Welcome
to the Parrot-House! Home Genealogy Parrots Hobbies Other Pets |
The place of burial of both David and wife Eve is unknown.
It is believed that they were laid to rest in Fayette County.
The Texas War of Independence occurred during 1835 and 1836.
Texas declared its independence from Mexico on March 1, 1836 and won its
fight on April 21. This founded the Texas Republic which remained independent
until 1845. At this time, it was annexed to the United States.
My great-great-great grandfather, David, first appeared in Fayette
County in the summer of 1836. His name is listed as a voter in the elections,
with his last name being spelled Crotzer. This seems to have been the predominate
spelling in the early days. (Fayette Facts Val. XIV, No. 2, page 65). The
exact location of this election is unknown.
Not much validated information could be found on the location
and year of his birth. Both David Campbell and Gilbert, two of David's
sons, stated to the 1900 Fayette County Census taker that the nativity
of their father was North Carolina. Other references, however, site Pennsylvania
and Germany as possibilities. Pennsylvania was given as his birth place
on the death certificate of David Campbell. This certificate, however,
was completed by Willis Edward Denton, the husband of David's granddaughter,
Sarah Caroline Crotser. The third reference found was Germany. This was
listed on the death certificate of his son, Jacob E. Crotser. This paper
was filed by an informant named Brown of Ramsey, Illinois. The identity
of this informant is unknown. Since these last two sources were not from
individuals who were directly related to David, I believe that he was most
likely born in North Carolina as his sons stated.
The year of David's birth is also questionable. It appears to
have been around 1817. This is assumed because his age was given as 33
years at the time of the 1850 Fayette County Census.
As stated earlier, my Crotser family originally spelled their
name Crotzer. Records indicate that David went by both spellings. It is
not known if he could either read or write. It was spelled Crotzer on his
marriage licence to Nancy Ann Hall and on the death certificate of his
son David Campbell. In the 1840 and 1850 census, the census taker used
Crotser. However, after David's death, the 1870 census taker again spelled
his wife, Nancy's, last name with a Z. The descendants of David, who are
my direct family, are using Crotser. Other descendants have remained with
the alternate spelling.
On February 28, 1838 David was married to Nancy Ann Hall in Fayette
County. She was the daughter of Henry Hall, Sr. and Elizabeth Williams
Hall. Below is seen a copy of the permission note signed by Gilbert Hall,
brother to Nancy, indicating that Nancy Ann Hall has permission to marry
David. Gilbert must have been unable to write since he only made his mark
on this document. One should note that the permission reads “to join her
daughter Nancy Ann in marriage”. Gilbert was probably considered the Head
of the Household since the death of their father, Henry Hall, Sr. in 1825.