Mary (Morrison) Houston (abt. 1719 - abt. 1781)

Born about 1719 in Concordville, Delaware, Pennsylvania [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of David John Houston — married 1738 in , , Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died about 1781 at about age 62 in Rowan County, North Carolina

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Dale Ohda [send private message]

Bibliography

Mary Houston was born about 1719 in Ireland, the daughter of James Simpson Morrison and Margaret Gilmore. Her family immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1720's.

Mary Houston is mentioned in Robert Ramsey’s book Carolina Cradle in relation to the 1768 tax record for NC. The tax record has a list of those who owned slaves and how many they owned. Mary Houston is listed as owning one slave. It is possible this slave was Mattilda who Mary willed to her daughter Jean. She also willed two boy slaves to grandsons. Maybe, just maybe, the boy slaves were the sons of Mattilda.

The children of Mary and her husband are recorded in their wills. The children included: Archibald, William, Aaron, John, David, Ann, Jane, Hannah, Margaret, Elizabeth, Agness, and Mary. David included Archibald and Ann in his will to receive certain items from his estate and then included this near the end of his will: “Item. It is my will and pleasure if any of my children should die before they come to age, that then what I have herein willed and bequeathed be sold by my executors and equally divided among the then surviving children males and females except my son Archibald and daughter Ann.” This item in David’s will seems to come into play when Mary wrote her will. In Mary’s will she does not mention Archibald or Ann. Since Mary was an executor, along with son Aaron, of her husband’s estate she may have been heeding the will of her husband that Archibald and Ann were not to have any additional inheritance.

Interestingly, in her will Mary list her daughters with their married names: Jean married a Watson; Hannah married a Douglas; Margaret and Agness each married a Beaty; and Mary married a Clark. This leaves Ann and Elizabeth. Per other Houston documents, Ann married David Templeton. This leaves Elizabeth to have been married to Samuel Templeton. In her will, Mary left her “son-in-law” Samuel Templeton one silver dollar. She mentions giving a spinning wheel, which she had received from Samuel, to a granddaughter. Elizabeth died before Mary wrote her will and there are no children listed in Mary’s will for Elizabeth and Samuel. Samuel died three years later, in 1784, and his estate was divided between his siblings with no mention of Samuel having any children.

The following are deed abstracts are from Volume 1 of Mecklenburg County, NC, deeds, as abstracted by Brent Holcomb:

Pp. 31-35: 8 Mar 1763, Mary Houston, Relict & acting Executrix of L. W. & T. of David Houston of Rowan Co., to William son Dd. Houston of Meck., planter, for (release s5, release ____)... 495 A on Meck on N side Cataba...north side of McCallatis' line...both sides Buffelow Creek...granted to sd. David Houston 31 Mar 1753...Mary Morrison (0) (Seal), Wit; Nathaniel Alexander, Aaron Houston, Oliver Alexander. [L. W. & T. of David Houston dated 13 Aug 1761.]

Pp. 65-69: 8 Mar 1763, Mary Morrison, Relict of David Houston, decd, of Rowan Co., to Aaron Houston, son of sd. decd., (lease s5, release )...400 A on N side Cataba, on N fork Twelve Mile Creek, formerly surveyed for William Barnet, granted to sd. David Houston 31 Mar 1753...Mary Houston (0) (Seal). Wit: Nathl. Alexander, William Houston, Oliver Alexander.

Sources

1. Carolina Cradle, Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762, Robert Ramsey, 1964, University of North Carolina Press, page 177

2. Will of David Houston, 13 August 1761, Rowan County, NC

3. Will of Mary Houston, 17 July 1781, Rowan County, NC

4. Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Deed Abstracts 1763-1779, Brent Holcomb, Southern Historical Press, reprinted 2001, pages 2 and 3

DNA

MRCA: James Simpson Morrison and Margaret Gilmore

• Parental relationship is suggested by a GED test match between Karen McDowell GEDmatch HN2597488 and Jana (Garvin) Cyrus GEDmatch OL6792546, seventh cousins, once removed, based on sharing 9.3 cM across one segment.

MRCA: James Simpson Morrison and Margaret Gilmore

• Parental relationship is suggested by a GED test Match between 7th cousins once removed Rosa McGinnes-513 GEDmatch A836863 and Sue (Harper) Burns GEDmatch DX4203157 who share 18.6cM over 3 segments the longest of which is 7.7 cM on chromosome 20.

Mary Houston was originally created through the import of DownloadGedcom.aspx.ged on 03 May 2011.