Am I the only person thinking this part of Davy Crockett's ancestry is fishy?

+12 votes
912 views

It seems the theory that Davy Crockett is a descendant of this "Antoine de Saussure de Croquetagne" has many supporters, and though I personnally don't believe it, I don't want to argue about that today.

BUT Wikitree has earlier ancestors than "Antoine" (these ancestors are all over the net, not only on Wikitree) and they really jump the shark! Just have a look at the profiles. Since when did 16-17th century French huguenots name their children after sitcom actresses? 

On a less subjective note, the profiles offer no sources whatsoever, and while profilers seem to agree on the city of Montauban, they obviously don't know which Montauban it was, the one in Brittany or the one in Languedoc.

Someone did leave a note on the profile of Antoine's alleged son to indicate that DNA tends to disprove the French ancestry theory.

Thoughts?

WikiTree profile: Antoine de Crocketagne
in The Tree House by Isabelle Martin G2G6 Pilot (566k points)
edited by Isabelle Martin
I'm no expert on 17th-century France, but -- Colleen Marge?  Sarah Jane?
There's a Marilyn Cordelia Regina Keeler, born 1518 in Montauban. I'd love to see her baptism record. Though "Cordelia Maybelle" as a ring to it too.

The article linked to in the comment by Isabelle is  worth reading though it is in French.but the google translation is not bad.

 http://www.rfgenealogie.com/s-informer/infos/celebrites/davy-crockett-d-origine-francaise-ou-les-genealogistes-ont-fume-la-moquette

2 Answers

+7 votes
I saw your message.  I have been working on my Crockett line since 1985 and then had to wait, and eventually, someone on my line took a Y dna test, and so we are certain or our lineage.   However, when I added my lineage, it automatically links up to the old lines that were BELIEVED to be correct, from Southern Families books.  Currently, at ancestry dna, we have dna circles started on our ancestors.  I encourage anyone who really wants to know their Crockett line to take a dna test, and especially those with Y lineage.

It would be nice if those of us who we think we are from THEE Crockett lineage, (Davey was not the only hero in the fam!)  pay as much attention to Davey's Uncles and his Grandfather.  They were Revolutionary heroes at the battle of Kings Mountain, now SC.   They were the mountaineers with 7 foot long rifles who shot with amazing precision that saved patriot troops that from being slaughtered and loosing the war! They were using powder and balls and compensating for extreme rotation while hitting their marks.  It would be fun to see some of todays sharp shooters try the same!

Anyone who is looking for a connection to Davey Crockett should go back to his Grandparents.  David "the Elder" as he is now being referred to.  And work the tree south from there.  There is ample information on his descendants for you to be able to find your connection.  

Alamo Davey lineage will include the Finley and Patton families.  He had step children.   Many of his children migrated with other family members to Indiana, Missouri and of course, Texas.

I hope, perhaps soon, Wikitree will rid us of those old files and let us find the more recent stuff to add, with our dna matches.  We are paying a lot of money for the dna testing so it would be nice if we could have the results accurately reflected.

I wouldn't care if they just deleted the old stuff and let us find our own resources to share.  I am a decendent of John the Elder who was slaughtered in TN, and buried in Rogersville TN.  His children dealt with great hardship and overcame much, and were true pioneers.

If you compare their life style choices to a man in a kilt or a guy in velvet suits, which one would you think they'd fit in with? Seriously?  Davey in tights and knickers?
by Living Bale G2G6 (7.2k points)
No Crocketts in my line but came across this site, perhaps of interest if you don't already know about it - http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~goahead/
Joseph Garrett Crockett is my Great Great Grandfather. Joseph Zahniser Crockett is my Great Grandfather, with my grandmother, Eva M (Crockett) (Colton) Hiatt being my grandmother.

I really didn't know about the who "nobody knows beyond "The Elder"" thing. I do have information that I can very much confirm about this end of the Crocketts though. If anybody would like to confirm.
+8 votes

As you say, the story is all over the net.  Not a smell of a citation of an actual primary record.  Long version:

http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/crockett/1286/

But most versions don't have all the siblings.

One of the men in this picture is a Crockett

http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/in-focus/muilman-crokatt-keable-thomas-gainsborough/the-painting/patronage

He was the London end of his family's trading company in South Carolina.  His mother was a Gaillard, a prominent family in the Huguenot settlement.

But the writer reckons the Crockett immigrant was from Scotland.

 

 

by Living Horace G2G6 Pilot (632k points)
Well I'll be jiggered!  if you go and look at John Crockett's Tavern, or Davey's birth place, that's a big fall in social graces!  LOL.   

Thanks for the great info!
At risk of stirring up a hornets nest once again, we have far too many unsourced profiles and yet people think it's okay to let new "cousins" add them in quantity. Really?  Come across dozens each day and spend hours researching to provide the profiles with some background whereas the people who added them are much more able to know what their life stories have been.
Dorothy, I currently have over 100 trees on ancestry.  They are locked up tight except for the gigantic one I'm using, for dna purposes.   That one can't be uploaded here anyway, because its too huge and goes back too far.  IT is not completely sourced, hardly at all, but there are sources in other trees and i will gladly share them on request.  I am urgently, trying to upload all the trees I can because I am planning on getting off ancestry after years.  I am breaking down trees and making smaller ones to fit them on, and sometimes the sources come and sometimes they don't.  But as to my Crockett's, you are correct, but the sources for me was family history by mouth and records, which I only wrote down in 1985 and then, the research I did at the library and court house.   That's our line.  Alexander, who was never accepted into the Crockett cousins because the lack of documentation.  The dna test someone did, linked us strongly.  And thats the rest of the story.  But, on family search, when I get so far into my Crockett line, they fill in the rest and It looks to me like the old Southern Families stuff.  I did not look here, and RJ Horace did show a good bit of info.  Actually, what he shared is what is showing up in dna.  I was surprised to find that I am 33% Scandinavian and 33% Irish (includes all celtic, including Scotland). The only Irish I find would be the Crockett's so far, but I'm waiting.  BUT, the only thing that I am certain of in my lineage is back to Rogersville, TN   And I would like be able to stop there until I can confirm what come next.  To anyone else reading this, there where two Alexander Crockett, in the same time span and you have to be careful which one you pick up.  He would be an Uncle to the Davey of Congress.  I don't think it's a beehive, our dna will assist in clarifying it.
Sorry, Wasn't referring to the Crockett info, but rather to our tendency to allow unsourced profiles for all different types of profiles. You are fine and your work is appreciated, M Bale!

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