Sam Houston
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Samuel Houston (1793 - 1863)

Gen. Samuel (Sam) Houston
Born in Timber Ridge, Rockbridge County, Virginia, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 22 Jan 1829 (to 1837) in TNmap
Husband of — married about 1830 (to about 1832) in Arkansas Territorymap
Husband of — married 9 May 1840 in Perry, Alabamamap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 70 in Huntsville, Walker, Texas, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 5 Jan 2009
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Preceded by
Interim President
David G. Burnet



2nd President
Mirabeau B. Lamar




Preceded by
5th Governor

William Carroll




Preceded by
6th Governor

Hardin Richard Runnels




Office Established at Statehood
December 29, 1845
Sam Houston
1st President of
the Republic of Texas

1836
Republic of Texas
3rd President
1841—1844

6th Governor of
Tennessee
Tennessee
1827—1829

7th Governor
of Texas
Texas
1859—1861

US Senator (Class 2)
from Texas
Vacant December 29, 1845 – February 21, 1846 as the Texas legislature did not elect its Senators until two months after statehood.
Seal of the US Senate
1846—1859
Succeeded by
2nd President
Mirabeau B. Lamar



4th President
Anson Jones




Succeeded by
7th Governor

William Hall




Succeeded by
8th Governor

Edward Clark




Succeeded by
John Hemphill

Contents

Biography

Notables Project
Sam Houston is Notable.

General Sam Houston was the first President of Texas, and an important part of much of early Texas' history.[1][2]

Early Years

Samuel Houston was born to Major Samuel Houston and Elizabeth Paxton, on Timber Ridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia on 2 March 1793.[3][1]

After the death of his father, Sam's mother moved the family to Baker Creek, Tennessee.[3][1] Despite his deep love and respect for his mother, Sam ran away at the age of 15 and was soon in the company of the Cherokee Tribe of Chief Oolooteka.[3][4][5] The tribe adopted young Sam and bestowed upon him the name "Colonneh", which means "the raven."[3][4] Many of his most admired traits were honed during his time with the tribe.[4][6]

Politician and Patriot

When Sam was 19 years old, he returned to Maryville, Tennessee, where he built the first school structure in that state after its inception into the Union.[3][7][2] Later, Sam became an attorney and set up a practice in Lebanon, Tennessee.[3][7][1] In 1818, he became Attorney General for the Nashville District.[7][1]

In 1822, Sam was elected to the House of Representatives for the State of Tennessee and held that seat until 1827.[3][7][1] He later served as Governor of Tennessee, but resigned following his first wife Eliza's leaving him, and headed first to his adopted family in the Cherokee Nation where he was made a citizen, then on to Texas.[3][7][4][5][1]


Santa Anna surrenders to Houston

Sam served as a General in Texas' battle for independence from Mexico, eventually leading them to victory.[3] He was at the Convention which met at Washington on the Brazos in 1836 to declare independence from Mexico and he was a signatory of the Texas Declaration of Independence.[1] It was there that Houston was elected commander-in-chief of the armies of Texas.[3][1][6]

Sam is most famous as a key historical figure in the history of Texas. He was elected the first president of the Republic of Texas in 1836, and served two terms.[3][1] He was a U.S. Senator for Texas after it joined the United States, and later the governor.[1] He fought to keep Texas in the Union leading up to the U.S. Civil War, but lost, and lost his job as Governor as well.[3][1] After the Confederacy removed him as Governor, he retired from public life.[3][1]

Family

On January 22, 1829, Sam married 19-year-old Eliza Allen, the daughter of Colonel John Allen of Gallatin, Tennessee.[8][9][5] Eliza left Sam after only a few months of marriage.[9][5] Under civil law, he was still legally married to her until he was able to officially divorce her in 1837.[2]

Sam next married, supposedly in a Cherokee ceremony, Tiana (some say "Diana" or "Tialina") Rogers Gentry, daughter of Chief John Headman Hellfire Rogers and Jennie Due, a sister of Chief John Jolly (Houston's adopted Cherokee father),[4][2] and widow of David Gentry.[9][5] She had two children from her previous marriage to David Gentry Jr: Gabriel, born 1819, and Joanna, born 1822. In 1832, Samuel left the life with the Cherokees and the marriage to Tiana to go to Texas;[6] Tiana chose not to accompany him to Texas.[2][10][11] Tiana later married John McGrady.[9][5][2]

