2022-2027 Haston Family History Books Project
The Heritage, Life, and Legacy of Daniel Hiestand/Haston
The 2022-2027 Hiestand/Haston Family History Books Project
The Story That Led to This Project
I began researching my Haston family in the fall of 1999. It started as a simple attempt to satisfy my curiosity, but it soon became a hobby, sometimes an obsessive one. I started to collect and organize pertinent documents. Then, I began ordering and reading books broadly related to the historical trail I was discovering, which gradually became an extensive library.
Having had professional experience as a website developer, it seemed appropriate to put my findings online to share what I discovered with Hastons who were interested. I created a simple website for that purpose, which grew into a vast resource for public access. Later, it was supplemented by a more contemporary blog site.
At some point, I thought, “You ought to write a book to preserve what you have learned for your own children, grandchildren, future descendants, and other relatives.” When I retired in 2017, I began writing, thinking it might result in a book of a few hundred pages.
But after a few years of writing, I realized that I had written about 1,300 pages! A good friend with a lot of experience in publishing told me, “Wayne, nobody is going to purchase a book of 1,300 pages!” He commented further, “You need to condense that down into a smaller book, then flesh the rest of your work out into a series of books.” So, that’s what I’ve done and am doing.
When completed, we should have more than 2,000 pages of recorded and published history of our Haston family. I urge you to collect the complete set and then pass it down to future generations of your family.
Published 2022
The Story of the Daniel (Hiestand) Haston Family
The Condensed Version of the Story
This was a difficult book to write because I was forced to leave out so much valuable historical information about our (Hiestand) Haston family. It’s what I call my “Reader’s Digest” version of the FULL story because it is condensed, containing about 25% of what the following four books combined will contain.
But there is a reason it is a condensed version of our family’s history. It is written and designed to give you a good and fairly succinct overview of our Haston family, from the mountain slopes along the south shore of Lake Zürich to the Rhineland of Southwest Germany, to Pennsylvania in the USA, then down into northern Virginia, and on to Tennessee, and eventually all across the United States to where YOU probably live.
Every Haston and Haston-related family should have this book. It’s an excellent gift for children, grandchildren, cousins, and other relatives.
Published 2024
The Swiss-German Hiestand Roots
Book 1 of the Four-Book Series – The Heritage
The 2022 book was difficult to write because it was a condensation of a much bigger account of the Daniel Haston family story. But this volume was very challenging for another reason–most of it is the European (Switzerland and Germany) part of our story (based on old German language documents)–our European roots that were undiscovered until after 2008. It expands the content of Chapters 1-8 of the 2022 book by four times.
With the assistance of some highly regarded European historians and translators, I was able to craft the story of precisely where our family came from along the shore and mountain south of Lake Zürich, Switzerland – when the family name first appeared – why they were forced to leave Switzerland – where they settled along the Rhine Rivers of Southwest Germany – when our earliest immigrant ancestor (Henrich Hiestand) came to America – where he initially settled and later moved to – how many children he had – and where our ancestor, Daniel Hiestand/Haston fit into the family.
Please note: There is more Swiss and Rhineland Germany historical information about the Hiestand family (and consequently our Haston family) in this book than is in any book, anywhere. It is was a very expensive project and is an extremely valuable resource.
If, by God’s grace, He allows me to live and be physically and mentally able, I plan (and hope) to publish one book each year in 2025, 2026, and 2027.
Projected for 2025 Publication
The Life of Daniel Hiestand/Haston: From the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to the Frontier of Middle Tennessee
Projected for 2026 Publication
The Legacy of Daniel Hiestand/Haston, Part 1: David Haston, Montgomery Greenville Haston, Joseph Haston, Lucinda Haston Mitchell, Catherine Haston Austin, Isaac Haston (in Tennessee and Missouri)
Projected for 2027 Publication
The Legacy of Daniel Hiestand/Haston, Part 2: Isaac Haston (in California), Jesse Haston, Jeremiah Haston, Daniel Haston, Jr., Elizabeth Haston Roddy
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The Big Story of the Hiestand-Haston Family Video Presentation
Video Presentation - Haston History, 600+ Years in 60 Minutes
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Our Pre-Daniel Haston European Roots
New Release - Book 1 of a 4-Part Series
The Heritage of Daniel Haston – His Swiss Ancestors and the Experiences that Drove His Father to America
My 2022 book, The Story of the Daniel Haston Family, was a “Reader’s Digest” version of an upcoming much more extensive series of four books on our Haston family’s history. This 2024 book is Book 1 of the 4-part series. The current volume expands chapters 1-8 of the 2022 book by about 300 pages. It focuses on the heritage of Daniel Haston–the heritage that he inherited, including his Swiss ancestors all the way back to 1401.
I developed a working relationship with some highly esteemed Swiss historians, Hiestand/Haston cousins on the German Rhineland, archivists, old German script researchers, translators, and other Europeans in producing this in-depth story of Daniel’s father and the earlier Hiestands from whom we descend.
This is a book that every descendant of Daniel Haston, regardless of how he or she spells the family name, and every Hiestand family, should own and pass down to their kids, grandkids, and the other generations to follow.
Flip through the “First Pages” of Book 1 of the 4-Part Series, The Heritage, Life, and Legacy of Daniel Haston
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Help Finding Your Place in the Daniel Haston Family
Help Tracing You Back to Daniel Haston
If you are a “Haston” or related to a Haston, chances are you are a member of the Daniel Haston FAMILY, that is scattered in all or most all of the United States. I have to add the “chances are” caveat because there are some American Hastons that descend (apparently) from Scotland or Ulster (Northern) Ireland. But MOST Americans who carry the Haston name, or are related to Hastons, descend from one early American pioneer–Daniel Haston.
Daniel Haston was the youngest son of a Swiss Mennonite, Henrich/Henry Hiestand, who emigrated to Pennsylvania in about 1727 and settled a few years later near what is now Luray, VA. Henry came from a little village (Ibersheim) on the Rhine River near Worms, Germany where he was born. But his family’s original nationality was Swiss. His ancestors (probably grandparents) were driven out of Zürich Switzerland in the mid-1600s because of their Anabaptist (Mennonite) faith.
When Daniel’s father’s will was settled in 1783, Daniel moved his young family from the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to what was formerly western North Carolina, but Tennessee since 1796.
One of Henry’s grandsons stated that his grandfather had 13 children. We have identified nine of those. What happened to the others, we do not know currently but hope that they can be identified at a later time.
Many of you who read this article already know where you fit into the Daniel Haston FAMILY. But we often receive requests wanting to know how someone fits into the family, particularly which branch of the Daniel Haston family is his or her line and specifically how he or she is linked back from generation to generation to Daniel Haston.
No promises, but there is a good chance that some of our researchers can help you with that.
If you would like us to help you determine how you fit into this BIG Daniel Haston FAMILY, contact us. What we will need of you is what you know about your Haston or Haston-related ancestors–parents, grandparents, and more if you know farther back.
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Timeline of Our Blog Articles
Timeline of Our Blog Articles
Some of the main topics included in the blog focus on the history of the Daniel Haston family, honoring earlier Haston family researchers and other notable Hastons, announcing events of significance to members of the Daniel Haston Family and related families, and miscellaneous topics.
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This blog began on January 1, 2001. Some of the main topics included in the blog focus on the history of the Daniel Haston family, going all the way back to the Hiestands of Zürich Switzerland, as early as the 15th century, honoring earlier Haston family researchers and other notable Hastons, announcing events of significance to members of the Daniel Haston Family and related families, as well as other related topics.
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
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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.
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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
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Haston Family History Overview
The Daniel Haston Family: A Historical Overview
The Story of the Daniel Hiestand/Haston Family
From the Mountains of Switzerland to the Rhineland of Germany to all across America
The Story of Daniel Haston’s SWISS Ancestors, His Life, and All of His Known Children in 50+ Segments
Zoom – Wayne’s Haston Reunion Presentation
Are You Interested in a Two-Part Series of Zoom Presentations in Which I Would Give the Haston History Presentation I Gave in the Recent Haston
Video Presentation – Daniel Haston Family Tree
Video Presentation – Daniel Haston’s Family Tree Wayne Haston presents the first-generation Daniel Haston Family Tree, with information on each of the nine known children
Timeline of Daniel Haston’s Life
Timeline of Daniel Haston’s Life – c. 1750-1826 The first 30 or so years of Daniel Hiestand’s life were spent in Virginia. The next (approximately)
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 Centuries-Old Mystery of Daniel Haston’s Mother
Clues to the Identity of Daniel Haston’s Mother A Centuries-Old Mystery The family of Henrich Hiestand has been thoroughly researched for many years, but the
The Big Story of the Hiestand-Haston Family Video Presentation
Video Presentation – Haston History, 600+ Years in 60 Minutes Wayne Haston traces our Hiestand-Haston history from Switzerland, beginning in 1401 when the family name
Hastons – A Family of Early Tennessee Pioneers
The Daniel Haston Family – Pioneer Tennessee Settlers More Than a Decade Before Tennessee Became a State Daniel Haston was truly an American pioneer in
52 – Other Daughters of Daniel Haston?
52 – Daughter of Daniel Haston? One Yes, One Maybe, One No I am confident that Daniel Haston had two or three daughters (and/or maybe
51 – Daniel Haston, Jr. Married into the Famous KY “Skaggs” Longhunters Family
51 – Daniel Haston, Jr. Married into the Famous KY Longhunters Skaggs Family Did you know that descendants of Daniel Haston, through his son Daniel,
50 – Jeremiah Haston – Another Son of Daniel Goes to Missouri
50 – Jeremiah Haston, from Illinois to Dallas County, Missouri The three youngest sons of Daniel Haston settled in Missouri. Jesse and Jeremiah remained there
49 – Jeremiah Haston – A “Lost Son” of Daniel Haston Found by DNA
49 – Jeremiah Haston – Lost Son of Daniel Haston Found by DNA Sometimes you may see his name as Jeremiah MC Haston, but there
48 – Jesse Haston – His Family’s Civil War Years and Following
48 – Jesse Haston’s Family in the Civil War Years and After Some Selected Highlights Some of Daniel Haston’s grandsons and great grandsons joined the
47 – Jesse Haston – A Missouri Pioneer with His Three Wives and 21 Children!
