The Heritage of Daniel Haston

 

1830 Revolutionary War Veterans Mortality List


1830 Revolutionary War Veterans Mortality List Card
Image Scan © 2001 by Wayne Haston

 

Question:  MC. or MG. ???

Which letters were used here as an abbreviation for Daniel's middle name?  MC. would possibly indicate "McComiskey."  MG. would possibly indicate "Montgomery."

McComiskey and Montgomery would both be Irish or Scots-Irish names.  Daniel Haston was the son of Swiss-German Heinrich Hiestand.  Did the person who reported this information mistakenly think that Daniel was Scots-Irish?  How did this person come to think that Daniel's middle initials were MC or MG?   

Or, is there some (unknown to us) German name that would fit the MC or MG initials?

We have no other documented evidence of a middle name or initials for Daniel Hiestand/Haston.

Whoever reported the data for this card almost certainly gave an incorrect birth date for Daniel.  Other historical evidence for the date of his birth indicates that he was probably born in about 1750.  So, it would not be a unusual for the person who reported the data to give inaccurate information concerning Daniel's middle name.

Is it possible that the person who responded to this survey was also mistaken about Daniel's Revolutionary War service--even to the point of reporting that Daniel served in the Revolutionary War when (perhaps) he did not?
 

 


History and Mystery of the Missing Card

In 1973 or earlier, Dwight Haston discovered a card at the University of Arkansas [or was it the state archives of Arkansas?] library for Daniel MG. (or MC.) Hastings (Hastin).  According to the "Source" entry on the card, this information was taken from an 1830 mortality listing compiled from Survey of Rev. War Veterans for pension reasons."  The card said that Daniel died in 1826 at 91 years old, which would meant that he was born in 1735.

Which Arkansas Library?
There seems to be some confusion in the 1970s correspondence back and forth between the Haston researchers as to where this card had been found.  Most of the references mention the University of Arkansas library.  However, the Arkansas History Commission (State Archives of Arkansas) is also mentioned in some of the correspondence.

Since that time, other Haston researchers have not been able to locate the card.  An October 8, 1973 letter from Mrs. Dave R. Haston of Sparta, TN to Dwight Haston said:

Dwight, Dave has been trying to locate info on the mortality rolls from which you secured the info that Daniel Haston died in 1826 at age 91.  He has run into a road block and has found nothing to help us secure copies of them.  Let me explain:  he went to Tenn. Tech and inquired from Librarian, Mrs. Jones, who is good on genealogy and interested in it personally, and she said that the State of Tenn. refused the original records of the records, and that there were none in the State at present.  Then, an inquiry here in Sparta resulted in the idea that the Mortality info was not taken until the 1850 census -- and were not in the State.  I see my notes of our meetings say the info you have was from rolls at the Univ. of Ark...

In a return letter to Mr. & Mrs. (Estelle) Dave R. Haston, Dwight wrote (from Naples, Italy, where he was stationed in the Air Force) on November 20, 1973:

I was able to copy the card file entry at the research library in Arkansas.  It appears that the info was taken from a survey in 1830.  Those veterans who were still living were added to a master roster and info was copied for a mortality roll.  It lists some good info.  The library there has a card file on Rev War service with a card for each veteran.

Dwight wrote again from Naples to Dave & Estelle Haston a month later, on December 26, 1973:

The "survey of 1830" as you suggested was indeed taken along with the 1830 census.  It was taken to determine the status of Rev War Veterans who were drawing a pension for their service.  The census takers were also instructed to give any info possible on all veterans who were still living.  This information was put together in Washington.  However only those who were drawing a pension were listed in the master list.  The list for White Co. Tenn. shows about 45 men still living...but no Daniel Haston.  The names of veterans who were not drawing a pension and their paper work was forwarded to the War Dept and was later destroyed by fire or lost in shipment from one dept. to another. ("They didn't consider them important.")  However, a card index was made of the info given.  The copy I sent you was this card.  It was common practice in the early 1900s to copy info to cards and destroy the original.  Info on Daniel Haston's card shows that it was first completed in 1907 and later checked on three occasions.  I'm afraid that all that remains of the info is on the card.  I also wondered who gave them the info but the only answer I could get was that possibly a son or daughter or some family member.

