eir first incentive to ambition and
industry and perseverence by reading--when their minds were immature,
but fresh and retentive--of the life and achievements of Benjamin
Franklin and such other grand models for the young.

No history of a country or state is complete without studies of the
lives of those men who have made and are making history.

William Gaston comes from an honored and distinguished ancestry on both
his paternal and maternal side as will be seen by the succeeding
genealogical notes.

He was born at Killingly, Connecticut, October 3, 1820.

GENEALOGY.

Jean Gaston was born in France, probably about the year 1600. There
are traditions about the particular family to which he belonged,
but only little is definitely known. He was a Huguenot, and is said
to have been banished from France on account of his religion. His
property was confiscated. His brothers and family, although
Catholics, sent money to him in Scotland for his support. He is
said to have been forty years of age and unmarried when he went to
Scotland. Between 1662 and 1668, during a season of persecution in
Scotland, his sons, John, William, and Alexander, went over into
the north of Ireland, whither many of their friends were fleeing
for safety and religious freedom. There is some uncertainty as to
which of these three brothers was the founder of this branch of the
family, but numerous facts point almost conclusively to John as
such founder. One generation was born in Ireland.

John Gaston had three sons born in Ireland: William, born about
1680; lived at Caranleigh Clough Water; John, born 1703-4, died in
America 1783; Alexander, born 1714, died in America.

The former lived all his days in Caranleigh Clough Water, Ireland,
where he died about 1770. John and Alexander came to New England
during or shortly prior to 1730. Tradition has it that they landed
at Marblehead. From this place they went soon, if not immediately,
to Connecticut. As their ancestors had done, so did they, seek
religious liberty in a foreign land. They were Separatists and
probably were drawn to Voluntown because a Church holding that
faith was there established. Alexander returned to Massachusetts a
few years later, residing in Richmond, where some of his
descendants now reside; but most of that branch of the family are