignment where he established the Fort Stewart School of Fire. He later was selected for Battery Command, leading the Battery to earn “Best Battery” designation during proficiency evaluations. This lead to his selection and continuation as a Battalion Operations Officer as a Captain even though more senior officers were available. Following this successful tour of duty, Captain Davis was assigned as an Assistant Professor of Military Science, at the University of Kentucky responsible for presenting instruction on United States Defense strategy and tactics as well as recruiting qualified students for the Advanced Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He was also responsible for instruction and recruiting at three other area universities and colleges. He successfully met the goals of this tour and was presented a Kentucky Colonel commission in appreciation for recruiting many cadets for the Kentucky Army National Guard.

Major Davis was then assigned to V Corps Headquarters in Frankfurt Germany as a Fire Support Coordinator. He was at the tip of the Corps spear as the Fire Support Coordinator in the Tactical Operations Center during the large-scale NATO Return of Forces to Germany (REFORGER), an exercise designed to enhance the military capabilities of the U.S. and allied forces and to reassure the NATO participants of the firm U.S. commitment to the alliance.

Subsequently, Major Davis was selected as the Operations Officer of a cannon artillery battalion where he coordinated and directed all operational aspects of this 550+ member, high-performance organization, in intense, geographically diverse environments, including combat operations during the Persian Gulf War. Upon returning to Germany, he was selected as the Battalion Commander and directed the first downsizing operation of a Battalion-sized organization in the regional area, successfully safeguarding government resources: buildings, equipment and inventory, as well as transitioning soldiers and their family members to other assignments. Major Davis returned to the US and was assigned as a Plans Officer at the U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC), an organization with the congressional mandate to provide operational tests and evaluations of all major Army acquisition efforts. He was responsible for long-range planning, analysis of future requirements, and ensuring all required resources were programmed for the projected workload and documented in the Army’s Long-Range Research Development and Acquisition Plan. A notable achievement was his negotiating an unprecedented operational, administrative and logistical support agreement in support of a subordinate organization during a very turbulent Army-wide downsizing period ensuring the continued effectiveness and mission capability of the command.

Lieutenant Colonel Davis was then selected as an Inspector General at the Department of Army level. In this highly selective role, he conducted thorough investigations, having congressional and Army senior leader interest, into complex allegations of impropriety against senior officials, protecting the integrity of the organization and the rights of the accused individuals. He coordinated and provided oversight of over 225 inspector general investigations and inquiries conducted at lower echelons. His efforts resulted in the identification of both individual and systemic problems, organizational performance trends, and providing a direct response to public perceptions of alleged improprieties. His achievements in these efforts led to his selection as a faculty member and doctrine developer at the U.S. Army Inspector General School. He was the primary instructor and the U.S. Army Inspector General School subject matter expert for the Assistance and Investigations functions, Whistleblower Reprisal Investigations, and Sexual Harassment. He authored doctrinal manuals and regulatory provisions governing the IG Assistance Function. He successfully served as a seminar leader, facilitator, and mentor for small group instruction in these topics and provided consultant services to field IGs of all services concerning Inspector General processes. He developed, coordinated, and implemented an investigations course for other Service IGs which was recognized as the premier investigations course for Inspectors General in the Department of Defense.

Lieutenant Colonel Davis retired from Active Duty in July 1998.

Awards, Decorations, Badges, etc.

His awards include the Bronze Star, The Legion Of Merit, The Meritorious Service Medal, The Army Commendation Medal and The Army Achievement Medal

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Descends through Jeremiah Haston, Daniel’s son

Name of Person Who Submitted this Information

Niece, Claire Aufrance

Add Yourself or Your Haston-Related Relative to the Legacy of Service Honor Gallery

Please share this tribute with family members of the veteran and your friends.

Haston – Max

1957 –

Major General Max Haston

Rank and Branch of Military

Major General, Army

Years of Service

1979-2019

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Ft Benning, GA; Ft Riley, KS; Ft Knox, KY; Ft Hood, TX, Multiple Locations in Germany, Ft Bliss, TX; Ft Leavenworth, KS, Ft Irwin, CA, FT Polk, LA, Ft Stewart, GA, Ft Pickett, VA, Ft A.P. Hill, VA, Camp Shelby, MS, Ft Bragg, NC, Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq; Camp HKIA/KAIA, Kabul Afghanistan, Camp Bondsteel, Pristina Kosovo,

Military Schools Attended

Commissioned from Middle Tennessee State University (BS), US Army Airborne School@Ft Benning, GA, Armor Officer Basic Course, Cavalry Leader and Certification Course, Battalion Motor Officer Course all at FT Knox, KY. Combined Arms Strategic Studies (CAS3), Tactical Commanders Development Course and Command and General Staff College @ FT Leavenworth, KS. United States Army War College, Carlisle, PA (Masters Program), General Officer Career Course (1), Washington, DC, General Officer Career Course (2), Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

Pristina Kosovo-Camp Bondsteel, Sarajevo Bosnia, Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation During Freedom, Baghdad, Iraq, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Awards, Decorations, Badges, etc.

Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, 4 Meritorious Service Medals, 3 Army Commendation Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon. MG Haston also has been awarded the Combat Action Badge, Army Parachute Badge, Indonesian and Bulgarian Parachute Badges and the Bronze and Silver Order of Saint George.

Stories of Interest Involving the Service Member

Served on the XM-1 Test Project. Served in 3/67 Armor Rapid Deployment Force. Was on the border the day the wall fell between East and West Germany. Served as the 7th Colonel of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 75th Adjutant General (Commissioner of the Military Department)-2nd longest-serving Adjutant General to date in Tennessee.

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Descends (or connected) through Montgomery Greeneville Haston, Daniel’s great-grandson.

Other Information About the Service Member's Haston or Haston-Related Ancestry

My father Jerry Dean Haston served 44 Years in the Tennessee National Guard retiring as an E-8/First Sergeant.

Max took Charlie Daniels to Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq–his first trips. Charlie started a foundation called the Journey Home Project. Max is a board member. There are just three board members, David Corlew (Charlie’s producer and life long friend), Hazel and Max. The Project gives away about 750K annually to groups supporting Veterans and their families.

Petty Officer First Class – Read his story: Marcus Luttrell

Add Yourself or Your Haston-Related Relative to the Legacy of Service Honor Gallery

Please share this tribute with family members of the veteran and your friends.

Photos and Background Info on 12 Haston Historic Sites in Tennessee

Photos & Background Info on 12 Historic Haston Sites in TN

Even if you aren’t able to participate in the Saturday, July 23, 2022 tour, you will enjoy reading about (and seeing photos of) these 12 historic sites that are so important to the Daniel Haston Family.

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Haston Block Building – Spencer, TN

Haston Block House - Built 1908 in Spencer, TN

By Landon Medley and Wayne Haston
Landon and I were working together on this article when he passed away in 2021. -Wayne Haston

The "Cyclone" In Spencer, TN that (Literally) Cleared the Way for the Haston Block

Following a (3:00 a.m.) November 18, 1906 cyclone [tornado?] that occurred at Spencer everything on the southwestern corner of the town square was gone. And the newly-built courthouse was severely damaged. The first priority was to address the damages to the courthouse. But citizens also began to rebuild homes and businesses. One of these targeted building sites was on the southwestern corner of the town square. A group of citizens set out to build a business block on that corner.

Following a (3:00 a.m.) November 18, 1906 cyclone [tornado?] that occurred at Spencer everything on the southwestern corner of the town square was gone. The Bouldin Hotel and D. L. Haston & Son, stores, were the only building not badly damage by the cyclone on the courthouse square. C. H. Clark’s store was completely destroyed. And the courthouse was severely damaged. The first priority was to address the damages to the courthouse. But citizens also began to rebuild homes and businesses. One of these targeted building sites was on the southwestern corner of the town square. A group of citizens set out to build a business block on that corner.

A large structure was built to house businesses and the first bank in Spencer. By September of 1907, the structure was completed, and the first known bank of Spencer was open. Mr. A. Lee Coffman was the first cashier at the bank. Mr. Coffman resigned in 1910. He was replaced by Nathan Bouldin Haston, son of D.L. Haston.

The bank went through three stages before becoming known as Citizens of Spencer in about 1914.

D.L. Haston - The Driving Force Behind the Haston Block

One of the leading citizens of Spencer at that time was David Lavander (D.L.) Haston, the son of Isaac T. Haston, Sr. This D.L. Haston was a grandson of David Haston and great-grandson of Daniel Haston. D.L. married Amanda Bouldin, the daughter of Nathan Bouldin, on December 4, 1881. Nathan Bouldin was the owner and operator of the Spencer-famous Bouldin Hotel.

