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Note: E-Mail from Janet Barrett Walker 9/16/99 to Kromine@@Princesscruises: "Biography: David Barrett is one of twelve children of Reuben Barrett and Hannah Doty. Growing up in Greenville District his family attended the Tyger River Baptist Churchnear the Tyger River, of which when he was 19 years old he became a clerk in. During this time David became upset over something and rode his horse through Littlebury Holcomb's house, another member. He was made to go before the whole congregation and ask for forgiveness. This was found in the Church minutes that are now on file at the Furman University Library in South Carolina on Microfilm. David married Elizabeth "Betsy" Whitten on 16 Aug 1807 in South Carolina. Elizabeth was born on 8 Aug. 1789. She is the daughter of John Whitten and Mary Regan the Granddaughter of James Reagan. David and Elizabeth had four children, Albert Gallitan Barrett, Mary Barrett, Miriam Hannah Barrett, and John Whitten Barrett. David's father died in 1814 and from then on began a battle over his father's estate, with his siblings. David ended up being appointed administrator of the will and his siblings charged him with mismanagement of the estate. The court battle went on until 1825 and which time the estate was sold and David bought the Slaves: Paul and Lucia. The siblings were upset over this and David wrote in a letter that the only reason he bought Lucia was because "the old wench begged him to". Lucia's name is found on some census records with him and was thought by some researchers to be one of his children. But since there is no solid evidence, in this family history, she is but a slave. In 1825 David aged 39, took his wife, "Betsy" and children, Albert, aged about 15 years, John around 12, Polly 8 and Miriam 4 years old and the slave Lucia and the family dog, Taylor, to Fayette Co., TN. David was a farmer and immediately upon arriving began preparing for his corn crop. As the Barrett's settled into their new life, faced and overcame the uncertainties of frontier life, dealing with a new land to farm and develop and the always present danger of Indians of the area, David cultivated his land and became a part time school teacher to feed his family until his crops came in. As you can see from the letter David did not have very good spelling and used no punctuation, yet he was a very intelligent man for his day. John Whitten, Betsey's father and three of her brothers, Alfred included, decided to move their families to Fayette Co., TN, maybe at the urging of his friend and son in law David. Mary Whitten, Betsey's mother died there on 29th July 1836 and her father John Whitten died the following year on the 2nd or 8th of Feb. 1837. They are both buried there. In 1829, David and Betsey second son John Whitten at age 21 decided to head for the newly formed Republic of Texas as Sam Houston had recently won the Battle of San Jacinto, therefore winning her freedom. Land was being given away in an attempt to settle the frontier and establish Texas as a country. A man could file for a Land Grant and receive 640 acres to single men over 17. John joined a wagon train and headed south. Both of David's daughters married while they lived in Tennessee. In 1838 daughter Polly married Dean McCarley and in 1839 Miriam married Hansell Coburn. Miriam and her husband moved to Texas after her brother John was settled there. In late 1839 or early 1840 David and Betsy and Gallitan also moved to Mustang Prairie where young John had settled. In 1839 the Alabama Coushatta Indians were making regular raids on the town where they settled and the residents were forced to take shelter in the fortified log courthouse. About the year 1841 Polly's husband left her a widow and she remarried to John R. Parker and by the end of that year they had also moved to Texas. David and his family became neighbors of John Whitten and his wife Huldy Reding and Huldy's family, The Iredell Redings. As David's son and Iredell Reding became involved in Civic matter of the community, more and more people were moving into the area. The citizens about 102 of them, from Mustang Prairie, petitioned Congress to establish a constitutional County and Houston County became the first County formed in the Republic of Texas. They named it after the President, Sam Houston and named the county seat Crockett, after David Crockett who was said to have stopped there on his way to San Antonio and the ill-fated Alamo in January of 1836. Iredell Redings signature is the first one on the petition. David Barrett was also involved in Civic matters and he was elected Justice of Peace, Precinct 5, on December 24, 1842, according to bible records left by two sons, he served until he died on 18 April 1845 in Houston Co., TX. Albert Gallitan, David's oldest son was elected to replace his father's office. Elizabeth "Betsey" Whitten Barrett died in Oct. of 1855, her death is recorded by her son John Whitton Barrett in his family bible as her name being Elizabeth Clark, My Mother, indicating that Betsey may have re-married after David's death. Both David and Betsey are buried in Houston. Co., TX. In 1865 the Crockett courthouse and most of the town burned, unfortunately most early records were lost forever."
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