COL. ROBERT KIRKPATRICK GASTON, Smith County, TX ***************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Betty Phea - phea44@hotmail.com 26 May 2001 ***************************************************************** COL. ROBERT KIRKPATRICK GASTON. "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson, Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter XXXI - Page 159 Col. Robert Kirkpatrick Gaston was born in the State of Tennessee, July 23rd, 1812, though he later moved to Alabama, where he remained till he was 29 years of age. His ancestors were Huguenots and fled from France to Ireland after Louis XIV revoked the Edit of Nantes. They remained in that country till the year 1872, when they came over to America, settling in North and South Carolina. In this country they were staunch Presbyterians. Col. Gaston lived up to the faith of his fathers, being at the time of his death a devout member of the Presbyterian church. In 1834 he married Miss Letitia Suddath. Her father belonged to an old family in Massachusetts. Col. Gaston moved to Anderson County, Texas, in 1849, and to Mt. Sylvan, Smith county, in 1860. He served several terms in the Legislature from Anderson county before the war, and later serveral terms from Smith county. Three of his sons-George, William and Robert served in the Confederate army. Of the the three, only William lived to return. Col. Gaston died in 1881, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife died two years later. Their surving children are three sons-William and Robert Gaston, of Dallas; Mack Gaston, of Kaufman, and two daughters- Mrs. John T. Read, of Terrell, and Mrs. W.J. Goodman of Tyler.