In 1910, he was 52 years old (born 1858) and living in Spencer. He and Amanda had four living children, three of whom were living with them (Lawrence, age 20; Clarence, age 14, and Lester, age 8). D.L. was a salesman by occupation, owned his own home, and operated a Dry Goods Store on the courthouse square in Spencer–D.L. Haston and Sons. According to the 1920 census, he was living on the McMinnville Road in Spencer, which was at the corner of the Haston Block building.

Apparently, D.L. Haston was the major “mover and shaker” behind the construction of a business block at the southwest corner of the town square. Thus, this structure became known as the “Haston Block.”

D.L. was involved in the process of the incorporation of Spencer in 1909.

Sale to D. L. Haston for $50.00 a portion of the southeast [southwest?] corner of the public square of Spencer beginning about 20 feet from the lower side of the present courthouse fence on a rock and running thence east about 70 feet with a ditch to the corner of said square, thence north about 90 feet with a ditch to a rock then west about 70 feet to a rock, about 20 feet from the lower side of the court house fence, thence south about 90 feet to the place of beginning.

April 1, 1907 Van Buren County Court Minutes

Note: If it was the southeast corner it was not the Haston Block building lot.

After the storm that did much damage to Spencer, a group of citizens sought to build a new business block, as well as restore the buildings that had been destroyed.

On June 19, 1907, a group of local businessmen submitted to E.N. Haston (Van Buren County Court Clerk) their intentions to establish Van Buren Bank in Spencer.

The Haston Block Building has housed numerous businesses (and at least one church) over the years. By September of 1907, the structure was completed, and the first known bank of Spencer–The Van Buren Bank–was open. Mr. A. Lee Coffman was the first cashier at the bank. Mr. Coffman resigned in 1910. He was replaced by Nathan Bouldin Haston, D.L. Haston’s son.

Names of directors of the Van Buren Bank 1907-1914: E. T. Passons, I. S. Shockley, W. N. Billingsley, G. W. Johnson, J. M. Gamble, Alex Russell, James M. Brady, and J. N. Haston.

The Van Buren Bank failed and became Citizen Bank in 1914 (Chattanooga Daily Times, October 25, 1914, page 13).

Memories of the Haston Block House by a Spencer, TN Native

Someone made coffins for the county for a while in the space above the store. And there was a frequent card game (apparently in a room in the back of the store) at the time the coffins were being made. Wilburn “Slick” Reedy was a cook at the Bouldin Hotel at the time (having been recently released from Brushy Mountain Prison). (Slick told me that he went to ‘the penetanshuh’ when he was 21 years old, and that was in 1916. Said he got too much education, ….learned to write his name, …..and wrote it on a check.) Anyway, one night the card game was on; the players were snacking on peanuts, and Slick was present. After a time they ran out of peanuts, and someone asked Slick to go upstairs and refill the peanut buckets from the tow sack of them that was up there. Slick went up the exterior stairway on the east side of the building, reached the top landing, opened the door, and went in to get the peanuts. Someone was hiding in one of the coffins and chose that very moment to open the lid and sit up. In lieu of running back down the stairs, Slick took the aerial route from the stair-top landing back to earth.

The KKK used to hold their meetings and stash their robes in the space above the bank. (I learned this in the 1950s when my Daddy got a job to do some painting and miscellaneous woodwork in the bank, and I was his helper. One day he asked me to go upstairs and get him a drop cloth, and as I climbed the stairs I wondered what made him suspect a drop cloth might be found up there. Strangely, there were lots of them laying around. I picked one of them up, and a pointed hood with eye holes fell to the floor. I never told Daddy about it, and I still have it.)

Cordially, Hoyte Cook

Formerly Honey's Ice Cream & Coffee Shop and Restaurant; Now (2023), Crimson & Clover Restaurant

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

1902 Sparta Expositor Supplement (60 pages)

1902 Sparta (TN) Expositor Supplement (60 pages)

White County and Sparta, TN history and “What the town and county were like” 120 years ago.

Be patient when downloading – it’s a LARGE document (668 KB).

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Montgomery Greenville Haston Farm

Montgomery Greenville Haston Farm

The Core of M.G. Haston's 1858 Farm - Today a Tennessee Century Farm

On November 3, 1858, Montgomery G. Haston (grandson of David Haston, Great Grandson of Daniel) bought four tracts of land (1,163 acres more or less) from Nathan Durham for $900.[i] The land was located around the current crossroads of Highways 30 and 285 on Cane Creek in Van Buren County, TN. From the documents we have, it appears he paid cash for the land. M.G. acquired a few other tracts of land in the years to follow. In 1860, he owned 1,289 acres. After M.G.’s death on December 20, 1869, the farm was divided and gradually parts of the original farm were sold outside of the family. Much of his acreage was steep and of little value. But the Dry Fork Branch and Cane Creek bottom land, the core of the M.G. Haston farm, has provided pasture for cattle for many decades. [i]Van Buren County, Tennessee Deed Book B, 548-549.

