Sam Houston Memorial Museum Blog

Artifact Highlight

Mikey Sproat, Curator of Collections

(From our Spring 2019 The Raven Newsletter)

In 1998, a great-granddaughter of the Houston family brought many items to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum to donate.  Margaret Rost’s grandmother was Antoinette, fifth child of Sam and Margaret Houston.   “Nettie” was born in the Woodland Home in 1852.  That very house, a National Historic Landmark, still in its original spot preserved on the Museum grounds, now contains several of those donated items used by the Houstons back then, with the additional donated items on display in the Main Museum Rotunda.

As part of the Rost collection in 1998, a small antique garnet pendant sits on display in the north gallery of the Main Museum.  This particular object most likely started as a pin, though the stem is now removed, and a small jump ring is soldered to the back so it can be worn as a pendant. There are fourteen round faceted rhodolite garnets prong-set in a foiled and closed back mounting, measuring 3 millimeters each, for a total garnet weight of approximately 1.85 carats.  The garnets are a dark tone with moderate strong, slightly purplish red hue.  The center hairpiece is loosely braided white streaked hair set behind glass, which is surrounded with an engraved border surrounding the bezel.  The pendant measures ¾ inch in circumference and the center hair disc measures ½ inch.   Not known is to whom the hair belongs.  

There is no written or pictorial proof as to how this locket actually came to be in the Sam Houston family possession, though Marquis James makes reference to it in his 1929 biography The Raven.  A friendly political opponent, encountering Sam Houston in company, began to comment on his passion for personal adornment.  “Yes, yes” said Houston.  “This watch fob has a story connected with it.  General Lafayette gave it to Andrew Jackson, and General Jackson gave it to me.” (James, pg 401)

The locket’s design indicates that the hair locket would have been made between 1805 and 1820.  Between 1824-25, Lafayette was in the United States and Sam Houston was in the US House of Representatives at the time.  Lafayette was staying at O’Neill’s Tavern with the Jacksons in the fall of 1824 in Washington. Given that Sam was part of the inner circle of Jackson, there would have been ample opportunity for Sam to socialize with the famous Frenchman.  Hair lockets were a popular ornament of the day and exchanges of hair, as mementos of affection, were commonplace. 

If the pin came through Andrew Jackson, perhaps the hair is his.  If it came from Lafayette directly, maybe it is his.  Either way, to learn more about these objects is an amazing way to learn more about these individuals and the history they lived.  That donation in 1998 never would have happened without the wonderful kindness of Margaret Rost.  If you would like to learn more about the collections of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, or how you can help preserve Sam Houston’s history, contact the Museum.  We would love to discuss our hero Sam Houston.