47 – Jesse Haston, Missouri Pioneer With 3 Wives & 21 Children Part 1 – Until the Civil War Of Daniel Haston’s sons, Jesse was
46 – Isaac Haston – Across the Plains in an Oxen-Drawn Wagon – Isaac’s California Years
46 – Isaac Haston – Across the Plains in an Oxen-Drawn Wagon The California Years Approximately 2,000 miles – Cave Spring, Missouri to Santa Rosa,
45 – Isaac and Agnes Simpson Haston – Missouri Years
45 – Isaac and Agnes Simpson Haston – Missouri Years Isaac Haston lived the Great American Dream. He left Tennessee landless and broke, moved to
44 – Isaac and Agnes Simpson Haston – Tennessee Years
44 – Isaac Haston – Battle of New Orleans Hero & Much More Part 1 – His Tennessee Years Look at the battle map above.Â
43 – John and Catherine HASTON Austin
42 – John and Catherine HASTON Austin History, especially genealogical history, is sexist!  OK, I’m pretty much a traditional-minded person and don’t use the word
42 – Jacob and Lucinda Haston Mitchell
42 – Jacob and Lucinda Haston Mitchell Lucinda Haston – Daughter of Daniel Haston Jacob Mitchell was the son of Morris and Elizabeth Husong Mitchell
41 – Joseph Haston – Son of Daniel Haston
Joseph Haston – 2nd Son of Daniel Joseph and David were probably the only two sons of Daniel who were born in Virginia. If we
40 – Herbert Clinton Haston – Grandson of Montgomery Greenville Haston
40 – Herbert Clinton Haston, Grandson of Montgomery G. Haston The 1880 census record for D.L. (David Levander) and Virginia Riddles Haston A three-year-old boy,
39 – Montgomery G. Haston – His Civic Service and Civil War Experience
39 – M. G. Haston – His Civic Service and Civil War Experience Montgomery Greenville Haston is one of my most respected early Haston heroes!Â
38 – Mystery of the Father of Montgomery Greenville Haston
38 – Mystery of the Father of Montgomery Greenville Haston Based on the evidence cited previously, I think we can confidently assume Polly Haston was
37 – Mystery of the Mother of Montgomery Greenville Haston
37 – Mystery of the Mother of Montgomery Greenville Haston As far as we can tell, the parents of Montgomery Greenville Haston–and how he fit
36 – David Haston – A Founding Leader in Van Buren County, TN
36 – David Haston – A Founding Leader of Van Buren County, TN David Haston spent much of his time in the final 20 years
35 – David Haston, Popular Civic Leader in Early White County, TN
35 – David Haston – White County, Tennessee Pioneer, Part 2 David Haston, Esq. (Justice of the Peace) How did simple farmers and businessmen –
34 – David Haston (Daniel’s Son) in White County, TN
34 – David Haston, White County, Tennessee Pioneer, Part 1 Isaac T. Haston Family Home – Grandson of Daniel Via. David The “David Haston” Bible
33 – Daniel Haston’s Final Years
33 – Daniel Haston’s Final Years Daniel Haston lived his final years on his 150 acres farm in what we now know as the Cummingsville
32 – Daniel Haston – Petitioner to Create White County, TN
32 – Daniel Haston, A Founding Petitioner for White County, TN The first record we have of Daniel Haston in (what became)Â White County, as well
31 – Daniel Haston and the White County, TN “Big Spring” Settlers
31 – Daniel Haston & Other White County, TN Big Spring Settlers The area south of the Caney Fork River near the mouth of Cane
30 – Daniel Haston Family Moves Across the Cumberland Plateau
30 – Our Hastons Moved West of the Cumberland Mountain Through the Tellico Treaties of October 25 and 27, 1805, Cherokee chiefs ceded to the
29 – Resolving the “McComisky Mystery” in the Daniel Haston Family
29 – Resolving the “McComisky Mystery” in the Haston Family A common piece of erroneous family lore has circulated among Daniel Haston family members for
28 – David and Peggy Haston on Grassy Creek in Knox County, TN
28 – David Haston – Distinguishes Himself as a Young Adult Adjacent to a 2020 $45 Million Development Project At age 25, David Haston became
27 – David Haston Marries 14-Year-Old Girl
27 – David Haston Married 14 Year Old “Peggy” Roddy Yeah, I just created the title for the dramatic effect, but it was true. On May
26 – Daniel Haston’s Many Experiences in the Knox County, TN Courtroom
26 – Daniel Haston’s Many Experiences in the Courtroom While Living in Knox County, TN When Daniel was a young man back in Shenandoah County,
25 – Another Haston Boy in Trouble – Joseph and the Broken-Down Fence
25 – Another of Daniel Haston’s Boys in Trouble Joseph and the Broken-Down Fence Let’s start with a couple of definitions, for those of you
24 – Daniel’s Son David Haston Cut Tails Off a Neighbor’s Cows
24 – David Haston Cut Tails Off a Neighbor’s Horned Cows Some of us Haston boys have been known for mischief. Just ask people who
23 – Daniel Haston Family – South of Holston River, Opposite Knoxville, TN
23 – Daniel Haston Family, South of the “Holston” River Opposite Knoxville, TN Daniel and family lived in the Knoxville, TN area for about 10
22- Two of Daniel Haston’s Siblings in South Central KY
Two of Daniel Haston’s Siblings in South Central, KY The Mill Creek Meeting House Near Tompkinsville, KY. Built in 1804. Abraham Hiestand’s (Hestand’s) Path Ends
21 – Daniel Haston Votes in Favor of the State of Franklin
21 – Daniel Haston Voted in Favor of the State of Franklin So, our Daniel was a “Franklinite” The yellow county – Washington County –
20 – Abraham and Daniel Hiestand in the “Overmountain” Wilderness of NC
20 – Abraham and Daniel in the “Overmountain” of NC For approximately 10 to 15 years, Henry Hiestand’s “boys”–Daniel and his older brother Abraham–lived in
19 – The Hiestand Brothers – Abraham and Daniel – Settle in Western North Carolina
19 – Abraham and Daniel Hiestand Settle in the “Carolinas” Headed for “the Carolinas” When the earliest post-Revolution settlers left their homes in places like
18 – The Mysterious Daniel MG Hastings “Mortality List” Card
18 – The Mysterious Daniel MG. Hastings Mortality List Card The “1830 Revolutionary War Mortality Listing” Card In the early 1970s, Dwight Haston discovered the
17b – Thomas Archer – the Eccentric Man from Guilford County, NC Who Ended Up with Warrant #2344
Thomas Archer – an Eccentric Man from Guilford County, NC Who Ended Up With 640 Acres from Military Bounty Land Warrant #2344 This is #3
17a – The “Guilford County Four” and Rev War Land Grant Proceedings at Fairfield Plantation
17a – The “Guilford County Four” And the Epicenter of 1785 Land Fraud – James Glasgow’s “Fairfield” Plantation This is #2 in a sequence of
17 – The “Daniel Haston” Revolutionary War Land Grant
The “Daniel Haston” Rev War Land Grant Legal or Fraudulent? 640 acres in Houston County, TN (west of Nashville) were granted to Thomas Archer, based
16 – Daniel Haston and the DAR and SAR
16 – Can I Get Into the DAR or SAR through Daniel Haston? The centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1876
15 – Henry Hiestand’s Estate Settled and the Family Splits
15 – Henry Hiestand’s Estate Settled and the Family Parts Ways Daniel’s Mother & Father Die in 1777 and 1779 Peter Hiessandt, Sr.’s, (older brother
14 – Daniel & Christina Nave Haston – Newlyweds in Fort Valley
14 – Daniel & Christina Nave Hiestand/Haston Newlyweds in Fort Valley, VA Daniel and Christina lived on Passage Creek for the first ten years or
13 – Daniel Hiestand Married Christina Nave
13 – Our Daniel Hiestand Married Christina Nave In Shenandoah County, Virginia View Larger Version of this Image I think we can safely say it’s
12 – Hiestand Land in “The Fort” – Powell’s Fort Valley, VA
12 – Hiestand Land in “The Fort” – Fort Valley, Virginia Seven Bends of North Shenandoah River, near Woodstock, VA with Fort Valley in the
11 – The Henry Hiestand Family in Virginia
11 – The Henry Hiestand Family in Virginia When Henry Hiestand and his wife (name unknown) moved their family to Virginia, they probably already had
10 – Indian Troubles in the Shenandoah Valley, VA
10 – Indian Attacks Around Our Hiestands in Pennsylvania and Virginia Memorial for Rev. John Roads – Mennonist & wife and six children massacred here
09 – Our Ancestor Moves to the Shenandoah Valley, VA
Hiestands Move to the Shenandoah Valley in Northern Virginia From a “Hiestand field” on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River Our Daniel Hiestand/Haston was
08 – Henry Hiestand Settles on Penn Family Land
08 – Henry Hiestand Settled on Land Acquired from William Penn’s Sons Outline of the 226 acre tract Henry Hiestand settled on and had surveyed
07 – Our Hiestands Begin Life in America
07 – Henry Hiestand – His Earliest Years in America William Penn’s first visit to his American colony in 1682 paved the way for our
06 – The Journey from Ibersheim to America
06 – The Journey from Ibersheim to America Source: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/ In early 1727, Henrich Hiestand probably boarded a barge in Worms, much like the one
05a – Our Hiestands (Heystandts) – Refugees on the North Sea
05a – Our Hiestands (Heystandts) – Refugees in Friedrichstadt on the North Sea “Heystandt” was the way the Hollander-Dutch spelled our Hiestand name. The Nine
05 – Where Henrich Hiestand Was Born – Ibersheim, Germany
05 – Ibersheim, Germany German Home-Village of Our Hiestands https://www.akpool.de/ The village of Ibersheim (pronounced, Ibers-heim [“ib” as in “crib”]) is situated on what historically
04 – Swiss Anabaptists Flee to the Germany
04 – Our Swiss Ancestors Flee to Germany (Source: artuk.org) The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) Paves the Way for Swiss Anabaptists to Find New Homes
03 – Our Mennonite Roots
03 – What Do You Know About Our Mennonite Roots? Image from Christianity.com Rev. Samuel Hiestand’s parents, grandparents, and several generations before were all Mennonites.