The core 308 acres of the Montgomery G. Haston farm have remained in the Haston family until now. In 2020, Jean Ann (Haston) Hall and her brother David Haston placed the farm in a legacy trust to assure that it remains in the Haston family for many years to come. It’s the 3rd oldest Century Farm in Van Buren County and still, up to 25 cows and calves graze on each of the farms (upper and lower) pastures each summer.

Earliest Haston Ownership of this Haston Farm

Montgomery Greenville Haston was not the first Haston to own land in this area of the upper Cane Creek valley. David Haston’s oldest son, Wiley Blount Haston, was granted 50 acres (Grant No. 1495) there based on a June 15, 1829 survey.

By virtue of Entry No. 2121 and a June 19, 1832 survey, Isham Bradley Haston (brother of Wiley B. Haston, both sons of David) was granted 25 acres (Grant No. 3320) that joined Wiley B.’s (above mentioned) 50 acres. The State of Tennessee official seal was officially affixed on April 2, 1834.

Isham B. Haston made Entry No. 3011 (Grant No. 12503?) on August 4, 1837 for 135 acres (by an October 9, 1838 survey) on the waters of Cane Creek. The survey began near the mouth of the Dry Hollow.

On July 5, 1841, Isham B. Haston sold 53 acres on the west side of Cane Creek (at the foot of a high rocky mountain) to Nathan Durham for $325. Wilie B. Haston witnessed the transaction.

In those days, it was common for ownership of real estate to change frequently. Nathan Durham, apparently, accumulated several tracts of land in the upper valley of Cane Creek. Based on the probable location of the tracts mentioned above, all of these tracts may have been (or were probably) portions of the 1,163 acres that M.G. Haston purchased from Nathan Durham in 1858.

There is evidence that in his young single adult and single years, M.G. Haston probably lived with (or on the land of) Wiley B. Haston or Isham B. Haston. He was elected as constable there in August 1845. That’s undoubtedly where he met Rachel Wheeler whom he married in 1847

When M.G. Haston returned from a five-year hiatus in Walker County, GA, he was familiar with the land he purchased from Nathan Durham in November 1858.

So, some of the land that is now part of the Haston Century Farm was in the Haston family well before the 1858 Century Farm beginning date.

Significant Location of the M.G. Haston Farm

Besides its location at the crossroads of highways going to and from Spencer, Pikeville, and Sparta, the M.G. Haston farm encompasses approximately one mile of Cane Creek. The water of Cane Creek that runs through the Haston farm tumbles over Fall Creek Falls and Cane Creek Falls, about 4.5 miles upstream. The location of M.G. Haston’s farm was both a blessing and a curse in earlier years, as you will see in the following section.

Historical Features of the Farm

Prior to 1858, we don’t know much about what happened on the tracts that M.G. Haston acquired, but doubtless, there is a lot of interesting history hidden away there. There is quite a bit of interesting historical information that is known about the farm after M.G. purchased the land in 1858. Here are a dozen of some of the more interesting known historical features on and around the farm.

Indian Camp

Indian Camp is a large rock shelter near where the Indian Camp Branch joins Cane Creek, a little over two miles up Cane Creek from the M.G. Haston farm. Apparently, it was used by Indians prior to the 1804 Tellico Treaty that transferred much of Middle Tennessee from the Cherokee Indians to the United States.

Buckets of Indian arrowheads have been recovered from the Haston farm, especially in the field west of the Blue Hole on Cane Creek.

M.G. Haston Home and Out-Buildings

The M.G. Haston home, which was also the home of his descendants, was located on the north side of the old Spencer to Pikeville Road and the Dry Fork and just west of Cane Creek. There was a smokehouse, a chicken house, a corral, and a barn located north of the house. This original M.G. Haston house burned in the early 1940s.

The large upstairs bedroom was filled with multiple beds that Emma Lewis Haston rented out to loggers, road builders, hunters, and fishermen. She ran a bed and breakfast and had many repeat customers.

