Editing Davy Crockett (section)

==Family and early life==
Davy Crockett was paternally of French and [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]] descent, while maternally of English descent. The Crocketts were mostly of French-[[Huguenots|Huguenot]] ancestry, although the family had settled in [[Ulster]] in the north of [[Ireland]] before migrating to the Americas.{{sfn|Winders|2001|page=9}} The earliest known paternal ancestor was Gabriel Gustave de Crocketagne, whose son Antoine de Saussure Peronette de Crocketagne was given a commission in the [[Maison militaire du roi de France|Household Troops]] under [[King Louis XIV]] of France. Antoine married Louise de Saix and emigrated to the [[Kingdom of Ireland]] with her, changing the family name to Crockett.{{sfn|DRT|2001|page=43}} Their son Joseph Louis{{sfn|DRT|2001|page=43}} was born and raised in Ireland, possibly being born, according to local tradition, near either [[Castlederg]] or [[Donemana]], both villages in the northwest of [[County Tyrone]] in the west of Ulster; Joseph Louis Crockett later married Sarah Stewart, who was also from west Ulster, she being an [[Ulster Scots people|Ulster-Scot]] from just outside the village of [[Manorcunningham]] in the Laggan district in the east of [[County Donegal]].<ref>'A distinguished list of [[Ulster Scots people|Ulster-Scots]] from [[Derry|Londonderry]] who helped make America' (''Northern Ireland World'', 9 September 2010 (scroll down to No. 7 on the list: David Crockett)). https://www.northernirelandworld.com/news/a-distinguished-list-of-ulster-scots-from-londonderry-who-helped-make-america-2817455</ref><ref>'Davy Crockett and his Donegal ancestors' (''Go Visit Donegal'' [[Facebook]] page, 6 March 2020). https://m.facebook.com/govisitdonegal/posts/1878320515631813</ref> Joseph and Sarah emigrated to New York, where their son William David was born in 1709. He married Elizabeth Boulay. William and Elizabeth's son David (paternal grandfather of Davy Crockett) was born in Pennsylvania and married Elizabeth Hedge. Historical records indicate that David and Elizabeth were the parents of William, David Jr., Robert, Alexander, James, Joseph, and [[John Crockett (frontiersman)|John]] (the father of Davy Crockett); they may have had additional children whose records have not yet been found.{{sfn|Winders|2001|page=12}}{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=19}}

John was born c. 1753 in [[Frederick County, Virginia]].{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=19}} The family moved to [[Tryon County, North Carolina]] c. 1768. In 1776, the family moved to northeast [[Tennessee]], in the area of modern [[Hawkins County, Tennessee|Hawkins County]].{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=22–24}} John was one of the [[Overmountain Men]] who fought in the [[Battle of Kings Mountain]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]].{{sfn|Jones|2006|page=1796}} He was away as a militia volunteer in 1777 when his parents David and Elizabeth were killed at their home near modern [[Rogersville, Tennessee|Rogersville]] by [[Muscogee people|Creeks]] and [[Chickamauga Cherokee]]s led by war chief [[Dragging Canoe]].{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=26, 34}}{{sfn|Fulgham|2000|page=102}} John's brother Joseph was wounded in the skirmish. His brother James was taken prisoner and held for seventeen years.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=26–27}}

{{multiple image
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 | header = Landmarks at the [[David Crockett Birthplace State Park]]
 | image1 = Birth stone edited1.jpg
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 | caption1 = Weathered stone commemorating the spot Crockett was born
 | image2 = Crockett Cabin1.jpg
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 | caption2 = Replica of the cabin Crockett was born in
}}
John married Rebecca Hawkins in 1780.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=21}} Nine children of John and Rebecca have been verified by historians and Crockett descendants: Nathan, William, Aaron, James, David, John, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Margaret Catharine.{{sfn|DRT|2001|page=43}}{{sfn|Hasday|2010|page=7}}{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=11–12}} Their son David (nicknamed Davy) was born August 17, 1786 and was named after John's father.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=32}} Crockett's English ancestry comes from his mother Rebecca Hawkins, as the earliest ancestor arrived in [[Gloucester County, Virginia]] in 1658.<ref>{{cite book |author=James Atkins Shackford |title=David Crockett: The Man and the Legend |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |date=1994 |isbn=978-0-8032-9230-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4N12F08IkIC&dq=davy+crockett+english+french&pg=PA293}}</ref>

John Crockett was active in local politics and an advocate of the independent [[State of Franklin]].{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=33}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Greene County|url=http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=572|encyclopedia=The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture|publisher=Tennessee Historical Society|access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref> Davy Crockett was born in that area, which is now in [[Greene County, Tennessee]], close to the [[Nolichucky River]] and near the community of [[Limestone, Tennessee|Limestone]]. A replica of Davy Crockett's birthplace cabin stands near the site, situated in the [[David Crockett Birthplace State Park]].<ref>{{cite web|title=David Crockett Birthplace State Park|publisher=Tennessee State Parks|url=http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/parks/DavidCrockettSHP/|access-date=October 12, 2013|archive-date=November 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104023739/http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/parks/DavidCrockettSHP/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

