Chat
|
Daily Search
|
My GenForum
|
Community Standards
|
Terms of Service
|
|
|
Forumites:
For more than a year now, Mitch Eickmann, Brett Ankrom and I have been engaged in a cooperative effort to track down the elusive Gaston Patriarch a/k/a/ "Jean the Huguenot." In addition to corresponding with various members of this Forum, we have retained the services of professional genealogists in France and Ireland; pored over as many old documents as we could get our hands on; made contact with several European Gastons who share our interest; and visited hundreds of websites dealing with European royal genealogy.
Our quest is motivated by the fact that "Jean" and his immediate descendants left precious little in the way of documentation for future generations to build on. Virtually everything we know about the Patriarch has been handed down through oral tradition, which we call the "Gaston Legend". Over the centuries it appears that this oral tradition was corrupted, to some extent, by the efforts of earlier researchers who attempted to identify the Patriarch with various well-known figures in French history. Apparently, the goal of these "folk genealogists" was to prove the Gastons' royal blood, a commodity highly valued in 19th-century America. The situation is further confused by the tendency of the early Gastons to use the same four or five given names (William, John, Samuel, Hugh, Alexander) generation after generation. However, the frequent occurrence of these names could be an important clue in distinguishing "our" Gastons from other lines.
In any event, by comparing the various iterations of the Gaston Legend with known historical data, we believe that we have identified those elements of the Gaston Legend which are PROBABLY true (i.e., those traditions which have survived in virtually all branches of the family and are consistent with historical fact); those which are POSSIBLY true (i.e., held by some branches of the family and not inconsistent with historical fact) and those which are PROBABLY FALSE (i.e., contrary to historical fact and probably representing the invention of earlier researchers.) We submit the following analysis for your review and comment.
ELEMENTS OF THE GASTON LEGEND WHICH ARE PROBABLY TRUE:
1. The Patriarch's name was "Jean Gaston"
2. The Patriarch was born in France about 1600.
3. The Patriarch fled France as a result of religious persecution.
4. At the time of his departure from France, the Patriarch was a Huguenot.
5. The Patriarch emigrated to Scotland and married a Scottish woman.
6. In Scotland, the Patriarch fathered three sons: John, William and Alexander (although some traditions say there was only one son, John).
7. These sons, or their descendants, emigrated from Scotland to County Antrim, Northern Ireland ca. 1640-1680.
8. The children of John, William and Alexander (i.e., the Patriarch's grandchildren) began emigrating ca. 1715 to British North America.
ELEMENTS OF THE GASTON LEGEND WHICH ARE POSSIBLY TRUE
9. The Patriarch was 40 years old when he left France.
10. The Patriarch's family was Catholic, and supported him financially for a time after he settled in Scotland.
11. The Patriarch was somehow connected to Foix nobility, or was a member of the haute bourgeousie.
12. The Patriarch's Scottish wife was named Agnes or "Agnes Navarre" (although we believe this is an erroneous and anachronistic reference to Gaston III Phoebus of Foix (1331-1391) and his wife, Agnes of Navarre (b. 1335).)
ELEMENTS OF THE GASTON LEGEND WHICH ARE PROBABLY FALSE
13. The Patriarch's wife, Agnes, was burned as a witch. (We believe this is an erroneous reference to Agnes SAMPSON, a well-known Scottish "witch" who was burned at the stake in 1592 after being implicated in an alleged plot to assassinate King James VI)
14. The Patriarch, or his father, was the Duke of Orleans. (We believe this is an erroneous reference to Gaston Jean Baptiste (1608-1660), duc d'Orleans and brother of Louis XIII. This has become a very strong tradition in some branches of the family, arising almost certainly from a desire for the prestige associated with "royal descent". We regard the "Duke of Orleans" tradition as untrue for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Gaston d'Orleans led the French forces against the Huguenots at La Rochelle).
15. The Patriarch, or his father, was the "Count de Renti." (We believe this is an erroneous reference to Gaston Jean Baptiste (1611-1649), Baron of Renty. Gaston de Renty was a devout Catholic, author of devotional literature, and a member of the Company of the Most Blessed Sacrament -- a secret society dedicated to stamping out protestantism. De Renty is, therefore, a most unlikely Huguenot.)
16. The Patriarch was, or was a descendant of, Gaston de Foix (1489-1512). (This is another very strong tradition in some branches of the family. Of course, if the Patriarch was born ca. 1600 he could not have been Gaston de Foix. It is possible that the Patriarch was a >descendant< of Gaston de Foix, but all genealogical sources we have consulted are in agreement that de Foix died without children.)
To the foregoing should be added:
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
17. Some Gaston lines exhibit a hereditary condition known as Dupuyten's Contracture, in which the ring and little fingers of one hand are fixed in a bent position.
18. Some Gaston lines exhibit a hereditary overlap of the upper two front teeth.
************
The traditions linking "Jean Gaston" to Gaston d'Orleans, Gaston de Renty, Gaston de Foix and Gaston III Phoebus have been examined at length in previous posts.
We invite your thoughts on the foregoing synopsis, together with any suggested additions or corrections.
Patrick Gaston
| http://genforum.genealogy.com/gaston/messages/1461.html | ||
 |
Agreement of Use Link to GenForum Add Forum |
|