Pre-Highway 30 Road

Prior to the early 1930s, when what is now the foundation of Highway 30, the old road cut across the M.G. Haston farm along the gray route on the above plat-map. The road ran very near M.G. and Rachel Haston’s house, apparently crossed Cane Creek (probably) below the Blue Hole, then ran up the side of the mountain and connected to pre-Highway 30 road that goes to the Mooneyham community and on to (past the north entrance of Fall Creek Falls State park) to Pikeville, TN.

As per Marlin’s recollections, this was a fairly busy road and the Blue Hole in the Cane Creek was a watering place and resting stop for the horses and mules used for transportation at that time.

Here’s the “curse” part of the location. Some of the people who traveled the roads that criss-crossed essentially in the front yard of M.G. Haston’s house were bad people. That was especially true during, and in the years following, the Civil War. Marlin Haston stated that grandmother Rachel Haston sat in a rocking chair every night with a loaded shotgun across her lap. She was afraid of raiders and other evil-minded rascals. Think about it–in the latter two years of the war, the county was controlled by Federal soldiers and M.G. Haston’s family was a marked family because of his previous involvement as a Confederate Home Guard Captain and, later a soldier.

Dry Fork of Cane Creek

This (sometimes) dry branch merges with Cane Creek behind the site where M.G. Haston’s house was located. Occasionally, “Dry Fork” floods destructively across the Haston property south of Hwy 30, especially since Hwy 111 was built, from Spencer to Dunlap.

Pre-Civil War Rock Wall

A wall constructed of large creek stones runs along the north side of Dry Fork. According to the story passed down through the Haston family, the wall was built prior to the Civil War. One theory is that it was put there to help control the damaging torrent of water that rushed down the branch in extreme flooding times.

Alongside the rock wall’s northern edge are the remains of a road that runs completely through the farm, heading west up the hollow. “Widow Carter,” widow of Captain George Carter (Confederate guerilla) lived up the road in this hollow after the Civil War. Captain Carter was killed in the first battle of Saltville, VA.

Confederate Civil War Camp

M.G. Haston was Captain of the Home Guard in his Van Buren County district. According to an 1862 Confederate Civil War map, there was a Confederate camp (the dark green square) on his property, in front of his house and out-buildings. After the Union Army took control of Van Buren County, this would have been an extremely dangerous place for Rachel Haston and her children to live, while M.G. was fighting in the Confederacy. And after M.G. returned home from Chattanooga to protect his family from Yankee soldiers who were looking for pro-Confederate families to harass and ex-Confederate soldiers to kill, M.G. was constantly in danger of being captured and killed.

Caves

Multiple caves exist on the M.G. Haston farm and the land he once owned. Perhaps M.G. hid in one of these caves at the time Federal soldiers were hunting for him, an ex-Confederate soldier and former Home Guard Captain.

Blue Hole

This deep pool of water in Cane Creek, near (south east of) the M.G. Haston home was used for many years as a popular swimming hole for locals, as well as a Sunday baptismal pool for churches in Spencer. Church members would pack lunches and would enjoy a picnic at the Blue Hole for baptisms. It was very busy on many Sundays.

Haston Cabin

A little cabin was located up a slope south of Dry Fork. According to oral history within this Haston family, it is believed that the cabin was built in the late 1800s. Various family members used it through the years. Robert Charles Haston, Sr. and his bride, Mary Etta Smith, used it as their first home. Marlin Haston was born there in 1928 and spent the first six or seven years of his life growing up on the farm. His brother, R.C. Haston, Jr., was born there as well. Marlin described the farm as being a very busy place. The old road (prior to the current Highway 30) ran between this cabin and the house that M.G. and Rachel Wheeler Haston had lived in. The logging road to the Haston sawmill, on Haston Point, ran to the east side of the cabin and on up the mountain. This was a busy crossroads in the pre-1940s history of the Cane Creek valley.

Haston School

The Haston School was located on the Cane Creek Road behind the Isom Haston house; it began on October 3, 1914.” (Landon Medley, The History of Van Buren County, TN)

When I finished high school we could take a teacher's training course and get a year's certificate. I taught at Haston's [School] on Cane Creek. And that was before (highway 30) that goes over the mountain was built and you had to go out here by Willie Roger's and down the mountain that way and there was a coal mine on the way down. Well, I'd have to ride horseback, it was almost impossible for a car to get over that road and there weren't any cars at that time anyhow. I taught my first year in 1925-26 at Haston's. I had 15 pupils with most of the grades. We had a nice little school and enjoyed it a lot. On the weekends they'd let me have a mule to ride home and then on Sunday afternoon I'd ride this mule back.

