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Jean Gaston : « The Patriarch »
«Jean Gaston the Patriarch» is a mystery. Still, for many Gaston researchers, especially in the U.S., Canada and Northern Ireland, the name «Jean Gaston» is pretty well known and accepted as the Patriarch of Irish and North American Gaston families. This is the case in spite of having nothing more than a handful of legends more or less claiming a French Huguenot named Jean Gaston left France for Scotland. The legends say that later, his sons ended up in N. Ireland and some of their children subsequently went to N. America and beyond. That Gaston families came to N. America in the early 1700s is the first verifiable fact we have from the legendary accounts.
What do we know of a Huguenot Jean Gaston?
Huguenots were French Protestants who referred to themselves as «Réformés» or Reformed. Their history in France was not a happy one so the aspect of the legend that Jean Gaston was a victim of persecution is a reasonable assumption but an assumption nonetheless as the legends are silent as to what were the circumstances of his troubles.
Most versions of the legends say next to nothing at all about the circumstances or person of Jean Gaston other than he left because of religious persecution. One anecdotal account claims he was extremely pious and that the most blasphemous thing he was ever known to say was «The Devil take this fork» when he poked himself eating with the newly fashionable implement. Some others claim he may have been accompanied by a brother.. or two. Still others claim he was of a noble family. Some even say the folks back home sent him money, at least for a time. Even the legend concerning the names and quantity of sons he had varies except it seems sure that one son was named John and another William. Alexander and Thomas are other names that appear in different accounts. The legends are silent about where in Scotland Jean Gaston lived. They are equally silent about where he died, although it is assumed he died in Scotland as no legend really mentions him in Ireland.
Jean the Huguenot
If we know so little about «Jean Gaston», how do we know he was indeed a Huguenot? Was his name really Jean Gaston? There are a couple of sources that even suggest, however improbably, that «Gaston» was an assumed family name and that the original is now lost to us. In spite of legends being silent on the matter of from where he came in France, it seems pretty well accepted he was indeed French. Assuming “Gaston” was the Patriarch’s family name, we can make an educated guess as to the region in France from which he probably originated. “Gaston” as a last name seems prominent in southwestern France, making the “French connection” seems very reasonable. We also know that Protestantism in the 16th and 17th centuries was relatively strong in the south. Though Huguenots constituted, at their height, less than 10% of the population, they were influential in many cities and, of course, in the southwest of France. That also lends circumstantial weight to the veracity of the hypothesis of an «Occitan» Jean Gaston.
While there is support to believe Jean Gaston was a Huguenot, we have no idea as to when he actually left France! A couple of legends say circa 1640 but even the legends seem unsure of the dates. Legends often say Jean Gaston was born around 1600. If that were true, the other legendary information would make sense. Still, prior to the mass exodus of Protestants from France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, the most logical time period for emigration from France for Huguenots might have been during the 16th century Wars of Religion from the 1560s until the coronation of Henri IV in 1598. Obviously, someone born in 1600 would not have left France before his birth!
France enjoyed a relatively peaceful and prosperous period under Henri IV’s rule until his assassination in 1610. His widow, Marie de Medici and the Cardinal Richelieu were apparently less tolerant of Protestants than Henri IV. Louis III was apparently even less interested in protecting the rights of his Protestant subjects. While there were no famous or large scale emigrations of Huguenots prior to 1685, the rights of Protestants steadily eroded after Henri IV‘s assassination until the Revocation of Nantes. Some may have seen the handwriting on the wall and simply got out «while the getting was good». Others may have been affected by specific, localized persecutions and events such as the destruction of Huguenot strongholds like La Rochelle or smaller Protestant towns and cities throughout the country and thus emigrated. It is said there was also a plague and a drought in southwestern France in the 1620s and 30s. Any of these things may have contributed to «Jean Gaston» emigrating before 1650. One researcher has suggested perhaps religious persecution wasn’t the only or maybe even the greatest reason for emigrating between 1610-1650.
In the matter of families and inheritance, younger sons often got little, if anything and many had to go out and seek their fortune elsewhere. If Jean Gaston was indeed born circa 1600, such may perhaps have been the case with him. As a younger son, maybe he had no prospects at home! He may also have had a scrape with the law, an unlucky affair of the heart, a failure in business or any other number of reasons for wanting to abandon his country. There are even a couple of Gaston researchers gleefully hoping to find some evidence of scandal or felony as the cause for his departure!
Since we know so little of «the Patriarch», it is also possible his supposed date of birth is in error. While most legends tend to say «about» 1600 and «around» 1640, one gets the impression these dates are assumed and not specifically known as fact. One hypothesis is that «Jean Gaston» was born perhaps closer to 1570 and it was his son John who was born in Scotland circa 1600. Given the longevity of the old Gastons, it is plausible that an older John Gaston actually made it to Ulster by the 1650s or 1660s. It may also be that the Patriarch’s grandchildren are the ones who appear on the 1669 tax records in Antrim. We can only guess without more concrete evidence.
In the end, details regarding the «Patriarch Jean Gaston» remain more myth than historical fact. While there are compelling circumstantial arguments lending weight to some of the legends, we still have more questions than answers about the historical «Jean Gaston». Continued traditional research combined with DNA evidence may help move us closer to finally uncovering the real story of Jean Gaston and his origins. As always, the more we learn about Gaston families on both sides of the Atlantic, the better our chances of success. In the meantime, we also learn a lot about one another. That in itself may make all our efforts worthwhile.