Q: Why did Sam Houston settle in Huntsville?
A: The hills here reminded him of his boyhood
home near Maryville, Tennessee.
Q:Why are there two homes on the grounds that belonged
to Sam Houston?
A: The Woodland Home is on its original site and
the Steamboat House was moved here from a site in North Huntsville. Houston
had sold the Woodland Home to pay off campaign debts. When he returned,
he attempted to buy it back, but the owners refused to sell. Thus, he rented
the Steamboat House.
Q: How many times was Sam Houston married?
A: Sam was married three times.
Q: What were the names of his wives?
A: His first wife was named Eliza Allen. They
were married January 22, 1829. Sam Houston's second wife was a Cherokee
Indian woman whose name was Tiana Rodgers, also known as Diana Rodgers.
They were married in the summer of 1830. Margaret Moffette Lea was Sam
Houston's third wife. They were married May 9, 1840 and remained married
for the remainder of Sam Houston's lifetime.
Q: What happened to his other two marriages?
A: There was a mysterious quarrel between Sam
Houston and Eliza Allen that resulted in her returning home to her family
after eleven weeks of marriage. They were never reconciled. Tiana and Sam
Houston "divided the blanket" in 1832 when he left the Wigwam Neosho, their
trading post home, to journey to Texas. There were no children born to
these two marriages.
Q: How many children did Sam Houston and Margaret
have?
A: They had eight children, four girls and four
boys.
Q: How old was Sam Houston when he died?
A: He was seventy years old at the time of his
death on July 26th, 1863. He died at 6:15 pm.
Q: What was Sam's middle name?
A: Sam Houston had no middle name.
Q: Where is Sam Houston buried?
A: His grave is located in north Huntsville in
the Oakwood Cemetery. Houston chose this location. It is across the street
from where the Steamboat House once stood.
Q: How do you get to the grave site? (This is a
good stop if you are planning to visit Huntsville.)
A: Exit right on 19th Street as you leave the
park. Go to Avenue O (the first stop sign) and turn right. Continue on
Avenue O until 11th Street. At 11th Street turn right. Travel six blocks
to the intersection of Avenue I and 11th. Turn left and go three blocks
to the grave site.
Q: When did Margaret Houston die and where is she
buried?
A: Margaret Lea Houston died in 1867 during a
yellow fever epidemic that swept Texas. She is buried in Independence,
Texas, where she had gone to live after Sam Houston's death.
Q: How tall was Sam Houston?
A: His military records show that he was 6 foot
2 inches when he was 19 years old. His Texas legend puts him at 6 foot
6 inches on his death. His family holds that he was a bit shorter.
Q: Was Sam Houston a drunk?
A: As a matter of fact, Sam did have a bit of
a drinking problem. In his early life, he drank quite a bit, and it was
certainly no secret. Later in his life, after he married Margaret (his
3rd wife), she is reputed to have "reformed" him and stopped his drinking.
However, Sam still consumed 'bitters', which were considered medicinal
alcohol. While Sam was a drinker, probably for most of his life, most men
in Texas were drinkers of a sort as well, so he did not stand out in that
respect as heavy drinkers tend to do in today's society.
If you have a question about Sam Houston that is not presently listed
here, or just need more information, please send it to us via our e-mail
address at: smm_rbr@shsu.edu
Be sure to include your e-mail address so that we may answer you. We
will try to answer your questions within a week depending on how thought
provoking your question may be.
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