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03 – Malinda Haston Howard, Widow of William Howard
Widow Malinda, Moved Her Family to Yell County, Arkansasd
Links will be activated when the posts are written and published.
Malinda Haston (Maragriet Malinda Alzina Haston, as per some sources) was born on December 5, 1815 (some sources say 1819) in what was still White County, TN at that time–later Van Buren County. Colonel Howard Hillman Hasting summarized her life story in the seven lines you see below.
Malinda Haston married William P. Howard in then-White County, TN on September 5, 1839, with John Gillentine, Esquire, officiating their marriage.
But, Was William Howard Killed by Bushwhackers?
Here’s the Official Mortality Record
I choose to believe the official mortality report that he died of Flux. His brother-in-law, William Leonard Dale (husband of Malinda’s sister, Amanda) was killed by bushwhackers in 1864, so I assume the Haston family facts have been confused. You will learn the William Leonard Dale story in the article to follow this one. See the button link above.
Bloody Flux
Dysentery, also known as “camp fever” or “the bloody flux,” was endemic throughout the colonial period and it raged right up through the Civil War. Symptoms of the disease include bloody or mucusy diarrhea, stomach cramps, pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Not only was dysentery a bacterial infection, but toxins can also be secreted by another type of Shigella bacteria, which damages blood vessels in the gut, kidneys, and lungs. This can produce hemorrhaging, bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, or even pulmonary edema.
Since the bloody flux was so common, people had no idea of the causes and it raged right up through the Civil War. Now we know it is caused by the Shigella bacteria and spreads rapidly in unsanitary conditions where food and water are contaminated by human waste. Crowded ships and soldier camps, poor personal hygiene, and lack of hand-washing conspired to create ideal breeding grounds for Shigella. This made dysentery a recurring, debilitating, and often fatal disease. Source
According to the 1850 census, William (age 30) and Malinda (age 31) were living in District 3 of Van Buren County, TN, with five children: Eliza J., age 9; Isaac M., age 7; Martha C., age 5; Joseph H., age 3; and James A., age 7 months. They were living next to John and Arenetta Haston. Malinda’s husband, William Howard, was a blacksmith, as was his father, Isaac Howard, according to the 1870 census.
At the time of the June 1, 1860 census, Melinda (age 43) was the head of the Howard household, no doubt grieving the recent death of her husband. All nine children were still living at home, and six of them were in school that year! Imagine a single mom with six children in school and two under school age–ages 2 and 4. Malinda and her 18-year-old daughter, Jane, were seamstresses.
I have not found an 1870 census record for Malinda in Van Buren County or elsewhere. She may have been on her way to Arkansas, but that’s just a “maybe.”
If you research this family, you will see references to William and Malinda Howard, who were on the 1870 census in Jefferson County, TN. This is a DIFFERENT family of Howards. The names of the children do not match the Malinda Haston Howard family and William Howard of Van Buren County, TN had been dead more than 10 years by the time of the July 8, 1870 Jefferson County, TN William Howard.
Malinda Howard appeared on the June 30, 1880 census in Magazine Township of Yell County, Arkansas. Sons William M. (age 26) and Thomas F. (age 19) were living with her.
Joseph H. Howard - Son of William and Malinda
Sheriff of Yell County, Arkansas
Inconsistencies with Other Records
- Date of birth, January 31, 1849 does not match the 1850 census record that says he was three years old.
- “His father was a gunsmith by trade” = possible, but Van Buren census records say he was a blacksmith.
- Dates of his father’s birth and marriage of his parents do not match other records.
- “Here the father died” – if “here” means Yell County, Arkansas, this is definitely wrong. William Howard died in Tennessee.
After what must have been a tough life, Malinda died on January 23, 1892. She was buried in the Shepherd Cemetery. Omega Road, Alpha, Yell County, Arkansas 72833, United States; Coordinates: 35.12860, -93.26440
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05 – Green Madison “Doc” and Margaret Ann Haston Shepherd
G.M. "Doc" and Margaret Ann Haston Shepherd
The 1850 Caswell County, NC Federal Census indicates that Green M F A R Shepherd was two years old and living with his family, John and Tempy (Temperance) Shepherd in Caswell County, NC. The record states that he, his parents, and his siblings were all born in the county of Person, NC. Person County was created out of Caswell County in 1792. They were all mulattoes. Sometime between the 1850 and 1860 censuses, this mulatto Shepherd family moved to the southern end of White County, TN.
Note: Mulatto typically refers to a person of mix black and white ancestry. (Source: Britannica)
G.M. “Doc” and Margaret Ann Haston Shepherd were part of a movement of families (Hastons and related families in particular) who moved from Van Buren County and White County, TN to Yell County, AR in the final decades of the 1800s. Precisely why they moved is unknown, but it was probably because “grass was greener” west of Tennessee at that time–good land was available and more affordable than in Middle TN. Sometimes, you may find him referred to “Doc” Shepherd, but he was not a medical doctor. For some reason, “Doc” was his nickname.
According to the 1860 census, G M F A R Shepherd (F = Franklin, A = Alexander, R = Rasby ) was 13 years old (born in 1847) was living with his parents, John and Temperance Shepherd in the area of River Hill in the 2nd District of White County, TN. He was enrolled in school, probably the (Old) Union School of that area, if his mulatto status would have allowed him to do so at that time.
That same year, Margaret (Ann) Haston was nine years old, living with her parents, William Carroll and Jane Denney Haston, south of Cane Creek and the Caney Fork River in Van Buren County, TN. She and her two brothers, Charles Thomas Haston and Van Haston, attended school that year–possibly across (north of) the river into White County at the (Old) Union School. Even though they were in different counties, the Shepherds and Hastons were not far apart.
Before the next census, they were married on January 16, 1869, in Van Buren County, TN. So, as young people, they grew up living in the turbulent Civil War years.
On July 26, 1870 (Federal Census record), D. (probably D = “Doc”) and Margaret Shepherd–he age 23, she age 19–were living in District 3 of Van Buren County, TN with no children. They were living near some Hasting (Haston) families.
They were still living in the 3rd District of Van Buren County, TN at the time of the 1880 census. That was near where Margaret grew up. Margaret’s brother, David L. “Van” Haston, lived two houses away. Four children were in their household: Martha, age 9; Jennie, age 7; Dalton, age 3; and Fannie, age 1. Martha and Jennie were both attending school.
Hugh J. Brady and wife Cherokee D. were one more, a third, house from them. Hugh Brady was a colonel in the Federal Army during the Civil War. He was a U.S. storekeeper and gauger at the time of the census. Note: Gauger in the 1800s =a government official responsible for measuring the contents of barrels or casks, particularly those containing liquids like alcohol, to ensure accurate taxation based on volume.
According to the Centerville Township, Yell County, AR 1900 census, three children were living at home with them: Cleveland [John Cleveland], age 15 (born December 1884); Carrel [William Carroll] (son) age 12 (born April 1888), and Ellen (daughter) age 8 (born February 1892). All of them were born in Arkansas, so we know that GM and Margaret moved to Arkansas before the mid-1880s.
A man named G.M. Shepherd was tried for selling liquor to Chocktaw Indians on their reservation in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma. It was a Federal offense. On its western border, Arkansas was adjacent to Oklahoma’s Indian territory. Tuskahoma was about 175 miles from Dardanelle, AR. Was this the husband of Margaret Ann Haston? There were a few other Shepherds that were also charged with that crime, a George Shepherd for one. But the other names do not seem to fit the G.M. and Margaret Haston Shepherd. Was this “G.M. Shepherd” Margaret’s husband?
In 1910, they were living in the Dardanelle Township of Yell County, AR. Cleveland (son, age 25 and divorced) and [William Carrol] Carol (son, age 22) were living with them and both were bakers, apparently co-owners of a bakery shop. Green and Margaret Ann had been married for 38 years. Margaret had borne seven children, but only four were still living.
At the time of the 1920 census, Green M. and Margaret A. were stilling living in the same township of Dardanelle County, AR. Son [John Cleveland] John C. (age 36, born in Arkansas) was with them. Green, at age 72, was a “Cat [cattle?] Seed Buyer,” a wage earner for a company.
Margaret died January 11, 1924, and was buried in the Brearley Cemetery in Dardanelle, Yell County, AR.
The obituary for Green Madison Shepherd says that he moved to the Gould Township of Lincoln County, Arkansas, to live with his son about 10 years before he died.
Green Madison Shepherd died on November 17, 1938 at the age of 91. Apparently, he was living with his son, William Carrol Shepherd (I assume), in Gould of Lincoln County, AR at the time of his death. He was buried on November 18 beside his wife Margaret in the Brearley Cemetery back in Dardanelle, AR. Son, W.C. Shepherd provided the information for his death certificate.
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Sparta, TN – One Vote Shy of Becoming the State Capital?
Did Sparta, TN Almost Become the Capital of Tennessee?
