Thomas-Dougherty-Irwin County GaArchives Biographies.....Chastain, John T. 1841 - living in 1913
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 1, 2004, 11:13 am

Author: William Harden
p. 1042-1045

   JOHN T. CHASTAIN. The Chastains, father and son, have taken part in the most
important events of southern Georgia. The father was one of the early settlers
of the district, and figured in the pioneer struggles with wild land and wilder
men. The son, who is the subject of this brief history, not only fought with the
hundreds of Georgia's brave sons for the cause of the Confederacy, but has given
his later life in the interests of peace and good citizenship.

   John T. Chastain was born on a plantation in Thomas county. Georgia, on the
twenty-fourth of November, 1841. His father, John Chastain. came into the world
in North Georgia, in 1798, the son of James Chastain, whose wife was a Miss
Morgan before her marriage, James Chastain was of French Huguenot ancestry. His
son, John, though he had but limited opportunities, managed to obtain a pretty
fair education for those days, and migrated to southern Georgia as a very young
man. Like him, his four brothers all left the home neighborhood to settle other
parts of the country, James and Morgan going to Dougherty county, Georgia,
Thomas locating in Thomas county, and the fourth making his way southwest to Texas.

   When John Chastain, Senior, reached the southern part of Georgia, the country
thereabouts presented a very different appearance from what it does now. The
territory then comprised in Irwin and Early counties, but now subdivided into
several additional counties, including Thomas county, was wild and uncultivated.
The woods were full of game, and although the Indians had ceded the land in the
district to the state, some few still lingered in the vicinity, though
ostensibly making their home in Florida, across the line. No one felt much
anxiety concerning the redskins, however, since they were supposed to be
friendly, and under the complete control of the state. John Chastain, then
single, settled with two other young men in a cabin which they built a few miles
south of Thomasville. On Saturday they journeyed a short distance northward to a
settlement to spend the Sabbath, and on their return, they found that their
cabin had been looted, and everything of value stolen, including their guns,
which they had very unwisely left behind them. Naturally, they were very angry,
and started in pursuit of the marauders, and by nightfall came upon a camp of
Indians.

   For caution's sake, the young men waited until morning, and then entered the
camp of the Indians. While the red men were at breakfast, they entered the camp,
and John Chastain, who could talk Indian, asked them if they had seen a stray
horse. The Indians of course had not seen any such animal, but the young men,
looking about, saw their guns in the possession of some of the braves, and knew
that they were on the track of the thieves. When the Indians invited them to
partake of their fare, they accepted the offer, but complained that they had no
knives to eat with. The Indians gave them knives, and they commenced to eat.
They watched their chance, however, and finally made a rush, securing their
guns, and putting the thieves at their mercy. The Indians confessed to the
theft, but promised to return everything they took, if the young men would
promise not to report the offense to the governor, who, they feared, would
deprive them of their bounty. The youths assented to this, and the Indians
packed the stolen goods on the back of a horse, and sent a warrior to accompany
John Chastain and his companions on their homeward journey.

   Unsuspecting, the little party set out, jubilant at having recovered their
property so easily. They did not allow for the treacherous nature of the
savages, however, and before they had gone far, they found themselves in the
midst of an ambush. The two comrades of John Chastain were murdered, but he
escaped with only the loss of an index finger. He made his way back through the
woods to Thomasville, where a party of irate settlers at once started in pursuit
of the savages, armed for vengeance, but unfortunately, the Indians made good
their escape. The crime was reported to the governor, however, and he demanded
the appearance of the tribe at Tallahassee, where John Chastain identified five
of the band which had beset him and his two comrades. These Indians were
sentenced to suffer the extreme penalty, and though one died in captivity, and
one escaped, the other three were hanged as an example to all red men who
contemplated molesting the white settlers. The trial and hanging took place at
Thomasville, and the sentence of the Indians was the first death penalty ever
executed in Thomas county.

   After his adventure with the Indians, Mr. Chastain lived for some time at
Thomasville. A natural mechanic, he was by trade a carpenter, and helped to
build some of the first houses ever erected in Thomasville. After his marriage,
which occurred in Thomasville, he lived on at that town for a while, and then
bought land about nine miles north, where he engaged in farming until his death,
which occurred in 1851. Even after he was settled on his own farm, he was
frequently called upon to exercise his knowledge of carpentry in the repair and
erection of houses, for in that newly settled country, artisans were much in
demand.

