Gus was a son of William Pasley and Temperance Dillon. He was the older full brother of Jerome, Mary Louise,Sarah Elizabeth "Sally", and Lilburn Taliaferro "Mountain" Pasley and a younger half-brother of Robert and William Pasley, Jr.

Gus married Charlotte A. (Wright) Pasley on April 21, 1858 and they had William Anslem, Samuel Fleming Tazwill, Lilburn Oliver Pearl "Pearlie", Millard Fillmore, Mollie Charlotte Temperance Catherine,John Harrison Jerome, Nilette "Nettie", Sarah Elizabeth, and Cora Bell Pasley.

Gus, his younger brother Jerome Pasley, and at least two of their first cousins [John Wes Pasley and Samuel S. Pasley] enlisted on 20 May 1861 in Captain Giles William Bruce Hale's Company of Cavalry [Franklin Rangers], Radford Rangers in service of the State of Virginia. In December 1862, two more of Gus' cousins [Creed Taylor Pasley and Robert D. Pasley] joined this same outfit by then known as Co. D, 2nd Virginia Cavalry, Confederate States of America. It was 1 January 1864, when Gus' youngest brother Lilburn T. "Mountain" Pasley at age 19 also enlisted in Company D.

[There are a few records telling of an Augustus D. Pasley of Franklin County, Virginia, being held by the Union as a prisoner of war at the end of the War Between the States. In order for this to have occurred, Gus would have to have re-enlisted in some outfit and no record of any such re-enlistment has been located. Furthermore, Gus never made mention of any military service later than 1862 in his pension application. Nor, does family legend bear any tales about Gus ever being a prisoner of war -- and that would have been a juicy tale to tell! There probably was an A. D. Pasley -- maybe even an Augustus D. Pasley -- from somewhere else who was a prisoner of war. It does not seem likely that it was Gus. But, who knows for certain. Let's chalk it up as another mystery which may be solved Someday!]