DAVY CROCKETT BORN IN EAST TENNESSEE
Limestone, Tennessee (JFK+50) The song says that Davy Crockett* was "born on a mountain top in Tennessee," and while he was indeed born in the Volunteer State, he was not born on a mountaintop.
The future United States Congressman was born along the Nolichucky River here in Limestone** on August 17, 1786. Davy later moved with his family to Morristown where his father operated a tavern.
Davy apprenticed in Christianburg, Virginia for four years and returned to Tennessee to marry Polly Finley. The couple, with their three children, moved to Franklin County in 1813.
Davy served in the Tennessee Militia and then moved to Lawrence County where is was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1821. He was defeated in a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives but was elected in 1824. Davy served Tennessee's 9th District 1827-1831.
Defeated for re-election in 1835, Davy Crockett joined the fight for liberty against Mexican dictator Santa Anna along with some of his "Tennessee Volunteers." He and they lost their lives in the Battle of the Alamo near San Antonio on March 6, 1836.
SOURCE
"David Crockett: The Lion of the West," by Michael Wallis, W.W. Norton Company, New York, 2011.
*David "Davy" Crockett (1786-1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier & politician. DC became known as the 'King of the Wild Frontier.' His legend was assured with the role played by Fess Parker in Walt Disney's 1954-1956 TV series.
**Limestone, TN is located on the western border of Washington County & the eastern border of Greene County in NE TN. It is home to the David Crockett Birthplace State Park.
Crockett Tavern
Limestone, Tennessee (2009)
Photo by Victor9876 at en.wikipedia