John continually struggled to make ends meet, and the Crocketts moved to a tract of land on Lick Creek in 1792.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=38}} John sold that tract of land in 1794 and moved the family to Cove Creek, where he built a [[gristmill]] with partner Thomas Galbraith.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=42}} A flood destroyed the gristmill and the Crockett homestead. The Crocketts then moved to Mossy Creek in [[Jefferson County, Tennessee]], but John forfeited his property in bankruptcy in 1795.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=43}} The family next moved on to property owned by a Quaker named John Canady — an Irish surname with variant spellings; for example, Crockett's autobiography referred to the property owner as "John Kennedy".{{sfn|Boylston|Wiener|2009|pages=163–164}}{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=61}}{{sfn|Groneman|2005|page=.34}} At [[Morristown, Tennessee|Morristown]] in the [[Southwest Territory]], John built a tavern on a stage coach route; the [[Crockett Tavern Museum]] now stands on that site.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=43}}{{sfn|Jones|2006|page=1797}}

When David was 12 years old, his father [[Indentured servitude|indentured]] him to Jacob Siler to help with the Crockett family indebtedness. He helped tend Siler's cattle as a [[cowboy]] on a {{convert|400|mi|adj=on}} trip to near [[Natural Bridge (Virginia)|Natural Bridge]] in [[Virginia]]. He was well treated and paid for his services but, after several weeks in Virginia, he decided to return home to Tennessee.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=46–49}} The next year, John enrolled his sons in school, but David played [[Truancy|hooky]] after an altercation with a fellow student. Upon learning of this, John attempted to whip him but was outrun by his son. David then joined a [[cattle drive]] to [[Front Royal, Virginia]], for Jesse Cheek.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=49–51}} Upon completion of that trip, he joined teamster Adam Myers on a trip to [[Gerrardstown, West Virginia]].{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=52}} In between trips with Myers, he worked for farmer John Gray.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=53}} After leaving Myers, he journeyed to [[Christiansburg, Virginia]], where he apprenticed for the next four years with hatter Elijah Griffith.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=55–56}}

In 1802, David journeyed by foot back to his father's tavern in Tennessee.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=57–58}} His father was in debt to Abraham Wilson for $36 ({{Inflation|US|36|1802|fmt=eq}}), so David was hired out to Wilson to pay off the debt.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=60}} Later, he worked off a $40 debt to John Canady.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=62}} Once the debts were paid, John Crockett told his son that he was free to leave. David returned to Canady's employment, where he stayed for four years.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=63}}

===Marriages and children===
[[File:Davy Crockett marriage contract, October 1805.jpg|thumb|Contract of marriage for David Crockett and Margaret Elder, October 21, 1805]]
Crockett fell in love with John Canady's niece Amy Summer, who was engaged to Canady's son Robert.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=67}} While serving as part of the wedding party, Crockett met Margaret Elder. He persuaded her to marry him, and a marriage contract was drawn up on October 21, 1805. However,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Davy Crockett's Marriage License Back in Rightful Place|magazine=The Blue Pages|date=May 2010|volume=1|issue=3|url=https://sharetngov.tnsosfiles.com/sos/Newsletter/Vol1_3.pdf|access-date=November 2, 2013|publisher=Office of the Secretary of State of Tennessee}}</ref> Margaret had also become engaged to another young man at the same time, whom she married instead of Crockett.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=70}}

He met Polly Finley and her mother Jean at a harvest festival.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=72–73}} Although friendly towards him in the beginning, Jean Finley eventually felt Crockett was not the man for her daughter.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=74}} Crockett declared his intentions to marry Polly, regardless of whether the ceremony was allowed to take place in her parents' home or had to be performed elsewhere. He arranged for a justice of the peace and took out a marriage license on August 12, 1806. On August 16, he rode to Polly's house with family and friends, determined to ride off with Polly to be married elsewhere. Polly's father pleaded with Crockett to have the wedding in the Finley home. Crockett agreed only after Jean apologized for her past treatment of him.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|pages=76=77}}

[[File:ElizabethCrockett.png|thumb|right|upright=0.7|Crockett's second wife, [[Elizabeth Patton Crockett|Elizabeth]]]]

The newlyweds settled on land near Polly's parents, and their first child, [[John Wesley Crockett]], who became a United States Congressman,<ref>{{cite web|title=John Wesley Crockett|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000920|publisher=United States Congress|access-date=October 21, 2013}}</ref> was born July 10, 1807.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=81}} Their second child, William Finley Crockett, was born November 25, 1808.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=81}} In October 1811, the family relocated to [[Lincoln County, Tennessee|Lincoln County]].{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=90}} Their third child Margaret Finley (Polly) Crockett was born on November 25, 1812.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=93}} The Crocketts then moved to [[Franklin County, Tennessee|Franklin County]] in 1813. He named the new home on Beans Creek "Kentuck".{{Sfn|Wallis|2011|page=94}} His wife died in March 1815,{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=131}} and Crockett asked his brother John and his sister-in-law to move in with him to help care for the children.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=133}} That same year, he married the widow Elizabeth Patton, who had a daughter, Margaret Ann, and a son, George.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=134}} David and Elizabeth's son, Robert Patton, was born September 16, 1816.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=146}} Daughter Rebecca Elvira was born December 25, 1818.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=156}} Daughter Matilda was born August 2, 1821.{{sfn|Wallis|2011|page=162}}

===David Crockett family tree===
{{David Crockett family tree}}