A Guide to the Eliza Houston Narrative, 1962, undated

Biographical Note

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:

"Eliza Allen." Sam Houston, the volunteer exile. Accessed June 15, 2011. http://www.wnpt.org/productions/samhouston/people/eliza.html.

Kreneck, Thomas H. "Houston, Samuel."Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed June 15, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fho73.

Scope and Contents

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.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Eliza Houston Narrative, 1962, undated, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

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 "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers