(This was taken from the book titled Gaston of Chester, written by a Gaston descendant, Chalmers Gaston Davidson, published in 1954.)
Prior to settling in South Carolina, John Gaston brought his family first to Pennsylvania from the old home country of Ireland. Upon arriving in South Carolina they settled in the piedmont section of that the colony in the valley of the Catawba River, which was in the present day Chester County, South Carolina. There on the south side of Fishing Creek, six miles from its junction with the Catawba River, John Gaston built his log house. John owned and probably named the land by the creek shallows known as Cedar Shoals, the designation for the Gaston Plantations for four generations. The earliest recorded land grant to John Gaston on the water of Fishing Creek in Craven County is dated 1760, and in the same year his brother-in-law James McClure also obtained grants in that locality. Craven was one of the original four counties in South Carolina and included most of the interior of the colony where the Gaston's settled.
The first Mrs. Gaston of what is now Chester county was Esther Waugh of Northern Ireland. She and John Gaston were married in the old country. She is notable, in addition to the eleven children she bore John Gaston, as instructress for one of the up-country's first schools, patronized chiefly by her own and her in-laws' progeny.
In addition to farming, John Gaston supported his family by surveying, and much of the virgin forest inhabited by the Catawba Indians was first marked off for the white man's use by his labors. History records that he was "one of His Majesty's surveyors and celebrated for the accuracy of his plats."
The earliest distinction for the American family came on June 6, 1764, when Lt. Governor William Bull appointed John Gaston a justice of the peace for Craven County. The entry in the journal of the Governor's Council reads, "John Gaston having been recommended as a Magistrate for Craven County his name was inserted in the Commission of the Peace and it was resealed by His Honor."
Since the only courts outside of Charles Town were those of the justices of the peace, the appointment carried considerable prestige and John was known as "Justice Gaston" for the rest of his life.
Justice Gaston was reappointed to office throughout the colonial period and after the outbreak of the Revolution he was elected to the same office by the General Assembly of South Carolina. He became the most influential individual in his region of the Catawba Valley and was largely responsible for his law-abiding reputation.
John Gaston and his sister, Mary Gaston McClure, were already in South Carolina when the most distinguished Gaston brother arrived in the Catawba Valley in 1776. The Reverend Hugh Gaston of Root Presbytery County Antrim, Ireland, arrived. Hugh had published in 1763 a book titled, A Scripture Account of the Faith and Practice of Christians and was on the way to becoming a household name for numerous Presbyterians in Ireland and America. Hugh died in America, more than likely from the measles. It is was up to his brother, John, to write back to his wife, Mary, in Ireland, and inform her of the news, a letter:
Dear Sister,
It is with a heavy heart I take my pen in hand to give you the news of your dear husband's and my brother's death.
He landed in Charles Town the twenty and first day of August last. My brother wrote from there to me for a horse to bring him to my house, and another to carry his clothes. The man who got the letter for me forgot to deliver it and carried it fifty miles past me--which caused my brother to stay in Charles Town till the fifteenth or sixteenth of September. When I got the letter I sent down a horse for my brother, and agreed with Capt. James Patton, one of my neighbors that was going to Charles Town to bring my brother's clothes back in his waggon. I would have gone down to accompany my brother from town, but was obliged to go and survey land for some people whose Warrents were in my hand at the time. Not withstanding I got affairs so ordered that I got time to go about thirty miles to meet him. My brother-in-law, James McClure went with me--we came home by the Revd. William Richardson's, our minister, and stayed there all night, and the Revd. Mr. Richardson gave my brother a list of twenty and two vacant congregations, and told him there was a large field to labor in--and was much rejoiced that he had gotten another fellow-laborer in the part of God's vineyard--and so were many vacant congregations glad to hear of his being come to this country. But all these joys and expectations were soon to be blasted. My brother came home with me from Mr. Richardson's on Wednesday, the 24th of September, and stayed at my house till the Sabbath following, when my brother, my family and me rode to our meeting house together. My brother preached there that day which was his last sermon.