Mrs. Daisy Cook Rhinehart (from page 215, History of Van Buren County, TN)

Mary Etta Smith taught at Haston School the last two years the school existed, 1926-27 and 1927-28. She was provided free room and board by Mary Emma Lewis Haston, Monday-Friday. It was during her time there that R.C. Haston, Sr. courted and married her.

Road to Haston Point Sawmill

Haston Point was on top of the hill south of the M.G. Haston farm. A sawmill was located on that point, probably belonging to Will Haston, who was a grandson of M.G. Haston (via. Joel Montgomery Haston, M.G.’s son). The sawmill could be accessed from Spencer (across the top of the mountain) as well as from the top of the Mooneyham-New Martin mountain, on the route to Pikeville. Remnants of this road remain visible to this day.

Burdin Wheeler Farm

Rachel Wheeler, M.G. Haston’s wife, was the daughter of Burdin Wheeler, a prominent citizen in Van Buren County during the mid-1800s. The Wheeler farm was located “up the holler” past the south end of the M.G. Haston property. Rachel Wheeler’s brother, Andy Wheeler, took over the farm after the death of his father. Marlin Haston remembered the Haston and Wheeler families remaining close, as he played with his Wheeler cousins during his childhood years.

“There is a nice chimney remains just up on the ridge above the (Indian Camp) rock shelter. I always imagined that it was one of the Wheelers, but that is just an assumption.” -Stuart Carroll, Fall Creek Falls Park Manager

Summary of the Farm According to Marlin Haston

In 1858, Montgomery Greenville Haston established the Haston Farm that is located five miles east of Spencer, Tennessee. Like many early settlers, Montgomery purchased undeveloped territory through land grants and had to clear the land to grow crops and construct a house. During his ownership, he built fences to protect his crops of corn, oats, wheat, and vegetables from free-ranging wildlife. For his dairy and beef cattle, he let the forage the land for most of the year. Married to Rachel Wheeler Haston, the couple had eight children. Their names were David, William, Mary, Birden, James, Joel, Jacob, and Isham. While the food and livestock raised on the farm was used by the family, Montgomery also used the Cane Creek that ran through the property for fishing and providing an adequate supply of water for the family and livestock. Montgomery’s son, Isham B. Haston was the next owner of the land. Under his ownership, the farm cultivated timber, corn, sorghum, hay, vegetables, and fruit. Married to Mary Emma Lewis Haston, the couple had seven children. In 1924, Isham died and his widow inherited the property. She and her children occupied and operated the farm until the children married and moved away. Her youngest son, Ray, lived with her and they operated the farm until her death on March 9, 1971. After her death, the farm was acquired by her children. In 1972, the great grandsons of the founders, Robert C. Haston, Jr. and Marlin Shelton Haston obtained the land. However, in 1980 Marlin purchased his brother’s interest and became the sole owner of the farm. Today, Marlin continues to own the land. The farm now grows hay and pasture and supports a beef cattle operation.

Marlin Haston (deceased January 1, 2022)

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Three D.L. Hastons – 1848, 1852, & 1856

Three (+1) D.L. Hastons - Contemporaries in Van Buren Co, TN

What were their parents thinking?

David La-van’-der Haston

You will see this “L” name spelled “Levander” & “Lavender” and etc., but I’m fairly confident it is was Lavander for all three men.

In 1848, a baby born in the Haston Big Spring area of Cummingsville, TN was named David Lavander (D.L.) Haston. Four years later, one of his uncles was born who was also named David Lavander (D.L.) Haston. Four more years later, another David Lavander (D.L.) Haston was born. The two younger D.L. Hastons were first cousins and uncles of the oldest D.L. Haston. But, then there was a 4th Van (Van David) Haston born 24 years (1890) before the first of the three D.L. Hastons died (1914) All four of them were living in the same general area at the same time for 24 years. “Will the real D.L. Haston please stand up!” And all 3 (or 4) would have risen.

1848: David Lavander Haston - oldest son of Montgomery Greenville Haston

It appears that the David Lavander (D.L.) Haston name began with M.G. and Rachel Haston, who gave their firstborn son this name on September 24, 1848. Where did they get the idea for the name “Lavander”? Beats me! Maybe you can find someone else in the United States from the 19th century who had that name, but I can’t. Was it a misspelling of the name of the lavender flower (or color)? Would they have named a son for such a femininely beautiful purplish flower? I’ve read that “lavander” is a fairly common misspelling for “lavender,” the flower. Today, that would be like naming your son “Sue.” Oops, forgive me if you named your son “lavender” or “Sue.” Stranger things have happened, but I keep thinking there’s probably another source for the name.

