OVERVIEW[]
The following is a sketch of what we know about Robert Houston and his relations to Christopher Houston of New Castle. I have not included the detailed references at this point, and these need to be added at some point in the future. Bill 13:17, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
Robert Houston (c1701-?) was the son of Christopher Houston (c1676-c1726) of New Castle County, Delaware. There is a general belief that he married [[Martha Worke (?-?) 31 OCT 1734 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the First Presbyterian Church. A couple by those names did marry at the time but it is not clear that this is the same Robert Houston (c1701-?). The Robert Houston who married Martha Worke is often identified as "John Robert Houston". It is generally believed that the "John Robert" usage has been applied because of a belief that this couple corresponds to the John Houston=Martha who settled a few miles east of Philadelphia. That identification has probably been made in order to force a connection to the family of Gen. Sam Houston. The fact that the Scot-Irish did not make use of middle names until c1760 (and it didn't become a commonplace practice until much later), suggests that the name "John Robert Houston" is unlikely. In the absence of primary evidence for the existence of someone by this name, this connection is deemed unsound.
However, there is no disputing the fact that a Robert Houston did marry Martha Worke in Philadelphia. This could be the marriage of Robert son of Christopher Houston of New Castle, DE. While this would seem to be a relatively late marriage for Robert, its certainly plausible, and not inconsistent with his vita. It is also consistent with the family history given by Christopher Houston of Iredell Co, NC, who is commonly believed to be a descendant of this couple. Indeed, in one well known letter from this Christopher, he identifies his father as Robert Houston, and his grandfather as Christopher. In addition, in another letter to a son, he makes reference to a "Col. Worke", (in rather unflattering terms); if Robert Houston married Martha Worke, Col. Worke would be Christopher's maternal grandfather, Henry Worke. Yet there are reasons to be concerned with this identification. First, Christopher Houston's will identifies two grandchildren, James and Christopher.....TBD
Vita[]
| Entry | Source/Basis/Commentary | |
| DOB: | c1701 | See Christopher Houston (c1676-c1726)/Child DOB Analysis |
| POB: | ||
| DOD: | ||
| POD: | ||
| Burial: | ||
| Spouse: | ||
| DOM: | ||
| POM: | ||
| Father: | Christopher Houston (c1676-c1726) | |
| Mother: |
Ancestry[]
ChildList[]
| Name | DOB | POB | DOD | POD | Spouse | DOM | POM | Notes |
Family history[]
Records[]
In reference to the founding of the town of Statesville, Iredell Co, NC: The Landmark, March 3, 1882
"...this place was finally selected; and Mr. Sloan deeded 50 acres to the first town commissioners: Geo. Davidson, Jeremiah Nelson, Joseph Sharpe, John Nisbit, Christopher Houston. This was in 1790