Person:Robert Houston (1)

Robert Houston was one of the Early Settlers of Augusta County, Virginia

Contents 1 Sources 2 Overview 3 Commentary 4 Land Acquisition 5 Will 6 Information

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Sources

Source:Houston, 1882

Source:White, 1902

Transcript:Will of John Houston, Augusta, April 1748/9

Register. Houstons in Old Augusta

Transcript:Will of Robert Houston, Augusta, VA 1760

Overview

From Houston, 1882:23

He was the son of John Houston and was born in Ireland about seventeen hundred and twenty (1720). He lived on "Timber Ridge," some five or six miles northeast of Lexington, the county-seat of Rockbridge County, VA., and owned the farm on which the "Timber Ridge Church" is located. The first, church called by this name, was a log building, situated about two miles from the present stone house, in the direction of New Providence Church. The building of stone was erected in the year seventeen hundred and fifty-six (1756), and the "Timber Ridge Church" was organised in the same year. Robert Houston married Margared DAVIDSON, daughter of Samuel and Ann Dunlap.
Their children were as follows:

1. John Houston

2. Sam'l Houston

3. Bettie Houston

4. Margaret Houston

5. Esther Houston

6. Mary Houston

Their parents lived and died at their first home on Timber Ridge, and their bodies were interred in what was know as the "Blue Ball Graveyard".

From Source:White, 1902

Robert Houston, the oldest of John's family, was born in Ireland about 1720; lived on Timber Ridge, some five or six miles northeast of Lexington, the county seat of Rockbridge County. He married Margaret Davidson, a daughter of Samuel and Ann Dunlap. Robert's second son, Samuel Houston, married Elizabeth Paxton, a daughter of John Paxton, and Samuel and Elizabeth were the parents of General Samuel Houston, he being their fifth son, the fourth son being Major John Houston.

Commentary

There is considerable confusion over the identity of Roberts wife. Source:Houston, 1882:23 identifies her as Margaret Davidson daughter of Samuel and Ann Dunlap]], yet Roberts will identifies his wife as "Mary". Numerous family trees published on Ancestry (as of September 2012) identify her in various combinations of "Mary", "Margaret", "Davidson" and "Dunlap", with Mary Margaret Davidson" probably being the most common variant. Objectivelly Roberts identification of her as simply "Mary" is probably the best that we can justify based on original source documentation.

Taking Houston 1882 literally, the maiden name of Roberts wife would probably have been "Dunlap". "Davidson" might be her last name by a previous marriage. The disrepancy between Houston's identification of her as "Margaeret" and Roberts identification of her as "Mary" in his will, may indicate that "Mary was his second wife. Nonetheless, most genealogists give her maiden name as "Davidson". Clarification on this problem comes from a search of Chalkley's Chronicles which reveals a will for Robert Davidson, dated January 10. 1751, in which mention is made of wife. Ann, son John and daughter Mary Houston. It is possible that the "Mary Houston" identified by Robert Davidson in his will is the wife of a Houston other than Robert (1), it seems likely that Source:Houston, 1882 has incorporated a confusion in his work, misidentifying Robert's wife, and her parents.

Land Acquisition

Robert Houston's land (Borden Tract SE, 306 acres, 1742 & 200 acres, 1748 (1749 on Hildebrand Map)) as shown on the map meticulously drawn by J.R. Hildebrand, cartographer. This map is copyrighted©, used by permission of John Hildebrand, son of J.R. Hildebrand, April, 2009.

Acquisition of Land from Orange County, VA Records:

• Pages 200-04. 24-26 July 1742. Benjamin Borden of Orange County to Robt. Hustane of same. Lease and release; for £9.3.10 current money. 306 acres 2 rood 22 perch on the waters of James River, part of 92,100 acres patin (patented) 6 Nov. 1739... on the north west side of the Timber Ridge... in John Mathews line... to John Gray's land... (signed) Benja. Borden. Wit: Richard Woods, Joseph Lapesly, Gilbert Campbell. 26 Aug. 1742. Acknowledged by Benjamin Borden, Gent. [Orange County Virginia Deed Book 8, Dorman, pg. 76].

Acquisition of Land from Chalkley's:

• Page 120.--12th February, 1748. Benj. Borden to Robert Huston. Timber Ridge. Teste: Elijah McClenachan, Josiah Linn, Hugh Cunningham. (this is most likely the 200 acre tract shown on the Hildebrand Map above)

• Page 215.--18th September, 1759. John ( ) Coyler (Coyler, Collier, Colyer) and Sisely ( ) to Robert Huston, £25, 95 acres on a branch of Bufflow Creek called Colyer's Creek patented to John, 16th June, 1756, on creek; corner Jno. Summers. Teste: Wm. Lusk, John ( ) Alleson, John McClung.

Disposition of Land from Chalkley's:

• Page 212.—21st November, 1759. Robert Houston to Samuel McDowell, John McClung, John Lyle (Lisle) Wm. Alexander and John Thomson, trustees, appointed in name of trustees of Presbyterian Congregation of Timber Ridge, 5 shillings, 1 acre and 9 perches, part of Robert's plantation up&»i which acre, &c., the Presbyterian Meeting House is erected. Teste: Archibald Alexander, Mathew Lyle, John McClung, Jr.

• Page 284.—6th July, 1784. John Huston, of Rockbridge, to James Rowan; James Rowan now in possession by L. and R. from Mathew Huston and Martha and descended to John as eldest son and heir of Robert Huston, deceased, who was eldest son and heir of John Huston, deceased, claims the revision after death of Mathew Huston.

Will

From Chalkley's:

• WILL BOOK NO. 3. -Page 20.--11th September, 1760. Robert Huston's will, farmer--Wife, Mary; son. John (infant), 95 acres on Collier's Creek; son, James (infant), 200 acres adjoining place testator lives on; son, Samuel (infant), plantation testator lives on. 307 acres; daughter, Elizabeth, 5 shillings, already provided for; daughters. 'Ann, Esther, Margaret, Mary'. Wife, Mary; son, John; brother, Samuel Huston, executors. Teste: Daniel Lyle, Moses Trimble, Saml McCoskey, Proved, 19th May, 1761, by Lyle and Trimble and executors qualified (Mary's mark ), with Daniel Lyle, John Huston, Jno. Lowry (Lowry)

Information

From Clan Huston web page: (http://clanhuston.com)

Posted by Eugene Amos on July 23, 1999 at 10:59:16:

Robert Houston b 1720 Ireland d 1761 Rockbridge Co., VA m 1745 Mary Margaret dau of Samuel Davidson had 8 children including Gen. Sam Houston (s/b Maj. Samuel Houston, Robert was grandfather of Gen. Samuel Houston) and my direct ancestor, Elizabeth, m James McClung. Would like to know both Robert and Mary's ancestors

1.   Ancestry Family Trees. (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.)
   Ancestry Family Trees.

   http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=7060424&pid=-1126106557

2.   Genealogy of the Descendants of John Walker of Wigdon, Scotland, by Emma Siggins White, published by Tuttle Antiquarian Boooks, Inc
   p. 589.