Jesse Houston

Jesse Houston had a very impressive debut season in 1937 with the Cincinnati Tigers of the Negro American League (NAL). It was also the debut season for the Cincinnati franchise in the NAL, and Houston helped it secure the second-best record by contributing at least nine wins, including a no-hitter that wasn’t widely reported and thus was forgotten for more than 80 years.1 Though he didn’t come close to replicating his 1937 pitching statistics across a few additional Negro League seasons, the presently available data from Seamheads.com show that he did finish his career with a winning record and a good ERA+. As noted in the Sources section below, the statistics presented in this bio are primarily based on data available from Seamheads.com as of June 2024, and are subject to change as more information becomes available.2

According to his gravestone, Benjamin Jesse Houston was born on July 17, 1909. He was called Benjamin in the 1910 and 1950 censuses and in the occasional Cincinnati city directory, but no indication has surfaced that sportswriters referred to him that way.

References identify his birthplace as Montgomery, Alabama, presumably because that city was presented as such on Jesse’s military card completed on October 16, 1940. However, the field for his date of birth was left blank, suggesting that he might not have been confident about his birthplace. In fact, as of the 1910 census, he and his parents were living in Bullock County, Alabama, in the unincorporated community of Greenwood, which is about 30 miles southeast of Montgomery.

His parents, Ellis Houston and the former Leanna Mabson, were married in September 1907 about 15 miles to the north of Greenwood, in the unincorporated community of La Place, in adjacent Macon County.3  Leanna might also have been a resident of Greenwood in the 1900 census, if she was the young woman by that name who was born in September 1892. Thus, she would have been 17 at the time of Jesse’s birth.

Jesse was the oldest of at least eight children. One of his brothers was named after their father, and Ellis Junior often showed up in Cincinnati box scores with Jesse. The five oldest Houston children were born in Alabama, so the family lived in that state at least through 1916.

Blacks were a large majority of Bullock County’s population,4 even after many began migrating to northern cities around the time of Jesse’s birth, but White politicians dominated the local government. “Bullock County’s elected officials’ failure to uphold basic civil liberties played a great part in the exodus,” according to its Tourism Council. “Bullock County had seven documented lynchings from 1889-1921 with the 1911 public lynching of Aberdeen Johnson resulting in the National Guard being called out by Governor O’Neal.”5 Alabama’s Supreme Court later upheld the sheriff’s termination for dereliction of duty, and Chief Justice R. T. Simpson was furious in his written opinion.6 Despite the surprising legal ruling against the White establishment, it’s certainly conceivable that such local hostility motivated the Houston family to move far northward from central Alabama.

By the autumn of 1918, the family had moved to Bellevue, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, according to Ellis Houston’s military registration card dated September 12, 1918. In the 1910 census, Ellis had been a “share farmer.”  But in 1918 the former farmer was working with the Air Nitrates Corporation, a manufacturer across the river from a large city.7

By late 1924 Ellis Houston was employed by the Norfolk & Western Railway. While working with a group of men in suburban St. Bernard in December, he was injured when he stepped on a large spike, and ultimately his right big toe was amputated. He remained hospitalized until January 12, 1925, but by late July he was still unable to stand on that foot. Ellis sued the railway company for $15,000.8 The outcome of the suit was not found in local newspapers, but in the 1930 census, he was able to at least perform “odd jobs.”

It appears that Jesse’s mother died in 1927, as a terse Ohio Death Index entry for a Leona Houston on November 11, 1927, presumably refers to her. Other than the date, the entry’s only detail is that the death occurred in Hamilton County, which contains Cincinnati. On October 6, 1928, Ellis married Sallie Crutcher (later sometimes called Sara or Sarah), who became Jesse’s stepmother.9

Jesse Houston’s marriage certificate was likewise issued in Kentucky. On July 1, 1929, just shy of his 20th birthday, he married Bertha Harris. Oddly, the 1930 census shows Houston living with his parents while Bertha was living in the household headed by her father; Jesse and Bertha were each identified as single rather than married.

