In Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the valley of the Clyde River is the pleasant little village of Houston. In its beginning, 800 years ago, it was Hugh’s Town, so called for Sir Hugh of Padinan, patriarch of the Houston clan. Some of the present houses are said to be built of stones from the walls of the old Houston castle, blasted down in 1781 by James Macrae. Population of the village is 536.

In southeastern Texas, on a ship channel leading out to the Gulf of Mexico and the ports of the world, is the great, mushrooming city of Houston, recently grown world-famous as a space exploration center. Its population is around 1,100,000.

The comparison of the two places—Houston, Scotland, and Houston, Texas—is symbolic of the growth of the Houston family during its history of 800 years. Through the centuries, the family ancestors took up the sword in countless battles against despotism. They cleared forests, built homes, churches and schools, and established new communities. They furnished teachers, ministers and statesmen.

Persecution from the years in Scotland, through Northern Ireland and into Colonial America naturally made its mark on the character and disposition of the Houstons. They and their Scotch-Irish compatriots sometimes suffered martyrdom, were often defeated in battle, though never really conquered. With such trials they never developed a sparkling sense of humor, they are sometimes dour, but they have a high standard of honesty and morality; they are aggressive and determined, possibly stubborn. A real Houston or Huston, however he spells his name, is sometimes bent but never broken.

Search the records of Scotland, Northern Ireland and America and you wil1 find the names of Houstons involved in the great movements which have molded the destiny of the West-