• General Notes

  John was born a McMillan, but by the time the family arrived in Natal they were calling themselves Houston. By the last three decades of the nineteenth century various branches of the family had begun to incorporate McMillan with Houston.
  
  The Lodge (Benmore) - In 1872 the Houston family moved to the Lodge (sometimes called Ixopo Lodge), on which John
  ran a hotel and farmed. The Lodge is close to the" town of Ixopo. The Lodge, was an amalgamation of 4 pieces of land:
  the remainder of Court Hill (801 acres and 31.48 perches); subdivision A of subdivision A of Court Hill (2 acres/ 3
  roods, 34 perches); subdivision C of the remain"der of Ixopo (101acres, 1 rood, 28 perches) and Ogle's Land (60 acres). John's son Alexander later owned it. John called one of the pieces of land Benmore."
  Waterfall - In 1869 or 1870 John Houston bought the farm Waterfall in the Ixopo region, where he traded and ran a
  wayside inn. Waterfall is in the Umkomaas Valley as you cross the river. It is on the left hand side of the road fro"m
  Pietermaritzburg to Ixopo and is now called Whiskey Canyon .
  The Creighton District
  Ambleside - This farm over time was owned by three members of the family. It was first owned by Arthur Tatton Houston, who sold it to his brother Gilbert. Gilbert sold it to his sister Dora Belle Houston who married Henry Edward
  Eaglestone.
  Cloverton - Gilbert Houston bought Cloverton in about 1920 and built the house on the farm. His son Vernon later ran
  Cloverton.

Details of Mashibana's family with Sarah A Sykes