| Jessie P. Chastun Family | |
Submitted by Henry Hanson |
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Jessie P. Chastun Family Jessie P. Chastun came to Texas in early 1880
and found work on the Railroad. In 1884, he married Mary Jane Paull a young English emigrant, at the Peach Creek Section House, between Wharton and Hungerford. At that time the railroad was known as the New York, Texas, and Mexican Railway, that run from Rosenberg and Victoria. When Jessie and Mary Jane Chastuns first child Mittie Dillard was born in 1886, they were living in Temple and Jessie was working for the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. While he continued working in Temple a son James Patrick Henry Chastun was born in 1889.
By 1900, Jessie and Mary Jane were living in Goliad County, at the Fannin Section house and they had three more girls, Agnes Sarah, Mary Beatrice, and Jessie Harriett.
On November 12, 1904; Jessie P. Chastun and wife Mary Jane Chastun bought 99-3/4 acres of farm land, from Eliza Kemp, a black Negro woman of Galveston. This became the home place for the Chastuns and their family from then on. This plot was the Northwest corner of the Austin Perry League, and a portion that was inherited by Moses Austin Bryan. Mr. Bryan was one of three sons of Emily Austin Perry who divided this league after their mother’s death. One can only speculate that Jessie was involved in the construction of the railroad spur from Wharton to Van Vleck, about the time that the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway and Southern Pacific merged. How else would Jessie found such a remote area from Goliad County? In 1904, the Chastun Family was the only white family living in Ashwood.
Jessie and Mary Jane had four more children born in Ashwood. Marguerite Rosalie in 1902, Thomas Joseph in 1909, Marion Paull in 1907 and Jessie Lucille in 1911.
Jessie Harriett died as an infant at Fannin and
was buried in Victoria. Thomas and Jessie Lucille died as infants
and were buried in the family cemetery established next to there
home in Ashwood. Marion Paull would live to be 14 years of age before her unfortunate death, a horse riding accident, took her life and it was decided to bury her at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas.
The remaining children were raised in Ashwood and married either there or in Bay City. Mittie married Anton Hansen, Agnes married Fred Gernand, James married Ann Muth, Mary married George Walker and Marguerite married Clyde DeRoche. James would later move to Bryan, Texas and Marguerite to Bay City. The other three girls lived in Ashwood the remainder of their lives.
Jessie Chastun died in Ashwood, 1 December 1936 and Mary Jane died 14 December 1938 after a brief illness in the Wharton Hospital. Both are buried at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Texas. |
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Copyright 2006 - Present by Carol Sue Gibbs All rights reserved |
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| This page was created Jan. 8, 2006 | This page was updated Jan. 13, 2006 |