Person talk:Samuel Huston (5)

Locations before Cumberland Co., PA [11 July 2021]

This is speculation about where Samuel Huston may have been located a few year before settling in Cumberland Co., PA and it seems more appropriate to post it here as a "Talk" topic.

Samuel Huston owned land in East Pennsboro Twp., Cumberland Co., PA (1752 warrant and 1753 survey A-51, n.220) but may have moved to the township earlier as he is shown as a neighbor on Edward Shippen's 1745 survey (C-182, n.264).

E. Rankin Huston's 1912 genealogy doesn't indicate where Samuel Huston lived before that but does mention that his sister Janet was married to John Clendenin. There is 1738 survey for a Samuel Huston in Sadsbury Twp., Lancaster Co., PA (A-53, n.181) (listed but not shown in the Houston Tapestry section, "Houston Land Records in Old Chester County, PA"). The survey shows a John Clendening as a neighbor (on "improved land," with no corresponding land warrant/survey). The Sadsbury Twp. survey map shows Samuel Huston's survey as a disconnected piece but it is the same plot as one adjacent to the 1734 survey for William Huston (C-125, n.130, posted on the Houston Tapestry land records page). In fact, Samuel Huston's land warrant (spelled "Houston" there) says "adjoining his Father William Houston and William Evans."

An interpretation of the surveys is that this is the same Samuel Huston in Sadsbury Twp., with his brother-in-law John Clendenin farming a portion of his land next to Samuel's father, William Huston. (Note that Samuel named his first son William, so William would have been a good guess for Samuel's father.)

E. Rankin Huston's genealogy says that Samuel Huston was married to Isabella Sharon. It's likely that they were married about 1741 and that Isabella is related to William Sherrein who had land in another part of Sadsbury Twp. (survey C-185, n.190). It is also possible that Samuel and Isabella met in E. Pennsboro Twp., since a William Sherrin was there by 1737 (from a land warrant for land up the creek from Samuel Huston's), but it's not clear if Samuel had moved before the 1745 survey (see above). (Samuel is not shown as a neighbor on a 1739 survey.)

It's also interesting to look at the tax lists for East and West Nottingham Twps., Chester Co., PA, only a few miles from the land in Sadsbury Twp., Lancaster Co. (The tax lists are transcribed at chesco.org.) A William Huston is on the East Nottingham Twp. list from 1732/3 through 1735/6 and a Samuel Huston is on the 1739 and 1740 lists for West Nottingham Twp. (first as an inmate and next as a freeman). A John Clendenin is on the East Nottingham Twp. list for 1735/6 only.

Another Samuel Huston, the son of Christopher Huston with the 1726 New Castle Co., DE will is also on the East Nottingham Twp. lists from 1735 until he died in 1741. (This is a suggestive link but there's nothing else, so far, to connect William Huston to this family; it may await DNA tests.)

Another observation is that Hugh Mahaffy is on the East Nottingham tax lists beginning in 1729. Mahaffy is an uncommon name in the records, but a James Huston m. Mary Mahaffy 23 Jan 1732/3 in Philadelphia. (There was also a James Huston who married Mary Crafford/Crawford in 1721, apparently one of the Delaware Hustons.) The 1732/3 marriage is a good fit to James Huston, Philadelphia innkeeper, who sold land to Samuel Huston's son James in what became Centre Co., PA. E. Rankin Huston's genealogy suggests that James Huston is Samuel Huston's brother and a Mahaffy connection in East Nottingham Twp. would be supportive of that.

As an aside here, James Huston obtained a 1747 land warrant (H #112) for land in Warrington Twp., Bucks Co., PA (survey C-076, n.199). The land was sold (Bucks Co. D.B. 10, p.37) in 1757 by James Huston, Philadelphia shopkeeper, and his wife Mary. Mary apparently died before James' second marriage to Dorcas Grey 11 Mar 1765 Abington, Montgomery Co., PA. In addition to Philadelphia deeds, James made a West Side Application #5549 in 1769 as a Philadelphia innkeeper. James, Philadelphia innkeeper and his wife Dorcas sold this to [Samuel's son] James in 1785 (Northumberland Co., PA D.B. C, p.185). James left a Philadelphia will (W.B. W, p.88) in 1791 naming wife Dorcas, children, and some property.

--Haydeng568 14:55, 11 July 2021 (UTC)