According to a 1942 article, Houston’s baseball career started at Cincinnati’s Sinton Playground in the Sinton Twilight Softball League. That was presumably prior to his time in the Class A Community Baseball League.10 Two of Bertha’s brothers – Virgil Harris and James “Sonny” Harris –became Negro Leaguers and were her husband’s teammates during much of the 1930s.  By 1929, Houston and his brother Ellis were playing amateur baseball with the two Harrises and at least one of their brothers.11  For example, in August of that year a box score depicting a team called Bert Charleston’s Sluggers included L. Harris at second base (presumably Lee), E. Houston catching, J. Houston pitching, V. Harris at two positions, and J. Harris in right field (presumably James, aka Sonny).  The Sluggers also included future Negro Leaguer Roy Partlow.12  It appears that the first time J. Houston was actually called Jesse in a local newspaper was on July 27, 1930, as he continued with the Sluggers.13 

Early in 1931 the Chicago Defender announced that “the Bert Charleston Sluggers [club] is now owned by William Peaks, with George Drake, manager, and Jesse Houston, captain.”  The team was to be called the Komet Klub.14  As of midyear, the Kentucky Post reported that “Big Jess Houston, about the huskiest man in local sandlot baseball,” was still starring for that semipro team in the Greater Cincinnati Baseball League.15  However, shortly thereafter the Harris brothers and one of the Houstons started showing up in the box scores of a team sponsored by the Aufdemkampe Hardware Company. In one late July game, at least, “Houston” was that team’s pitcher.16  Meanwhile, the Komet Klub disappeared from the pages of the Enquirer, Post, and Times-Star during July and August.

In mid-1932 Jess Houston was pitching in the Class A Community League for a team called the White Sox. On one day in June, players from league teams competed in various individual events. “J. Houston, White Sox” won the baseball distance throwing event, with a heave of 345 feet, nine inches.17  For comparison, the world record through 2015 was 445 feet, 10 inches, set by Glen Gorbous of the American Association’s Omaha Cardinals on August 1, 1957.18  In June and early July, at a minimum, a pitcher named Houston was reportedly on the roster of the Lexington (Kentucky) Hard Hitters, which joined the Negro Southern League (NSL) for the second half of its season.19  Lexington is only about 80 miles south of Cincinnati.  This Houston’s first name was not found in any newspaper during 1932, but three seasons later there was a hint that this was indeed Jesse. A newspaper article in mid-1935 about the Cincinnati Tigers identified membership in other prominent teams for many of the players. The list included two who had played with the Homestead Grays, two with the Nashville Elite Giants, and “Jess Houston of Lexington.”20

In 1933 the two Houstons, the three Harrises, and Partlow continued with the White Sox, which remained in the Class A League of Cincinnati’s Community Baseball Association. On April 30 Jesse Houston struck out 17 opposing batters in a 10-inning victory.21  In early September the club won its third straight championship and thus earned a weekend trip to Detroit to challenge the winners of an amateur league there.22

Houston and a few of his regular teammates collectively took a big leap forward in 1934. Jess joined the Cincinnati Tigers when the club was admitted to the NSL. That season the NSL, generally a top minor league during its existence, was second only to the Negro National League (NNL).23  Houston’s teammates included his brother Ellis in the outfield and J. Harris at shortstop. Early on, the Tigers mixed in games against top Black teams outside the NSL. For example, on May 17 Jesse was the losing pitcher by one run to the NNL’s Nashville Elite Giants. Three days later he was in center field in a loss to the Kansas City Monarchs, a top independent team that season, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.24

In early June the Cincinnati Tigers also joined the semipro Indiana-Ohio League. This circuit consisted mostly of White teams but in 1933 had included the Dayton Marcos, a longtime Black team in western Ohio.25  In fact, that year “Harris and Houston, who were with the Cincinnati Tigers,” joined that Dayton club. It’s likely the Houston in question was Ellis rather than Jesse. On June 17 Houston and Harris were the Marcos’ middle infielders in a game at Rushville, Indiana, but on that same day it was presumably Jesse Houston who pitched for the Tigers in their Indiana-Ohio League debut at Middletown, Ohio, about 60 miles to the east.26