All of us old-timers who grew up in White County, Tennessee, have heard the story about Sparta coming one vote short of becoming the capital of Tennessee. The story usually goes on to say that the needed vote was “sold” for a drink of whiskey. Well, here’s the LEGEND and the FACTS that can be known and documented about that story.
The Legend
Some years after the settlement of Sparta, there was an election held in the state legislature to select a permanent capital for the state. Many of the towns in East and Middle Tennessee were voted on. When it cam to the vote between Nashville and Sparta, that vote failed to be put on the House Journal. The legend goes that Sparta lacked only one vote of receiving enough to make it a capital, and that vote was sold for a drink of whiskey. Sam Turney at that time represented White County as senator and he worked for Sparta. The representative from White County was John Dearing, who, in the election, voted for Nashville. It is uncertain what influenced him to vote thus as it would be reasonable to expect one in that position to vote according to the wishes of his people and also for his home town. He has ever since been criticized for his action then.
Coral Williams - Legends and Stories of White County, TN
The Facts
# 1 – The “new” 1834 Tennessee Constitution required a permanent capital site be chosen. In 1840, the issue of which Tennessee town or city would become the state capital did come to a vote.
# 2 – John W. Dearing was the representative for White County (Sparta) in the TN State House of Representatives. Sam Turney was the senator for White County (Sparta).
# 3 – On January 28, 1840, the Tennessee State Senate passed a resolution that the capital of Tennessee be moved from Nashville to Murfreesboro. The Senate attached the condition that the Governor and other officers be allowed to remain in Nashville until the meeting of the next (September, 1841) Legislature .
# 4 – The day after the Senate’s resolution was passed down to the House of Representatives, the House rejected the resolution specifically because of the attached condition.
# 5 – During these expressions of opposition, an amendment was offered to strike out Murfreesboro and insert Sparta as the new site for the State capital.
# 6 – When the vote was taken for this amended resolution, the representatives were evenly divided, which caused the Senate’s resolution to fail. One vote would have swung the resolution in favor of Sparta. This action was not the FINAL decision concerning the permanent site of the capital. Legislative maneuvering continued for a few days, which made the House’s action on January 29, 1840, meaningless. So, (as you will soon see) if Sparta had been favored in the resolution, it is very unlikely that Sparta would ended up being the state capital.
# 7 – The Speaker of the House quickly signed the Senate’s proposal and the presiding officers of the Senate followed with their final approval, which appeared at the time to make Murfreesboro the permanent state capital. Largely because of it’s proximity to the geographic center of Tennessee. The geographic center of Tennessee is located on Old Lascassas Pike, a half-mile from the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN.
Note: Sparta’s “first objective” was to be in the resolution from the House of Representatives. The next and final objective would have been for the Senate to accept the House’s resolution. However, the “Sparta resolution” never got out of the House, much less to the Senate.
# 8 – As it turns out, this January 29, 1840, action was negated by congressional maneuvering in the days to follow. On Friday, January 31, a resolution was introduced into the House, rescinding the resolution to Murfreesboro and fixing the seat of Government again at Nashville. Dearing, the Sparta-White County representative, opposed the resolution, but he was in the minority. The resolution was carried over to the Senate where the Sparta-White County senator, Sam Turney, was initially NOT in favor of it. After some more maneuvering, the resolution passed with Turney voting FOR the resolution, which made Nashville the state’s permanent capital.
The final vote in the Senate was 12 “yeas” (for Nashville) and 11 “nays” (against Nashville). According to the February 5, 1840 (Nashville) Republican Banner article: “This result was effected by Mr. Turney’s [Sparta-White County’s senator] changing his vote in favor of Nashville.”
Summary
Yes, the vote that eventually made Nashville the permanent capital of Tennessee came down to one vote and that vote was cast by Sparta-White County’s State senator, Sam Turney. However, at that point Sparta was NOT in the consideration, so it was not a Nashville vs. Sparta vote. Sparta-White County’s representative John Dearing, in the House, opposed Nashville. It was not Dearing’s vote that gave Nashville the win.
Regarding the influence of a “drink of alcohol,” that accusation is doubtful. Sam Turney was an eccentric character and often made controversial choices. He was a popular attorney and no doubt wealthy enough to purchase alcohol if and when he wanted.
The editor of the Nashville Republican Banner made this comment regarding Turney:
With this gentleman we have no affinities, personal or political; but it is due to him to say, that he only did at once and without hesitation, what others would have eventually done, had it been necessary. We know from undoubted information, that another Van Buren [the Democratic President, not the Tennessee County] Senator, whose personal and political integrity is above suspicion, was prepared to vote for Nashville, rather than compel the Governor and other Officers of State to trudge away to Murfreesborough.
The Republican Banner - Article After the Final Decision
The article from the “contemporary newspaper” mentioned above.
To View a Higher Resolution Version, Right-Click on “Download” and Open the Image in a New Window
Then Use the Cursor’s + Option to Enlarge It
Hon. Sam Turney was an unique character. He was one of the most successful lawyers ever at the Sparta Bar. He was original but very eccentric. He used to sit at a hotel and cut his own hair. When remonstrated with, he replied, ”I guess I know the shape of my own head.” There were no records of warrants and indictments kept in those days, Turney would eat the warrants, thus freeing his client. Once a counterfeiter was up for trial, Turney was his lawyer. Turney asked to see the five dollar bill presented in evidence. Talking and wrapping the bill around his finger he found a chance to put the bill into his mouth and at the same time took a good bill out of his vest pocket and substituted it for the counterfeit. Then he requested the Judge to send three men to the bank to see if it would pass. It did and his client went free. He won national fame for planning the escapade which prevented our State from having a United States Senator for two years. He and the actors with him became known as The Immortal Thirteen. Toward the end of his life he was baptized and became a Christian preacher. Great crowds came to the services whenever it was announced that he would preach. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and when he died in Sparta in 1862, he was buried by a Convoy of Federal soldiers. Page 95 of The History of White County by Monroe Seals.
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Hannah Brooke Haston – University of Tennessee
Hanna Has the Haston Leadership-DNA
Hannah Haston, daughter of David and Laura Haston of Dandridge, TN, is a Junior at the University of Tennessee studying Business Management on a Marketing Track with a collateral in Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness. In addition to this, she is pursuing a minor in Political Science with the intention of potentially attending law school upon graduation. During her tenure thus far, Hannah has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA, placing her on the Dean’s List with Summa Cum Laude honors for 5 consecutive semesters and among the top of her class in the Haslam College of Business. She is on track to graduate in May of 2026.
Hannah is on a full-tuition merit scholarship from the University of Tennessee based on Academic Achievement. Because of her test scores, she is a Volunteer Scholarship recipient, rewarding students who scored above the 95th percentile on the ACT exam in addition to having over a 3.8 cumulative high school GPA. Furthermore, she is a Hope with Merit Scholarship recipient, placing her in the highest academic tier for Tennessee statewide awards.
On top of being a full-time, high-excelling student, Hannah is heavily involved in extracurricular activities on campus and in her greater community. Following a string of executive positions, Hannah was just elected and installed as the 2025 Chapter President of Kappa Delta Sorority – Alpha Epsilon Chapter, in which she acts as the head of command of one of Kappa Delta’s largest collegiate organizations, sitting just under 500 members. With this opportunity, she serves as the liaison between the university, her chapter, and KD’s national headquarters, ensuring that Alpha Epsilon is following all regulations, effectively managing its chapter budget of over $1.45 million, and exceeding all expectations. Prior to this, she served in numerous appointed officer, executive board, and governing council positions, most notably her term as Vice President of Events and Programming for the organization which concluded in November of 2024. During this position, Hannah facilitated and planned all social events, philanthropic events, community service initiatives, Parents Weekend celebrations, and alumnae involvement endeavors, amounting to over 65 events planned during her term altogether. During the spring semester alone, Hannah and her team led the chapter to raising well over $100,000 for the first time in chapter history, and upon completion of her term, Kappa Delta has raised over $140,000 in 2024, more than double what had ever been raised before by the organization in support of Prevent Child Abuse America and Child Help-Knoxville. This solidified Kappa Delta as one of Child Help’s largest contributors, funding the entire salary of multiple members of their part time staff. In addition to this, Hannah planned events of all types and sizes, including an inaugural Parents Weekend philanthropy event that hosted over 1000 people and raised nearly $20,000 in a single night.
Outside of her sorority, Hannah is a member of Order of Omega, a Greek honor society acknowledging the top 5% of student campus leaders. Within this organization, she participates in community service initiatives, professional development opportunities, and is required to maintain prestigious leadership involvement on top of an elite GPA. Also, she is a new initiate of Kappa Alpha Pi – Pre Law and Government Professional Fraternity on campus. She was initiated in November following a rigorous recruitment and interview selection process and upon the completion of an educational new member program designed to introduce her to the greater Law professional landscape in Knoxville and to connect her to a group of peers with similar interests and goals. Here, she acts as the Brotherhood Coordinator, planning and executing events designed to improve the community within the fraternity by providing opportunity for the formation of genuine connections throughout. She is also a member of Women of Haslam, a departmental group dedicated to providing resources to and educating young female business students on professional skills and pathways. She is also an active member in Eighteen Twenty Bible Study, a group of well over 100 Greek women who meet weekly to pray for each other and the campus while growing in their faith.
Hannah’s Haston Lineage
Daniel Haston > David Haston > Polly Haston > Montgomery Greenville Haston > Isom Haston > R.C. Haston > Marlin Haston* > David Haston > Hannah Haston
*Hannah enrolled at the University of Tennessee precisely 75 years after her grandfather, Marlin Haston, enrolled there.
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Emma Shackleford at Union School – Grandmother of Minnie Pearl
Minnie Pearl's Grandmother Taught at the (Old) Union School
In Southern White County, TN Where Hastons & Related Family Members Attended School
The only name we have of those who taught in that old house [original log building used by Union School in Hickory Valley of southern White County, TN] is that of Miss Emma [Emily] Shackleford and that was about 1848.
