Sam Houston's Wife: A Biography of Margaret Lea Houston

by William Seale and Seale

Book Overview

Although Sam Houston has been the subject 6f several biographies and- many historical articles, little attention has been paid to his third wife, whose enormous influence on the Liberator of Texas has never before been examined closely. In this first biography of Margaret Lea Houston, a remarkable woman is finally awakened from the historical sleep which has enveloped her for over a century.

Alabama-born Margaret Lea was just a schoolgirl...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806124369
• ISBN13: 9780806124360
• Release Date: May 1992
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Very Interesting

I do not usually read a lot of history books but found this booking very interesting and a very easy read. Recently I ran across this book again and reread it and enjoyed it just as much the second time. I really enjoy William Seale's style of writing.

Very readable, more importantly, well-researched.

A disclaimer to start with: I am a member of the Lea family, descended from Mrs. Houston's brother, Henry Clinton Lea, so I had a particular interest in this book about my great-great-great aunt (whew!). This was one of the great romantic stores of the century, starting when a 17-year-old Margaret Lea first sighted Houston in New Orleans, where she watched him from among a crowd. She married him when he was 48 and she was barely 21, in the face of opposition from her family. I was delighted with the degree of historical accuracy I found in the book, as well as finding it an enjoyable "read". Mr. Seale includes the sort of family anecdotes that make biography come alive as well as throwing a new light on the personality of Sam Houston. The mythical hero of San Jacinto was also a husband and father, and his life with Margaret had profound effects on his public life. To read about Margaret, her mother and siblings gives a fascinating window on the life of a Southern family during the era of Westward expansion. Seale also clears up some fun but apocryphal tales about the romance. Too bad, really, but I guess the fanciful among us can go on believing my great-g-g-grandmother actually said "My daughter goes forth in the world to marry no man." if we want to