SAM HOUSTON’S WIFE: A BIOGRAPHY OF MARGARET LEA HOUSTON.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970. xv,287pp. Index. Bibliography. Illustrations. Notes. Tan cloth, title in gilt on the spine. First edition. Bright, fine copy. Four small spots on the back panel of the dust jacket, else fine. In 1839, Houston meet 21-year old Margaret Moffettet, 26 years his junior, while he was on a horse buying trip to Alabama. Despite the opposition from her family, they married a year later and had eight children. She was utterly devoted to Houston and, through her efforts, he was able to control his alcoholism and, ultimately, become a member of the Baptist Church. This is the first biography of Margaret Lea Houston; a remarkable women history has largely overlooked. In writing it, the author gives us additional insights on Sam as well as a picture of the time in which she lived. The author relied on a number of letters, papers and museum materials as well as interviews with descendants in writing the book.