Houston332 LAWS OF NORTH CAROLINA -1780.
II. Be it therefore enacted, that It shall and may be lawful for his exce4.
+ lency the Governor, with the advice of the Council of State, in case it should,
appear absolutely necessary, to send to the assistance of South Carolina a;
further 'relief of any number of -men -not exceedingeight thousand, to be?
raised in the same manner and under the like rules and regulations, and'
entitled to the same bounty, pay, subsistence and allowance, as the men'
to be raised under the said recited Act. -
0�.�///�G'.+''�_'�/l CHAPTER XVIII.
7-011 An Act to invest the title of a certain trait of Land therein mentioned in,,,•
William Houston, his heirs and assigns, in fee simple.
I. Whereas it hath been made appear to the satisfaction of the Gen
oral Assembly that William Houston purchased of Henry McCulloch, for;
two valuable considerations, a tract of land in Duplin County, on the.7.
northeast of Cape Fear river, containing eight hundred and forty acres,
granted to the said Henry McCulloch by patent bearing date the third day
of March, anno domini one thousand seven hundred and forty five, and
bounded as follows: Beginning at a gum on the east branch of the river
Cape Fear, and running thence east fifty one chains to a pine. by the Indian
- branch, then south twenty degrees west eighty seven chains to lightwood.
then south seventy degrees east three chains to a pine, then south twenty;
degrees west fifty seven chains to a large pine in a great meadoiv, l
then south sixty degrees west forty chains to a stake by the said northeast'
branch of Cape Fear river, then up the various courses of the said branch>6
to the first station. And whereas,the said William Houston hath actually,'
been to quiet and peaceable possessionof the,aforesaid tract of land ever,
since the year 1747, without any legal conveyance from the late. Henrynle?I
Culloch, and the same being now subject to confiscation, to the great Injuryj'
of the said William Houston; For remedy whereof, .
II. Be It enacted by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina;'.
that the title of the said tract of land containing eight hundred and forty;
acres, bounded as before mentioned, shall be, and is hereby, declared to lies`;
invested in the said William Houston, his heirs and assigns, in fee simple-
CHAPTER XIX.
An Act for vesting and confirming In Hannah Reed, widow and administra.'y
trix of the late Reverend James Reed,deceased, the personal estate',
of the said James Reed in her ownright,and for other purposes.
I. Whereas the Reverend James Reed died intestate, and left no child..','
ren, or other legal representative in this or any 'of the United State of,;,
America; and whereas by an Act of the'General Assembly now in force'ft,�,
this State, Intituled, An Act appointing q„method for. the distributing intea±;
tates estates, passed in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundredi
and fifty six, only one moiety of the estate of such intestateis allotted to
his widow; and whereas the whole of the property,of .which the said Jamee,
'i Reed died possessed of was acquired by his intermarriage with his now'$
✓1 widow; -
^. J II. Be 1t therefore enacted by the General Assembly of the State of
North Carolina, and It is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that.
.C' vitt County Public Library
MoCysville, NG
� Jl�,h IU A/ xA
THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION 235
cal concern for constitutional principles. The tax was payable in specie
and for that reason was a particular hardship in the Lower Cape Fear
where bullion was scarce. Any, additional drain, , howevcr small, was
intolerable and could not be accepted. Although thry were not repre-
sented at the Stamp Act Congress, five hundred people met in Wilming-
ton to protest the act on October 19, 1765, the same day the Congress is-
sued the "Declaration of Rights and Grievances." The particular object
of their wrath was an inhabitant of the town who had expressed a
favorable opinion of the tax. His effigy was hung near the courthouse
at Front and Market Streets, and later burned in a large bonfire. The
crowd then proceeded to every house in town, routing out the men and
escorting them to the bonfire. There they were required to drink
toast to "LIBERTY, PROPERTY, and no STAMP DUTY, and Confusion to Lord
B[u]te and all his adherents." Lord Bute was a former Prime Minister.
of England on whom they blamed the odious law. About midnight
gathering dispersed without further incident.`
This event was followed on the evening of October 31, the night t',:.; : • : ::
before the law was to become effective, by a more pminous demonstrgo- = �"
tion. A large group gathered and with an effi of "Libert " in a coffin`; ~' ?`".�.
walked in aprocession to the church yard. The beating of a mourning',,:.,,
drum and the doleful tolling of the town bell added to the solcmnity'pf:'''
the occasion. The demonstration developed into a little pageant in v�rhl'ch777":;
preparations were made to commit the effigy to the ground. Before' this'
took place, it was discovered that some life remained and "Liberty" was •'�
not dead. This was an occasion for celebration. The effigy wasplaced `
in an arm chair before a bonfire, and the evening ended with grFat :;.
