Monday, October 13, 2008

Chastang Family History

Chastangs and Chestangs in the United States trace their beginnings to two French brothers who settled in the Mobile, Alabama area around 1760. They were Joseph Pierre Chastang and his younger brother Jean Baptiste Chastang.

According to Ancestry.com World Tree 43203, Joseph (1736-1815), Jean Baptiste (1739-1813), and an older sister, Marie Elizabeth (b. 1733), were all born in New Orleans. Their parents were Francois Annibal Chastang and Marie Elizabeth Dauvergne Chastang. He was born in France and she in French Louisiana; they were married in New Orleans about 1730, and both died in New Orleans.

The families of Dr. John Chastang and fellow settler Simon Andry formed the nucleus of a Creole Catholic Community that still exists in the small town of Chastang, Mobile County, Alabama 27 miles north of Mobile. Some of Dr. John's descendants still live there. The town and the nearby Chastang Bluff on the Mobile River were both named for Dr. John. Across the county line is the little town of Chestang, Washington County, Alabama. It is also associated with the family of Dr. John, but Chastain Central is unsure of the precise connection. Chestang is 15 miles from Chastang and 34 miles from Mobile Airport. See MAP from Chastang to Chestang. Chastang and Chestang are also connected by railroad.

Not every Black or Creole Chastang is necessarily descended from Dr. John. Nordmann states that Simon Chastang, a descendent of Joseph Chastang, produced at least five children with Anastasia Andry of the Creole Andry family. And Sidoine Chastang, another descendent of Joseph, had children by Isabella Collins, a Creole granddaughter of Dr. John Chastang.

In addition, there was Pierre Chastang of Mobile, apparently unrelated by blood to the Chastang family. Pierre (1779-1848) was a slave owned by Dr. John Chastang, who sold him around 1810. During the War of 1812, Pierre Chastang provided extraordinary services to the American troops under Andrew Jackson. In addition, Pierre provided important services during the yellow fever epidemic of 1819. In appreciation for his brave civic contributions, the residents of Mobile took up a subscription to free Pierre. He continued to receive acclaim as a solid citizen of the city.
At this time, Chastain Central does not know whether Pierre Chastang left children with the Chastang name or whether any current Chastangs are descended from him.

American Chastangs may have been named for a French town. There are two such towns, some twenty miles apart, in Limousin, France--Le Chastang (map) and Gros-chastang (map). See also a map for directions from one to the other. Today, not far from these towns, is Chastang Dam. It is one of five major hydro-electric dams on the Dordogne River and generates the most electricity of the five. Chastang Dam was commissioned in 1951 and modernized in 2001 to increase output by 22%.

Chastang, Mobile County, Alabama Chastang is just east of Hwy 13/US 43 near the intersection of St. Peter Parish School Road and Chastang Bluff about 27 miles north of Mobile. Chastang Bluff road continues to the east toward the Mobile River and forms a loop to the bluff at the river and then comes back to meet itself. In 1856, a school was established for White and Creole children at Chastang Bluff. Two sons of Zeno Chastang, Zeno, Jr., and Francis, served as trustees for the school. (Nordmann, pp. 208-209). Chastang and the nearby Chastang Bluff are named for Dr. John Chastain, a settler and large land owner. Some of his Creole descendents still live in the area and belong to the historic Catholic Church in Chastang. Map.

From : http://www.chastaincentral.com/content/chastangs.html