Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-11-10

AR HE list OF Georgia governors
shows in very interesting and.
striking light the composite
character of our population.
Ewing was an English potter,
jackson the son of an English yeoman,
Milledge the grandson of an English
mechanic, Walton the descendant Of a
Virginia tobacco planter, Brownson
and Hall from the Puritans, Mitchell
and Telfair Lowland Scotchmen, Ir-
win and Matthews and Clark and
Martin Scotch Irishmen, Early and
Rabun Yirginians, Troup an English
merchants son, and Houston and Tai
bot direct descendants from the peers
of England and Scotland.
JOHN HOUSTON.
Sir Patrick Houston, then plain Mr..
Houston, came from Scotland to the
colony of Georgia in the time of Ogle-
thorpe. He had like most of the
younger sons of the Scotch lairds but
a small estate when he came to Geor-
gia, where the trustees granted him
500 acres of land. Before he had been
here long his father died and he sue
ceeded 10 the baronetcy, and he was
the only baronet in Georgia after Sir
says 1.-THE ancient family of Houstons
OF Cabrioch were heritable baillies and
justiciaries Of the barony of Busbie
in the shire of Wegtown and Of Calder
hall in the county of Midlothian"
There were four families of the Hous-
tons, two in Scotland and two in Ire
land, but all came from the same
Scotch root. Sir Patrick was a canny
Scotchman, who made money very
rapidly and built up handsome estate
in the colony. He died before the
Revolution. His oldest son, Sir Pat
rick, inherited the title and the bulk
OF, the estate-John, James and George
were his other sons. James was
physician, George, afterward Sir
George, a merchant, and John was a
lawyer He was one Of the immortal
four who called the first meeting in
liza to consider the wrongs of the col
onies. He was probably about IS years
old when that call was made. He
was by his gifts and family position
at once recognized, and he was
chosen as a delegate to the continental
congress. There were five that went
to Philadelphia from Georgia, George
Walton, Button Gwinnett, Lyman
Hall, John Houston and DR.. Zubly,
the Swiss preacher. DR.. Zubly, when
he found that the congress was going
to declare the independence of the
colonies, turned his face southwark,
and left the congress because he was
opposed to independence. Houston
followed him to prevent his doing mis-
chief to the weak cause of resistance
to England. This was the only reason
his name was not found on the Declar-
alton. AS soon as the constitution was
adopted and the government of the
state established, he was elected men,
Der OF the council and the next year
was elected governor. He was
a brave supporter of the strug-
kgling cause during the entire war, and
stood firm when all seemed lost. His
older brother, Sir Patrick, surrendered
and took the oath of British suprem-
acy, but the governor was true to the
last. So when the new constitution
was adopted IN 1888 he was again elect
ed governor. He was a commissioner
for settling disputes concerning the
line between South Carolina and
Georgia.
He retired to private life after his
second term as governor, and died at
his plantation near White Bluff in 1796.
The county of Houston is named in his
honor. I have no information concern
ing his private life. His brother, Sir
Patrick, died near the same time as he
did in Savannah, and his will is on rec
ord in Chatham. His tile descended to
his brother George, who was known as
Sir George, ana was the last Of the
barons as far as Georgia was concern
ed. The only scion of the English no
bility who ever held Office in Georgia as
far as know was
MATHEW TALBOT.
Richard de Talbot, according to Burke,
is mentioned in the Doomesday Book
as holding nine hides of land from
w alter Clifford, earl Of Buckingham,
before the coming of tie conqueror.
From him after twelve generations
came the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1442,
and from this earl came Sir Walter
Talbot of Castle Talbot, Ireland, and
from him came William and Charles
Talbot, who were connected with Lord
Baltimore. Sir William was the secre-
tary of the colony and Charles was his
brother. Matthew, BORN in 1893, was
likely the son of Charles. He came
to Maryland in the early part of the
eighteenth century and settled in the
newer part of Virginia about 1870. He
was a leading man in his secuon, a
member of the county commission and
when Bedford county was formed he