rooted in their very hearts’ core. Their lives were harsh and narrow; they gained their bread by their blood and sweat in the unending struggle with the wild ruggedness of nature. They suffered terrible injuries at the hands of the red men, and on their foes they waged a terrible warfare in return. They were relentless, revengeful, suspicious, knowing neither ruth nor pity: they were also upright, resolute and fearless, loyal to their friends and devoted to their country. In spite of their many failings, they were of all men the best fitted to conquer the wilderness against all comers." 4

If the description seems raw to Houstons who have thought only with reverence of their ancestors, there still appears little reason to doubt its essential accuracy. To attempt to hide their faults in a saintly eulogy would be like the sacrilege of white.washing the ruggedly noble trunk of a stately oak. Other writers dwell frankly with the hard-headed individuality of the Scotch-Irish ancestors. To one of their number is attributed the prayer: "Lord, grant that I may always be right for Thou knowest that I am hard to turn." Their proverbial thrift is described in the saying: "The Scotch-Irishman is one Who keeps the commandments of God, and every other good thing that he can get his hands on."

Certainly, by thrift and hard work, the Houston pioneer was able to feed his family well, clothe his wife and children decently for church, school and society and to lay aside something from farming or business to be passed on to the next generation for a better start in life. Fading wills in musty county files are evidence of accumulation of worldly goods, possibly humble by today’s standards, but a matter of pride to the ancestor. But more important than the property left was the strength of character passed on to his offspring.

In all of this, the ingenious, untiring Houston wife and mother, did her full share and more. Wayland F. Dunaway in "The Scotch-Irish of Colonial Pennsylvania" writes: "Living in such an environment, the Scotch-Irish women were strong characters-—self-reliant, resourceful and loyal. Devout, patient and cheerful in the midst of difficulties, they pursued the even tenor of their way, performing with efficient diligence the duties that lay nearest them." 5

4 Roosevelt.
5 Wayland F. Dumaway, The Scotch-Irish in Colonial Pennsylvania (University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, N. C., 1944), P. 183.