Notes for: Jean (John) Gaston
Jean (John) Gaston of France was the first known ancestor of our Gaston family. There has been much speculation regarding his ancestry, ranging from descendancy from the Grand Duke of Tuscany to the possibility that he belonged to the Bourbon family and was a cousin to King Louis XIV of France. Jean Gaston belonged to a Protestant group known as Huguenots. On Apr 13 1598, King Henry IV of France endorsed the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to the Protestant Huguenots. But the edict was abrogated in 1685 by King Louis XIV, who declared France entirely Catholic again and embarked on a policy of persecuting all Protestants. In the meantime, because of the political and religious climate, at age 40 Jean Gaston had fled with his family to Scotland, and his estate in France was confiscated. His brothers and sisters in France remained Catholics and sent money to him in Scotland until he became established there. Some 25 years later, his three sons fled Scotland for Ireland with their wives, also for religious reasons. Jean died in either Scotland or Ireland. [American Ancestry, Vol V, p. 104]
"That the Gaston family was a French family there is no doubt. As early as 1445, 'two gentlemen' of the name of Gaston, living at or near LaMothe St. Didier, became interested in what were believed to be wonderful cures wrought at the shrine of St. Andrew in that town, especially because one of these Gaston sons was there cured of the disease known as 'St. Anthony's Fire.' In consequence, they devoted their property to the work, and, seven other persons assisting, built a large hospital. The hospitallers soon founded the 'Congregation of Regular Canons of the Order of Anthony,' and one of the Gastons was made Grand Master of the Order. (See McClinton and Strong's "Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature" (1894), Vol. I, p. 252). The name was common in France afterward. Alphonse Daudet, the noted French novelist, used the name 'Marie Gaston' as a pseudonym." [Anna Reger Gaston, "Gaston Family Lines of Somerset," published in the "Somerset County Historical Quarterly" in New Jersey]
There are numerous Gaston family crests, or coats of arms, pertaining to Gastons of various origins. Burke's "General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales" (Harrison & Sons, 1884) describes the one believed to be of our Gaston lineage as follows: GASTON of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Chequy argent. On gueule. Three escallops in bend or. Crest: an owl sable. Motto: Fama semper vivit.
An excellent resource pertaining to Gaston origins and related information is the website Planet Gaston, found at http://perso.numericable.fr/planetgaston/en/index.html . Some Gaston researchers have attempted to show tenuous royal connections and paint a romanticized picture of the family history, and it is therefore likely that some embellishment of the facts has occurred over the years. The Gaston DNA Project, which affords participants an opportunity to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information, is found at http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/gaston
This is a genealogy of the descendants of this Jean (John) Gaston, with particular emphasis on those branches of the family tree closest to the principal compilers, Samuel David Gaston and Geneva Gaston Brown. The information presented here was obtained from countless sources over many years of research. Wherever possible, the original source is documented, but the reader can rest assured that even when a source is not specified, the compilers were highly confident of the accuracy of the information before including it in this genealogy. By its very nature, this collection is a work in progress, and additional information regarding the early generations, as well as the current one, will be added as it becomes known. In that vein, the reader is invited to inform us of any errors or additional information for future updates. [Samuel David Gaston (1934-2012) & Geneva Gaston Brown (1926-2001), principal compilers; R. L. Brown, editor]