1852: David Lavander Haston - son of (David Haston's son) William Carroll Haston, Sr.

On September 6, 1852, just about four years after the birth of M.G. and Rachel Wheeler Haston’s David Lavander Haston, M.G.’s uncle and aunt, William Carroll and Jane Denney Haston, chose to give their second son the David Lavander Haston name. Van Buren County records reveal that M.G. and his uncle William Carroll appear to have been very close–even though William Carroll was M.G.’s 4 1/2 year younger uncle. Growing up, their ages would have been close enough for them to be good buddies. I imagine William Carroll looked up to his bigger-older nephew with respect and maybe a bit of awe. And maybe William Carrol and Jane, who lived quite close to M.G. and Rachel at that time, admired little David Lavander and hoped their baby boy would be much like him. But, to distinguish their son from the M.G. and Rachel’s little boy, apparently William Carroll and Jane nicknamed him “Van.” Officially he was David Lavander Haston, but to family and friends he was “Van,” throughout his life.

Van Haston, brother of C. T. [Charles Thomas] Haston, ran a fine farm in Western Hickory Valley and raised fine stock. He was a factor in the development of that part of the County but was not as active in the affairs of the County as was his brother, though Van Haston was once County Surveyor.

Monroe Seals (History of White County, TN)

Van (David Lavander) Haston married Tabitha (Bitha) Davis in 1875 and they moved to Hickory Valley of White County, TN sometime between 1880 and 1900. They are both buried in the Old Union Cemetery in southern White County. His death certificate, with information supplied by his older brother Charles Thomas Haston, shows his middle name spelled – L-a-v-a-n-d-e-r.

The +1 = Van "Little Van" David Haston - Son of the above David Lavander "Big Van" Haston

To add even more confusion to the mix of D.L. Hastons, the above David Lavander Haston (son of William Carroll Haston) passed his name down to a son, born February 22, 1890. This son married Iona Cummings. Although his gravestone in the Cummingsville Chapel Cemetery simply carries the name “Van Haston” and his death certificate gives his name as Van David Haston, I know of one family record which refers to him as David Lavander (Van) Haston, Jr. My guess (just a guess) = his official name was David Lavander Haston (Jr.) but “Van” became so closely associated with him, that his first and middle names unofficially were switched.

1856: David Lavander Haston - son of (David Haston's son) Isaac T. Haston, Sr.

Isaac T. Haston lived just across the road (north of) William Carroll Haston. He was only two years older than William Carroll and 2 1/2 years younger than his uncle Montgomery Greenville Haston. The three of them were probably a “trio of terror” as they were growing up–just fun-loving Haston boys close to the same age. Isaac T. was the executor of M.G.’s estate, so that tells you something about their relationship. In fact, about as soon as Isaac T. got M.G.’s estate settled, he died himself.

I don’t know exactly why Isaac T. and Elizabeth Sparkman Haston chose to name their fifth son David Lavander Haston also, but I’m quite sure it was related to the close relationship between M.G., William Carroll, and Isaac T. But what were they thinking–three boys with eight years age of each other, living in the same neighborhood, with the exact same name!!! It must have caused lots of confusion when they were young and it certainly has to those of us who have tried to research the family. I know of at least one document where the “D.L. Haston” name appears twice, referring to two different D.L. Hastons (without any stated distinction).

Isaac T. and Elizabeth’s David Lavander Haston was born on August 13, 1856. He married Amanda Bouldin and became a prominent Van Buren County business man–a stock dealer, a hotel and general store owner and bank officer in Spencer, a Van Buren County Justice of the Peace, stockholder of Burritt College, and who knows what else. The Haston Block building on the east side of the Spencer courthouse square is a monument to him.

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Haston – Dwight E.

Birth 1946 –

Rank and Name of Veteran's Service

Rank and Branch of Military

E-8 Air Force

1966-1978

Switched from Air Force to Department of the Army Civilian ( DAC)
Retired GS15

Years of Service

1966-1978

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Amarillo, Texas

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

Army War College / First Civ Class / Frankfort FRG — Vietnam

Awards, Decorations, Badges, etc.

