At six foot two, this large man could hold his own, and he wasn’t afraid to stand firm in his beliefs. He lived by his own convictions even when his ideals went against the norm. This man was always outspoken and always controversial; Samuel Houston has continued to live on as one of our nation’s most imaginative and outrageous characters. He was born on March 2, 1793 in Timber Ridge, Virginia to his parents, Samuel Houston and Elizabeth Paxton. His father died when he was thirteen years old, and his mother moved the family to Tennessee and settled the family on a farm in Maryville. Since he did not enjoy working on his family farm, he escaped his older brother’s efforts to train him as a farmer. In time, the young rebel ran away and lived with a local Cherokee tribe, and he was given the name “Black Raven.” He lived with his new family for about three years, so he learned their customs and their language. Continue reading “The Legendary Samuel Houston”
To date, the oldest member I have discovered in my family tree would be my 4x great grandmother, Mary Buzzard. This grandmother lived for 96 years, and she died just 17 days before her 97th birthday. 
