May 5, 2019. Madison, Mississippi. Grandpa Houghton.

The more I thought about Grandpa Houghton the more I realized that I knew little about him. I know he was the father of my mother, Frances Gertrude Emma Houghton Buckley. I know he was born in England on the north side of London and that he was the youngest child in his family. What that meant was that he was never going to inherit land, businesses or money. All the family wealth went to the oldest son. My Grandfather was required to make his way in life on his own. I also know, because my Mother told me, that he was trained as an architect. At that time the architect also oversaw the construction of the building so my Mother always spoke of her father as an architect/builder. My Father liked my Grandfather, which was high praise. Dad said that Grandpa Houghton was a gentleman and interesting. But he died. before I was born, which my Father always said was a shame. He did not think so well of Grandma Houghton because she was a bit of a princess. My Mother also spoke highly of her father. Grandpa Houghton worked in the family business in London but at some point he branched out on his own and went to South Africa to build, leaving the family of five children by themselves in Wales. I have a letter from the Corps Officer from the Corps in Wales being sad they were leaving for Canada. Next in 1911, he moved the whole family to Victoria, B.C. where they lived in a lovely home complete with gardens and household help. By then he was involved in the Salvation Army. Grandpa Houghton was walking to the train to go home when he heard William Booth speaking at a street meeting. He went home and told his wife that they needed to go and listen to this man, who had started The Salvation Army. The next evening they returned and became life long members. Two of their children became Salvation Army officers in Canada. After the children left home, Grandma and Grandpa Houghton became SA Envoys. In other words they were unpaid employees. They went north and taught at an Indian school for several years. Now my brother and I differ. I thought Grandpa Houghton died of colon cancer. Dave said pneumonia. My brother saw Grandpa twice before he died and reported that as a child he was a bit forbidding. Dave thought they went to live with my Aunt in Montreal because he lost his money in the early part of the depression. I recall that they moved to live with Aunt Miriam after he was ill. I have only one cousin who might have information. But that is all I know of my Grandpa Houghton. The most important aspect of him was that according to my Father, he was a kindly Christian Victorian gentleman. He treated his wife gently and lovingly and always sat beside her at the dining table. The last thing he did at the end of the meal was to take a half piece of bread, butter it, and give it to his lovely wife. He loved his wife and family to the end. I wish I had known him.