"Uncle Billie" Young - Sparta (TN) News, April 25, 1929
“Minnie Pearl” (Stage Name) Was Sarah Ophelia Colley (Cannon)
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02 – Wiley B. and Mary Durham Haston
First-Known Hastons to Arkansas
This Yell County, Arkansas Series – Links to be Activated When Articles are Published
Don’t Confuse These Two Men With the Same Names
Wiley B. Haston, born 1806
Wiley B. Haston, born 1836
Son of David Haston, Grandson of Daniel Haston
Died in the 1860s in Arkansas
Son of James Alford Haston, Grandson of Joseph Haston, Great Grandson of Daniel Haston
First 44 Years in the Life of Willie/Wiley B. Haston
- Born July 11, 1806, in Knox County, TN, northwest of Knoxville (on his parents’ farm on Grassy Creek). His parents were David (oldest son of Daniel) and Peggy Roddy Haston.
- Often spelled “Willie” but pronounced “Wi-ley”
- “B” = “Blount” (probably named for Willie Blount of Knoxville, who later became a three-term [1809-1815] Governor of TN), including the War of 1812 Era. His father (David, son of Daniel) may have been a friend of the future TN governor while living in the Knoxville area.
- Married 1st – Tamar (Tamsey) Austin (before 1825); Tamsey was a daughter of John & Rachel Denny Austin, thus a step-daughter of Wiley’s Aunt Catherine Haston, who married John Austin after Rachel died. Wiley and Tamsey had eight children together, according to a family record. Tamsey died before mid-1845.
- 1828 – “Blount Hasting” – first appearance on the White County, TN (area that later became Van Buren County) tax list in the same district as his father and Uncle Joseph. “William B. Haston” on the 1832 tax list with 50 acres of land, plus 150 acres of “school land.” Later, the name “Willie B.” appears. 225 acres in 1840 in the 4th district along Cane Creek.
- January 25, 1839 – Signed the petition to create Van Buren County, TN.
- 1850 Van Buren County, TN Census for District 4
Second Wife Years in Tennessee
- Married 2nd – Mary Durham (July 13, 1845) in Van Buren County, TN. Mary was the daughter of Nathan Durham, a neighbor of W.B. Haston on Cane Creek in the 4th District of Van Buren County, TN.
- 1852 – Commissioned as Justice of the Peace in Van Buren County, TN.
- 1853 – Voted in the affirmative for the incorporation of Spencer, TN.
- May 7, 1860 – Was in Van Buren County, TN court where his and Tansey’s daughter, Nancy, was placed in the guardianship of William B. Cummings. Refers to Tamsey as W.B.’s former wife and deceased. Nancy would have been about 20 years old, but still a minor until 21.
- By the time he left Tennessee, he owned 935 acres but mostly cheap land on Cane Creek in District 4.
Note: According to 1870-1871 Chancery Court records, this land was given to W.B. & Mary by Mary’s father, Nathan Durham, but was the deed was not registered, which resulted in a court challenge regarding the ownership of the land. See end of this article. - Next court entry for the same day (May 7, 1860) states that David Haston (father of W.B. Haston) had “departed this life.” This was probably the event that “freed” W.B. to leave Tennessee and venture west.
Sebastian County, Arkansas
Sixty-six days after the Van Buren County, TN (May 7, 1860) court session in which Wiley B.’s daughter, Nancy Haston, was placed into guardianship and his father’s death was mentioned, W.B. and Mary’s family was on the 1860 Federal Census in Cole Township (James Fork Post Office) of Sebastian County, Arkansas.
July 11, 1860 – W.B. Haston, age 54, was on the 1860 census for Sebastian County, AR, with a four-year-old son (David Haston) who was born in Arkansas, but all the others in the family were indicated to have been born in Tennessee, even a one-month-old “William” (who was “Willard” in other official sources). The census taker must have gotten the places of birth for David and William/Willard confused, because later census records indicate that it was William/Willard who was born in Arkansas, not his older brother David.
Some sources say that William/Dillard Durham (W.D.) Haston was born in Yell County, Arkansas. Since he was only one month old at the time of the 1860 census, he was probably born there during a brief stop in Yell County before the family moved on to Sebastian County, two counties to the west of Yell.
1860 Cole Township of Sebastian County, Arkansas Census
Shadrack and Margaret Haston Mooneyham
Shadrack Mooneyham (born 1826) and Margaret Haston (born about 1828) were married by David Haston, Justice of the Peace, on August 14, 1845. Margaret was the daughter of Wiley B. and Tamsey Austin Haston and granddaughter of David Haston, who performed their marriage. Shadrack and Margaret apparently moved to Arkansas with her father and step-mother. At the time of the 1860 census, they (he, age 33; she, age 31) were also living in Cole Township of Sebastian County, Arkansas, with seven children (five oldest born in TN, two youngest born in AR). Margaret’s youngest child was born in April 1865 and Shadrack married a second wife on February 1870. According to the obituary of Margaret’s son, Wiley Bluntford Mooneyham (born in Arkansas in 1860), apparently the family remained in Arkansas after her father died there.
Back to Van Buren County, Tennessee
Wiley B. Haston did not live long after moving to Sebastian County, AR. He died sometime after the 1860 census and I have not been able to learn anything about his life or death in Arkansas. By the time of the 1870 census, his widow, Mary Durham Haston, was living back in Van Buren County with four children.
Since William D. (born 1860 in Arkansas) was the youngest child in Mary’s family, it is likely that her husband (Wiley B.) died within a year or two (or so) of their arrival in Sebastian County, Arkansas.
Van Buren County, TN Chancery Court – 1870 & 1871 (Book A, pages 27, 34, 40, 69)
Mary Hasting, widow of Wiley B. Hastin, Sr. vs. Wiley B. Hasting, Jr., James Hasting, et. al.
Mary (Durham) Haston, widow of Wiley B. Haston, Sr., was involved in a Van Buren County Chancery Court case. Apparently, the case was related to Wiley B.’s estate settlement, particularly the 935 acres in Turkey Cock Cove that Mary’s father, Nathan Durham, had gifted to Wiley B. and Mary on September 12, 1859 (eight months or so before they left for Arkansas). It appears that more than two dozen descendants were trying to get part of the 935 acres.
The court concluded that the deed assigned to Wiley B. Haston had been destroyed before it was registered and was thus void. The court “ordered and decreed … that the title to the above [land] be divested out of the defendants [the family members trying to get some of the land] and vested in complainant [Mary Durham Haston] … and that the deed so made to complainant by the said Nathan Durham be set up.”
In other words, Mary ended up being the legal owner of the land and the defendants [the people trying to get what they deemed to be their share of the land] got nothing.
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01 – Yell County, Arkansas – Hastons
Yell County, Arkansas - A "Haston Place"
Yell County is Arkansas’s 42nd county, formed on December 5, 1840, from portions of Scott and Pope counties.
Why Yell County, Arkansas?
Why did so many descendants of Daniel Haston from the Tennessee Haston Homeland move to Yell County, Arkansas, between 1850 and 1880? Frankly, I don’t know for sure. There was no major booming industry there to attract them with lucrative jobs. It probably had something to do with cheap land, some of which was very fertile. But, for “whatever” reason there were several Van Buren County, TN Haston families that moved there within those thirty years–1850 to 1880.
Van Buren County, TN Hastons to Yell County, AR
In future weeks, but not necessarily consecutive weeks, I will share what I know about the following Van Buren County, TN Hastons, who settled, temporarily or for the long term, in Yell County, Arkansas.
Button links will be activated as the articles are published.
Within a couple of months after mid-Decmber 2024.
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Deuteronomy 32:7 – We Tend to Waith Until They are Gone
"Consider the Years of Many Generations; Ask...Your Elders"
In the Bible, the nation of Israel repeatedly lapsed into immorality and social chaos. Why? It was largely because the people lost contact with the past. They became so focused on the “now” that they neglected to learn about the past. They failed to ASK their parents and other elders about the history that had brought them to the “now” and would help inform them on how to face the “future.”
How Many Times Have You Wished You Had Asked Your Parents or Other Older Relatives More Questions About Your Family's History?
My mother had a remarkable memory of her past. Even before I became deeply interested in family history, I loved to hear her tell stories about her growing-up years. And she knew a lot about other families among whom she lived. Her mind just seemed to naturally absorb history. Dad probably knew a lot more about his Haston family than he ever talked about. He passed away in 2001, and now I wish I could sit down with him and ask him to tell me about his early years–the places where his family lived, his most memorable stories from his childhood and teen years, his life as the youngest of eight children, his experience in the Civil Conservation Corps, and many more stories.
Mom lived alone for several years after Dad passed away. She lived on a very restricted budget and was disappointed when she realized she could no longer buy Christmas presents for her three children, grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. Instead of purchasing gifts for us, we asked her to write a journal filled with many of her memories. She wrote about 50 pages and distributed copies to each of us. These are priceless–and the value increases with every year that passes!
Old People Are Repositories of Family History, Tap Into Them While You Can
Two Admonitions, From Me to You
One: Wait no longer. Set a time now to get together with your parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and other family members who are repositories of your family’s history. Record their stories in a way that can be preserved for future generations. It’s a gift that will keep on giving well past your lifetime!
Two: Don’t wait until your children and grandchildren come to pick your historical brain. Start writing your own stories now.
A few years ago, one of our daughters gave us a subscription to Storyworth, an online place to record stories from your life that you would like to pass on to your children and generations of grandchildren. These books can be printed and bound by Storyworth. They make beautiful books. I plan to keep writing as long as I can and let my daughters print out the books when I am gone.
Storyworth is a wonderful Christmas gift to give to yourself and others.