On May 9, 1840, Houston married again, to 21-year-old Margaret Moffett Lea of Marion, Alabama, despite her family's and his associates' objections.[12] This marriage stuck, and they had eight children together.[9][5][2] Margaret served as a tempering influence on her much older husband and eventually even convinced him to stop drinking, and convert from the Catholicism he'd taken up in order to procure land in Mexico, to her Baptist beliefs.[2]

Death and Legacy

Sam's health deteriorated in 1863 due to a persistent cough which developed into pneumonia and led to his death.[9][2] Samuel Houston died at home on July 26, 1863 at Steamboat House, with Margaret by his side.[3][9][5][1] He was buried in Huntsville, Texas, where he had lived in retirement.[3][1]

The inscription on his tomb reads:

A Brave Soldier. A Fearless Statesman.
A Great Orator—A Pure Patriot.
A Faithful Friend, A Loyal Citizen.
A Devoted Husband and Father.
A Consistent Christian—An Honest Man.

A gun once owned or used by Sam Houston is in the Schwend Gun Collection.[13]

There are numerous monuments and places named for Sam Houston. One of the most prominent is the city of Houston, Texas. Minnesota, Tennessee, and of course Texas all have named counties in Sam Houston's honor. There are several other towns and buildings, as well as a battle ship all named for his memory.[2]

In Huntsville, Texas a 67 foot statue memorializes him. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery at Huntsville. [14]

Slaves

Please see Slaves of Sam Houston for further information.

Sources

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Wikipedia Contributors, "Samuel Houston", Wikipedia.com, accessed 30 Aug 2017.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 FindaGrave Memorial #510, Samuel Houston
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Krystyniak, Frank, "Houston and Native Americans", SHSU.edu, accessed 30 Aug 2017.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Krystyniak, Frank, "The Women in Houston's Life", SHSU.edu, accessed 30 Aug 2017.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/houston-sam
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Krystyniak, Frank, "Sam Houston-Schoolmaster", SHSU.edu, accessed 30 Aug 2017
  8. "New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZJP-QTY : 20 January 2020), Samuel Houston, 1829.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Causey, Donna, "Gen. Sam Houston Married in Alabama", Alabama Pioneers Web Site
  10. Marquis James, The Raven, A Biography of Sam Houston, Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company (1929), p. 140...And especially starting on page 150. Link
  11. https://www.shsu.edu/today@sam/samhouston/WoHou.html
  12. "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DQ-PWP9 : 28 November 2018), Samuel Houston and Margaret M Lea, 09 May 1840; citing Perry, Alabama, United States, County Probate Courts, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,290,271.
  13. https://www.schwendguns.us /
  14. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/tx/es_tx_houston_1.html

See Also:

  • Joshua (Unknown) Houston (abt.1822-1902) and From Slave to Statesman: The Legacy of Joshua Houston, Servant to Sam Houston by Patricia Smith Prather and Jane Clements Monday, University of North Texas Press, 1995
  • Williams, John H. (1994), Sam Houston: Life and Times of Liberator of Texas an Authentic American Hero, New York, NY: Touchstone, p. 316, ISBN 0-671-88071-3
  • Landregan, Steve. "Catholics Played Roles in Texas History." The Texas Catholic [Dallas, Texas] 18 Dec. 2015, Vol. 65, No. 9 ed.: 6. Print.
  • "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJD5-JRGS : 24 May 2014), Samuel Huston Or Houston, 24 Mar 1813; citing p. 226, volume 011, , , , United States, NARA microfilm publication M233 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 6; FHL microfilm 350,312.
  • Sandy Lewis Noe




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Sam by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Sam:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 22

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A gun once owned or used by Sam Houston is in the Schwend Gun Collection<ref>https://www.schwendguns.us/</ref>
Looking into this further, it does not appear that Samuel Houston and Diana (aka "Tiana") Rogers were ever married. Are there any objections to detaching her as spouse? We can link to her from the narrative.

Edit: found sufficient if not yet original sources to support the marriage.

posted by Jillaine Smith
edited by Jillaine Smith
Apparently, Houston's earlier biographer, Marquis James, said this about them in a 1929 biography which unfortunately is not available online:

""Tiana was his wife," James wrote, "her barbaric beauty a part of the solace he had found, as he said, amid 'the lights and shadows of forest life.'" After three and one-half years with the Cherokees he left for Texas in late 1832."

