William Chastain (abt. 1743 - abt. 1790)

Born about 1743 in Manakin, Goochland, Virginia

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about Sep 1790 at about age 47 in Franklin City, Southampton, Virginia, USA [uncertain]

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Biography

The book, Chastain Kith and Kin does not list a William as a son of Pierre Jr. and Mildred Archer. However, she does mention that other researchers have found evidence on other children of this family that may or may not be correct. William may be mentioned by one of these authors.^[1]

The Chastain Family Tree website, (broken link as of 15:04, 25 March 2024 (UTC)) www.chastain.us/FamTree/family.php?famid=F046, does list William as one of Pierre Jr., and Mildred's children.

William's children^[2]

1. George Chastain, b. ABT. 1766, probably Buckingham Co., VA d. 28 May 1854, Washington Co., IN (Age ~ 88 years)
2. Valentine Chastain, b. ABT. 1768, Buckingham Co., VA d. 6 Oct 1843, Scott Co., IN; burial: Scaffold Lick Cem., Blocher, Scott Co., IN (Age ~ 75 years)
3. Robert Ransom Chastain, b. ABT. 1770, VA , d. ABT. 1840, probably in Washington Co., IN (Age ~ 70 years)
4. Malinda "Linny" Chastain, b. 1770, Franklin Co., VA , d. 1855, Martin Co., IN (Age 85 years)
5. Barnett Chastain, b. ABT. 1774, VA, d. 1857, Vernon Twp., Washington Co., IN (Age ~ 83 years)
6. Rene Chastain, b. ABT. 1776, probably Buckingham Co., VA , d. 23 May 1860, Washington Co., IN (Age ~ 84 years)
7. Elizabeth Ellen "Betsy" Chastain, b. 21 Nov 1778, Franklin Co., VA , d. AFT. 1850, possibly in Habersham, GA (Age > 73 years)
8. John (Chasteen) Chastain, b. ABT. 1781, Buckingham Co., VA , d. AFT. 1823, Scott Co., IN; burial: Scaffold Lick Cem., Blocher, Scott Co., IN (Age ~ 43 years)
9. Thomas Chastain, b. ABT. 1787

Name William Chastain (Chasteen). Array

Name William Henry CHASTAIN. Given Name: William Henry. Surname: CHASTAIN. William CHASTAIN. Given Name: William. Surname: CHASTAIN. Found multiple versions of name. Using William Henry CHASTAIN. A Given name was found in addition to a first name in the NAME tag.

Born 1744 Albemarle, Virginia, British Colonial America.

Died Sep 1790. Franklin City, Accomack, Virginia, United States.

Birth/Death William was born in 1743. He passed away in 1794. ^[3]

Residence Our first definite sighting of William Chastain is a tax record in Henry County, Virginia, in 1782.32 This portion of Henry County, as we have seen, became Franklin County in 1786. His property was along the Little Otter River and Otter Creek, about ten miles west of present-day Rocky Mount, Virginia.33 This section of Virginia was truly the edge of the frontier during the 1780s, which may help to explain Chastain family lore that the young men of the family avoided starvation the first winter only by roasting the ear after ear of corn that they managed to gather. William Chastain was a member of the Pigg River Baptist Church and signed a petition on May 24, 1779, asking the Virginia legislature to create Franklin County. Since he was in the militia (County Lieutenant – that is, commander – of the Second Battalion), William may have served in the Revolutionary War or in Indian fighting, but we have no record of his military service if he did. He is listed on personal property lists in Franklin County from 1786 to 1794. In 1788, the Virginia tax list shows William Chastain with two males over 16 years of age; one of them would have been his eldest son George, age 22 years, who makes his own appearance on the tax lists three years later followed by the other sons in turn. At least twice, William and George paid their taxes on the same day. We do not know when William and Sarah died, but they probably died in Franklin County, Virginia, sometime during the 1790s or shortly after 1800: there are no Chastains listed in that county by 1803 (George has sold his land and left the county in 1804), and the large number of Chastains who have moved to Kentucky by the time George finally does leave have no older adults living with them. It is quite possible that George tarried in Virginia until his father or mother had died, after which he felt free to go west himself. On the other hand, because a daughter of William and Sarah Chastain was married in 1795 without her parents being listed, as was customary, they both may have been dead by then. We just do not know. When we move back a generation from William Chastain, we encounter another less-than-secure link, for we cannot be sure who his parents were. We can be very sure that his father was one of the three sons of Pierre Chastain the immigrant (a man we will meet presently), but missing or destroyed records will always keep us guessing which one it was.34 These sons were named Pierre, Jr. (who was usually called Peter), René, and Jean (sometimes called John). The Chastain family histories generally conclude that the most likely candidate is Pierre, Jr., with René a weaker candidate and Jean an unlikely one. I concur with this conclusion but feel obliged to include some information about all three brothers in case the accepted wisdom is wrong.

Buried Sep 1790.

FID LV8M-TC4.

Research Notes

Is the following proof that William was indeed a son of Pierre, Jr. and Mildred?

The following was sent via the private messaging system on WikiTree.com.
Hi Gordon,

I was looking through GEDmatch, and I noticed that your DNA kit (T197073) seems to form a triangulation group with my grandmother Eleanor Couch (Cook-18442, H692463) and Dawn Albright (Albright-537, A828116). The three-way match is 7.6 cM and occurs on chromosome 1. The MRCA for this triangulation group would seem to be either Pierre Chastain Jr. or his wife Mildred Archer.

Best Josiah Couch This message is from Josiah Couch (josiah.couch AT gmail.com). Click here for their WikiTree profile: https://www.WikiTree.com/wiki/Couch-1736 The sender was on this profile page when they sent the message: https://www.WikiTree.com/wiki/Chastain-1580

Sources

1. ↑ Farnsworth-Milligan, Mary Avilla Abel Hall. "Chastain Kith and Kin: 1700-1980. Newton, Kansas: United Printing, Inc., 1981."
2. ↑ Forney Clark Genealogy
3. ↑ Unsourced family tree handed down to Gordon Chastain.

See also:

• Henning, Elma and Merle Rummel, The Toney Family History, Gateway Press Inc, 1979, pg 125
• Family Search
• William Chastain Individual Records Search, Ancestry.com
• Pierre Chastain and His Descendants, vol I, p 36-37, Pierre Chastain Family Association, 1995