�-- rejoicing.'
The Stamp Act went into effect on November i, but the first
Udid not arrive in the Cape Fear until November 28. Nevertheless, the
popular resentment did not lessen. On November 16, Dr. William.
_Houston, who had been appointed Stamp Receiver without his kno3Xl- �, : ,:
ed e, visited Wilmington from his home in Duplin County and
confronted by a group of from three hundred to four hundred of the
inhabitants. Though he disavowed any intention of executing th`
office, the crowd was not satisfied until he had been escorted to the court-;-'` '
H house and had signed a resignation. In this instrument, executed before'
the mayor of Wilmington and several aldermen, Houston' -agreed not to'
'0 receive any stamped paper or otherwise act as Stamp Receiver. This
f� incident was followed by a gay celebration but, as in t previous demon=
y= stration, there was no resort to violence or firearms'
G ru
un�Y public
Q OG
oc�5viij�' NC
� i
246 THE LOWER CAPE FEAR 1N COLONIAL DAYS
During these demonstrations Governor Tryon had been confined by
an extended illness to his home, Bellfont, to the north of Brunswick.
He became increasingly disturbed by the defiant attitude of the ' Cape
Fear people and took steps to pacify them before the arrival of the stamps.
In answer to his invitation, about fifty merchants and other gentlemen of
Brunswick, Bladen, and New Hanover counties joined him at dinner
at his home on November 18, 1765. Using his most diplomatic manner,
Tryon indicated a sympathetic understanding of the grievances of the
people, but, at the same time, attempted to fulfill his obligations as 'a
good Crown officer.
He told the assembled group that it was not his intention to discuss
the complex question of Parliament's right of taxation and expressed the
hope that the arrival of the stamps would be met with by no violent
reaction by the Cape Fear people. He also stated that it was his hope
that none present was "desirous of destroying the Dependance on the
Mother Country" and that they would not reflect any such sentiment by
opposing the laws of Great Britain. The Governor added that he realized
that there was -not enough cash in the whole colony to pay the tax 'for
a single year and that it was his intention to exert every effort to have
North Carolina exempted from the operation of the Stamp Act in the
event the law was not repealed. In the meantime, he asked that the
people accept the tax and benefit -in the trade that other -'col nus 'were._
losing by stubbornly resisting the law. As tangible evidence of his con-
cern for the people, Tryon offered to pay the stamp tax on all documents
on which he collected a fee and also to pay personally fora specified
number of wine licenses for certain towns in the province.5 .
His guests heard Tryon out and then requested permission to give
him their answer on the following morning, which they' did. The
gentlemen, in their reply, professed loyalty to the Crown and denied any
desire to break the ties with the mother country. At the sametime,
however, they stated that the Stamp Act was destructive of their rights
as British subjects and could not be accepted, in whole or its part;-fThey
expressed a particular objection to trial of violators without benefit of
jury o is
Following Houston's resignation as Stamp Receiver, no one dared
risk the wrath of the people by accepting the post. As a consequence,
when the stamps finally arrived on November 28, aboard .H, M. Sloop
Diligence, there was no one to accept them and they remained aboard
ship. The lack of stamps stopped ' the mov 'merit of ships in and out of
Cape Fear River as it did the operation of the courts. The commercial
avie County Public Library
Mocksville, NC
0
Dr. William Houston line.
Dear Mr. Houston,
Route 6, Box 138
Chapel Hill, N. C. 27514
Dec. 30, 1970
For many reasons I have been unable to get around to answering your
letter and inquiry into the Houston family.
To begin with I am not too versed in this line. However, it is a
pleasure to give you the information I have. Some of it was hard to come
by - but I don't give up easily.