A February 13, 1979 letter to Mr. Howard H. Hasting, Sr. of San Antonio, TN from the University of Arkansas stated: 

Our holdings include no carded index to the Revolutionary War veterans enumerated in the 1840 U.S. Census.  However, we do have a copy of the published work:  A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services; With Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, As Returned By the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census.  Pub. By...the Secretary of State.  (Washington, 1841)
You will note from these that there is no entry for either a "McHaston" or a "Haston" in White County, Tennessee...

Editorial Note:  Since Daniel Haston died in 1826, we would not expect to find him on the 1840 census or a list of pensioners living at that time.

This previous letter instructed Mr. Hasting to contact the Arkansas History Commission, which he did.  His letter from that organization, dated April 17, 1979, indicated that they did not have the requested information.  Mr. Hasting then passed this letter along to Dave R. Haston, who responded to Mr. Hasting by saying:

The information above, was recorded from the information gained in the 1830 census.  As best I can find out, this information was never compiled into book form, as was the 1840 [mortality list info], and after the information was processed onto cards the original forms were destroyed.  There was no organized effort to retain the 1830 information, and even the State of Tenn. refused to accept that information relating to citizens of the State -- don't know why the State or Ark. took down the information.

Wayne Haston showed a copy of the 1830 mortality list card to long-term TN State Library & Archives (TSLA) employees in September of 2001, who said that they had never seen any of these cards and that they did not exist at the TSLA.

What happened to this card and/or the information from which it was taken?  If you have information regarding this Daniel Hasting / Hastin card or original source, in particular, or this 1830 Revolutionary War veterans mortality list, in general, please contact us.


2007-2008 Investigation into the Source of this Mortality List Card

Correspondence with the United States Census Bureau
www.census.gov/
11/27/2007 18:21

I realize that there were no questions about military war pensioners until the 1840 census.  But, was a survey taken in conjunction with the 1830 census to identify veterans who were alive and eligible for military pensions?  Please see the library card on this page:
http://www.danielhaston.com/daniel/1830-mortality-list.htm

Thank you!
Wayne Haston


Subject
1830 Census

Discussion Thread
Response (DEMO - CA)
11/29/2007 10:36

Dear Mr. Haston:

Yes, I did look at your attachment, but this looks like a record obtained from the Archives or Veterans Administration.

However, I ran a search and found the following web site that deal with Veteran's record's http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/

From the Census Bureau data I also found this reference:

You may browse this site for historical data starting at http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/ma.html, then scroll to:

"Pages 110 - 140 - Availability of Population Schedules, Availability of the 1930 Census Records, Finding Guides, State and Territorial Censuses, Mortality Schedules, Population Items on Principal Census Questionnaires, A History of the Decennial Censuses (1790 to 2000), Individual Histories of the United States Censuses", and click on "PDF, 248 KB"

On page 21, you will find "The 1830 census concerned the population only. No attempt was made to collect additional data on the Nation’s manufactures and industry."

The 1840 Census.

This census included a special enumeration of military pensioners. The names and ages listed were printed in A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services; With Their Names, Ages, Places of Residence, Washington, DC: Department of State, 1841 (reprinted by the Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, in 1967) and reproduced at the end of roll 3 in National Archives microfilm publication T 498.

I would like to assist you with this data, but I do not work with historical records. However, I will forward this e-mail to our History Staff for other assistance.  Or, you contact them at their phone number: (301) 457-1167 at the Headquarters office in Washington, DC.

Cheryl
Information Resources and Dissemination Branch
Data Integration Division
U.S. Census Bureau
toll free 1-866-758-1060


Subject
1830 Census

Discussion Thread
Response (HIST - CAB) 11/29/2007 16:42
Mr. Haston,

There was no data collected for that in the 1830 census. The 1840 census did cover veterans, but not deceased veterans.

