Transcript:Will of Robert Houston, Augusta, VA 1760

Contents 1 Source 2 Related 3 Abstract 4 Family 5 Commentary

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Source

Intermediate Source:Chalkley's Chronicles:62

Related

Person:Robert Houston (1)

Abstract

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 (Lowny).

Family

Father:Robert Mother:Mary

Children:

John

James

Samuel

Elizabeth

Ann,

Esther,

Margaret,

Mary

Brother Samuel Houston

Commentary

The Robert Houston who left this will had 8 surviving children, one of whom appears to have been an adult in 1760. Assuming a 2 year birth interval, with the eldest child born one year after marriage, we get a date of marriage for this Robert as c1743 or earlier. If a marriage at age 21 is assumed, we get his DOB as c1721.

These data are consistent with data provided by Source:Houston, 1882 for Person:Robert Houston (1) son of Person:John Houston (15), the immigrant ancestor of the General Sam Houston Lineage (GSH). Also consistent with this identification is the fact that Robert's will identifies a brother Samuel, and Robert (1) did in fact have a brother Samuel per Source:Houston, 1882.

Against this assessment are several discrepancies between the information in Source:Houston, 1882 and the information given in this will. The former, for example, identifies only children John and Samuel. While this is not consistent with the identification, its also not in opposition to it, as its quite possible that Source:Houston, 1882 simply lacked this additional information.

More critically, Source:Houston, 1882 identifies the wife of Robert (1) as "Margaret Davidson", while Robert of the will identifies his wife as "Mary". Several possibilities exist for interpreting this. a) Source:Houston, 1882 may simply have been in error b) "Mary" is a mistranslation on the part of Source:Chalkley's Chronicles, the intermediate source of the will. c) Robert of the will is in fact a different person from Robert (1) as identified by Source:Houston, 1882 d) Robert had two wives, the first named Margaret, and the second named Mary. e) The real name of Robert's wife was "Mary Margaret" or "Margaret Mary". There is no evidence to suggest this, other than the fact that Source:Houston, 1882 gives her name as one "Margaret", and Robert's will identifies his wife as "Mary".

While there is evidence for more than one line of Houston's in Old Augusta, most of the Houston's documented in Chalkley's Chronicles seem to be associated with the GSH lineage. No Robert Houston's (other than Robert (1) have been identified in the GSH line that are age appropriate to have written a will and died c1760. The only other male line so far identified is that related to Person:Archibald Houston (2), who lived well to the north in Old Augsuta, just over the border in modern Rockingham County. A "Robert Houston" has not been identified as a son of this Archibald.

It seems likely that Robert of the will is in fact Robert (1), and that he had more children than indicated by Source:Houston, 1882. An explanation is needed, however, for the difference in wife's given name.