One week earlier, Jesse Houston had been the Tigers’ offensive star in the second game of an NSL doubleheader hosting the Birmingham Black Barons. Batting fifth and playing left field, his four hits in four at-bats propelled the Tigers to an 8-7 win and a sweep of the twin bill.27  Alas, by late June the Tigers were no longer listed in published NSL standings, nor were they mentioned in previews of the league’s second half.28

In 1935 the Tigers were reportedly renamed the White Sox. However, the latter name was used by a separate spinoff of sorts which barnstormed in Indiana almost exclusively, and which played briefly in the Indiana-Ohio League.29 As the Tigers, the club played a game of historical significance on June 6 at Crosley Field against a traveling Japanese all-star team called the Tokyo Giants. The Tigers won, 9-5, thanks in part to an insurance run “when Jess Houston hit a home run inside the park,” as one local daily noted, though, oddly, no homer was listed in its box score. Regardless, the visiting team has a descendant existing today, the famous Yomiuri Giants.30 

In late August and early September, the Tigers were in a foreign country themselves, namely Canada, for a number of games. The box score after a win in Edmonton on August 28 specified that “J. Houston” was the visitors’ left fielder, a position Jesse often played when he wasn’t pitching.31  Houston hurled a 3-0 shutout against the Regina All-Stars on September 4.32

The 1936 season marks Houston’s earliest appearance in the Seamheads.com database. The 1936 Cincinnati Tigers are listed among the leading independent teams that season, though the club also joined the NSL again. (Please note that the Seamheads database was never intended to cover minor leagues, which usually included the NSL.) During April a Cincinnati newspaper said the team was an “associate member” of both the NSL and NNL, though that status in the latter league, if accurate, may have meant little more than that the club often hosted full members of the NNL for exhibition games.33 Still, in contrast to 1934, the 1936 Tigers were considered a member of the NSL into its second half, playing games into August.34 

Early that season, one Cincinnati paper indicated that Jesse Houston had picked up a nickname, “Alibi Ike,” though it wasn’t used widely in print.35 In 1915 the famous author Ring Lardner wrote a short story called “Alibi Ike” about a baseball player, and it was the basis of a movie by the same name in 1935.  One film critic said the fictional character’s main attribute was having “a roundabout excuse for everything.”36

As in 1935, the Tigers again made a trip to western Canada. Houston wasn’t in every box score, but on July 14, he hurled a 2-0 shutout against the Saskatoon Gems, who borrowed five of the Tigers, including pitcher Porter Moss.37  In the same ballpark two nights later, Houston was also the winning pitcher against the Mexico City Aztecas.38

On August 23 most of the Negro Leagues’ best players competed in the fourth East-West All-Star Game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, and Cincinnati Tigers were eligible to be voted onto the West squad. The day before the game, at least two Black weeklies published complete voting tallies, and Jesse Houston did quite well. His total of 2,008 put him in eighth place among West hurlers, though Moss finished third with 7,531.39

The Tigers joined the NAL in 1937, and Houston began a three-year stint in that circuit.40 As mentioned above, his very impressive season helped the Tigers earn the league’s second-best record overall. Houston’s won-lost record is shown as 9-3, but Seamheads’ entries for players only include games for which sufficient details are available. In fact, a Cincinnati daily reported his record as an astounding 15-1 when he shut out the NAL’s Memphis Red Sox on July 19.41 

A few days later another Ohio paper, the Dayton Daily Times, provided a little insight about how he pitched: “He uses no windup and has a blazing fast ball.”42 He put that pitch to its best use against the Detroit Stars in Cleveland on Sunday, August 22 by hurling a no-hitter. It was the second game of a doubleheader, and the final score was 4-0. A Cleveland newspaper said only one Detroit batter reached base, on a fourth inning walk.43 No report was found on the size of the crowd, but in attendance were officers and many delegates who were in town for a convention of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks fraternal organization. That international gathering was expected to draw 10,000 to 20,000 members.44