Contact the National Archives and ask about that survey. It was probably collected by the war department, but it wasn't associated with the Census.

History Staff

Question Reference #071127-000072
Category Level 1: How Do I
Date Created: 11/27/2007 18:21
Last Updated: 11/29/2007 16:42
Status: Pending Closure


Correspondence with the Arkansas History Commission
www.ark-ives.com/

December 2, 2007

Arkansas History Commission
One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201

Dear Sir/Ms:

In the early 1970s, the military record card on the following web page was located in your library, or possibly…at that time…in the University of Arkansas library.
Link: www.danielhaston.com/daniel/1830-mortality-list.htm

I see from your website (http://www.ark-ives.com/pdfs/military.pdf) that you do have the Index to compiled service records, North Carolina in your holdings. This might be the source of this card since this man (Daniel MC. [or MG.] Hastings / Hastin / Haston) was a soldier in the North Carolina Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

Please send me a photocopy of this card. I have enclosed the requested form and a check.

Also, please help me with these three matters:

• Send me any information that you have regarding the source of this index or any other information that you have about this 1830 military pension survey, how you received this information, where the original files are now, etc. etc.
• Also, are these cards on a microfilm that can be purchased?
• Any other information related to this card or the entire index.

Thank you very much.

Wayne Haston
702 Winebary Circle
Lewisberry, PA 17339-9739
Email: WayneHaston@aol.com


Correspondence with the University of Arkansas Library at Fayetteville, AR
www.uark.edu/

The following email was a response to a message submitted by Wayne Haston through a form on the University of Arkansas Library's web site.

December 6, 2007

Dear Mr. Haston:

I just wanted to let you know our progress concerning your question regarding the mysterious card with information from an 1830 mortality list.  I have spoken with the Arkansas History Commission / State
Library, and they are certain this is not something in their collections.

The card does not appear to be in the form of "compiled service records" that one usually sees on microfilm from the National Archives.

This card *could* possible be from the National Archives Record Group 15 (Veterans Affairs) from which two microfilm publications have been compiled: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land-Warrant
Application Files (M804), and Selected Records From Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-land-warrant Application Files (M805).

However, our library has neither of these collections and the late 20th century dates stamped on the card, as well as its format, does not look to me like a document from these collections.

The card looks to me more like something from a private genealogy project, rather than a government archive.  I have requested on Interlibrary Loan a book written in 1974 on "Potential Revolutionary
Soldiers in Arkansas" taken from the 1830 census.  Since the card references an 1830 mortality schedule I thought this might be a related project. Unfortunately, I reviewed that work today and did not find a Haston or Hastin or Hasten or Hastings.

I did some research into these land-grant files - since that is the information on the card you seek.  There is an excellent guide at http://www.genealogy.com/24_land.html.   I am wondering if there was some genealogical publication that collected and indexed references to veterans of the revolutionary era that we are missing.  I have checked some titles, such as...

Cartwright, Betty Goff Cook
Title     North Carolina land grants in Tennessee, 1778-1791 / compiled by Betty Goff Cook Cartwright and Lillian Johnson Gardiner ; foreword by Robert T. Quarles, Jr
Publisher     Memphis, Tenn. : Gardiner-Cartwright, 1958 (Quanah, Tex.: Nortex Offset Pub., Inc.)

...and not found your man.

I am not sure where else we can look for this information. I am sure your source saw this card at a library in Arkansas -- however we find that people often confuse our library with the State Library in Little Rock or the University of Arkansas Library in Little Rock.

I suggest that you contact the DAR Library (http://www.dar.org/library/default.cfm) if you have not already.
They may well recognize the source of this information.  Please do let me know if you find any other information about this card - we would like to be able to identify the source for our records, as well.

--
Web Services
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Ave.
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-575-4665