Let's go back to the first Houston ancestor:
Dr. William Houston, born in England, came to this country with his
uncle Henry McCollough about 1730-1735. We do not know his age. McCollough
was a wealthy merchant from Scotland and owned a fleet of sailing vessels,
also he was a friend of King George II . His sister, the mother of William
was one of the kings ladies and was the father of William. The story
caused me much embarrassment in my younger days - & I felt it was a good
thing for the King to disperse him to this country. He became important
in the colonies and proved to be a man of worth and respect. Now, Henry
McCollough had a daughter Margaret, who married a Griffith Jones. Now
Griffith Jones and Margaret McCollough had a daughter, Ann. Griffith Jones
and Margaret McCollough had a daughter Ann. Griffith Jones was born in
England and settled in Bladen County. (Will book # 1, page 514) Ann died
after 1807. Now, Dr. William Houston and Ann Jones (the grand daughter of
Henry McCollough) married. } t}nPt r,,410 61- /1'1��� �Lpv� n�► GR► r�'T J��v ^
JG�. l'�"�nlr�Y /��1�U�Lv�.�SEC. D� �13U✓iN�E
Children of this couple were 4 ons and one of them
I located the name of the four sons
William Houston, Jr. died ?1740, not married but quite a guy
*Edward Houston - mar. Mary Miller
Griffith Houston
* Henry Houston
1 daughter who married Capt. William Hubbard.
2. My ancestor Henry who was married to Sarah Miller, daughter of Margaret
McCulloch and Capt. George miller. She was the granddaughter of Henry
McCulloch.
Children of Henry Houston viz.
Major George E. Houston public Library
William Houston Davie County
Stephen Houston MOGkSVIII@, N�
Nancy Houston
Jane Houston
Mary Houston
Sarah Houston
Betsey Houston
Margaret Houston
Henry Houston - married Mary Williams
Major George E. Houston born about 1744, died 5-12-1835 married
Tabitha Williams (5-27-1788, 7-16-1853)
Children: Calvin I. Houston
George E. Houston
Sarah Eliza Houston
Alfred (?_ Houston
Edward H. Houston
Alfred Houston (ancestor) married Winniefred Williams (Duplin Co.)
Children: Mattie Houston
Malvina Houston
Mattie Houston married Thomas Patterson Quinn, my parents.
Children:
I'm somewhat confused at this point. It seems yours is a different line
possibly connected. I've heard my grandmother tell of these people and
Sam Houston visited in their home. I don't recall which line- she called
him Sam- and was a cousin. It seems that her mother was a Houston who
married a Williams - thus Sam's father could have been her mother's
brother. He was quite a guy- a regular Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I wish I could help you, but I fear I havent.
It would be nice to know something about you, status, life, etc.
My grandfather was Alfred Houston. I live alone in a rural area which is
thickly populated and have access to many advantages. With the help of the
Trust Dept. I run my own little doings in real estate and rentals.
I'm active and 68. I lost my husband Easter Sunday - but my memories are
beautiful.
Enclosed a few copied pages you might enjoy - or it might help.
Sincerely yours,
Cleora Q. Hudson (Mrs. 0. W. Hudson)
Mrs. hudson - p 2
Dec. 18, 1947
deed of gift to William is for part of the same land. While he had
settled them there, he could do nothing about making a title to the sons
until he himself had a title from the Legislature.
Another good thing that the certified deed does (Duplin Co. Book
D -F -T -U) is show that Dr. William Houston's wife was still living when
this deed was made in 1784, as he provided that he and his wife should
have wood and timber. In estimating the time of her death, I think that
I would enter it "after May 13, 1784" and cite this deed to show that
she was alive then.
For the death of Dr. William Houston, I read the court minutes
through 1807 without finding anything about his estate. I might have
thought that he died during the period when there are no courtminutes
(Oct. 1791 through Jan. 1793) except for the fact that he was one of the
justices present in October 1793. This seems to have been his last
appearance. It looks as if James Sprunt might have been right in saying
he went to Tennessee. At least, he must have left Duplin County. There
is one possible chance of finding where he went. When justices were
leaving the State, or for some other reason did not wish to serve any
longer, they usually sent in their resignations to the legislature, and
a great many of these have been preserved with the legislative papers. I
think that I would mdXi it that Wm. Houston left Duplin County after Oct.