Houston finished the season with a 2.26 ERA, which translates to a 190 ERA+, according to Seamheads.  Though he reportedly reached his 15th win by July 19, and had at least two wins after that date, a compilation of readily accessible game accounts from various newspapers produced a record of 15-4.  That record excludes any games that obviously didn’t count in the standings, such against a white ballclub.45 Unfortunately, the Tigers weren’t quite good enough to win either the season’s first half or its second half, so they didn’t qualify for the postseason championship series. Houston also didn’t play in that season’s East-West game, which was on August 8, though he was on the West roster.46  About a week prior to the contest, the Chicago Defender reported his vote total as 4,500, which ranked him fifth among West hurlers.47

Sadly, Houston would never again display such dominance at a high level again. Houston joined the NAL’s Chicago American Giants in 1938. His record appears as 2-4 in 12 games, with seven starts. However, there is evidence that this record does not present an accurate picture. First, after the season he was named to the NAL’s squad for an all-star game played in New York (though he didn’t play).48 Second, when the Chicago Defender assessed the performance of various players after the season, it said that “Houston showed up well.”49

Houston continued with Chicago in 1939. His record was similar to the prior year, with two wins and five losses. Nevertheless, he was voted onto the West’s all-star team.50  In fact, that season there were two East-West contests, though Houston played in neither.51

Houston’s only reported action during the 1940 season occurred in the Mexican League, with the Alijadores of Tampico. He pitched in two games and lost one of those. Also on the Tampico roster were former Cincinnati Tigers teammates Lloyd Davenport and Porter Moss.

Jesse Houston’s final season was 1941. He pitched in six games for the NNL-champion Homestead Grays. He won three of those contests without a defeat, and was also awarded a save.52  By the time of the NNL championship series in September, which pitted the Grays against the New York Cubans, the 32-year-old Houston had apparently picked up another nickname, “Bullet.”53 At present, the only game of Houston’s entire career captured in Retrosheet.org’s records, is the Grays’ 5-4 loss on September 20 to the Cubans in Philadelphia.  That was Houston’s only appearance in the best-of-five series; he drew the starting assignment and was the losing pitcher.54

Before the 1942 season it was reported that Houston would return to the Homestead club.55  However, there’s no record that he played with the Grays during the regular season. In 1943, and possibly in 1942 as well, Houston was reunited with Virgil and Sonny Harris on the Cincinnati White Sox. By mid-August he’d won six of his eight starts.56

In the 1950 census, “Benjamin” and Bertha Houston were living at 1046 Clark Street, the same address shown a decade earlier. His occupation was identified as waste collection for the City of Cincinnati. There was nobody else in the household. Their son, Benjamin Jesse Houston Junior, was born on September 12, 1956.57  In Cincinnati’s 1958 city directory, Benjamin’s job was machinery operator for the city.

In 1966, Houston and Sonny Harris were among ballplayers who took part in a Cincinnati Recreation Commission old-timers game, which went nine innings. The men’s ages ranged from 43 to 63. Less than two years later, on April 7, 1968, Jesse Houston passed away at the age of 58. He is buried in Cincinnati’s Union Baptist Cemetery.58 

Bertha and her mother outlived him, and the latter’s obituary in mid-1973 noted that Benjamin J. Houston Jr. was the only grandchild who survived her.59  Genealogical records available online indicate that Jesse and Bertha had at least one grandson: Benjamin Jesse Houston III, born in 1990.

Though Jesse Houston and the Harris brothers didn’t become particularly famous, even within Negro Leagues circles, it seems a safe bet that baseball was a frequent topic of discussion during family gatherings. A 1987 article in Queen City Heritage mentioned Houston, along with Porter Moss and Roy Partlow, as Cincinnati’s three most prominent Negro Leaguers.60

Acknowledgements

This story was reviewed by Rory Costello and Rick Zucker and fact-checked by Paul Proia.

Sources

The primary source for statistics and other information relating to his Negro Leagues career is Seamheads.com. This bio was completed in 2024, and statistics are based on those reported by Seamheads.com as of June of that year. Most genealogical information came from Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org, with Findagrave.com serving as a third such source.

Notes

1 As of mid-2023, Houston’s no-hitter wasn’t included, for example, in the list compiled by Dirk Lammers, “Ahead of Their Time: Negro Leagues No-Hitters,” originally published in the 2017 SABR book No-Hitters and accessible at https://sabr.org/bioproj/topic/ahead-of-their-time-negro-leagues-no-hitters/.

