Person:Andrew Crocket (1)

Andrew Crocket was born probably about 1756, though possibly as late as 1775, probably in Pennsylvania. Though The History of Warren County, Ohio, by Beers (1882) states that Andrew Crocket was a native of New Jersey, his daughter believed otherwise. In 1870, his daughter, Susannah Sarah Ann, was married to John L. Fox and living in Indiana, and she reported to the census taker that both of her parents had been born in Pennsylvania.

From The History of Warren Co Ohio, by Beers (1882):

"Mr. Crockett was thrice married-first, in his native State, New Jersey, where he lived several years, during which time his first wife died. About 1810, he emigrated to Ohio and located near Springboro. In November, 1812, he married Sarah Mullen, by whom he had three children, all now deceased; his second wife died Nov. 24, 1817. On March 7, 1819, he married for his third wife Mrs. Margaret Freeman, by whom he had one child, Susannah Sarah Ann, who married John Fox and resides in Indiana. Mr. Crockett died May 21, 1849, aged 93 years; he was an active and industrious man, who started in life from a poor bound boy, and acquired a good competency; he then purchased some military lands in Clark County, soon after which a second claimant appeared, and he again paid for his land; finally, a third claimant presented himself, when, rather than to run any further risk, he gave up his land; he had nearly exhausted his means, and, after so much hard work and toil with good success in former years, he was now, by this misfortune, obliged to live the balance of his life in limited circumstances."

At this point there is no known record to tie Andrew Crocket to his life before he lived in Ohio. He may have been an orphan, or from a family in otherwise tight circumstances as is suggested by his description of beginning life "as a poor bound boy," a child or young man bound to a term of service of some sort.

Andrew Crocket seems more commonly to have spelled his name as Crocket, with one t, but it does appear too, though more rarely, as Crockett. Because there was such consistency, even in an era in which spelling was generally inconsistent, and because there are far fewer Crockets in the historical records of the era with one t, it would seem to be prudent to pay extra attention to any Crockets with one t, while not overlooking those with two.

There was an Andrew Crocket on the New Jersey tax lists of Waterford Township, Gloucester County. This is intriguing because Hannah Cattell, the mother of Andrew Crocket's second wife, Sarah Mullen/Mullin, was from Gloucester County.

There was also a John Crocket in the Waterford Township, New Jersey, at the same time as Andrew Crocket. John was an Episcopalian, and married to Catherine Grapevine. Whether he connects to this Andrew Crocket is unknown.

There also seems to be no record existing in Clark County for Andrew Crocket or Crockett to have purchased military lands in that county. This still bears further investigation, because perhaps the story was understood incorrectly at the time it was written down, and perhaps Andrew purchased military lands in another location. A careful researcher could take a look at the records in Greene and Champaign counties; Clark County was formed in 1818 from parts of Greene and Champaign Counties. Andrew married Margaret Freeman in Greene County in 1819; and William Mullen, a brother of Andrew's wife, Sarah Mullen, also lived in Greene County.

(There was an Andrew Crocket in Fairfield County, Ohio, in the 1810 census, but this seems to be another Andrew Crocket who continued to live in Fairfield County for many years thereafter. Conclusion: a different man.)

According to Beers, Andrew Crocket came to Ohio about the year 1810. Other accounts say that he came specifically to Springboro in that year. On December 19, 1812, he married Sarah Mullin, the daughter of William Mullin. Sarah was probably at least somewhat younger than Andrew, although she could have been quite a bit younger. (Her father, William was born about 1755, and Andrew was probably born in 1756.)

To them were born three sons: Charles, born about 1813; Marmaduke, born in February of 1815; and Mordecai, born in April of 1816.

A year and a half after the birth of Mordecai, in November of 1817, Sarah died. The place of her burial is unknown.

After Sarah's death, Andrew married Margaret Freeman, the widow of Noah Freeman of Miami County, in February of 1819 in Greene County. To them was born a daughter, Susannah "Sarah" Ann Crockett, in 1820.

There was an Andrew Crocket in the 1820 census in Miami Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.

There was an Andrew Crocket in the 1840 census in Butler Township, in Montgomery County. It is likely to be the right Andrew Crocket, because there has been no other Andrew Crocket yet identified in Montgomery County, but it does present a puzzle. The census taker marked that he (Andrew) was 70-80 years old. If Beers was correct, and if Andrew was about 93 when he died, then in 1840 he would have been about 84 years old. (Andrew Crocket's year of birth has been reported elsewhere, though not in any found records, as being 1775, in which case he would have been 65 years old in 1840.) Also in the household was one female, 20-30, and one male, under 5. These two may have been Andrew's daughter (by his third wife, Margaret Freeman), Susannah "Sarah" Ann Crockett, born in 1820. But Sarah did not marry William Karch until 1841, and the marriage record in Miami Township indicates that her surname at the time of her marriage was Crockett. Therefore if Sarah is the young woman in the household of Andrew Crocket in 1840, and if the child was hers, she was then probably unmarried.

It seems not unlikely to think that this is probably the right Andrew Crocket -- a man living in Montgomery County, well advanced in years, with a young woman in the household of the age of his youngest daughter who would marry the following year.

That there should be such difficulty establishing the identity of this Andrew Crocket should not be surprising, considering the description in the Beers account of how Andrew Crocket "lived the balance of his life in limited circumstances." This suggests that in his later years he did not own property, and therefore finding traces of him in the land and tax records of that time would prove more difficult. And no will has yet been found; at the end of his life, he may not have had property to bequeath.

Some descendants of Andrew Crocket have long believed that he was somehow connected to the famous Davy Crocket -- that perhaps Andrew was a brother of Davy Crocket's father. As of yet no connection to Davy Crockett, or his father, has been found. A possibility worth examining is to look at Margaret Lacey, possibly the great-grandmother of Davy Crockett, who married Jason Spottswood Crockett in Pennsylvania in 1740. Margaret Lacey was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

There was also an Andrew Crocket named in a will in Pennsylvania in the mid 1700's, but whether this was the same Andrew, or perhaps his father or another family member, is unknown; and whether the signer of the will was part of a branch of a Crockett family that had any connection to Davy Crockett is also unknown.

More suggestions for further research on the identity and possible family connections of Andrew Crocket:

1. Look at David Crocket, who married Charlotte Vanzant in Preble County on 14 Jun 1832. 2. Look at Simson Crocket, who married Tilonia Cayler in Preble County on 10 Jun 1837. 3. See "The Early Settlers of Montgomery County, Ohio," Volume 2, p228, for the estate sale of Thomas Maxwell. 4. See "The History of Greene County,:" Volume 2, p512, regarding Frank Hawkins. 5. Look at David Crocket, who married Jane Pettiford on 26 Apr 1855. 6. See "The History of Preble County, Ohio" for James Crockett and his pottery place. 7. See the Gettysburg cemetery in Preble County, Jefferson township, for Charlotte Vanzant Crocket, wife of David, who died in 1873. At the same place, see David Crocket, who d. 3 Feb 1857. 8. See the will of William Mullen, father of Andrew's wife Sarah, who left money to Andrew and Sarah's three sons at his death. 9. Look at Mordecai Crocket, the son of Andrew Crocket, who went on to Wabash and Kokomo in Indiana and finally Jasper County, Indiana, for possible records or documents pertaining to the identity and life of his father, Andrew. 10. See what can be found about Charles Crocket, the son of Andrew Crocket, for records and documents as in item #9 in this list. 11. Take a look at the land, tax and estate records of Warren, Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Clark and Preble Counties for anyting pertaining to Andrew Crocket.