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Historical records matching Rep. William Joseph Gaston, (F-NC)
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About Rep. William Joseph Gaston, (F-NC)
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Gaston&GSfn=W...
http://docsouth.unc.edu/browse/bios/pn0000574_bio.html
William Joseph Gaston (19 Sept. 1778-23 Jan. 1844), lawyer, legislator, congressman, and jurist, was born in New Bern. His father, Alexander Gaston of Huguenot ancestry, was a native of Ireland, trained in medicine, and served as a surgeon in the British navy before settling in Craven County prior to May 1764. His Roman Catholic mother, Margaret Sharpe, went to New Bern from England nine years later. In May 1775, she married Dr. Gaston, who became an ardent patriot with the advent of the American Revolution. He was killed by a party of Tories in August 1781, leaving a widow and two children, William and Jane. Thereafter, the pious and intelligent Mrs. Gaston proceeded to mold her son's character and to instill in him a lasting devotion to the Roman Catholic church. This upbringing in time made Gaston worthy to be called "the greatest lay Catholic in America."
William J. Gaston (September 19, 1778 – January 23, 1844) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston is the author of the official state song of North Carolina, “The Old North State”. Gaston County, North Carolina is named after him, as are Lake Gaston, the city of Gastonia, North Carolina, and Gaston Hall at Georgetown University.
from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gaston
Jurist; b. at Newbern, North Carolina, U.S.A. 19 Sept., 1778: d. at Raleigh, North Carolina, 28 January 1844. His father, Dr. Alexander Gaston, a Presbyterian native of Ireland, formerly a surgeon in the British Navy, was killed at Newbern by British soldiers during the Revolution, and his education devolved on his mother Margaret Sharpe, a Catholic Englishwoman. She sent him to Georgetown College in 1791, his name being the name being inscribed on the roll of the students of that institution. After staying there four years he entered Princeton College, New Jersey, where he graduated with first honours in 1796. He then studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1798. In August, 1800, Gaston was elected to the Senate of his native state, although its constitution at the time contained a clause excluding Catholics from office. Elected to Congress in 1813 and 1815, his career in Washington was active and brilliant, as one of the influential leaders of Federal party. Resuming the practice of law, he was elevated in 1833 to the bench of the supreme Court of North Carolina, an office which he held for the remainder of his life. In the convention of 1835 he was mainly instrumental in securing the repeal of the article of the North Carolina State Constitution that practically disfranchised Catholics. He was one of the most intimate friends of Bishop England, and his splendid gifts of intellect were always devoted to the promotion of the Faith and the welfare of his fellow Catholics.
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Rep. William Joseph Gaston, (F-NC)'s Timeline
| 1778 |
September 19, 1778
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New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, United States
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| 1807 |
January 19, 1807
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| 1808 |
June 4, 1808
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| 1817 |
September 27, 1817
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| 1844 |
January 23, 1844
Age 65
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Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, United States
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Cedar Grove Cemetery, New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, United States
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