What about the families?

What is somewhat bittersweet about this is that Crockett's primary motivation in joining the Texian army was the promise of a huge land grant in return for service. Texas honored the commitment it had made to its volunteers after Crockett's death and Elizabeth was given the land bounty Crockett had earned. All his life, Crockett had sought a way for him and those in his economic and social circumstances to acquire enough land to become not only farmers, but land owners, in the same way that those who had moved up the economic ladder in Tennessee had done through large land holdings (Jackson, Polk, et al). Land ownership was the way to economic and social mobility.

Regarding what the Crockett family expected of David's journey to Texas, there is a revealing interview with his daughter, Matilda, who was 15 at the time he left for Texas. He had just lost his final bid for reelection, by a thin margin, and Matilda recalled that he didn't seem to care much about it. His immediate reaction was to suggest to Elizabeth that they pack up and move to Texas immediately; the place had clearly been on his mind for some time and he was, long ago, tired of the stagnation and snails-pace of Congress. Elizabeth was reluctant to do that and suggested instead that David explore Texas on his own and then come home to relate his conclusions about the place. Matilda said the family was quite surprised to learn that Crockett had, instead, joined the Texian army and only learned about it from a letter Elizabeth received from David, sent from Texas. This may, in fact, be different from the January 9, 1836 letter that Crockett wrote to his daughter and son-in-law in Tennessee (the Flowers letter); if so, it has never been found.

I think that Crockett weighed his options and saw that a short-term volunteer service in the Texian army would give him hundreds of choice acres, if not more, and finally put him in a position that he had sought all his life -- to become a land holder.

Allen

Interesting stuff. I will have to add Ron's book to my list, too (if I can find it. It looks to be out of print, unless you want to spend $129 through a third-party seller through Amazon. Ouch!).

It sounds like there's not much on most of the families in the aftermath of the battle. I mean, yes, land claims were filed by many families, I guess, but beyond that, the record seems scarce.

Thanks, Allen. I did find a copy for under $10 following another tip from here. It's a different source but the price was right, and I have ordered it. I'm looking forward to checking the book out. It's bound to contain something of what I'm looking for and should be a nice addition to my ever-growing collection.

Just started "David Crockett in Congress", which I am thoroughly enjoying. "Alamo Story" was another one I picked up during HHD two weeks ago and finished on Friday. Very well worth the money.

paul