I had a small house somewhere in America (5)
I believe the answer is:
idaho
'somewhere in america' is the definition.
(I know that Idaho is a U.S. state)
'i had a small house' is the wordplay.
'i had' becomes 'I'd' (contraction).
'small house' becomes 'ho' (abbreviation for house; 'small' asks for a short form).
'id'+'a'+'ho'='IDAHO'
(Other definitions for idaho that I've seen before include "US state in the Rocky Mountains" , "found in America" , "part of US near Washington" , "North-western state of America" , "US state E. of Oregon" .)