Daniel's Wife: Theories, Speculation, Clues, & Hearsay

Christina Nave / Neff Information

Some Haston family researchers have been convinced that the Daniel Haston who lived the latter part of his life in White County, TN was the "Daniel Histand" who married Christina Nave (or Neff) in Dunmore (later Shenandoah & now Page) County, VA on September 28, 1773.  For this reason, a monument was erected to her beside the grave of Daniel Haston in the Big Fork Cemetery.

The Christina Nave theory is inherently tied to the Swiss-German roots view of Daniel's origin.  However, even if the White County "Daniel Haston" was the same "Daniel Histand" of Dunmore County, VA, there is a possibility that Christina Nave did not survive the female hazards of pioneer living to live long enough to journey with Daniel to White County, TN.  If a wife of Daniel is buried next to him in the Big Fork Cemetery, she could be a second (or third) wife.

Neff (same as surname "Nave") researchers are somewhat uncertain regarding Christina Nave's connection to a specific family.  William Neff did indicate:  "Christina Nave G516 (family file #), b. abt. 1750 we believe in Augusta Co., VA, was the daughter of Dr. Hans Conrad Näf and Katherina Isler, who immigrated from Kt. Zuerich in 1734.  We have no records of Conrad Näf after the 1750 and believe he was killed during the Lord Dunmore wars with the Indians.  His descendents all moved into western VA (NC) and into Tennessee.  From Shenandoah Co., VA marriages, we have her married to a Daniel Histand on 28 Sept 1773."
Source:  Personal email (10-15-2001) from William Neff, editor of The Neff News to Wayne Haston.

According to Neff research records, Christina was possibly/probably the sister of:

• John Nave (born about 1736 in PA & died after 1800 in Cocke Co, TN; he married "Eve ___" before 1760)
• Henry (Knave) Nave (born about 1736 in PA and died 1787 in Shenandoah Co. or Rockingham Co, VA; he married "Margaret____" about 1756)
• Unknown sister (born abut 1743 in PA or MD)
• Teter (Detrich) Nave (born about 1745 in PA and died 1805 in Carter Co, TN; he married Ann Vanderpool in 1766/1768 in Rowen Co, NC)
• Conrad Nave (born about 1750 in PA)

Note:  David Haston, apparently was the auctioneer or the one who proclaimed publicly the upcoming auction (paid $1.00 for "crying vendue") in the administration of an estate for a Jacob Neff / Knave in Knox County, TN in 1805-1806.  Was this Jacob Neff / Knave a close relative to Christina Nave?  It is interesting that this is the last documented Knox County, TN record that we have for David Haston prior to his move to White County,  TN.  Is it possible that this Jacob Neff / Knave was a close relative of David's mother and, for some reason, David remained in Knox County until the decease and estate settlement of Jacob Neff / Knave.  One oral account indicates that Daniel's wife remained behind in east Tennessee for some unspecified amount of time prior to her journey to White County to meet Daniel on the new homestead.  Could her delay have had something to do with Jacob Neff / Knave's situation?

Note:  As per Bill Neff, this Jacob Neff was from a different Neff/Nave line than was Christina Nave.  (see email correspondence below)

Jacob Mitchell was an original (1808) land grantee in White County, TN whose land was adjacent to that of Daniel & Joseph Haston.  The way his land was situated with the Hastons around the Big Spring Branch seems to indicate that they were close friends or relatives.  A family Bible record (supposedly in the possession of Glen Cowan, great-great grandson of Morris and Elizabeth [parents of Jacob Mitchell]) indicates that this Jacob Mitchell (one source [from Sharon Spurgeon] says "Montgomery Co. Maryland May 1 1784") married a Lucinda Hastings.  This Lucinda Hastings possibly was a daughter of Daniel Haston.  Jacob Mitchell's brother, Rev. James Mitchell, married a Sarah / Sally Nave (born March 4, 1793) from Rockingham County, VA in Knox County, TN on October 6, 1808. Was this Sarah / Sally Nave related to the Jacob Neff / Nave / Knave for whose estate settlement David Haston was the auctioneer?  Was she in some way related to the Christina Nave who married Daniel Histand on September 28, 1773 in Shenandoah/Dunmore County, VA?

Note:  As per Bill Neff, this Sarah/Sally Nave was from the same Neff/Nave line as Christina Nave.  (see email correspondence below)

Howard H. Hasting, Sr. Comment

Howard H. Hasting, Sr. was one of the most avid Daniel Haston researchers.  Mr. Hasting made this very interesting comment in the written report of his life's research work on the Daniel Haston family: 

"We have never discovered her [Daniel's wife's] name.  However, Elizabeth Jane Stipe Hasting (6 Feb 1835 to 24 Feb 1927) wife of James Thomas Hasting (8 June 1836 to 31 May 1885) said that Daniel's wife lived to be 110 years of age, and that Daniel paid her transportation to this county, and that she, Elizabeth Jane, remembered seeing her."  

