Northeast Georgia Chastains Had Beginnings in France, Hall, Georgia http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/hall/newspapers/chastain2.txt ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb Project policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. GAGenWeb Archives File Manager, Hall County Carolyn Golowka, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Bill Stephenson, February 2001 Transcription by William L. Stephenson, Jr. Reprinted by permission granted to William L. Stephenson, Jr. by Sybil McRay to be placed in the ALGenWeb Archives, part of the USGenWeb Project. Northeast Georgia Chastains had beginnings in France The Times of Gainesville, March 11, 1981 - Sybil McRay, Hall County Genealogist The Chastain families of North Georgia are descendants of Peter Chastain, who was born in 1660 and died in 1729. Peter migrated from France to this country and settled in Virginia in 1699, and from there moved to South Carolina and into Georgia. Benjamin Chastain, who was born in 1780 and died in 1845, was a great grandson of Peter Chastain and a son of John "Ten Shilling Bell" Chastain of South Carolina. John Chastain was a Baptist preacher. Benjamin Chastain was married to Rebecca Denton and then moved to North Georgia and became a State Representative from Habersham County. Five sons of Benjamin and Rebecca all served as Representatives of Senators from North Georgia. Children of Benjamin Chastain and Rebecca Denton Chastain were: I. Mary Chastain, born 1801, married William Worley. II. The Rev. Jonathan Davis Chastain, born 1803, married Racheal Stover. He was clerk of Lumpkin County and served as a Representative from Gilmer County. III. Jerimiah S. Chastain, born 1805, married Lucy Ann Lowery. He was a Sheriff of Lumpkin County and served as a Representative from that county. IV. John Bunyan Chastain, born 1807, married Elizabeth Hudgins. After her death John was married to Susannah Jane Kincaid. He served as a Representative from Union County, Ga. V. Benjamin Franklin Chastain, born 1809, married Naomi Jones. He served as a Representative from Fannin County, Ga. VI. Nancy Chastain, born 1811, was married to Samuel B. West, son of Rev. James West and Eunice Bowen West. James West was ordained as a Baptist minister at the head of the Tiger Baptist Church, South Carolina, and moved to Georgia in the late 1820's. Numerous descendants of the old preacher who was a charter member of Concord Baptist Church, Clermont Hall County, live in this area today. Samuel B. West was born in 1806 in South Carolina and died in Nov. 1850. Nancy Chastain West died in 1890. Samuel and Nancy are both buried in Ebenezer Church Cemetery, Gilmer County, Ga. Children of Samuel B. West and Nancy Chastain West were: 1. Benjamin Chastain West, born about 1830 in Georgia. He married Martha T. Anderson in Gilmer County, Ga. 2. The Rev. James M. West, born July 26, 1833, died Nov. 1895. He married Sarah E. -----. 3. Rebecca West, born 1836. 4. Eunice West, born 1838. 5. Johnathan Francis Marion West, born March 15, 1840, died Nov. 6, 1911. He married Martha Lucinda Spriggs. 6. The Rev. Samuel H. West, born April 17, 1842, died Apr. 1926. He married Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Cole. 7. William "Bill" West, born 1845 8. Nancy A. West, born Dec. 12, 1847, died May 27, 1864. 9. John B. West, born July 28, 1850, died May 22, 1864. Several children and their families of Samuel and Nancy West are buried in the Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery which is located in Gilmer County, Ga. VII. Elijah Webb Chastain, born 1813, was married to Clarissa Saxon Brazelton. Elijah was a state senator and member of the U. S. Congress. He also was instrumental in selecting the name for Fannin County. The three sons of Elijah W. and Clarissa Chastain were Perry Chastain, the Rev. Oscar Fitzallen Chastain, and Rev. Benton Forsyth Chastain. VIII. Rebecca Chastain, born 1816, was married to Eli Hudgins. IX. Jemimiah Chastain, born June 16, 1819, in Georgia (according to census records) and died June 14, 1907, is buried in the cemetery in Cleveland, Ga. Jemimiah Chastain was married Jan. 8, 1835 to Enoch West, brother to Samuel West and a son of Rev. James West and wife Eunice Bowen West. Enoch West was born on Dec. 25, 1814 in South Carolina, and died in 1858 in White County, Ga. He is reportedly buried in the vicinity of Cleveland, Ga.; however, his grave and headstone have not been located. Enoch and Jemimiah Chastain West moved from Gilmer County to White County, Ga. after 1850. Numerous descendants of this couple live throughout this area of Georgia.