Rene Chastain Jr. (abt. 1740 - 1823)

Born about 1740 in King William Parish, Goochland, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Ann (Faure) Chastain — married 1 Oct 1760 in Goochland, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 22 Nov 1823 at about age 83 in Buckingham, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Rene Chastain, the son of Rene Chastain and Judith Martin was baptized 30 June 1740/41 at King William Parish, Goochland, Virginia, British Colonial America. ^[1] He died about 1823 in Buckingham County, Virginia, United States.

Research Notes

Rev. Rene Chastain, b. 28 June 1741, was preacher so famous in Virginia Baptist History. He was he brother of the above mentioned Peter the soldier, grandson of Peter the Emigrant. At the time, colonists had very few schools, so Rene Chastain entered the ministry without education. But he had an incisive mind, and dedicated himself to the Bible. He lived a long and userful life and was held in high esteem for soundness, simplicity and piety He was born in Powhatan County, VA, but spent most of his ministerial life in Buckingham County. He helped organize many small Baptist churches. Like so many other pioneer preachers, he also spent a considerable part of his time between the plow handles in order to support his family. He married Miss Isham, and now has descendents scattered from New York all the way down to Florida.^[2]

Rene is the son Rene Chastain, Sr, the son of Pierre Chastain (the emigrant) and his wife, Judith Martin, the daughter of John and Margaret Martin, and widow of Thomas Gevedon.^[3]

On 1 October 1760, Rene married Anne Faure, the daughter of Jacques Faure and Anne Bondurant. Rene and Anne had six children, all born in Buckingham County, Virginia:

1. Magdalene Sallie (1761),
2. Stephen (1764),
3. Lydia (1767),
4. Martin (1768),
5. Elijah (1775), and
6. Rhoda (1776).

Rane Chastain appears on the 1800 Buckingham Co VA Tax List.

1800/6/14, Deed from Rane & Anne Chastain to Elijah Garrett, all of Buckingham, for 50 lbs paid by Garrett, @100 A adjacent land of Edward Maxey, Charles Garrett, & Roland Flowers. Buckingham Co VA Church & Marriage Records, p 36.

Rene Chastain of Buckingham Co, VA, owned property just south of Owingsville, Bath co, KY. In 1814 he divided this land among his children, Martin, Magdalena, Elijah, and Rhoda. The land straddles I-64, on Slate creek.

Rev. Rene Chastain died in 1823, aged 82. He was buried with his wife, Anne, who died in 1826, in either unmarked grave in the Buckingham Baptist Church cemetery, or in the cemetery of New Canton Baptist Church near Buckingham.

Notes in Find A Grave Memorial:
Rene Chastain was born June 30 (or 28), 1741 in Virginia, a third generation American colonist. His father was Rene Chastain, Sr., one of three sons of Pierre Chastain, the immigrant, who survived to adulthood in the colonies. It is from these three brothers that most of us Chastains, Chasteens, Chesteens, Chastines, and perhaps Shasteens descend. Rene's mother was Judith Martin Gevedon, daughter of John and Margaret Martin, and widow of Thomas Gevedon before marrying Rene Chastain, Sr. in 1732.

When Rene, Jr. was quite young, he accompanied his parents as they moved deeper into the Virginia wilderness into what would become Buckingham County. In that situation, Rene had no formal schooling, but as one writer notes: "Though his education was much neglected, his morals were of the most unimpeachable character" [Taylor].

Rene Chastain, Sr. left Virginia in the late 1700s in a migration that resulted in the establishment of the Thomas County Chastains in South Georgia, but his son, Rene, Jr., remained behind in Virginia. On October 1, 1760, when he was 19 years old, Rene Chastain, Jr. married Anne Faure, daughter of Jacques Faure and Anne Bondurant. Rene and Anne had six children, all born in Buckingham County, Virginia: Magdalene Sallie (1761), Stephen (1764), Lydia (1767), Martin (1768), Elijah (1775), and Rhoda (1776).

Rev. Rene died in 1823, at 82 years old. His death was reported as the decease of "The Rev. Rainey Chastein" in the Richmond, Virginia Family Visitor of November 22, 1823. Taylor states in Virginia Baptist Ministers, "After an illness of five weeks, he calmly resigned himself to death, in the 83rd year of his age." Anne died in 1826. Both are said to be buried in the Buckingham Baptist Church cemetery, apparently in unmarked graves. but Cook (Little Otter, page 23), says Rene "is reported to have been buried in the cemetery of New Canton Baptist Church near Buckingham."

Because it is said that Rev. Rene had little access to formal education in the area where he was raised, and emphasis is drawn to his being a hard-working farmer all his life, without much financial support from his church, one could conclude that he was a poor, ignorant farmer who preached on the side. Such is far from the case. Rene maintained a diary that shows him to be quite literate, though his spelling is sometimes non-standard, a common trait among the literate of the day. This is in contrast to his cousin, Rev. John, who sometimes signed with his mark.

The diary shows him to be more than just a simple farmer-preacher. He was a tailor as well, and derived continual income from that work. Most popular among the custom items he provided were broadcloth coats, broadcloth britches, and leather britches (he dressed the leather himself from deer skins). He also made silk waistcoats (vests), silk handkerchiefs, full suits, fur hats, and shoes. Rene was also a property owner. 1782 records show him with 300 acres, two slaves, six horses, and twelve cattle. He owned a mill as well, for which he sometimes hired others to manage for him.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ "Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRR4-HGM : 28 January 2020), Rene Chastain, 1740.
2. ↑ https://www.chastain-beal.com/redbook/p86-89.html
3. ↑ A brief history of the Huguenots and three family trees: pg.268
4. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52413400/rene'-chastain

• Buckingham Co VA Church & Marriage Records, p 36.

See also:

• Randy Kidd, Jeanne Stinson, Lost Marriages of Buckingham, Kidd, Iberian Publishing Co, Athens, GA.