1793, and call attention to Sprunt's statement that he went to Tennessee,
and probably, to Texas.
It really would not be necessary to use Dr. William Houston in the
paper if you were to join the D.A.R.'s on Capt. Henry Houston, but only
to show that Henry was old enough for service. His name on the 1783 tax
list would do that.
If you do get this line fixed up back to Dr. William Yiouston, you
will already have your Colonial Dame's requirements met. One requirement
is that the ancestor must have been in this county prior 10 1750. The
petition shows that he came in 1742. I could get together a plenty of
Colonial Service for him with very little trouble.
Wm. Houston was a justice of Duplin County during the colonial period,
was associated with McCulloh in inducing settlers to come to the colony,
and probably, other service could be had. It would not be necessary to
use anything about the stamp episode. In North Carolina Items from the
South Carolina Gazette, Vol 3, 1762-1769, I find two mentions. One is in the is!
issue of Sept. 21, 1765 that several distributors of stamps had declined
acting in an office so disagreeable to their fellow subjects. One of these
was Henry Eustace McCulloh, Esq. in North Carolina. In the issue of
October 30, 1765, there is a long article giving in detail an account of
the trouble when the ship Planter's Adventure came to anchor, supposed
to have a stamp officer or stamped paper on board. They did not know then
who had been appointed Stamp Master, but supposed that it was one George
Saxby. There are some items of interest also in Vol 7 of the North Carolina
Colonial Records. After the Holidays I will copy the account from the
South Carolina Gazette for you. The North Carolina Colonial Records are
supposed to be in every courthouse in this State. They are also in many
Davie County Public Ubra
ry
Mocksville, NC
!LETTER TO NORMA ANDERSON FROM BILL HOUSTON.
I can not recall if my earlier posting included anything about Sally
(Sarah) "Houston" Killen, but she was a daughter of Henry b. 1794-5 N. C.
Note that the area in KY was part of N. C. prior to 1797. She wasn't the
daughter with Henry in 1816 because she and Henry Killen are also in the
1816 census with one female child. She and Killen probably married about
1814-15 in Wayne Co. as it usually did not take a couple much over 9 months
to have their 1st baby in those times. Usually less now.
I am aware of the William Houston, Missionary, in the Wayne Co. area ca.
1812 but know very little about him. The early Houstons were Methodist..
I went to the Meth. Archives at Milsaps College here in Jackson (I live in
greater Jackson) and did find some about his Missionary activities but
nothing of his family. My Henry had a brother William who was killed in
the battle of Hanging Rock, Rev. war. This brother left two sons William
and James. My Henry applied for bounty grants in Wash. Co., GA for these
Nephews in 1784 and presented himself as their Guardian. In Chester Co.,
S.C., 8 Jan. 1788, Francis Henderson was assigned Guardian of James Houston
Orphan of William Houston deceased; Maj. Michal Dickson assigned Guardian
of William Houston Orphan of William Houston deceased. In 1822 Abbyville Co.,
SC there is Orphan William who never married and was, I think, a Minister.
If this is true, and I am just trying to recall some old notes regarding
the Minister part, then he well could have been the Missionary and rules
him out as the father of Catherine. I hope to check this as time permits.
I know the above is not your line and I do appreciate your interest. You
did help since I knew nothing of a Walker connection. I will be on the
lookout for your Henry, Francis, and Orange Walker.
I am sending you some material I received in 1970 concerning Dr. William
Houston and Henry McCollouch (MacColloh). I did not follow up on this
because I didn't believe it was my line tho there is a slight possibility
of a connection. There was a Thomas in Duplin Co., NC 1740-50 and Dr.
William had a son Henry. I cannot vouch for its accuracy but it is
interesting _ William being born on the wrong side of the bed and the Kings
Court and all. I quickly scanned a microfilm at a branch of the Mormon
Lib. here in Clinton last week of early NC Colonial Records. It concerned
the Commission of Henry McCullouch for supervising, inspecting, and
controlling the Crowns Grants of Land in N and S Carolina. It included
Mc. reports and problems encountered with the Colonist etc. but nothing of
genealogy interest.
