Samuel Oliver Young

True Stories of Old Houston and Houstonians Samuel Oliver Young

This volume compiles 105 stories of Houston's history originally written by Dr. Young for his column in the Houston Chronicle. This is history at its most entertaining. He brings early Houstonians to life, describing their personalities, their admirable traits and their many eccentricities. His stories of boyhood in Houston read like something out of Tom Sawyer. There are also stories of early citizens and their day-to-day lives, of the Civil War and Houston's fighting men, of slaves and former slaves, of rigged elections and reconstruction days. Dr. Young gives vivid descriptions of Houston's many saloons and gambling dens. You'll read about what a mischievous undertaker did with the Yankee dead during a Yellow Fever epidemic, about the superstitions of the day, about ghosts and haunted houses. There are stories of gentlemen and of scoundrels, of hangings and jail breaks. Even a little cross dressing.