2 See https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=houst01jes, and click on “NAL” in his stats line for 1937 to see the team’s record.

3 A handwritten record accessible via genealogical websites showed both Ellis Houston and “Lena Mabson” as both age 21 and stated that they weren’t previously married.  It put the date of their marriage as September 10, but another such list recorded the date as September 14.  The name of Ellis’ wife was sometimes spelled a third different way, “Leona,” such as in the 1920 census.

4 “No Garden, No Money, Says Alabama Judge,” Pittsburgh Courier, October 14, 1933: 5.

5 Tourism Council of Bullock County, “Bullock County’s African American Heritage: Their Southern Legacy,” pamphlet excerpt available as of 2023 at http://www.unionspringsalabama.com/African-American-History-of-Bullock-County.html.

6 “Successful Impeachment,” The Freeman (Indianapolis), June 3, 1911: 7. The Freeman noted that Dr. Booker T. Washington had condemned the sheriff in the Montgomery Times earlier that week.

7 Ellis Houston’s 1918 military card seems to indicate that the location of his new job was in the community of Broadwell, near the eastern edge of Hamilton County, which contains Cincinnati.  See “Broadwell to Be Site of Nitrate Works; Plant to Be Constructed Without Delay,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 25, 1918: 5.

8 “Wants $15,000 for Toe,” Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, July 28, 1925: 12.  See also “New Suits Filed” in that same column, where the Common Pleas Court case number was specified as 196,129. “Demands $15,000 For His Toe, Cincinnati Enquirer, July 28, 1925: 3.

9 Ellis’ wife in the 1930 census was identified as “Sallie,” and a Kentucky marriage certificate documented Ellis Houston’s marriage to Sallie Crutchers.

10 “Cincinnati Buckeyes, Memphis Red Sox in ‘Natural’ Sunday,” Atlanta Daily World, August 20, 1942: 5.  This article focused on Porter Moss’s origins as a ballplayer but noted that Sinton Playground “also was the starting place for other diamond grates such as Roy Partlow, Jess Houston, etc.” 

11 In mid-1929, the roster of a team called the West End Cubs included the three Harris brothers with a “Roosevelt Houston,” though based on censuses, Jesse’s brother by that name would have only been 12 years old.  See “News of the Sandlots,” Cincinnati Times-Star, July 10, 1929: 21.

12 “Bert Charlestons 7—B. & O. R. R. 1,” Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, August 12, 1929: 8.  Charleston’s team existed in 1928, including with Roy Partlow pitching at least once, but with no Houstons or Harrises to be seen in box scores.  For example, see “Amateur Commission Games,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 20, 1928: 11.  There seems to be no sign of Charleston locally in the 1930 census, and he apparently flamed out after 1932 as a local baseball mogul.

13 “Record Is Impressive,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 27, 1930: 24.  Jesse Houston was the Community League’s strikeout king, according to “Four Runs in Seventh,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 25, 1930: 14. 

14 “Cincy Komets Nine Has New Owners,” Chicago Defender, February 28, 1931: 8.

15 “Dairymen to Play Sunday in St. Bernard,” Kentucky Post (Covington, Kentucky), June 28, 1931: 12.

16 “Amateur Results,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 30, 1931: 16.  At times, Aufdemkampe was spelled in newspapers without an “e” at the end.

17 “Community League,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 13, 1932: 16.  This article indicates that “E. Houston,” likely Jesse’s brother, was on the Madisonville Hustlers.  He had the third-longest throw that day.

18 Don Shram, “Long Balls: The longest shots in sports,” Canadian Olympic Committee, March 10, 2016, accessible online at https://olympic.ca/2016/03/10/long-balls-the-longest-shots-in-sports/.

19 William J. Plott, The Negro Southern League: A Baseball History, 1920-1951 (Jefferson, North Carolina:  McFarland & Company, Inc., 2015), 219. The Hard Hitters also included Henry “Stumpy” Harris at first base and shortstop, but he wasn’t one of Houston’s brothers-in-law.  See “Kentucky Deaths,” Evansville (Indiana) Press, May 19, 1979: 5.