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The Haston Penny That Came Home from the Civil War Battle of Perryville, KY
The Wiley B. Haston Penney
Article 15
I closed last week while in the hottest of the battle of Perryville. I will now give you the names of my company who were killed and mortally wounded. Wiley Haston, a brother of John Haston was mortally wounded and died next day. Peter Shockley, an uncle of George Haston’s wife was a son of Saml. Shockley and lived where Sam Haston now lives was killed dead. Levy Johnson was a son of Andy Johnson and cousin of Wesley Johnson was killed dead. Wm. Jones only son of Davis (and Bersheba )Jones was mortally wounded and died that night. James Moore uncle to Tom Clark and Sallie Smith of McMinnville was killed dead. He had three brothers in the war, one of whom was killed at Murfreesboro and the others wounded in battle. Sam Parker whose people lived in White County was killed dead. John Steakley was killed dead and his brother James mortally wounded and died that night. George Sparkman was severely wounded and took refuge behind a tree but a grape shot from a cannon killed him. I think his father’s name was William and lived on Laurel Creek near where Henry Cotton lives. William Wood was a son of Hamlet Wood and lived near Goodbar was mortally wounded and died that night. John E. York a brother to Mrs. E. T. Passons died, was killed dead. John Smalden a boy reared by John M. Billingsley on Cane Creek joined us on our way to Ky. and killed dead making twelve. Others were seriously and slightly wounded. The enemy finally retreated and we followed on. They loaded as they fell back but would whirl and shoot back. So we passed the little cabin on the hill. I was severely wounded through my right side above my hip. We then had them on the run. James Martin was the only living man near me and offered to assist me off the battlefield, but I told him I could make it, and for him to go on and kill all of them. On my way back I passed the boys lying dead, and oh, my! Col. Savage was with us in the thickest of the fight, and was shot through his leg, and his horse (George) was killed. The moaning and sighing of the wounded and dying that night were heart-rending and enough to make any man oppose war. Lieut. Denney Cummings a cousin to Jo Denney Cummings was shot in the mouth breaking his jaw and carrying away about 14 or 15 teeth and we thought would die, but he got over it and rejoined our company and was in the battle of Chickamauga! I would have voted for the war to close then, but oh, shucks! The loss in our Regt. was 199 killed and severely wounded. Genl. Buell of the Yankee Army re-inforced Genl. Rosecrans with 40,000 fresh troops that night, and Genl. Bragg had to evacuate Ky. and hurriedly got matters in shape to move out. The severely wounded could not be carried away, but left in the hands of the enemy. I was very sorry that I had to be left back. The day after the battle, all the wounded who could be moved, were carried up to Harrodsburg, 10 miles from Perryville. I was carried up there and put in the court house, with good many wounded. The army was on the march, by Crab Orchard and on to East Tennessee. The cavalry took up the rear, and I yet remember seeing John T. [Taylor] Haston in line, and he gave me some rations. John is yet living, and has his wings up, has never sold out for a mess of pottage and never will. If I go to war again, I want John with me. Nine of the wounded in the hospital with me died that night. I was fearful that the Yanks would mistreat us Rebs in the hospital, but, I was mistaken. How many old Van Buren boys are living now, who were in the battle of Perryville near 49 years ago!
C. H. C.
John Taylor Haston (1844-1923) gave the penny to his son, Casto Haston (1887-1960). Casto passed it on to his oldest son, John Thomas Haston (1912-1992). It has remained in the family of John Thomas Haston.
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Mini-Reunion – Let Us Help
We Can Help You Have a Memorable Haston Family Reunion
Would you like to have a Haston Family Reunion in your area–
a reunion for your branch of the Haston and Haston-related families?
- Wayne will come and give some presentations on Haston family history. You will be able to ask your questions about our family’s history.
- We will help you promote the event.
- Some of our experienced reunion organizers will help you with ideas of what works in creating a successful Haston family reunion.
- Some leading Daniel Haston Family Association members will join you to tell you more about the association.
- Free to you.
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Can You Join the DAR or SAR
How You Can Become a Member of the DAR or SAR
You must join as “Daniel Haston – a Patriot,” not as “Daniel Haston – a Veteran.”
What’s the difference? Read on.
Sons of the American Revolution
Since 1889, the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) has honored our Revolutionary War patriot ancestors by promoting patriotism, serving our communities and educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our Country. Members (over 37,000) of the Sons of the American Revolution can trace their genealogy to a patriot who served in or supported the cause of the American War for Independence.
As of 2022, four men had joined the Sons of the American Revolution, one in 1960, one in 1974, and two in 2022. These men joined based on the claim that Daniel Haston was a Revolutionary War veteran based on a Revolutionary War land grant that has since been revealed to probably be fraudulent and invalid.
Consequently, the requirements to prove that Daniel Haston was a veteran in the War for American Independence have become much more stringent since 2022, requiring any applicant to prove that (1) our Daniel Haston truly fought in the Revolution and (2) that the applicant can provide documented proof of a lineal connection back to Daniel Hiestand/Haston.
The SAR no longer assumes that the evidence submitted by the existing four members is valid proof that Daniel Hiestand/Haston was a veteran of the American Revolution. New applicants will now be required to provide more convincing evidence based on unquestioned valid documentation. Based on what is now known about Daniel Hiestand/Haston, it is unlikely that anyone will ever be admitted to the SAR again through Daniel as a veteran.
However, if you can prove your direct ancestral lineage back to Daniel Hiestand/Haston, you can join the Sons of the American Revolution through Daniel as a patriot, who paid taxes that were used to support the Revolution. In 1782 and 1783, Daniel Hiestand paid Personal Property taxes to Shenandoah County, VA. These taxes were used to support the American patriot cause in the war. Look (below) at the Law of Virginia that was passed in the May 1782 Session of the State’s General Assembly.
Daniel Hiestand/Haston paid the 1782 Personal Property Tax mentioned in this Act of the VA General Assembly, as well as the similar 1783 tax.
Shenandoah County, VA Personal Property Tax List, Series 07770, Reel No. 89. (Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library and Archives), image 422, page 11. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-2QL3-W?i=421&cat=695422
Shenandoah County, VA Personal Property Tax List, Series 07770, Reel No. 89. (Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library and Archives), image 442, page 16.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS79-2QL9-4?i=441&cat=695422
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), founded in 1890, is a “non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children. Any woman 18 years or older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership. The DAR boasts 190,000 members.”
Presumably, the same documentation as above (for the SAR) would suffice for membership into the DAR, through Daniel’s Patriotic Service demonstrated by paying the 1782 and 1783 taxes in Shenandoah County, VA.
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Luther Haston – A Life of Crime
From Cradle to the Prison Graveyard - How He Got There
The “Dash” Between Luther Haston’s Birth and Death Dates
March 7, 1900 – September 9, 1938
What was in the “DASH” of his life, between his beginning and his end?
There was never a grave marker in the Brushy Mountain Penitentiary Burying Ground with Luther Haston’s name and birth and death dates. The State of Tennessee thought he and the hundreds buried around him were not worth having a well-marked grave.
But, there was a beginning and an end to his life, and a DASH of 38+ years between.
A "What is Known" Timeline of Luther Haston's Life
1900, March 7 – His Birth
1911 – Who was this Luther Hastings?
Before I discovered the Addie Smalley—Martin/Mortin L. Hastings marriage record, I assumed that this Rutherford County, TN “Luther Hastings” was probably young Luther’s father. Was it just a coincidence that an 11-year-old “colored” Luther Haston and a 30-year-old “colored” Luther Hastings lived simultaneously in the same rural Tennessee county? For some reason, was Addie’s son named after Luther Hastings, who was killed in 1911? Was this adult Luther actually the birth father of little Luther?
1911 – Arrest for “Grand Larceny”
Grand larceny is a crime in which something very valuable is stolen, at or more than $1,000 or more in 2024,
but much less in the early 1900s. It is a felony offense in Tennessee.
Petty (Petit) larceny is theft where the value of the stolen property is low, at or below $1,000 in 2024,
but much less in the early 1900s, probably less than $100. It is a Class A misdemeanor in Tennessee.
Assuming this was the Luther Haston who was born in Rutherford County, TN in 1900, he was 11 years old, not 14. We will see that there was ongoing confusion regarding Luther’s birth date and age. Here, he apparently fled Nashville (only 35 or so miles from Murfreesboro) and was captured in Chattanooga, TN and returned to Nashville, presumably where the theft occurred. Grand larceny was a serious offense (more serious than petit larceny) because of the value of the stolen property. Was a $35 bicycle valuable enough at that time to qualify for grand larceny?
1917 – Mother of 17 Year Old Luther Haston?
The Nashville Globe was a black newspaper edited and published by black (“colored”) people. Nashville is about 35 miles northwest of Murfreesboro, where Addie Smalley Haston, mother of Luther, lived with her parents. Additional records indicate that Addie moved from Rutherford County (Murfreesboro) to Nashville (Davidson County). Was she single again and using her maiden name at the time of her death?
1918, September 12 – Draft Board Registration
Luther (Slim) Haiston
Luther was living at 432 E. Depot Street in Knoxville, TN. Keep in mind (for future reference) that he was living near the train depot in Knoxville.
He was 18-years-old and he gave his date of birth – March 7, 1900, so he did know when he was born! He was a native-born Negro. The record says he was a driver for the U.S. Post Office. We can be sure this was the son of Addie Smalley, because he says that his nearest relative was a half-sister living in Murfreesboro, TN, as well as the date of birth matches the 1900 census record. The Willie May Mays (Luther’s half sister) was probably the 16-year-old girl who married Orman Dudley Underwood (age 19) on August 11, 1917 in Davidson County (Nashville area), TN. Rev. F.E. Alford performed the marriage ceremony. Looks like he signed his name, Luther Haiston.
He was 70″ (5′ 10″) tall, weighed 145 pounds (remember, he was nicknamed “Slim”), had brown eyes and black hair. He was physically qualified to be drafted into the army.
