Crockett Ancestry Update
Kywhite
Here is what is published in the book "Notable Southern Families" by Armstrong
and French. As I mentioned earlier, this was done in conjunction with the
centennial celebration of Texas prior to 1936. I've been able to verify the
lines back to the grandfather of "Davy" Crockett, but the authors tell a story
and do not cite any sources!!!
Here is what I have to go on:
"The Crockett genealogy starts with the French Huguenot, Antoine Desasure
Perronette de Crocketagne. He was the son of Gabriel Gustave de Crocketagne
and was born in the South of France 10 July 1643. He was placed as 2nd in
command of the household guard of Louis XIV. He married in 1669 Louise de
Saix of the nobility. [Footnote: The Crocketts are related to the Marquis de
Lafayette through this marriage his mother having been a Miss de Saix, a
cousin of Louise]
Their first child, Gabriel Gustave II was born at Bordeaux on Oct 12, 1672.
Later that year they had to leave France and settled in Bantry Bay, Ireland."
"Another son, Joseph Louis Crockett, was born in Ireland on Jan 9, 1676 and
married Sarah Stewart of Donegal, Ireland. Sarah Stewart or Stuart was the
daughter of Thomas Stewart of Donegal."
Sorry folks, but this is ALL that I have to go on. Can anyone tie into the
French Crocketagne or de Saix families? Or the Stewarts of Ireland ~1650.
Are these entries valid or spurious. They keep saying "our research reveals"
etc., but they never say where they found the proof. Prior to the centennial,
everyone wanted to "prove" that the heroes of the Alamo were "noble" by birth
as well as by deed. Whether there is a connection to Lafayette, I have no
idea. Obviously, if two people have the same surname, they must be related,
correct??????
Many thanks,
Ky in Texas
Vickie Elam White
Ky in Texas wrote --
<< Here is what is published in the book "Notable Southern Families" by
Armstrong
and French. As I mentioned earlier, this was done in conjunction with the
centennial celebration of Texas prior to 1936. I've been able to verify
the
lines back to the grandfather of "Davy" Crockett, but the authors tell a
story
and do not cite any sources!!! >>
Sorry, but that connection is false.
Davy's ancestors were not of that line. Evidently the authors just assumed
that all CROCKETTs were of that line. It had originally been said, in the
book you quote as well as others, that the three CROCKETT men in VA
(Robert of Great River of the Calfpasture, Samuel of Reed Creek, and
Joseph of the South Fork of the Roanoke River) were all descendants of
French Huguenot refugees to Ireland. This would have made them first
cousins, but nothing uncovered in various sources show that relationship.
I recommend you read an article entitled "Robert Crockett of the Great
Calfpasture, Augusta Co. Virginia" by Robert H. Montgomery, which is
contained in pp. 374-395 of __Genealogies of Virginia Families__, Volume
II.
This will show that, not only were those three settlers not descendants of
the Huguenot refugees, but that Davy CROCKETT is not descended from
any one of the three.
Davy, who was born on 17 Aug 1786 in the family home at the mouth
of the Lime Stone Creek on the Nolichucky River (in what is now Greene
Co. TN) wrote his own biography, __Narrative of the Life of David Crockett
of the State of Tennessee, Written by Himself__. He says that his father
was John CROCKETT, "born in Ireland or on a passage from that
country to America across the Atlantic" and who spent his early life
in Pennsylvania. His father John had brothers named Joseph, James
and William. He also said that his grandparents were murdered by
the Creek Indians in their home in what is now Rodgersville, Hawkins
Co. TN, but he doesn't name them.
This does not fit the Huguenot descent. None of their descendants
fit these criteria.
I am not a CROCKETT researcher, but my ancestor Robert HOOD was
a Greene Co. TN neighbor of John CROCKETT and so I happened to
have the article in my files.
Vickie Elam White
10265...@compuserve.com
Kywhite
Dear Vickie,
Many thanks for your reply. You've answered the basic query. What I was
trying to do with this line of inquiry was to see if the David Crockett who is
the grandfather of "Davy" can really be tied into this Huguenot line.
I'm a descendant of this first David who was scalped in 1777 in what is now
Rogerville, TN. His wife's name was Elizabeth from deeds found around
Abingdon, VA. It can only be guessed at her parentage from other deeds that
mention inheritance but do not clearly spell out the relationship of Mrs.
Elizabeth Crockett and the grantor of the land. My descent from this David
through his son John (father of "Davy" and John's son, William, has been
proven.
However, I have not seen any documentation of the Crockett line to the
Huguenot line in the Armstrong-French book. That quite simply is what I'm
trying to do. The book simply says research of the authors but does not quote
sources. I'm trying to reconstruct how they got their data and I cannot do
it. Probably because it can't be.
Does the book on the VA families have any info the ancestry of this David, or
does the line stop there? I have the latest Crockett ancestry published by
the DDDC (Direct Descendants of Davy Crockett,(they let me in even though I'm
a cousin and my check didn't bounce!)) In this lineage the line does stop
with David, grandfather of Davy and can go no further. If the Armstrong line
is spurious, I'm not surprised. It probably falls into the same category as
many of the earlier DAR lines which have been shown to be false or have the
need to be re-proven and certified.
Interesting (to me anyway) is the fact that Davy Crockett in his autobiography
mentions that their cabin was flooded and washed away and that they had to
winter one year with the family of Hugh Gilbreath who lived higher up on the
hillside. My wife's grandfather was Hughie Gilbreath named for this forebear,
so over 200 years ago our ancestors knew each other quite well in Frontier
Tennessee.
thank you much,
Ky White
Houston, TX
Vickie Elam White
Ky White wrote --
<<Does the book on the VA families have any info the ancestry of this
David, or
does the line stop there? I have the latest Crockett ancestry published by
the DDDC (Direct Descendants of Davy Crockett,(they let me in even though
I'm
a cousin and my check didn't bounce!)) In this lineage the line does stop
with David, grandfather of Davy and can go no further. If the Armstrong
line
is spurious, I'm not surprised. It probably falls into the same category
as
many of the earlier DAR lines which have been shown to be false or have the
need to be re-proven and certified.>>
The article says that John CROCKETT's father was David, but that earlier
researchers had made the mistake of making this David fit into the
Huguenot line (like forcing a square peg into a round hole <G>). The
author did investigate the various CROCKETT lines (including the
Huguenot one) to see if there was a David who would fit the
various criteria for being John's father, but he came up empty.
Another source for this family is __The Lost Tribes of North Carolina__ by
Worth S. Ray. The Montgomery article does a good job of
debunking Ray's theory that David's father was Archibald CROCKETT, but
it might contain clues for other ancestors and relatives of Davy. And you
will probably find info on David CROCKETT and his relatives in __Annals
of Southwest Virginia__ by Lewis Preston Summers.
And may I suggest, if you haven't already done so, that you read up on the
various border changes for that part of TN. Records for TN during the
mid-to
late 1700s can be found in NC, VA and PA, as well as in TN. Don't forget
the
Watauga Settlement records and the State of Franklin records.
I think the CROCKETT lineage as presented by some researchers was just
a case of wishful thinking, something that crops us frequently in all
families. <G> He certainly didn't have any royal connections.
If you send me your address by private email I will send you a copy of the
Montgomery article. Good luck on your research.
Vickie Elam White
10265...@compuserve.com