The Writings of Sam Houston, Volume VIII

WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1860

53

I~ was not intended by the order under which you organized that the men should be constantly in the field, but that they should be ready when necessity required it. Sam Houston. 1 Executive Rec.ords, 1859-1861, p. 155, Texas State Library. For John H. Cochran, see Houston to Cochran, April 4, 1860.

To LYDIA A. GuYLER 1

Austin, 15th May, 1860. My Dear Madam, Your letter of the 15th Inst., has just reached me, and I thank you for the compliment, which you have been pleased to pay me, in asking me to name your daughter. I do not know that I have taste in such matters, though I have four daughters, & they all have old fashioned names,- being those of our family. If the name is to be connected with the event to which you have so kindly referred, I suggest that you call your daughter Hyacinth, a very beautiful flower, and it is the English of "San Jacinto." The stream was so named from the fact that so many flowers grew on its banks, when it was discovered by the Mexicans, as well as from a saint of that name in their calendar. If your daughter is "blue-eyed," the name will be most appropriate as the flower is blue! Now Madam, I wish you and the fair flower, much health & happiness. Truly thine, Sam Houston [Rubric]. Mrs. Lydia A. Guyler, Huntsville, Texas 1 The original letter is in the possession of R. W. Guyler, Wallis, Texas. This copy was made through the courtesy of Mr. Ike Moore, from a photo- stat copy in the San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas. R. W. Guyler, the youngest child of Lydia Anne Guyler, writes us a very interesting letter concerning his family. The mother, Lydia Anne English, was born and reared in Kentucky, as was also her husband. After their marriage they decided to go to Texas. They arrived at Gal- veston by boat from New Orleans, on January 1, 1858; and at this time- 1942-every person related to this family by the name of Guyler, lives in Texas. The Guylers, husband and wife, were great admirers and staunch supporters of Sam Houston, and this allegiance has passed down through generations of their descendants: Mr. R. W. Gulyer states that he him- self has a great-grandson, a grandson, and a son by the name of Sam Houston Guyler. And both Lydia Anne and her husband were strong believers in education and managed to give every one of their ten children

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