Elizabeth Jane Stipe Hasting was the great grandmother of Howard H. Hasting, Sr.  Their lives overlapped by 22 years, thus Howard Hasting would probably have known her quite well.  Thus, he probably heard her reminisce often about family history.  If Daniel Haston was born in 1735, as one source indicates, and his wife was born at about the same time, then Mrs. Daniel Haston would have lived to about 1845 (assuming that Elizabeth Jane Stipe Hasting's recollection was accurate).  Elizabeth Jane, in that case, would have known her husband's great grandmother (Daniel's wife) until she (Elizabeth Jane) was about ten years old.  If Daniel and his wife were not born until about 1750, as many Haston researchers speculate, then Elizabeth Jane would have been about 25 years old when Mrs. Daniel Haston died.  Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s statement that Elizabeth Jane "remembered seeing her" would seem to imply that she (Elizabeth Jane) was very young when Mrs. Daniel Haston died.  That could suggest that (1) Mrs. Daniel Haston was born around 1735 or so or that (2) Mrs. Daniel Haston lived to "only" be 90-95 years old. 

The "Daniel paid her transportation to this county" comment may harmonize with the possible 1806-1807 return trip that Joseph made, from White County, to the Knox County area and the arrival of David to White County at about that same time.

Source:  Page 4 of Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s report of his research results for the family of Daniel Haston. (written in 1954 and revised in 1980, unpublished)  [no stated indication is given as to where Mr. Hasting obtained this information, but probably from a firsthand account from his great grandmother, Elizabeth Jane Stipe Hasting]

S.S. (Samuel Schockley) Haston's Civil War Questionnaire Regarding Remarks on Ancestry  

Daniel Haston's great grandson, Samuel Shockley (Schockley) Haston, returned his civil war veterans questionnaire to the Tennessee Historical committee in May of 1922.  It was received there on May 23.  As a response to the "Remarks on Ancestry" section, S.S. Haston wrote:

"grand father David Haston paternal maternal Margret Roddy great paternal grandmother Ruthy Brown she was at Le_?_ battle at Buncker hill and carred watter."
 
Source:  Page 1045 of Tennessee Civil War Veterans' Questionnaires  (See TN State Library & Archives info regarding these questionnaires.) 

Samuel Shockley Haston was 78 years old when he completed this questionnaire, so it is possible that he could have been confused in his thinking, although his other responses seem to be sensible.  If taken at face value, this Ruthy Brown would have been the wife of Daniel Haston.  A family of (Isaac & William) Browns were close neighbors to Daniel's family after they settled south of the Caney Fork River in White County, TN.  Suppose this person was Daniel's wife, was "Brown" her maiden name or did she marry some "Mr. Brown" after the death of Daniel?  What does it mean that this Ruthy Brown was at "battle at Buncker hill and carred watter?"  Was she a "Molly Pitcher" type "camp follower" during the Revolutionary War?  The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775 just outside of Boston, Massachusetts.  

S.S. Haston's great grandmother on his mother's (Jane Shockley's) side was Rutha Young (mother of S.S. Haston's grandfather, Samuel Shockley).  Was he thinking about her and was mistaken about her maiden name?  She was about nine years old (born 1766) at the time of the battle of Bunker Hill and supposedly was born in Surry Co, NC.  She lived until 1867 and died in Van Buren Co, TN.  S.S. Haston would have known her for two decades or so prior to her death.

Samuel Schockley Haston Civil War Questionnaire - Family & Ancestry Questions
TSLA Military Records, Roll No. 4, Civil War (Confederates) Questionnaires, MF# 484
Received from him at the TN Historical Committee on May 23, 1922.
Image Scan © 2001 by Wayne Haston

One female over the age of 45 was living with Daniel Haston in White County, TN at the time of the 1820 Federal Census.  Presumably, this was the wife of Daniel Haston.  

David (born 1777) and Joseph (born 1780) were literate men.  Apparently, from documents signed by their "marks," Isaac (born 1794 or 1795) and Jesse (born 1796) could not write.  Since, at that time, the education of children was often the responsibility of the mother, this could possibly indicate that Daniel had two wives, the earlier wife being literate and the later wife being illiterate.  The known children of Daniel were born in clusters, David and Joseph were born in 1777 and 1780 and Isaac and Jesse were both born in the mid-1790s.  Catherine was probably born in about 1790.  One decade separates the birth of the first cluster from the second.  It's also likely that there were children of Daniel born during the 1780s whose identities are unknown to us.

Daniel Haston's son, David, was apparently the oldest son of Daniel Haston.  Some earlier Haston family researchers have referred to him as David McComisky Haston.  We have no documentation to verify that Daniel gave his son, David, the "McComisky" middle name, but there is evidence that David Haston may have given this (or some other spelling of this name) middle name to two of his sons, Daniel & David.  Also, there is additional evidence that appears to connect the Haston family to the family of a Daniel McComisky, who died in Baltimore Co, MD in 1790.  Read more about this possible Haston-McComisky connection.

Why would such an uncommon surname be given as a middle name?  The most obvious assumption would be that there was some kind of familial connection to a family with that surname.  Specifically, the connection would typically be to the maiden name of the paternal grandmother or the maiden name of the mother.  Thus, the McComisky connection might suggest that:

• Daniel Haston's mother was, in some way, related to Daniel McComisky of Baltimore Co, MD.
• Daniel Haston's wife was, in some way, related to Daniel McComisky of Baltimore Co, MD.

Here's a working hypothesis for future research:  Daniel Haston's wife (mother of David Haston) was the sister of Daniel McComisky of Baltimore County, MD.  It is not likely that she would have been Daniel McComisky's daughter, since other of his daughters (and their children) were named in his will, but was no mention of a Daniel McComisky daughter who could have been Daniel Haston's wife.

Please contact us if you have more information related to this Haston-McComisky connection.