Again thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Bill
Davie County Public Library
Mocksville, NG
0
T
From: N. C. State Department of Archives and History Legislative Papers -
Senate 1780 - L.P. 34
To the Honorable the Members of the General Assembly of the State of
North Carolina
The Humble Petition of William Houston Sheweth-
That Your Petitioner settled on a Tract of Land belonging to Henry
McCulloh Esq on the north East of Cape Fear Called Soraots Lying in
Duplin County in the Year 1742 and in the Year 1747 the said Henry McCulloh
who was Uncle to Your Petitioner left No. Carolina and went to England,
on his leaving the Country he left Your Petitioner in full Possession of
all btA Personal Estate on Soracte and of the Land on which he had
settled as Aforesaid Containing Eight Hundred and Forty Acres which he
gave him in Consideration of his Affection for your Petitioner as his
Nephew and of his Services in assisting him in his Business for Several
Years.
That from the time your Petitioner Settled on the aforesaid Lands he
hath Continued in Peaceable and Quiet possession to this day and hath
Settled four of his Sons on the Same who have made Some Considerable
improvements thereon as well as Your Petitioner, that he and they have
regularly paid the Quit -Rents and Taxes on the Said Land, and from the time
of Our Happy Revolution have been considered Free Citisens of the State
and several of his Said Sons have born Arms in the Defence of the State.
But as your Petitioner hath not been so happy as to Obtain a Con-
veyance of the Said Land from the Said Henry McCulloh, and the Said henry
McCulloh's Estate as an Absentee from this State by a late lair been
declared forfeited and Confiscate to the use of the State.
Your Petitioner is apprehensive his Title may be called in question
and He or his Sons involved in trouble and Law Suits unless Your Honorable
Body will be Pleased to interfere in the premises & establish a Law Your
Petitioners Right by passing a Law for that purpose, which Your Petitioner
humbly Conceives you in your Wisdom and justice will think Right.
All which your Petitioner humbly Submits to Your Consideration &
prays that you will pass an Act for Vesting the Fee Simple for the Said
840 Acres of Land in your Petitioner and his Heirs & Assigns.
W. Houston
Newbern April 24th 1780
Referred to Courtneys Committee
Notation on bottom of first sheet - (settled)
State of North Carolina
In the House of Commons 24 Apr 1780
This House concur with your in referring
& David Marshall to the Committee appointed to
the petitions of William Courtney aWi Others.
By order=`
J. Hunt CPC
the Petitions of Wm. Houston
take under consideration
Thos Donbury J. C.
Davie County Public UVWY,
Mocksville, NG
Dr. Houston's wife was Ann Jones, daughter of "Squire Griffith Jones
of Bladen County. Their children were as follows:
(1) WILLIAM HOUSTON, JR., born about 1740. He was a surveyer for
° Henry McCulloch who owned a large amount of land in Duplin County. About
the year 1767 he located in Wilmington and entered the Mercantile business.
There is tradition in the family that he was shot and killed in Wilmington
when a young man and his body brought td) Duplin County for burial.
(2) EDWARD HOUSTON, lived and died in Duplin County. His wife was
Mary Miller, daughter of Margaret (McCulloch) and Captain George Miller.
Their children were as follows: (a) Henry Houston, Jr. (b) Rebecca
Houston, married Williams, (c) Winifred Houston. Apparently others.
(3) GRIFFITH HOUSTON, lived and died in Duplin County. His wife's name
was Ann Martha (Patsy) but her maiden name cannot now be given. Their
children were: (a) William Hubbard Houston, married Tobitha Smith, daughter
of Frederick and Winifred Smith (b) Mary Houston married John Maxwell,
son of William and Elizabeth Maxwell. (c) Elizabeth Houston, married
Zacheue Smith, son of Frederick and Winifred Smith. (d) Penelope Hous6n.
(e) Nancy Houston.
(4) Henry Houston, married Sarah Miller, daughter of Margaret (McCulloch)
and Captain George Miller. Their children were: (a) Major George W. Houston,
married Tobitha Williams. (b) William Houston, married Chelly Williams.
