Born to Colonel John and Laetitia Allen, in Gallatin, Tennessee, Eliza Allen (ca. 1810-1861) married Governor Sam Houston on January 22, 1829. The couple settled in Nashville while Houston prepared for his gubernatorial reelection campaign. Eleven weeks later, however, the marriage abruptly ended and Eliza returned to her parents’ home in Gallatin. Houston then resigned from office and traveled west, where he resided among the Cherokee tribe in the Oklahoma Territory. The reason for the separation remained unknown, and they officially divorced in 1837. Three years later, Eliza married Elmore Douglass, a physician in Gallatin. The couple had four children, two of whom survived into adulthood.
Sources:
Kreneck, Thomas H.
Comprising newspaper clippings and a photocopy of a letter, the Eliza Houston Narrative, 1962, undated, chronicles the brief marriage and separation of Eliza and Sam Houston. Newspaper clippings contain editorials postulating reasons for the divorce (1962), while the letter penned by an unknown friend of Eliza describes their marriage and Eliza’s motives for leaving.
This collection is open for research use.
Eliza Houston Narrative, 1962, undated, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s