Davy Crockett, From Tennessee to Texas

Click to Enlarge Austin, Texas Courthouse

I was in Austin, Texas this week and I couldn’t resist stopping to check out the historic Austin courthouse. Being so far from home, I didn’t expect to run into anyone I knew but, the moment I passed through the metal detectors, I looked up and there on the wall was fellow Tennessean Davy Crockett.

Click to Enlarge Davy Crockett painting in lobby of Austin, Texas Courthouse

Click to Enlarge Davy Crockett painting by William Henry Huddle

For the last several weeks I’ve been researching the ancestors of my second great grandmother, Nancy Mariana Johnson (my paternal 2nd great-grandmother) and she grew up in what would became Crockett County which was named after the “king of the wild frontier.”

Nancy’s grandfather (who was my 4th great-grandfather) was Frances M. Wood who was born in North Carolina in 1777 and was one of the first settlers in Haywood County, Tennessee in an area that would later become Crockett County.

Fast forward twenty years and the people of that community in Haywood County had joined with some of their friends and neighbors to petition to become their own Tennessee county.

On December 20, 1845, an act by the Tennessee General Assembly made that happen:

“An act entitled to establish the county of Crockett in honor of and to perpetuate the memory of David Crockett, one of Tennessee’s distinguished sons. The act provided that the county should be formed out of the counties of Haywood, Gibson, Madison, and Dyer…”
Source

Those who were selected to help the new county take its first steps included Nancy’s brother-in-law David Whitaker and a neighbor and likely relative, Isaac M. Johnson. They kept the Davy Crockett theme going and named the county seat, “Alamo.”

My second Davy Crockett connection is through my 3rd great-grandmother Eleanora Harriet Dougan Williamson, wife of Beverly M. Williamson who helped settle the Providence community in Madison County, Tennessee. She is the great-grandmother of my paternal grandfather, Lloyd “Bo” Williams. Three of Harriet’s first cousins, James Dougan Jr., Thomas Dougan and Robert Dougan, helped settle the area of Reelfoot Lake along with the Crockett family. Source Source Eventually, James Dougan Jr. married Clorinda Crockett who was the widow of Davy’s son William.

Back in Austin, the lobby wasn’t the only place I found Davy Crockett.

A tour of the courthouse was just beginning so I slid into place and joined it.

As we entered the Texas Senate Chamber, I noticed a large painting of the battle of the Alamo on the back wall. Unfortunately, a beam of light from a window above slides over the painting each day as the sun passes over the courthouse. I’m not going to tell the good people of Texas what to do with their paintings, but that’s not very good for any artifact.

Click to Enlarge Dawn of the Alamo by Henry Arthur McArdle

Click to Enlarge

Anyway, our tour guide pointed out Davy Crockett who, in the mind of the artist, McArdle, didn’t let the fact he had run out of bullets stop him from attacking the enemy. He just beat them with the butt of his gun.

Click to Enlarge Davy Crockett showing the enemy what Tennesseans do when they run out of bullets.

Those who are interested in genealogy may find it interesting to know that the “descendants and kin” of Davy Crockett have their own Web site and a private Facebook group.

You can find more about my “descendants and kin” at HaywoodCountyLine.com, or read more blogs posts about the history of West Tennessee on my blog page.