(c) Stephen Houston (d) Nancy Houston (e) James Houston (f) Mary Houston
(g) Sarah Houston (h) Betsey Houston (i) Margaret Houston (j) possibly
Henry Houston who married Mary Williams.
(5) a DAUGHTER, married Captain William Hubbard who was an outstanding
American patriot during the Revolutionary War.
s
Copy The Duplin Times, March 31, 1938. Kenansville, N. C.
OUR YESTERDAYS
HISTORY - BIOGRAPHY _ GENEALOGY
(by A. T. Outlaw)
WILLIAM HOUSTON:
A brief account of the life of Dr. William Houston, of Sarocta,
Duplin County, appeared in this column on April 1, 1937. It was written
purposely to show that some historians have left a wrong impression of
Dr. Hous$n. Since that time it has been found that Dr. Houston's name
was ably defended in an address delivered by J. 0. Carr, Esq., of
Wilmington, before the North Carolina Society of Colonial Dames, at old
Brunswick, several years ago. He spoke of Dr. Houston in substantially
the following words"
"One hundred and fifty years have elased since the Houston epi�od�,
and it is not too early to begin to do justice to the victim; not will it
detract from the heroism of the patriots of 1765, who were inspired by a
righteous indignation against every form of oppression.
By a careful discriminating reading of all the subject -matter at our
command, it will be easily seen that the indignation of the people of 1765
was not directed against Houston nor against any conduct of his, but
against the principle of the British stamp tax.
In order to get a comprehensive view of Houston as a man it is necessary
to consider him before 1765 and after 1765.
William Houston did not live in Wilmington nor in Brunswick, but
resided in Duplin County on the Northeast River, about sixty miles north of
Wilmington, in a direct line. He was an associate of Henry McCulloch in
his attempt to colonize North Carolina, and was one of the original settlers
who came to this community some time between 1737 and 1748. This locality
was then a part of the county of New Hanover.
Houston was a man of unusual ability and was known as an "honorable
gentlemen." By profession he was a surgeon and apothocary. A tradition,
too well founded in the community in which he lived to be seriously dis-
puted, at least forms the basis for a well-established belief that royal
blood flowed in his veins. The General Assembly of 1749 and 1750 establish-
ed the county of Duplin and St. Gabriel's parish, and William Houston was
named as a member of the vestry of that parish. From 1751 to 1761, inclu-
sive, he was a member of the General Assembly from Duplin County, and
following that date was a justice of the peace, along with other leading
citizens of his county; and in those days the office of justice of the peace
was a position of considerable importance.
When he was appointed stamp agent for the port of Brunswick, he was
residing on his farm in Duplin County, on a high elevation on the North
east River, at a place known as "Soraote"-- so called, no doubt, from the
mountain by that name in Italy on which was built the ancient Temple of
Appollo.
On the 19th of October, 1765, after he had been apointed stamp agent
and notice of such appointment had reached Brunswick direct from England,
Houston was hanged in effigy in the town of Wilmington, the only reason
given for such action being that the several hundred citizens who partici-
pated were informed of his having several times experessedf much
County ?able l
pave �je, NGM
_4
V
e
in favor of the stamp duty"-- and it is possible that he honestly favored
such a tax, but there is no evidence that he favored it without the
people's consent.
Again, on the 31st of October, 1765, a large number of people met in
Wilmington and placed an effigy in a coffin and moved under the beat of
drums to the churchyard - no doubt St. James' church --where the interment
was to take place; but after feeling its puls, decided that Liberty still
survived, and no burial took place. Also, Dr. Houston was hanged in effigy
at New Bern and at Fayetteville about the same time.
