Notes for John Huston:

Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2001 22:55:55 -0700
From: James Houston <cen14813@centuryinter.net>
To: LONGCANE-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: Biography: John Huston and Alice Armstrong

MIGRATION
John Huston and Alice (Elsie) Armstrong came to Long Cane around 1763. Not sure they were married before or after they arrived in Long Cane Don't know where John came from. Alice came from the Fork of the James community in Augusta county, VA, and came to Long Cane with her brothers Robert and John Armstrong.

ORIGINS
John was of Scotch Irish ancestry although we don't know who his parents were. Alice's parents Robert Armstrong and Mary (?) migrated form Ireland in about 1735 and settled in Chester, PA. Then moved to Augusta county, VA, in about 1751. Some say Alice's mother was a Calhoun.

LIFE IN LONG CANE
John petitioned for a 100 acre tract on Long Cane Creek and the plat recorded on July 4, 1763; the Royal Grant made on March 2, 1764 described it as 100 acres on a branch of the NW Fork of Long Cane Creek, bounded NW part on vacant land and part on land of John, James & Catherine Calhoun; NE on land of Ezekiel Calhoun, deceased; SE part on land of Mary Noble and part on land of Aaron Alexander; SW
on vacant land. On April 18 & 19, 1770, Robert Armstrong (possibly Alice's brother or father) deeded 200 acres that had been granted to Aaron Alexander on November 4, 1762. Land described as on NW Fork of Long Cane Creek bounded on NE land of Mary Nobel; SW on land of hugh Calhoun and part vacant; W & NW on land of William Calhoun and John Messer. John's will listed a 300 acre plantation.

John and Alice had six children, all born in Long Cane: Robert, John, Joseph, Benjamin, Alexander, and Catherine. The children all spelled the name Houston although in John Sr's will dated June 1, 1778, it is spelled Huston. John died sometime between 1778 and 1793 (when his will was probated). He possibly died during the Revolutionary War, however we have no proof of his service. Houstons were Presbyterians. Fort Boon was built by the Calhouns, Houstons, and Nobles about 1773. The Fort Boone congregation services were held in the Fort which later became the Lower Long Cane Presbyterian Church, and then the Hopewell Meeting House in 1788. In his will he left his wife, Alice (Elsie), 1/3 of his personal estate and control of the 300 acre Plantation. He named his children and they were all under age
as he directed Else to "keep all the children together on said lands & plantation and raise & school them out of the profits to that may be made off said lands with their assistance and the Negro fellow called George."

Of the children: Robert, 1765-1834, and moved to Tennessee with his mother Alice, about 1790. In 1792 he became the first Sheriff of Knox county. In 1819, he received through John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, a commission from the president of the United Sates appointing him to part of the survey lines of the reserved tracts of land in Tennessee according to the treaty of 1819 with the Cherokee nation. He married Margaret Davis in 1794 and they had six children.

John Houston Jr., married Mary Waddell and died sometime before 1793.

Benjamin Houston married Betsy (?) and died before 1824

Joseph Houston - some descendants say he married Elizabeth Oswald, others say it was Elizabeth Waddell.

Alexander Houston (1777-1855), buried in the Houston cemetery near Calhoun Mill. Alexander was my gg-grandfather. Married first Susannah Elizabeth Clark and had eight children. Susannah died in 1825 at age 47. He then married Jane Catherine Bertwhistle Postell and had seven more children, one of whom was my great grandfather Armstrong Postell Houston Armstrong graduated from Jefferson
Medical College in Pennsylvania and served as a Confederate surgeon in the Civil war. He moved to Clarkesville, GA, had a medical practice, and died there in 1901.

Catherine Houston married George Route.

Seems most of the descendants scattered across the South and none that I know of with the Houston name still live in the Long Cane area.

James Houston
Hickory Creek, TX

--------------------------------
End of LONGCANE-D Digest V01 Issue #138

Will of John Huston
From Abbeville SC Court House
Office of Probate
Box 4647 Pack 1059
Last Will and Testament of John Houston Sen. Dec 12
(blank) being weak of body but of sound memory (bless God) do this day, viz, the first d of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight make and publish this my last will and testament in manner following: that is to say first I give and bequeath to my dear & loving wife Else Huston the one third of all my personal estate, to wit of money goods & chattels; also the management of all my lands & plantation with all profits thereof during her widowhood and no longer; and excepting that she is to keep all of the children together on said land & plantation ? & school them out of all profits that may be made out of said Lands & plantation with their assistance and the Negro ? called George. Also I give and bequeath an equal share & part of all my lands, viz, three hundred acres, with my money, goods & chattels to my son Robert Huston, & my son John Huston, & my son Joseph Huston, & my son Benjamin Huston, & my son Alexander Huston & also my daughter Catherien Huston. I also will & allow that all my debts if any there be, with burial expenses, be paid first of all out of my the whole of my estate & the residue to be divided as above. And I make & ordain her, my said wife , sole executra of this will, in trust for the intents & purposes in this my will contained. In witness thereof, the said John Huston have to this my Last Will & Testament set my hand and seal the d & year above written.

Signed, sealed & delivered by the said John Huston as & for his last will and testament in the presence of us who were present at the signing & sealing thereof.
William Calhoun, JP
Henry Geddes
Sarah Calhoun

Endorsed on the will. Else Huston took the Oath of Executr. to the within Will the 25th day of June 1793 Before me.
NB The original was eat by some vermin, which occasions the B above

State of South Carolina, Abbeville Co., to wit.
In open court this tenth day of June one thousand seven hundred and ninety three personally came Sarah Calhoun, now Sarah Basking, one of the witnesses to the above will & made oath that she saw John Houston, deceased, sign, seal, publish, pronounce & declare the same to be his last will and testament and that he was then of sound and perfect mind. memory & understanding to the best of the deponents knowlege and belief & that William Calhoun Esquire, as Henry Geddes, together with this deponent did subscribe their names thereto as witnesses in the presence of the Testator and at his request and in the presence of each other. Certified by order of court the day and date mentioned above.

Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2001 22:17:53 EDT
From: <GLeslie376@aol.com>
To: LONGCANE-L@rootsweb.com
Message-ID: <117.ccbd2c.28694ad1@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Houston and Armstrong

There is a John Houston d. 1799 buried at Cedar Spring.

Gloria