David Crockett
When
David Crockett (he never liked the
name, “Davy”) rode into the Alamo, he was among the most recognized men in
North America. Citizens chuckled at his home-spun yarns, marveled at his
hunting abilities, and argued his politics. He went to Congress as one of
Andrew Jackson’s “common men,” but once there turned against the president’s
Indian policy. “Old Hickory” swore to destroy Crockett—and he did. Trounced in
what he considered a rigged election, Crockett told his constituents they could
“go to hell, and I would go to Texas.” And he
did. Already celebrated, in death he became legend.
Martín and Patricia de León
The
de León’s were the original Tejano power couple. Married in 1795, they founded the Victoria Colony in 1824 and
launched a cattle empire. Indeed, local Indians called Martín, "Capitán
Vacas Muchas" ("Captain Plenty of Cows"). In 1833, Martin died,
leaving Patricia, four sons, six daughters, and an estate worth half a million
dollars. Doña Patricia struggled to preserve her family amid the turmoil of the
Texas Revolution. Following the war, mounting ethnic tensions forced her into
exile in Louisiana. She returned to Victoria in 1844 and died in 1849. De León
descendants still live in South Texas.