Purple Heart / Bronze Star x 2 / Air Force Commendation / Presidential Unit Citation

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Descendant of Joseph Haston, Daniel’s son

Other Information

Sons of the America Revolution National Number 105819 / State Number 1569
1973 to present

In my Air Force Service, I was assigned to Texas for boot camp, California 1966 – 1968 -9th Recon Wing/ 1968/ SR71 support. Headquarters 7th Air Force in Saigon for the TET. Little Rock AirBase 1970- 1973. Special assignment Naples Italy -Afsouth NATO 1973- 1978. Switched to Department of the Army Civilian. Assigned to Special Operations Germany. Assigned to Special Projects in Mannheim, Worms, Fulda /11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Assigned as the first Civilian Community Officer for Fulda, Bad Hersfeld, and Bad Kissingen Military Communities. Retired GS-15.

Vollie Belle Haston's Marriage to Clarke Raymond

Childhood Memories of Miss Vollie Belle - Early 1940s

Clarke Raymond

Second Army (Tennessee) Maneuvers

Memories of Margie Clark, 21 Years-Old Spencer Resident When Vollie Belle Was Murdered

1944 Visit to Her In-Laws in Montana

Clarke Raymond's Honorable Military Discharge

Clarke and Vollie Belle - Their Post-War Married Life

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Vollie Belle's Marriage to and Divorce from James Hurd Cruise

James Hurd Cruise

Marriage to James Hurd Cruise - September 17, 1932

From a Story Written in 1984 by Daisy Cook Rhinehart, Vollie Belle's Co-teacher at Welchland in Van Buren County.

More About the Welchland Teaching Experience as Per Daisy Cook Rhinehart

Middle Tennessee State Teachers College - Spring 1937

Divorce from James Hurd Cruise - October 31, 1938

Strangely, on October 1, 1938, James H. Cruise indicated on his marriage bond that he was “Single,” instead of “Widowed” or “Divorced.” In fact he was neither–he was still married to Vollie Belle!

I wonder if Vollie Belle ever knew that her husband was already married to another woman before she received a request for a divorce.

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

Vollie Belle Haston - Her Early Years, From Birth to Marriage

Vollie Belle's Haston Lineage

Vollie Belle's Diary

Highlights of Vollie Belle's Early Years

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

The Daniel Haston Short Story

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with others who might be interested.

The Book: The Story of the Daniel Haston Family

Preview Two Pages per Chapter from the Book

Before you choose a shipping option, be aware that...

Local Pickup option is only for situations where shipping is not required.

Library Rate is only to be used between libraries, etc., and does NOT include shipping to donate a book to a library.

Media Rate may take up to two weeks, or more, and may be handled more roughly than Priority shipping.

Other Payment Options

Purchase Through Amazon.com

Purchase and Pickup a Copy at These Locations

Postage-free copies are available…

The 31 Chapters in the Book

Please share this information with others who might also appreciate it.

Help Make the Book Available to Others for Reading & Research

Legends and Stories of White County, TN

By Miss Coral Williams

Abstract by Miss Williams

If you enjoyed this article, please share it with others who might be interested.

1954 –

Senior Airman Andrew Willis LaRowe

Rank and Branch of Military

Years of Service

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Add Yourself or Your Haston-Related Relative to the Legacy of Service Honor Gallery

Please share this tribute with family members of the veteran and your friends.

Perhaps THE Historic Haston FAMILY Event of Two Centuries+

Saturday Lunch and Supper-Leftovers

Saturday Afternoon Historic Haston Sites Tour

Fellowship Hall Entrance - Hickory Valley Baptist Church

5865 Hickory Valley Road, Sparta, TN 38583

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.

1919 – 2006

Group Commander Wallace M. Davis

Rank and Branch of Military

Years of Service

Obituary

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Military Schools Attended

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

Stories of Interest Involving the Service Member

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Submitted by

Add Yourself or Your Haston-Related Relative to the Legacy of Service Honor Gallery

Please share this tribute with family members of the veteran and your friends.

Sergeant Elwood C. Haston - Veteran of WWII in Europe

Soldier from the "Greatest Generation"

Elwood Haston was born in Cummingsville, TN on July 11, 1922, the son of Taylor Casto Haston and Ida Grace Jordan.

Elwood Haston's Draft Registration and Draft

Operation Exercise Tiger - The D-Day Rehearsal

Company A, 1st Infantry Division, 35th Signal Battalion

Omaha Beach Landing

Reminders of His Brave Service

Elwood's Lineage in the Daniel Haston Family

If you appreciated this article, please share it with others who might also enjoy it.