   Mary Carlton Chastain, the mother of the subject of this sketch, was a native
of Sampson county, North Carolina. Her father, John Carlton, was also horn in
North Carolina, of early English ancestry. John Carl-ton moved from his native
state to Georgia, first sojourning a short time in Bulloch county, and then
going on to Thomas county, where a son and daughter had already taken up their
abode. He bought land in lots Nos. 85 and 86, now adjoining the city of
Thomasville He built a house on this property, and cleared a farm, upon which he
resided for several years. There were many settlers from North Carolina in the
community, and to them as to all comers, Mr. Carlton dispensed open-handed
hospitality. He was noted in his community not only for his kindliness and
generosity, but also for his true Christian character. Himself a faithful
Methodist, he educated two of his sons to spread the Gospel as preachers of that
denomination.

   After spending several years as a resident of the Thomasville district, Mr.
Carlton sold out, and moved across the river, where he resided a few years
before going to the home in Taylor county, Florida, where he lived until his
death at the ripe old age of ninety-four years. His wife also reached an
advanced age, departing from this life at the age of ninety-three. Her name was
Nancy Alderman Carlton, also a native of North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Carlton
had a large family, one of the members of which was Mary, the mother of John T.
Chastain. Mrs. Chastain survived her husband by a number of years, dying at the
age of eighty-seven. She reared six children to take their places as useful and
efficient members of the community. These are Hardy M., Sarah A., Elizabeth,
Sophronia, John T., and Julia E.

   After attending the Thomasville schools, and taking a course in Fletcher
Institute, John T. Chastain learned to set type in the office of the Southern
Enterprise, a paper published by L. C. Bryan and R. R. Renlah. Previously, while
still a student at the Institute, in 1853, he had inked the type to print the
first paper ever issued in Thomas county, the Thomasville Watchman, of which
Freeman W. Johnson was editor and proprietor. In 1862, Mr. Chastain enlisted in
Company E, of the Fiftieth Regiment, of Georgia Volunteer Infantry. He remained
with this regiment for a time, as part of the Coast defense, and then was sent
North, where he joined the Army of North Virginia. Late in the year 1862, he was
detailed for hospital service and entered on detached duty until after the close
of the war.

   Upon his return home from his military duties in 1865, John Chastain secured
a position in the office of the Southern Enterprise, remaining upon the staff of
that paper until shortly before it was merged with the Times. Previous to
leaving the employ of the newspaper, Mr. Chastain had purchased the old
homestead which had belonged to his grand-farther Carlton; he has resided upon
this property ever since. His dwelling is a commodious frame one, set w7ell back
from the street in a grove of fine live oaks, magnolias, holly and pecan trees,
with palms and flowering shrubs lending to the attractiveness of the place.

   In 1865, Mr. Chastain was married at Farmville, Virginia, to Tishia Davis,
who was born at Farmville, the daughter of Sheldon and Mary (Meadows) Davis,
both life-long residents of the Old Dominion state. The union of Mr. and Mrs.
Chastain was blessed with six children, Olin S., Corinne, Elmo, Minnie, Mattie,
and Arthur T. Of these, Olin married Maude Fallen; Corinne, now dead, became the
wife of E. R. West of Albany, Georgia; Elmo married Annie Smith, and has five
children, Catherine, Shelton, Margaret, Elmo, and Fred; Minnie, who was the wife
of Judge T. H. Parker, of Moultrie, Georgia, died leaving three children,
Aileen, Thaddeus Hall, and John Chastain; Mattie passed away at the untimely age
of seventeen; Arthur T. is married to Aileen Wade, and has four children,
Vivian, Josephine, Minnie and Madie.

   Mr. and Mrs. John T. Chastain are passing their declining years happily at
their beautiful home. Although a Democrat, and an ardent one, Mr. Chastain does
not, nor has he ever, taken any active part in the political game, preferring to
serve his country as a good citizen and a faithful voter. Both he and his wife
are recognized as factors for good in the life of the community, and are valued
workers in the Missionary Baptist church, of which they are members. Mr.
Chastain has farming interest and the acres he has under cultivation yield him a
substantial income.


Additional Comments:
From:

A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN

VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913

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