More About Samuel Huston of Iowa

The History of Iowa County Iowa by Union Historical Company
Publ 1881 – Available on Google Books

Page 672
SAMUEL HUSTON – Sec. 11, P.O. Koszta, is one of Iowa’s earliest settlers, coming to Johnson County in 1839, and soon after entering a quarter section where Tiffin now is. When arriving there his wealth was two dollars and fifty cents, and not owning a horse walked from Tiskilwa, Illinois where he had been in business but lost everything in the panic of 1837. He built his first house in Iowa—a cabin—on his claim and kept bachelor hall; breaking up his first 50 acres by procuring the use of a neighbor’s team by breaking two acres [in exchange] for the use of the team and plow, and one acre for himself, and the farm thus broken up is now [1881] known as the Tautlinger Farm near Tiffin. His first crop was that of pumpkins which he had gathered and was about effecting sale of them when an early and unexpected freeze blasted his plans, but being plucky, and never known to give up, he soon conceived the idea of manufacturing them into pumpkin butter, and from the proceeds of which and the sale of wild turkies [sic.] sold at Iowa City, he replenished his badly dilapidated wardrobe –at that time consisting partly of a suit made of a white Indian blanket and a wolf skin cap – he buying his first Sunday suit in Iowa. In 1850 he went to California, returning to Iowa in 1852. Selling his farm in Johnson County, in 1854 he moved to Iowa County, settling in Honey Creek township, at Koszta, he being the original proprietor of that village, where he dealt in real estate and carried on a general merchandise business and also farmed extensively. His farm now consists of 597 acres, and he is ranked among the wealthy men of Iowa County and is now filling the position of Vice President of the First National Bank of Marengo. He was born in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania in 1811, and has been married four times. His present wife was Margaret B. Lamberton of Marengo, whom he married March 13 1866. He has two children living: George A. Huston (of Clifton, Kansas) Emma L. (wife of Dr. D. B. Darr of Ladora). Mr. Huston is Republican in politics and both he and his wife are members of the M.E. Church.

From pg. 664.. “He laid out the town of Koszta, built the bridge over the Iowa River and made other improvements.”

From History of Solano and Napa Counties, California – found online
One of the early immigrants to California was Samuel Huston, of Pennsylvania, who after eight months of weary travel across the plains, arrived here in 1850. For two years he farmed in the Suison Valley but in 1852 went [back] to Iowa by way of Panama, and remained in that state, engaging in farming and merchandising until his death in 1892. He married Mary Been, [this being her surname from first marriage] a native of Indiana, and two children were born of this union, George A. and Emma L.

More about George A. Huston of Napa CA, in this article.

Samuel Huston and Celina Calista Frost

The story of Samuel Huston (or Hueston) is an interesting one. At age 18, in 1843, Celina Calista Frost was the local school teacher in Penn township's first school, in Johnson Co. Iowa. She met and married a 30 year old prominent man in the community, Samuel Huston. “John N. Headley and Samuel Huston came in March 1839 and settled one mile east of the present site of Tiffin, in Clear Creek Twp. They were from Ohio.”… p. 737 Johnson Co. Iowa History. Huston was actually born in Pennsylvania.

From p. 748, Johnson Co. History. “In 1843, a pretty good log schoolhouse was erected in section 7. Miss Frost taught the first school in this house, at a salary of eight dollars per month, boarding among the scholars and receiving her pay in wheat, etc. This house was used for all religious and business meetings for a number of years.”

“The first Justice of the Peace in the township {Town of Tiffin in Clear Creek Twp.} was John Hartwell who married Samuel Huston to his second wife, Miss Frost – a sister of his first wife. …. These were among the first marriages in the township.” [The Frost ladies were not sisters, but possibly cousins.]

Samuel and Celina had a daughter, Elizabeth, b. 1844, in Clear Creek, and a baby son, Phillip, b. 1847. But Celina and the baby boy died in 1847. Sam married again, Mary or Margaret _____ . She had children George and Emma. That is where our family connection ends, but his story goes on.

Samuel Huston was first cousin of Daniel A. Shafer, mentioned above as the guardian of our gt. grandfather Daniel McGill. Shafer's wife was Harriett "Hattie" Frost, sister of Celina mentioned above. Hattie helped raise Celina's daughter, Eliza, while her father went to the gold fields.

Around 1851, Samuel Huston got together about 100 men and 50+ wagons and went to the California gold rush at Susanville. He came back with more wealth and bought up real estate and stores. The daughter of Sam and Celina, Elizabeth, only lived to age 21.

In 1876 when he was about 65, Huston donated $9000 to build a school for black students in Austin Texas. Mr. Huston belonged to the Methodist Episcopal Church in Iowa, and I read that the local (or mission "board") had already planned for the school in Texas. Then they persuaded this well-to-do man to donate, promising that the college would bear his name. It took several years for it to come to fruition, but was named for Samuel Huston. It is still in existence after merging with another school, but still bears his name and is said to have a portrait and biography of Sam. The merger mentioned apparently produced what has now become Huston-Tillotson University.

It is a shame that young Celina and her children didn't live to join in his success.

The Johnson County History written in 1882 says on p. 599: “Mr. Hueston now lives at Koszta, Iowa County."