Person:William Gaston (18)

Lived at Clough Water, County Antrim, Ireland, near Ballymena. Articles mentioning him are on pages 195 and 200 of "Heritage History of Chester County, South Carolina," 1985. Grandson of Jean Gaston, a French Huguenot who fled from France to Scotland during the middle of the seventeenth century. Several of his sons moved from Scotland to County Antrim, Ireland in the 1660's. One of them was John Gaston, who appears on the hearth money rate list for Ireland in 1669 as a resident of Magheragall, County Antrim. One family tale of Jean Gaston that survives is the worst language his children ever heard him use was when he hurt his mouth with a table fork, an implement just coming into use, he exclaimed, "Devil take the fork!"

Page 235 of "Heritage History of Chester County, South Carolina, Volume II" 1995, states that William Gaston (1685-1770), born and died in Ireland, was the son of Jean Gaston, born in 1645, one of three brothers who settled in Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland. The other two brothers were William Gaston, born in 1642 and Alexander Gaston, born about 1648. Page 72 of "The Revolutionary Soldiers of Catholic Presbyterian Church, Chester, South Carolina, 1978, by Mary Wylie Strange, calls him "of Clough Water, Ireland"

William and Mary were the parents of nine children: Alexander (1702 – 1781), Rev. Hugh (1702 – 1766, 4th minister of Ballywillan Presbyterian Church in Portrush, Co. Antrim, Ireland), "Justice" John (1700 – 1782), Mary (1712 – 1802), Jennet or Janet (1714), Robert (1720 – 1787), Elizabeth Ann (1727 – 1813), Martha (1741 – 1826) and Matthew (1748 – 1799). All children eventually emigrating to America.