General Notes

1  BIRT
2  DATE 1694


From NOTABLE SOUTHERN FAMILIES - Volume V; The Crockett Family andConnecting lines. Compiled by Janie Preston Collup French and ZellaArmstrong-1928. CHAPTER II EMIGRANT I, SAMUEL CROCKETT A son of James Crockett (son of Antoine) and Martha Montgomery (dau.of Thomas Montgomery), of Ireland, born about 1690 or 1694. Heemigrated to America about 1715 at the age of twenty -one. Traditionsays he was on the same ship with the Rev. John Thompson (see sketchof his life elsewhere) and family and that he played with his littledaughter, Esther, then about five years old, and fell in love with hersweet, childish ways and told the father he was going to wait for hislittle daughter to "grow up," if he might. The Reverend John Thompsonlaughingly gave his consent, never dreaming the young man would wait. Whether this be true, or only a tradition, it makes a prettybackground and the descendants of Esther still cling to the tradition.Tradition further stated that his name was John or John William, butall court records have been searched for -a will of a John Crockett,who had a wife Esther, and who died at the time Esther's husband died,but none can be found. However, the Augusta County records contain a will of a SamuelCrockett, dated Dec. 11, 1749, and probated May 22, 1750, which speaksof "wife Esther" and children known to be the children of this coupleand lands known to be theirs- all of which seems to break down the"tradition" and es-tablish the facts. Esther Thompson evidentlymarried Samuel Crockett, of the ship episode, since it is a known factthat her first husband was about twenty years older than she. He diedthe last of December, 1749, or early in the year 1750 and was "an oldman." It is also a known fact that Esther was forty-three orforty-four years of age when he died and that in 1753 she married herneighbor, William Sayers, a young man about twenty years younger thanshe. Other proofs that her husband was named Samuel instead of John are:Her daughter Ann Agnes married John Mont-gomery, and in JohnMontgomery's will he appoints Robert, John and Samuel Crockett, "sonsof Samuel Crockett," as his executors. In Chalkley's Abstracts of Augusta County, we find in Vol. III, pp.235-237, a settlement of the estate of Col. James Patton in which Wm.Sayers is acting for the children "of Samuel Crockett." That was in1757 and, Esther having married William Sayers about 1753, it is onlynatural that he should be incharge of an account of his stepchildrenunder age. We hope that the descendants of Esther Thompson Crockett will notobject to burying the name "John" for her husband,andwillnow"carryon"thenewfoundnameof"Samuel." I say new and yet it isnot with all the descendants. That tradition seemed largely confinedto the Crocketts of Wythe and Tazewell Counties. Other descendantsfrom different parts of the country have sent in their records as fromEsther and Samuel Crockett, a son of James and Martha Montgomery. Having thus disposed of the name we now go on. Esther Thompson wasborn about 1710 and married about 1732 or 1734. Her father was inMaryland and Pennsylvania during the early part of his ministry inAmerica and no doubt young Samuel also went to Pennsylvania as most ofthe Crockcrts, as well as other emigrants, seemed to have settledthere before going to Virginia. Their first child, Samuel Jr., was born in Prince Edward County, Va.,in 1735. After that they moved to what is now Wythe County, a d livedv5Lhere Mr. .1. Williamson McGavock now lives, between Max @@YE,;s-'an-a'-@@the'-ville, Va. He bought this place from Col. James Patton and refers to sa-rn@@, inhis will. It joined that of the William Sayers estate and after shemarried William, she moved over to his place, which has been owned bysome of her descendants since that time. The present owner is Mr. J.Williamson McGavock. Miss Mary Sue 0glesby, another descendant, has the old Sayers Bible,owned by Esther after she married William Sayers. We publish therecords contai