Original check issued to Davy Crockett in 1828 during his first term in congress by Attorney General William Wirt (1772-1834) in the amount of $98.93. Though the exact reason for this payment is still unknown, it has been speculated that it may have been the result of a publishing arrangement between the two. Wirt was the author of the popular “Life of Patrick Henry” (1817) and it was around 1828 that Crockett began thinking about writing an autobiography which would result in his famous “Narrative of the Life of Davy Crockett, Written by Himself” (1834). Adding credibility to the theory is William Wirt’s  association with Augustin Smith Clayton (1783-1839), a congressman who is persistently alleged to have actually been the author of Crockett’s autobiography and other works. Clayton’s son, William Wirt Clayton, stated as much in a profile of his father featured in “Georgia Bench and Bar” (1858).

The check certainly deserves more research. We cannot locate other examples of Attorney General William Wirt distributing funds to congressmen, but its possible the payment may have been related to Crockett’s salary. Whatever the case, the document is intriguing and historically significant. Items relating to Crockett are exceedingly rare and highly prized.

The check is signed by William Wirt and made payable to “D.Crocket” in the amount of $98.93, dated December 2nd, 1828 from the “Office of Discount and Deposit” in Washington D.C. Reverse bears written scripts that reads “Posted to the credit of David Crockett, 2 December 1828.” Records seem to indicate the issuer of the note was the Bank of Columbia, an early financial institution.
 
Crockett’s time in the House of Representatives is best remembered today for his decision not to vote for President Andrew Jackson’s 1830 Indian Removal Act, a vote that he declared would “not make me ashamed in the Day of Judgment.” Though Crockett won the admiration of Cherokee Chief John Ross and others, the decision proved less popular with his constituency (he lost re-election). Notably, William Wirt was also strongly against the act, and brought a case to the Supreme Court in an attempt to block its execution.

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) needs no introduction to interested bidders. His frontier exploits and death at the Alamo are canon in American folklore.



[Davy Crockett] [Alamo] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]