During all of these exhibitions of patriotism, Dr. Houston was
pursuing his duties as surgeon and apothacary at "Socracts", now known as
"Sarocta" and he afterwards protested that he had not solicited and did not
even know of his appointment as stamp agent at the time of such demo-
strations. It was not until Saturday, the 16th day of November, nearly
a month after his first hanging and demise, that Dr. Houston came to town,
where three hundred people, with drums beating and flags flying, proceeded
to his lodging place and inquired whether he intended to execute the office
of stamp agent. Without hesitation he informed them that he "should be
sorry to execute any office disagreeable to the people of the province"; and
as an exhibition of good faith voluntarily signed the famous promise,
which was do(g,fii of his own free will and accord; and he was not even required
to take an oath, as has been generally believed. If this promise had been
signed under force or duress, he would hardly have been given an ovation;
but after he had indicated his sentiments on this matter there was a love
feast and he was put in an arm -chair and carried around the courthouse and
around one of the chief squares of the city of Wilmington and finally put
down at his lodging place.
A careful and discriminating reading of the entire story must convince
the thinking man that instead of a riot and a lynching in the city when
Dr. Houston came to town, there was something in the nature of a banquet
in his honor, on the discovery by the people that the sentiments of the
man selected by the Crown to sell stamps were in harmony with theirs; and
no doubt Dr. Houston enjoyed the eats and drinks as much as any one, though
the drought in those days around "soracte" was doubtless not as marked as
it is today.
The episode in Wilmington did not in any tray affect the standing of
Dr. Houston in his own county, where he was highly honored and respected
by his fellow -citizens. In 1768 he was appointed a justice of the peace
in Duplin County, and likewise again in 1771. In 1777 he was chairman of
the "Court Martial" in Duplin County, whose duties were to hunt down Tories
and deserters and to bring to justice Americans who were not faithful to
our cause; and together with James Kapan and Joseph Dickson, whose names
were synonymous with patriotism in that community, he acted in this
capacity, and as chairman of the commission. He continued to serve his
county in public positions, and as late as 1784 was appointed a justice of
the peace by Alexander Martin, inhich capacity he served for sometime
thereafter. The time of his Beat or the place of his burial can not be
stated with certainty, but it is thought that he was buried in the
community in which he lived. His descendants to this day have exhibited
the same elements of brilliancy and patriotism seen in Dr. Houston."
Davie County Pu .
Mocksv4l blic Ljbr
�, NO �
t
I
Dear Alice, 1
8034 Lemoran Ave.
Pico Rivera, CA. 90660
April 20, 1989
I have been intending to write you ever sin6e Christmas, but I don't
know where the time goes. I can't believe April is almost over.
It was so good to hear from you. How rho you like your new place?
Isn't it nice not to have to go to work?
I hope you are back into your research now. Have you been able to use
any of the McCulloch/McCulloh information I sent a year or so ago? I
realize it was incomplete, but I think it did have some value as a
guide. Unfortunately there is a lot of wrong information about old
Henry and his children.
I do have some more information that is very interesting and may give
you some leads. My sister, Norma Anderson, has been working on our
Walker line and has been corresponding with a Bill Houston in Miss-
issippi whose Houston line had married into a Walker line. He men-
tioned he thought his Houston line came from North Carolina. Norma
wrote him that the only Houston she knew in North Carolina was William
Houston who was involved with Henry McCulloh, and that we had a
McCulloh line we were researching.
She received a reply from him sending her some information he had
received in 1970 from a descendant of William Houston's, his great -
great -great gragkaughter, Mrs. Cleora Quinn Hudson.
I am sending you a copy of the material he sent. There is a letter
from Mrs. Hudson, a copy of a newspaper article on William Houston,
a page from a genealogist who was helping her, and a copy of a peti-
tion William Houston made to the General Assembly of North Carolina
concerning Soracta, which he claimed was given him by his uncle,
° Henry McCulloh.
/ Mrs. Hudson is wrong about part of her ancestry. The Margaret
/ McCullou h who married Griffith Jones was the daughter of Henry,
the Secretary of the Province, who died in 1755, not our Henry.
v (I am enclosing a copy of the article "Henry McCulloch and Henry
�- McCulloh" that shows how the two have been mixed up in history
books. Also, a copy of Henry McCulloch's will.)
There are still a lot of questions to be answered, but at least this
N explains how Henry had access to King George II and men in high places,
i0 such as the Earl of Bute, Lord Granville, etc. It may have also
given him access to some very high ladies who could have been the mother
of our James:
i
�9 What do you think? I'm very anxious to know what you make of this, so
lease write.
Love, Davia County Public Library
NC
U