He complained a little on Saturday evening that he seemed to have caught a cold when he went out to the top of the hill before my door to see if he could get a view of the country and stayed out till the sun was set. He was troubled a little with cough and complained of a pain in his head. He went after Sermon with brother Jame McClure and sister Mary to their home. He had appointed to preach at a meeting house fourteen miles farther up Fishing Creek the following Friday. The next Sabbath, at Sermon, I heard he was so much indesposed he was unable to keep his appointment. My wife and I went to brother McClure's to see brother Hugh. He did not complain much of anything but a great pain in his head. He said he wondered that his strength was gone with so little sickness. he felt he had a great drout, and when he lay in bed did not eat much. When changing his shirt we saw his back full of red spots, like one that had the measles. He washed and shaved himself and seemed indifferent well, only complained that his strength was so much gone. He took physic which the doctor sent him. My wife and I went home that day which was Monday. I came again myself to see him on Thursday next--he was then so bad that he did not know me until midnight.
The next day we got him to rise up with our help, and I opened a vein in his foot, and gave him a little of the British oil inwardly and he seemed much better, and recovered his senses and his speech, and we were in hopes he was then in the way of recovery. About sunset he told me he had a mind to take some medicine the doctor had sent him. I advised him as he was then weak, and the night coming on, to let it alone until the next morning, which he consented to do. About dark he fell into a sound sleep which he had not done for three or four nights before. We thot that all danger of death was over. I went to bed having been up all the night before. About midnight they came in and wakened me, and told me he had gotten worse--they knew it by his breathing. He never wakened, but went off as if he had been in a sleep. He died about an hour and a half before day on the 20th of October last [1766]. He went off the easiest of anyone I ever saw depart this life. He was buried on the 21st day of October at our meeting house on Fishing Cree. My eldest daughter, Margaret, died a little time after him, and left four children behind her. She was buried by my brother. My brother's death was lamented by all in general, even by those who never saw or knew him, for it was thot that if he had lived to go home to Ireland he would have been the means of bringing more ministers with him to the Province, knowing what great need there is for ministers here, and what large salaries they get.
I received three letters from you, two from your brother James Thomson, and one from Cousin William. I also received a letter from a gentleman in Boston, addressed to my brother, which says he had sold five pounds Stirling worth of my brothers book, and he had the money ready for him whenever he pleased to send for it. The gentleman's name I think was Moody.
Dear Sister, I understand by your writing and your brother James letter what circumstances you are in--in respect of your family affairs, my brother Hugh never told me how it was with him. If you and your family will come to this Country, brother-in-law James McClure and I would do what we could for you in helping to clear land and help to get you settled. There is about 20 pounds Stirling here for you and if you do not come I will send it to you by the first safe hand. I desire that you and your brother James and any of the family that can write, would please write me frequently, if you do not come to the country, and let me k now how all is with you, and my honored Father, and all friends.
I conclude with love to you, and all your family and all the rest of our friends with you.
I remain your loving brother until death,
John Gaston
Some of Hugh Gaston's grandchildren later emigrated to the northern states but none settled in South Carolina.
Several of John Gaston's children were killed during the Revolution, as was his brother, Dr. Alexander Gaston of New Bern. John Gaston himself died one evening while the War still waged on, passing in his sleep with "his pistols still under his pillow and his rifle beside him."
Justice died 18 Apr 1782 in Chester County, S.C. his wife Esther died in 1789 in Chester County, S.C. She was married two more times and had more children. (I will do a blog story just on her in the near future).
Find A Grave Memorial# 14999212
Created by: Kenneth D. Bogard
Record added: Jul 21, 2006
Cemetery name
Burnt Meeting House Cemetery in Chester County, South Carolina.
I am so proud to be a part a family who fought for freedom, which is so important as it was then and is now. To lose your son's in war had to be tough but I bet they were proud as well.
There is so much history in this family with the place they lived as well as within their blood. I have a lot more stories on this family to write about. Hope you will keep following me and see what other stories unfold.
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