I think it is the desire of all genealogists to find their country of origin. That for the moment, is impossible for the Casto's. They may have originated in Wales, Italy, Germany or even Portugal.

What we know is that the family line stems from the only two Casto males in America in 1745. Living 5 miles apart in what is now Cumberland County, N. J. William's born 1717 and David 1720.  William's line stayed in New Jersey and moved west.  David moved with his wife Phebe to West Virginia.

As to how the Casto's first arrived in America, the same story with different variations has been handed down through several family lines.  The gist of which is:

Two boys age 5 and 7 either stowed away, were captured at sea or were kidnapped and sailed on the Pirate ship of Captain William Kidd. They were required to work 10 years for the Captain and were either thrown overboard, jumped and swam to freedom or were set ashore in New Jersey.  The boys were separated and when they reunited years later one had the name Casto, the other Castalow or Castello.

Another theory concerns William Castilo who married Elizabeth Abbott c. 1705, Salem Co., NJ, quitclaimed her land on Alloways Creek in 1714, shared land with James Paget in Salem Co. in 1718, was constable in Maurice River area in 1731, purchased 63 1/2 acres at Scrub Neck, Autuxit, in 1733 from Edward Lummis - source: David L. Casto, Casto Chronicles Newsletter, 1993. [reprinted in Casto Connections Newsletter #1]

Elizabeth Abbott was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Nicholson) Abbott.  John Abbott's mother was Frances (?) Abbott.  David and Phoebe (Gandy) Casto's son David Jr. had a son who married a Frances Abbott in Harrison Co. VA on Mar 11, 1832.  Could these Abbotts be related?  [Another Casto researcher, Lori Godfrey, (godfrey@ wirefire.com) is working on the migration of entire families together from New Jersey to VA and WV].

This William Castilio could have been the father of William and David Casto.  This is yet to be proved.

David 1720 and his wife Phebe both died of illness in 1770 while traveling.  Their children were raised by neighbors. The boys age 17, 13, and 11 in 1770 stayed near to  each other. The younger girls age 5 and 1 in 1770, married into the Wright/Province families and were in touch with their older sister Phebe by the 1790's.

The family trek from New Jersey to West Virginia starts with David and Phebe at Dividing Creek, Downe Township (north of  Egg Island marshland) New Jersey, they crossed the Delaware River and at York Pennsylvania joined the Great Wagon Train Road. They crossed  the Potomac River into Hampshire County (Berkely Co.?) (West) Virginia, passed where the Monongahela joins the Allegheny River to the Ohio River. They passed beyond the Buckhannon River settlement and settled at the mouth of Buffalo Creek on the Monongahela River, in later years to Wheeling Creek, Berkley Co. (West) Virginia.

From these roots their 7 children populated West Virginia.