1918 – September 30 – Induction at Camp Hancock in Augusta, GA
Augusta, GA was home to one of the largest military camps in the United States, Camp Hancock which opened in 1917, during World War I.
World War I officially ended on November 11, 1918, 42 days after Luther was inducted at Fort Hancock. Was he discharged, so shortly after his induction, as the war was coming to a close?
1918 – October 30 – Sentenced for Petty Larceny in Nashville, TN
Left Side Page
Interesting: Six weeks earlier, he was living in Knoxville and was registered for the draft. On September 30, 1918, he was inducted into the army in Augusta, GA. Now, he’s arrested and convicted for petty larceny (stealing something of a relatively small value) in Davidson County (Nashville), approximately 200 miles west of Knoxville.
This crime occurred in Davidson County (Nashville), TN. He was sentenced for a term of 1 to 5 years. The record says he was 20 years old, which was not accurate. He was 5′ 8 1/4″ tall and 155 pounds. He was received in jail a day after his conviction, but (see left side, vertical writing) he was transferred to BM (Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary) in East TN on 12-16-1918 and released from there on 2-1-1922, a little over two years later. His contact outside of prison was his grandfather, Lawyer Smalley, who lived in Nashville then–proof that this was the baby Luther Haston born in March 1900 in Rutherford County, TN. As we saw, his mother was probably the Addie Smalley, who died in Nashville the year before Luther’s incarceration at Brushy Mountain.
Right Side Page
More Information About the Prisoner – Luther Haston
*Brown eyes – Black hair – Brown Complexion.
*2 scars on right eyebrow & scar on right cheek. Several scars on right thigh. 2 scars on left thigh. 3 scars on left knee. 4 scars on right arm at elbow. 1 scar on left side. Looks like he’d been in a knife fight and was cut up badly.
*He was single – says he was born in Alabama (did he lie about this or not know?) – farmer – C.S. (school; not sure what C.s. means, later record says he had 3 years of school) – no religion
*His term originally (it appears) to have been set to end on October 30, 1922.
*Paroled by board on 12-10-1921 (after little more than 3 years) – violated parole on 1-19-1922 (40 days later) – returned as parole violated on 1-24-1922 – Discharged 11-30-1922 (one month after his original term was set to expire).
1920 – Luther in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
The 1920 census was taken during Luther’s first imprisonment in the Brushy Mountain Penitentiary.
1928, October 4 – Luther in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
Left Side Page
Again, he was convicted for petty larceny on 10-4-1928 in Davidson County, TN (Nashville) and sentenced to one year in prison. He was 27 years old and 5′ 10 1/2″ tall.
Apparently, in his own handwriting, he listed his grandmother, Mollie Smalley, as the person to notify. She was living at 213 North Maney Street in Murfreesboro.
Right Side Page
- Brown eyes, Black hair, Black complexion
- Scar on front part of head, scar on left side of head, scar on right forearm, scar of upper left arm, teeth good
- Single
- Born in Tennessee
- Coal miner
- 3rd-grade education
- No religion
- Term expires 9-4-29 and he was discharged on that date
1930 – Luther in Brushy Mountain Penitentiary
According to the 1930 census, he was back in the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary – less than a year after he was discharged! Parole violation again?
1936 – Arrested in Knoxville for Mail Theft
No doubt this is “our” Luther Haiston (Haston), but why was he referred to as an “Atlanta Negro”? Perhaps after his release from the penitentiary, he had temporarily lived in Atlanta.
The 1936 offense in the newspaper was against the United States Post Office, so Federal Judge George Taylor sentenced Luther Haston. We can only assume that sentence was to a Federal penitentiary, not Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.
1937 – Luther Confesses to a Murder (He Didn’t Commit)
There is no evidence that Luther was ever tried for this crime he admitted to. Sherfiff Cate was probably right. In fact, it appears that Luther may have gotten so accustomed to the “comforts” of prison life that he committed crimes just to get away from the responsibilities of the outside world.
1938 – Convicted for Stealing Tires from the Railroad
Download the Summary of the Trial
Remember, earlier he was living on Depot Street in Knoxville, TN, near the railroad depot.
April 4, 1938 – Admitted Again to Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
September 1, 1938 – Died of Pneumonia From 2nd Degree External Burns
Luther’s death certificate (issued in the penitentiary) says he was born in Knoxville of Knox County, Tennessee, but according to the 1900 census he was born in Rutherford County (Murfreesboro), TN. The penitentiary’s records were often incorrect and the officials there probably weren’t concerned about accuracy.
Luther’s death was the result of some kind of fire—2nd-degree external burns, which resulted in pneumonia. His lungs were probably damaged by breathing in flames. Did his cell block catch fire? Did another inmate set him on fire? Those kinds of things did happen in the Brushy Mountain prison!
More likely, his death was the result of a fire in the coal mine. Certain minerals in the coal, such as sulfides and pyrites, sometimes oxidize and generate enough heat to cause a fire. Also, in those days miners used fire lights, such as lanterns and carbide lamps for light. When they came into contact with a gaseous air pocket, fires erupted.
September 1, 1938 – Burial in the Penitentiary Graveyard
It is estimated that over 500 bodies are buried in this graveyard, the Brushy Mountain Prison Cemetery. All plots were unmarked and did not have headstones to identify the deceased.
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Luther Haston – Brushy Mountain Prisoner – Part 1
What's a Haston Doing in a Place Like This?
In this post, I will tell you the story of the Beginning and End of his earthly life.
In the following post, I will tell you the story of the “DASH” between the beginning and the end.
Who Was Luther Haston?
At the time this “Luther Haston” was alive, it appears that there were a couple other “colored” (black) people in Tennessee with the name Luther Haston (or similar surname spellings). There is ample evidence to prove that the Luther Haston, who is the subject of this article, was a three-month-old baby living with his mother and grandparents in Rutherford County (Murfreesboro), TN, when the census was taken. You will see that 1900 census record below.
Was he a descendant of a slave who had been owned by a Haston? That is possible, but not for sure. Emancipated slaves were free to choose the name of their choice. Yes, most did keep the previous slaver’s family name. That was the easiest thing to do. However, some ex-slaves chose to express their independence from slavers by taking a surname of their own choosing, such as a name associated with a white person or family they respected.
Our White County, TN Daniel Haston never owned slaves, though several of his neighbors did. Other than Daniel’s son-in-law John Austin, who married his daughter Catherine, none of Daniel’s first-generation family members who remained in Tennessee were slave owners. That may be due to his Mennonite upbringing. And I’m not aware of any pre-Civil War Hastons in Tennessee who owned slaves, but maybe I’ve just never encountered any of them in my research.
The Haston name wasn’t (and still isn’t) one of the more common names in Tennessee. From the many Middle Tennessee records I have researched, I don’t recall ever finding a 19th-century Haston in a Tennessee record who wasn’t a descendant of Daniel Haston. So, black families in Middle Tennessee with the Haston family name are puzzling to me.
So, I am left to wonder if Luther Haston was one of my cousins by birth or by an adopted name change.
Luther Haston - The Beginning of His Earthly Life
1900 – Baby Luther Haston and His Mama
Luther Haston’s Parents – December 10, 1898
“C” at the end of the record = they were both “colored”
“Morton” (spelling by the court clerk) may have been “Martin.” Was Luther’s father a Hastings or a Haston, as on the 1900 census and other records for son Luther? As per the spelling of Addie’s family name on the 1900 census, Addie’s maiden name is misspelled here – perhaps Martin’s was also. Addie could not read or write, and probably Martin could not either.
The number 204 was the location of the house where this family lived, and the 213 was the number of the family (for census district 13) that lived there. They were living in Rutherford County, TN where Murfreesboro was and is the county seat.
This Luther Haston was the grandson of Lawyer and Mollie Smally and the son of 18-year-old Addie Haston. According to this census, she had been married for two years and only had one child. Luther was 3/12 of a year old, born March 1900. Obviously, he was (S) single. He and both of his parents were born in Tennessee.
Where was Martin, Addie’s husband, and Luther’s father?
According to the census, he was not living with Addie and her infant Luther at the time of the census. I have found no other information about Martin (or Mortin) L. Hastings (or similar “Hast__” spellings). I’m assuming that he either died or abandoned his wife and baby boy. Having an absentee father might help to explain the criminal behavior that characterized Luther’s life.
According to a 1912 death certificate for a one-year-old child, John Alexander, Addie Smalling (maiden name) was the mother, and John Alexander was the father. They lived in the rear of Number 223 of 2nd Avenue South in the 12th Ward in Nashville, TN (30 or so miles northwest of Murfreesboro). There is evidence to cause me to think this Addie Smalling was Luther’s (remarried) mother.
Luther Haston - The End of His Earthly Life
September 1, 1938 – Died of Pneumonia From 2nd Degree External Burns
September 1, 1938 – Burial in the Penitentiary Graveyard
It is estimated that over 500 bodies are buried in this graveyard, the Brushy Mountain Prison Cemetery. All plots were unmarked and did not have headstones to identify the deceased.
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Amazon.com – Haston Family History Books
Now Available on Amazon.com
Search for “Daniel Haston Books”
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Civil War Sharpshooters in the Jesse Haston Family
Civil War Sharpshooters - Jesse, Jr. and Isaac Haston
Sons of Jesse Haston, Sr. & Grandsons of Daniel Haston
You may have read the story of William A. Haston, who served in the Mexican War. If so, you will recall that he was a son of Jesse Haston, Daniel’s son. Well, two of his brothers (Jesse, Jr. and Isaac) had their own war experiences–as “sharpshooters” in the Civil War.
What or who was a sharpshooter?