20 “Tigers to Play Cincinnati Club,” Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette, July 10, 1935: 11.  The local team was also named the Tigers.  Two years later, he was said to have played on “the famous old Lexington Hustlers,” according to “Move Crax-Cincy Opener to Thursday Night,” Atlanta Daily World, July 7, 1937: 5-6.  The latter said that he’d also played on the Black Crackers, but there’s nobody by that name among Plott’s Atlanta rosters (see prior endnote) nor in Seamheads’ all-time list of that franchise’s players.

21 “Community Association,” Cincinnati Enquirer, May 1, 1933: 14.

22 “Class A League,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 5, 1933: 15.

23 Plott, The Negro Southern League: A Baseball History, 1920-1951, 115, 121.  For a roster of the 1934 Tigers, see Plott, 223-224.

24 “One Run Margin,” Cincinnati Enquirer, May 18, 1934: 21. “Tigers Are Beaten,” Cincinnati Enquirer, May 21, 1934: 14. 

25 “Seventh Member Added to Indiana-Ohio League,” Richmond (Indiana) Item, June 6, 1934: 8.  The Indiana-Ohio League was formed in 1933 as an expansion eastward of the previous season’s Eastern Indiana League, the championship of which was won by the Dayton Marcos.  For a list of the 1932 clubs, see “Dayton Wins and Starts League Play,” Chicago Defender, May 14, 1932: 9.  For a list of the teams that launched the 1933 season, see “Form New Ball League in Ohio,” Chicago Defender, May 6, 1933: 8.

26 “Strengthen Marcos,” Dayton (Ohio) Herald, June 8, 1934: 32. “Marcos Rally in Ninth, Down Merchants, 4 to 3,” Rushville (Indiana) Republican, June 18, 1934: 2. “Armco 9, Tigers 5,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 18, 1934: 15.

27 “Tigers Win Two,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 11, 1934: 15.

28 Plott, 118-119.

29 “Cincinnati White Sox Will Open Indiana-Ohio Season Here Sunday,” Richmond (Indiana) Palladium, May 15, 1935: 10. “Two Teams Dropped by Indiana-Ohio Circuit,” Richmond Palladium, May 29, 1935: 5. “Cincinnati Team at St. Henry Thursday,” Sidney (Ohio) Daily News, July 17, 1935: 6.  The latter paragraph noted that five of the White Sox were members of the 1934 Cincinnati Tigers.

30 “Japanese Set Back,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 7, 1935: 10.  See also Redeye Ropertz, “Dai Nippon Baseball Club Legendary Tour of North America 1935,” at https://attheplate.com/wcbl/1935_dai_nippon.html, the well-regarded Western Canada Baseball website of SABR member J.D. Mah.

31 “Cincinnati Tigers Win Opening Game of Exhibition Series 7-1,” Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Journal, August 29, 1935: 6.

32 “Steiner Hurls Sparkling Game,” Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), September 5, 1935: 17.

33 “Tigers Will Open Season on May 10,” Cincinnati Post, April 28, 1936: 10.  The Tigers were often asked to join the NNL but usually refused to play road games, according to “Cincinnati Team Faces Bushwick,” New York Amsterdam News, August 15, 1936: 16. 

34 Plott, 139.

35 “Alabamans Here Today,” Cincinnati Enquirer, May 17, 1936: 39.

36 Frank S. Nugent, “The Screen,” New York Times, July 17, 1935: 22.

37 “Tigers Turn Back Gems,” Saskatoon (Saskatchewan, Canada) Star-Phoenix, July 15, 1936: 11.

38 “Tigers Nose Out Aztecas,” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, July 17, 1936: 14.

39 For example, see “Here’s All You Want to Know About the Coming East Vs. West Classic!” Chicago Defender, August 22, 1936: 13-14.

40 The author believes subsequent research may find that Houston was briefly in the NAL again during the 1940s.

41 “Tigers 12, Memphis 0,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 20, 1937: 13. About four weeks later, his record was 15-2, according to “Tigers Play Monarchs in Twin Bill Today,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 15, 1937: 27.  He did pick up at least one additional NAL win later that month, against the Memphis Red Sox, according to “Tigers Eke Out Win,” Cincinnati Enquirer, August 29, 1937: 28.