Does anyone have Marquis James' biography of Houston? It's called "The Raven : a biography of Sam Houston"

Edit: found it: Marquis James, The Raven, A Biography of Sam Houston, Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company (1929), p 140...And especially starting on page 150. Link

posted by Jillaine Smith
edited by Jillaine Smith
looking through my records, I made copies of lots of stuff when I was at the library in UT Austin https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00005/cah-00005.html But, I do know that he did not have a daughter with her, that needs to be removed. I have read the book and it is a wonderful Historical Novel, he draws from a lot of facts, but, no "sources" per se.
posted by Robin Lee
Thanks, Robin. Kathie F found reference to her as his wife in Starr whose work is generally respected by the Cherokee. Still would be great to identify more original records. Where did Starr get his info from ?
posted by Jillaine Smith
I wish I had better understood sources when I did all my original research. All my notes say is that "in an interview about his time living with the Cherokee, he indicated that he was united with Diana Rogers who was the widow of David Gentry." So, it probably is from a newspaper article.
posted by Robin Lee
This profile (which came to my attention due to his Cherokee mate) relies heavily on derivative sources, some of which do not cite original sources. It could benefit from finding and citing original records.

-- Jillaine, co-leader, WikiTree's Native Americans Project

posted by Jillaine Smith
Can someone validate with a "source" the child that is claimed in the biography as the daughter of Sam Houston and Tiana? It lists Wikipedia as the source, but, Wikipedia does not indicate this daughter. I have done a lot of research on Sam Houston and have never seen a child attributed to his marriage with Tiana.
posted by Robin Lee
I am so happy to see his Cherokee wife listed. Around 1984, Knob Noster Middle School Library in Knob Noster, Johnson, Missouri had a book with a photo of a woman with a caption under it that she was a wife of Sam Houston of Texas and that it was argued she wasn't because he had a wife in Texas. That book, I do not have a copy of. (Multiple marriages were not something people wrote about or acknowledged in many historical books. I see above, the dates of marriage are different, so perhaps the caption was just a batter of bias, as there was a great deal of racism. The library may still have that book.)

Sam Houston was great friends with my 3rd great-grandfather, Samuel MAYES whom was adopted into the Cherokee and moved before the Trail of Tears with one/his first wife Nancy Adair (he also had a wife Ahniwake "Annie" SPIRIT Mayes Snell) after moving to Oklahoma (she came by way of the Trail during the forced removal with her family). Sam Houston would often visit the home of Samuel MAYES on his travels to Texas according to a few records I have. Samuel Mayes, named one of his sons, Samuel Houston Mayes after his friend, Sam Houston. Samuel Houston Mayes became of two of his sons that served as Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation.

posted by T.C. Justine Baker
He is my grandfather 5x removed
Houston-4011 and Houston-1 appear to represent the same person because: the member that created Houston-4011 rejected the fact that these profiles are identical. Clearly they are and should be merged. At WikiTree there should be ONLY one profile for each ancestor.
posted by Robin Lee
Houston-1 should be merged with Houston-4011. Obviously Houston-1 is the primary profile, but we should strive to merge duplicate profiles, even if it means additional merges will be required.
posted by Andrew Moore
His brother, Robert is one of my ancestors.
posted by Martha (King) Davis
[deleted]
Second Cousin 5x removed cousin here.

This information was awesome! Thank you Texas Project.

posted by [deleted]
Love this page, Texas Project!

"I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man." -- Sam Houston

posted by Janet (Spivey) Clifton
Houston-280 and Houston-1 appear to represent the same person because: While the death is not correct and there are no sources, the story on Houston-280 matches the story always told about Sam Houston.
posted by Robin Lee
According to records, Gen. Samuel A. Houston is my 2nd cousin, 5x removed.
Looking for autosomal dna results from one of his documented descendants. Thanks.
posted by Katt (Mansell) Kerns
As, it is the lineage I am involved in, I am going to work on adding Sam and Margaret's children, then I will add the connect to my family through Temple Lea Houston. Once I have the children added, anyone can take over a branch, just ask for trusted list.
posted by Robin Lee
This was an orphan page with no manager. I've adopted this profile and see we need more updates the Sam Houston. I'll start updating his profile soon. Thank you guys in the comments for you input I'll definitely add the soon.
posted by Buddy Toups Jr.