Davy Crockett Related Material to be Offered in Upcoming Texana Auction

He killed a bear (read: b'ar) when he was only three. Or so I'm told. We've all grown up with the legend of Davy Crockett, the original frontiersman in his coon-skin cap. But as with so many of our American heroes, the long since forgotten reality of his role in the development of the American West is far more fascinating than his popular legend recalls. That reality and that legend go very much hand in hand, however. Heritage is proud to offer in its upcoming Texana Auction #6109, to be held in Dallas on March 8, two David Crockett related pieces which provide fascinating insight into the development of his legend, both during and after his extraordinary lifetime.

One item we are pleased to offer is a fascinating relic related to the infamous death of Colonel Crockett. On August 12, 1837, Crockett's third son, Robert P. Crockett, signed this legal document swearing to serve as administrator of the estate of his father, famously killed defending the Alamo on March 6th of the previous year. In it Robert swears to inventory and administrate the "goods, credits, lands, and tenements" of his father's estate. While this extraordinary historical document does not tell us anything particularly surprising in and of itself, it serves as a monument to the life and heroic death of this American icon. Interestingly, this lot speaks only to the management of Crockett's physical legacy, drawing our attention to the role of Crockett's heirs in the development and management of his legacy as a whole, a fact that is very important to our understanding of our second Crockett lot and its significance.

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