John Houston (1689 or 1690 – 1754) was an Irish-born American planter. He immigrated from Ireland to Colonial America in the 1730s. During the voyage the passengers learned that the ship's captain planned on robbing the wealthy passengers of their gold sovereigns. They took control of the vessel and sailed to Philadelphia. After living a number of years in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Houston moved his family and established a plantation in what is now

Rockbridge County, Virginia Rockbridge County is a County (United States), county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 22,650. Its count ...

. His great-grandson was

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

Background

During the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

, the Houstons and other Presbyterians emigrated from Scotland and settled in

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

. The great migration from Scotland to the north of Ireland occurred between 1640 and 1670, during the later stages of the

Plantation of Ulster The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: ) was the organised Settler colonialism, colonisation (''Plantation (settlement or colony), plantation'') of Ulstera Provinces of Ireland, province of Irelandby people from Great ...

. Houston descends from baronets ( Sir Patrick Houstoun, 1st Baronet). Sir John Houston, a baron, built a castle near

Johnstone Johnstone (,
) is a town in the

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

, Scotland. He received an estate, given to an ancestor, Sir Hugh de Paduinan, after he saved the life of Malcolm, King of Scotland. The area was known initially as Hugh's-town for Sir Hugh and became what is now known as Houston ( ), in

, Scotland.

Biography

Houston, given his father's name, was born in 1689 or 1690 in

in the northern reaches of the

Kingdom of Ireland The Kingdom of Ireland (; , ) was a dependent territory of Kingdom of England, England and then of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1542 to the end of 1800. It was ruled by the monarchs of England and then List of British monarchs ...

(1542–1800). Around 1735, Houston, his wife, four sons, two daughters, and his widowed mother left Ireland for Pennsylvania; one of their seven children, James, stayed in Ireland and died there. According to

Marquis James Marquis James (August 29, 1891, Springfield, Missouri – November 19, 1955) was an American author and journalist, twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his works ''The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston'' and ''The Life of Andrew Jackson''. Early ...

's biographer, the family left

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Ireland, for Pennsylvania in 1730. They and other families carried gold sovereigns on their transatlantic journey, which was rare among immigrants. The ship's master, with others, planned to steal the money. The passengers were made aware of the scheme in the mid-Atlantic and they took control of the ship, apprehended the captain and put him in chains, and navigated the ship into the port of Philadelphia. The Houstons settled in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

. While in Pennsylvania, Houston's two daughters and a son, John, were married. They were Houston's three eldest children. Conestoga Wagon 1883 - 512px

The family traveled along the

Great Wagon Road The Great Wagon Road, also known as the Philadelphia Wagon Road, is a historic trail in the eastern United States that was first traveled by indigenous tribes, and later explorers, settlers, soldiers, and travelers. It extended from British Penn ...

, through the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

, to Old Augusta County, Virginia (now

) around 1742 or 1745, where Houston acquired Borden's Tract from Benjamin Borden for $25 for 100 acres. They traveled with other Scot-Irish Presbyterian families who intended to build churches and schools. Houston built a stockade fort that provided some safety from wild animals and Native Americans. His house was large enough to take in a number of families. A grammar school and a log meetinghouse known as the Old Providence Church, were established near the fort. The New Providence Church was established for the members who lived in the lower settlement, near Walker's and Hays' Creeks. Houston established the Timber Ridge Plantation (now the site of Church Hill in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

). He contracted with

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as paymen ...

s for their labor for a specified number of years. Among the first to do so, he purchased African Americans to be his slaves, and expanded the amount of acreage and the number of enslaved people as he prospered. He served as a judge and military soldier, fighting the French and Native Americans. He became unofficially known as Squire Houston. In 1754, he was clearing a field in Augusta, during which he set a tree on fire. The tree fell on him and he died. Houston was buried at the Old Providence Church. His son Robert took over management, as well as the gentrification, of Timber Ridge.

Personal life

He married Mary Margaret Cunningham and they had six or seven children. Their children were: Robert, Isabella, Esther, John III, Samuel, Matthew, and James.

Legacy

was Houston's great grandson, who descended through his grandparents John Houston II and Sarah Todd and his parents Samuel and Elizabeth Paxton Houston.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, John 17th-century births 1754 deaths American slave owners Ulster Scots people 18th-century American planters Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies