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David Crockett Letter to James L. Totten

 Collection
Identifier: MS-1147

  • Staff Only

This one page letter is written by David Crockett in Washington, D.C. to James L. Totten in Trenton, Tennessee. It is dated February 11, 1825, and was sent on March 1, 1825. In the letter, Crockett talks about the political status of General Andrew Jackson and his own proposal for a new mail route for the United States.

Dates

  • 1825 February 11

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (1 oversize folder)

Abstract

This one page letter is written by David Crockett in Washington, D.C. to James L. Totten in Trenton, Tennessee. It is dated February 11, 1825, and was sent on March 1, 1825. In the letter, Crockett talks about the political status of General Andrew Jackson and his own proposal for a new mail route for the United States.

Biographical/Historical Note

David "Davy" Crockett was born to John and Rebecca (Hawkins) Crockett in Limestown, Tennessee on August 17, 1786. He was married twice, first to Polly Finlay (1788-1815) and second to Elizabeth Patton (1788-1860). He had six children with his two wives: John Wesley (1807-1852), William Finley (1809-1849), Margaret Finley (Crockett) Flowers (1812-), Robert Patton Crockett (1816-1889), Rebecca E. (Crockett) Halford (1818-1897), and Matilda (Crockett) Fields (1821-1890). Crockett served under Andrew Jackson in the Creek War (1813-1814) and operated as a frontiersman in Western Tennessee before serving in the Tennessee Legislature (1821-1823) and representing Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives (1827-1831, 1833-1835). He later moved to Texas where he served in the Texas Army during the Texas War of Independence. He may also have written several of the books published under his name, including A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett (1834), An Account of Col. Crockett’s Tour to the North and Down East (1834), and Col. Crockett’s Exploits and Adventures in Texas (1836). Davy Crockett was killed at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

James L. Totten was born March 23, 1804, in Obion, Tennessee. He practiced law at Livingston until he moved to Trenton and was elected to the legislature in 1835. He married Sarah Eliza Dyer on June 20, 1833. Later, he moved to Mississippi where he would become a Circuit Judge. He died April 22, 1867 in DeWritt, Arkansas.

Arrangement

This collection is in one folder.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480