42 “Tigers Play Black Barons,” Dayton Daily Times, July 24, 1937: 11. 

43 “Twirls No-Hit Game,” Plain Dealer (Cleveland), August 23. 1937: 13.  Alas, coverage of the game was quite minimal.  Both this paper and at least one other in Cleveland called him “Joe Huston.”  See “Turns in a No-Hitter,” Cleveland Gazette, August 28, 1937: 3.  Surprisingly, there might not have been any coverage in the city’s other Black weekly, The Call and Post.

44 “Elks of World Swarm into City,” Plain Dealer, August 23, 1937: 2.  John G. Taylor, “Cleveland Is ‘City of Purple’ as 10,000 Elks Go Marching on,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 28, 1937: 1, 4.

45 On September 8, 1937, Houston was the winning pitcher against the Memphis Red Sox, but that occurred just after the regular season concluded and presumably didn’t count in the standings unless it was considered a makeup game; see “Tigers Down Memphis, 6-5,” Decatur (Illinois) Herald, September 9, 1937: 15.  Also excluded from the 15-4 count is his win against the Atlanta Black Crackers on July 8, though coverage that month in that city’s Black daily newspaper made it sound like their local club had been newly admitted to the NAL; see “Cincy Tags Crackers in League Debut, 5 to 2,” Atlanta Daily World, July 9, 1937: 5.

46 “Colored Nines Selected for All-Star Game,” Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1937: 2-2.  The Trib listed him as “Jeff Houston.”

47 “East-West Game Interest Shows Increase,” Chicago Defender, July 31, 1937: 21.

48 “Star Teams to Play at Polo Grounds,” Philadelphia Tribune, September 22, 1938: 9.  St. Claire Bourne, “Base on Balls with Three on Decides Game,” New York Amsterdam News, October 1, 1938: 18.  The game was originally scheduled for Yankee Stadium but when it rained that day, it was rescheduled for the Polo Grounds.  This game isn’t considered to have been an actual East-West All-Star Game, given that it isn’t included (as of this writing) at https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/EastWest.html.

49 “Taylor Seeks to Strengthen American Giants,” Chicago Defender, November 12, 1938: 8.

50 “4 Chicagoans on West Negro All-Star Team,” Daily Times (Chicago), July 30, 1939: 23.  Houston received the fourth-highest total votes among West pitchers, all four with sums well over 100,000, though the figures in the Afro-American were much lower than those reported on the same day by Chester L. Washington, “Expect East-West Game To Draw Crowd Of 35,000,” Pittsburgh Courier, August 5, 1939: 1, 15.

51 See https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/EastWest.html. 

52 Houston and Roy Partlow were reportedly chosen for that year’s East-West classic, according to “Negro Nines,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 7, 1941: 30.  However, no East roster included them.  For example, see “East vs. West Players Picked; Fans Trek to Chicago Sunday,” New York Amsterdam Star-News, July 26, 1941: 19. 

53 “Battle For League Championship at Yankee Stadium This Sunday,” New York Age, September 20, 1941: 11.

54 See https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/boxesetc/1941/Phousj1031941.htm.

55 Cum Posey, “Newark to Hold Berth; Vote out Greenlee’s Bid,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 7, 1942: 17. “Homestead Grays Select Camp Site,” Pittsburgh Courier, March 14, 1942: 17.

56 “Giants Face Cincinnati White Sox Here,” Michigan Chronicle (Detroit), August 14, 1943: 18.

57 Their son became a private in the Army during the Vietnam War and was buried in 2018 at Dayton National Cemetery, according to https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/188055395/benjamin-jesse-houston.

58 See https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146653538/benjamin-jesse-houston.

59 “Harris,” Cincinnati Post, July 5, 1973: 12.

60 Lonnie Wheeler and John Baskin, “In the Shadows: Cincinnati’s Black Baseball Players,” Queen City Heritage: The Journal of The Cincinnati Historical Society, Volumes 45-46, 1987 (specific date not available): 13.