Maria Sturges and John Houston Jr.
JOHN HOUSTON JR., son of ZERVIAH FIELDS and JOHN HOUSTON, was born December 15, 1823 in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, and died December 23, 1898 in Mt. Pleasant, Henry, Iowa.3407 He is buried in Denmark Cemetery, Lee County, Iowa.3407, 3451, 456
He married MARIA STURGES on January 3, 1849 in Denmark, Lee, Iowa.3434, 4560 She was born April 20, 1827 in Granville, Licking, Ohio,4560, 6325 and died August 5, 1915 in Denmark, Lee, Iowa.4560, 6325 She is buried in Denmark Cemetery, Lee County, Iowa.3451, 4562, 456
Children of MARIA STURGES and JOHN HOUSTON JR.:
- ALBERT STURGES HOUSTON, b. July 6, 1851, Denmark, Lee, Iowa;40, 4555 m. ELIZABETH DANSKIN on March 22, 1882 in Marengo County, Iowa3434; d. March 30, 1899.4555
- ZERVIAH JANE HOUSTON, b. September 8, 1853, Iowa;40 m. CHARLES ANDREW SWIFT on August 7, 18763434; d. July 23, 1924, Lane County, Oregon.876
- WARREN HENDERSON HOUSTON, b. November 23, 1854, Denmark, Lee, Iowa;40, 456 m. ELIZABETH THOMPSON on December 26, 1882 in Fayette County, Iowa3434; d. November 19, 1911, Eureka, Greenwood, Kansas.456
- LAURA MARIA HOUSTON, b. November 27, 1856, Iowa;456, 40 m. FREDERICK E. BEMENT on June 13, 1888 in Denmark, Lee, Iowa3434, 5856; d. May 22, 1916, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.456, 3436
- MARY EMILY HOUSTON, b. January 25, 1859, Iowa;40 d. 1955.3451
- HARRIET ABIGAIL HOUSTON, b. August 7, 1862, Denmark, Lee, Iowa;40, 629 m. WILLIAM EDWIN HITCHCOCK in 1894; d. September, 1941, Holliston, Middlesex, Massachusetts.708
- JOHN J. HOUSTON, b. May 23, 1865;40 d. September 4, 1868;40 bur. Denmark Cemetery, Lee County, Iowa.3451
- ASA TURNER HOUSTON, b. August 18, 1868, Denmark, Lee, Iowa;40, 4432, 6325 m. MARY ELIZABETH LEVERETT on April 12, 1899 in Salem, Henry, Iowa3412, 3434; d. May 10, 1940, Denmark, Lee, Iowa.3451, 4432, 6325
Personal Information
- John Houston and Maria Sturges were members of the Denmark Congregational Church, Lee County, Iowa. 7484
Newspaper Articles
Burlington Hawk-Eye, September 28, 18923452
Mr. and Mrs. John Houston are enjoying a very pleasant family reunion which has not occurred for many years, the members of the family from abroad are Rev. Albert Houston, Clarion; Rev. Waren Houston, of Ellsworth, Minnesota; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bennett and two children, of Siox Falls, South Dakota; Miss Hattie A. Houston, of India. . . .Rev. Albert Houston preached in the Congregational church in the morning and Rev. Waren Houston preached in the evening.
Daily Gate City, April 16, 19136339
Mrs. Maria Houston and daughter, Miss Mary moved from their old farm home east of town yesterday. The farm is now owned by Asa Houston and his nephew, Lester Houston, is running the farm.
Obituaries
Daily Gate City, August 10, 19154562
The commitment of the body of the late Mrs. Marie Sturges Houston to earth, was made at 3 p. m. last Friday.
Fort Madison Evening Democrat, August 24, 19154560
Houston.
Denmark, Iowa, Aug. 10.—Marie Sturges was born in Granville, Ohio, April 20, 1827 and died in Denmark, Iowa August 5, 1915, being 88 years, 3 months and 16 days old. She was the daughter of Isaac Sturges and Sarah French, of a family of 13 children of whome 11 lived to maturity, she has been for several years, the only surviving member.
She lost her parents in early childhood from that time until she was 18 years old living with her grandparents and other sisters, attending publice schools and "Ladies Seminary" in Graville, Ia. ?? When she was 18 years of age she came to town with her brother, Albert Sturges. They drove through with a single horse, stopping at various points in Indiana and Illinois to visit brothers and sisters, who had settled in those states. Their object point was Washington, Iowa, the home of an older brother.
After staying there a few months, they came to Denmark, Iowa, in the year 1845 and were the first teachers in Denmark academy, she having charge of the primary department and he of the academy proper.
She lived in the home of Father Turner at this time and it was in his home that on Jan. 3, 1845, she was married to John Houston. He took her, abride of 21 years, to his farm home, two and on-half miles southeast of Denmark and that has been her home every since, a period of 66 years, though he has not lived there all the time since her husband's death sixteen years ago.
She had nine children, five sons of whom two died in infancy, and four daughters. The oldest child, Albert Sturges Houston, died in 1899. The second son, Warren Henderson Houston, died in 1911. Both of these sons were in the ministry. The remaining son, Asa Turner Houston, is the youngest of the nine children. The oldest daughter, Zervia Jane (Swift), lives in Oregon. The second daughter, Laura Marie (Bement), lives in South Dakota, Mary Emily in Denmark, Iowa, and Hattie Abigail (Hitchcock), is a missionary in Ceylon.
There have been twnety grandchildren born to the family of whome fourteen are still living and four great grandchildren of whom two are still living.
Mrs. Houston made profession of faith in Christ in 1845, joining the Denmark Congregational church at that time. She has been a loyal, consistent member of this church and Sunday school from that date until her death, a period of 70 years. She had the staunch religious principles inherited from her New England an
Census Records
| Date | Location | Enumerated Names |
|---|---|---|
| September 11, 18501712 | Division 28, Lee, Iowa |
|
| June 13, 18604 | Denmark, Lee, Iowa |
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| June 11, 18803408 | Denmark, Lee, Iowa |
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| June 15, 19003416 | Denmark, Lee, Iowa |
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