During the Revolutionary War, George Washington used men with extraordinarily long-distance shooting skills to pick off British cannoneers in their fortifications at Yorktown. But it wasn’t until the American Civil War that sharpshooters began to play a prominent role in warfare. By 1855, log-barreled rifled muskets were available that were accurate to at least 500 yards, but capable of killing beyond that.
Both sides of the Civil War recruited special sharpshooter units, but the Union Army was first to create these units. Hiram Berdan was known as the top amateur rifle shot in the United States. Early in the war, he proposed the idea of raising a unit for the Union Army in which each potential recruit would have to pass a shooting test to become a member. The basic requirement: Shoot ten consecutive shots at a target 600 feet away, putting the bullets on an average of five inches from the bulls eye.
These Sharpshooter units prided themselves in being elite troops. They received special training and were often exempt from some of the more rigorous types of training and disliked activities such as sentry duty. They sometimes wore special uniforms or emblems to distinguish them from other soldiers. And, in theory at least, they received higher pay.
Although they were promised these and other special benefits in the recruiting process, often they ended up being regular infantry men and called on for sharp shooting duties only on special occasions.
There were several ways in which sharpshooters were commonly used, if and when their commanding officers realized their unique value.
Skirmishers. Sharpshooters were often placed in the forefront of the battle, probing the enemy and screening the main body of the arm from attack or surprise. But doing so they impeded the advance of the enemy. They used the terrain to their advantage. Confederate sharpshooters also became experts in raiding.
Scouts. When they were not fighting, sharpshooters often were scouting. Their training in measurability fitted them for the task of scouting.
Snipers. When equipped with long-range target or scoped rifles, sharpshooters were sometimes used to “take out” the enemy’s signal men, officers, gunboats, and artillery personnel.
Stalkers. Sometimes sharpshooters even stalked their prey, especially some of the more important targets, such as enemy officers. They would maneuver into position to await clear-shot appearances of their targets. Sometimes they would remain in a position for hours without food or water, waiting for the right moment to get their shots.
Not every officer deployed sharpshooters as snipers and stalkers. Many of the officers on both sides considered sniping and stalking to be murder, not war.
Sharpshooting in the Confederacy
The Haston Boys as Confederate Sharpshooters
Daniel’s son, Jesse, was the only son in the Daniel Haston family who owned slaves. David didn’t. Joseph didn’t. Daniel, Jr. didn’t. Isaac didn’t. Jeremiah didn’t. I suspect that their Mennonite background conditioned them to oppose slavery. But when son Jesse moved to Missouri and acquired a lot of land, he became a slave owner. If his father, Daniel, had lived long enough to have known it, I think he would have been disappointed with Jesse.
However, it appears that Jesse and his family for the most part tried to maintain a neutral stance during the Civil War. Yes, Abi Albert Haston, son of Jesse, migrated to Kansas where he purchased mules, cattle, etc., for the United States government and moved in wagon trains between Ft. Leavenworth, Ft. Dodge and Santa Fe, being accompanied by soldiers, and following the Santa Fe trail. Another son, Thomas J. Haston, signed the oath of allegiance to the United States on January 26, 1862. Thomas may have been under pressure to do so because of some kind of previous rebel guerrilla activity–just a guess. But otherwise the Haston boys seem to have avoided taking sides.
Jesse Haston Ambushed and Killed
In the aftermath of the October 15, 1864, Battle of Glasgow (Missouri), Jesse Haston (Daniel’s son) was shot and killed by a Yankee militia soldier (or soldiers). Unfortunately, due to the civil disruptions of wartime, the details of Jesse’s death were not recorded in newspaper article nor was his obituary published. But the Haston family account of his death has been passed down from generation to generation.
Jesse was considered a Southerner during the Civil War and the Northern troops raided his home during the war, taking everything of value, including a number of horses. He went and talked to them at Glasgow, and they let him have one horse, then followed him out of town, shot him and took the horse. He died a few days later and is buried in the cemetery just east of his house.[i]
[i] Louise Haston Rice, (unpublished manuscript, n.d).
Jesse, Jr. and Isaac Haston - Sons of Jesse, Sr. - Enroll as Confederate Sharpshooters
It appears to me that these two sons of Jesse Haston had attempted to remain neutral during the war. They were of prime ages to be fighting in the war, for one side or the other. Even as late as February 28, 1865, Isaac Hasting (Haston) of Chariton County, Missouri was “drafted [by the Union Provost Marshal] & failed to report.” A line was marked through his name and other information. However, his record does not say that he was “in rebel army” as was true of several other records on the same page. Jesse Hasting’s (Haston’s) name appears just below Isaac’s (also in Chariton County) with no line marked through his personal information and no note regarding having been drafted, etc.[i]
[i] Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865 (Civil War Union Draft Records); NAI: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 1 of 1. (National Archives and Records, Washington, D.C.)
Jesse’s sons Jesse, [sic, Hayston] Jr.[i] and Isaac[ii] at some point in time enrolled in Company C of Searcy’s Battalion of Missouri Confederate Sharp Shooters. Since we don’t know when they enrolled, it may be that their father’s death by a Yankee ambusher prompted them to become sharpshooters in the Confederate army.
They appeared on a roll of prisoners of war, paroled at Alexandria, Louisiana on June 7, 1865. They had surrendered in New Orleans, 13 days earlier. Isaac was a private and his slightly older brother, Jesse, was a corporal. It appears, by the card numbers, that Jesse was 20 men ahead of Isaac in the line of enlistees. There were six Venables in the company, probably related to Jesse and Isaac by marriage.[iii]
[i] “Jessee Hayston,” Fold3.com, accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.fold3.com/image/185506005 and /image/185506006.
[ii] “Isaac Haston,” Fold3.com, accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.fold3.com/image/ 185506002 and /image/ 185506003.
[iii] Kenneth E. Weant, Civil War Records Missouri Confederate Infantry, 12th & 16th Regiments, Volume 3. (Arlington, TX: published by author, 2009), 73.
We have no records to tell us when Jesse, Jr. and Isaac enlisted or mustered. The only known document of their service is the parole document, dated June 7, 1865.
Jesse’s sons Jesse, [sic, Hayston] Jr.[i] and Isaac Hastib[ii] were enrolled in Company C of Searcy’s Battalion of Missouri Confederate Sharp Shooters. They appeared on a roll of prisoners of war, paroled at Alexandria, Louisiana on June 7, 1865. Isaac was a private and his slightly older brother, Jesse, was a corporal. It appears, by the card numbers, that Jesse was 20 men ahead of Isaac in the line of enlistees. There were six Venables in the company, probably related to Jesse and Isaac by marriage.[iii]
[i] “Jessee Hayston,” Fold3.com, accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.fold3.com/image/185506005 and /image/185506006.
[ii] “Isaac Haston,” Fold3.com, accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.fold3.com/image/ 185506002 and /image/ 185506003.
[iii] Kenneth E. Weant, Civil War Records Missouri Confederate Infantry, 12th & 16th Regiments, Volume 3. (Arlington, TX: published by author, 2009), 73.
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WW2 Belly Gunner – Horace H. “Ace” Haston, Part 4
The Post-WWII Life of Horace "Ace" Haston
Post-War Life of Horace Haston as Told by Daughter, Alice Haston Norton
When the war was over Dad was sent back to Manila in the Philippines. The crew was disbanded and he became the crew chief on an AT5 aircraft for 4-5 weeks. He was then sent to Clark Air Base in Luzon, Philippines where he was in charge of the post office there. He was sent back to Manila and sailed on the ocean mail ship to Fort Sam Houston, TX. He was given a train ticket to Chattanooga, TN.
Over the years, Dad and his fellow crew members met several times in various cities and remained close. He was the last surviving member of the crew. Shortly after leaving the service, he fulfilled his dream of getting his pilot’s license.
When my Dad got out of the service, he started working with his grandfather in the meat market of a grocery store in Lafayette, Georgia. That’s where he met my mom, Juanita Layton. Mom was the oldest of six children, so she helped by going to the grocery store for the family. Dad used to laugh and say he thought she shopped there more than was needed so they could talk. She never confirmed nor denied the matter. They married and lived in Lafayette, Georgia, for a short time and then moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
My sister, Elizabeth Ann Haston, was born in 1949, and I was born in 1954. We moved from Chattanooga to a farm in Apison (a small suburb of Chattanooga). I absolutely loved it because we had horses on the farm and I rode every day after school and the completion of my chores. Dad baled the hay on the farm and hired local boys to help. He took an interest in each one and gave them advice. It ended up that they all seemed to love and respect him. He was tough and expected them to work, but he was also good to them. Sometimes, there would be a knock on the door, and a young person wanted to talk to Dad and Mom and get their perspective on some issue they were having. Dad was very straightforward in what he said. He didn’t mince words, and you knew exactly how he felt.
He was also fun to be around and made everyone laugh. He had a great sense of humor. I know now that it came from the Haston side.
We attended some of the decoration days at The Old Union Cemetery in Sparta, TN when I was young. I have memories of long tables filled with food out under the large tree at the cemetery.
God Spared His Life on September 25, 1972
Dad owned gas stations, drove a tank truck for Shell Oil, and drove for Malone and Ranger Trucking over his lifetime. On September 25, 1972, he was driving to the Shell Oil fuel terminal on Jersey Pike (Chattanooga, TN) to start his workday. He pulled off at a gas station not far from the terminal to pick up the tractor that was there to be washed. This was a regular routine. He stayed at the gas station this time longer than usual. At that time, a massive explosion occurred at the terminal across the street from the Shell Oil facility. The flames shot across the street and burned the trees and anything else where there were fumes. Dad should have been on top of the tank truck loading at the time of the explosion. The inferno burned for over 28 hours. A special foam had to be shipped in to contain the fire. It was on the national news. I’m thankful that Dad wasn’t on top of that truck at the time of the fire. Sadly, three people lost their lives.
Dad passed away on August 15, 2020, due to COPD and Covid. He was 94 years old.