Well, let me tell you about this fella, Gaston Alexander. Sounds like a fancy name, don’t it? I ain’t sure where he come from exactly, some say Ireland, others say France. Sounds like them highfalutin places overseas, ya know? Anyway, this Gaston fella, he was a Huguenot. Don’t ask me what that means, some kinda religious thing I reckon. Sounds like trouble to me, all them fancy religions always causin’ a ruckus.
He come over here a long, long time ago, ‘round 1764 they say. Settled down in North Carolina, place called Craven County. Probably wasn’t much there back then, just like here afore all them city folk moved in. He got himself a plantation, worked the land I guess. Folks was farmers back then, ain’t like today with all them fancy jobs nobody understands.
Now, this Gaston fella, he got mixed up in some fightin’. They call it a war, the Revolution or somethin’. Said he was a patriot. Means he fought for this country, I guess. Good for him, I reckon. Fightin’ ain’t for the faint of heart, let me tell you.
- He was a French Huguenot.
- Born in Ireland around 1735.
- Settled in Craven County, North Carolina in 1764.
- He was considered a patriot.
But things didn’t go so well for him. Them British soldiers, they come and raided his place. Mean bunch, them redcoats. His poor wife, she begged ’em to spare him, threw herself at their feet and all. But them soldiers, they didn’t listen. Shot him dead, they did. Terrible thing, just terrible. War ain’t nothin’ but heartache and misery, that’s what I say.
Now, there’s another Alexander fella, some folks call him Alexander the Great. He was way back when, even before Gaston’s time. This Alexander, he was a fighter too, a general they say. Conquered all sorts of places, Persia and such. Spread his culture all over, they call it Hellenistic. Sounds Greek to me, literally! He must’ve been somethin’ else, this Alexander the Great. But all that fightin’ and conquerin’, what good does it do in the end? Just makes more trouble, if you ask me.
This Alexander the Great, he did some good things too, I guess. Helped folks learn about geography and science. Built cities and stuff. But he was still a fighter, and fightin’ always leads to problems. It’s like that old sayin’, live by the sword, die by the sword. Makes sense to me.
And then there’s talk about bringin’ back the voices of folks in Gaston County, African Americans they say. That’s important too, I reckon. Everyone deserves to be heard, no matter their color or where they come from. We all just folks tryin’ to get by in this world. Seems like there’s always been fightin’ and struggles, ain’t there? From Gaston Alexander’s time to now, it’s always somethin’.
So, whether it’s Gaston Alexander the Huguenot, Alexander the Great, or the folks in Gaston County, they all got stories to tell. Stories of fightin’, of livin’, of losin’. Life ain’t easy, that’s for sure. But we gotta keep on keepin’ on, doin’ the best we can. That’s what matters, I reckon. Just try to be good to folks, and maybe, just maybe, things will get a little better.
Gaston Alexander, he was a man who lived and died a long time ago. He fought for what he believed in, just like lots of folks have done throughout history. And while his story might be sad, it’s a part of this country’s story, too. We gotta remember these stories, learn from ‘em, and try not to make the same mistakes. That’s all we can do, ain’t it?
So next time you hear the name Gaston Alexander, or any of them other Alexanders, remember they was just people, same as you and me. They had their struggles, their triumphs, their joys, and their sorrows. And their stories, well, they’re still worth tellin’, even after all these years.
Tags: [Gaston Alexander, Huguenot, Ireland, North Carolina, Revolution, Patriot, Alexander the Great, Hellenistic, African Americans, Gaston County]
