Davy Crockett, the legendary frontiersman, died a heroic death at the Alamo in 1836. He was 49.

Crockett was born in Greene County, Tennessee on August 17, 1786.

He left home in 1799 at age 13 to avoid punishment for skipping school. He was gone for three years, working at various odd jobs, before he returned to his family.

In 1806, he married Polly Finley. They maintained a home in the Tennessee backwoods for seven years. They had one child during this time.

Crockett joined the Tennessee militia in 1813 and became a veteran Indian fighter during the Creek War.

His wife Polly died in 1815 after the birth of their second child. He married Elizabeth Patton, a widow with three children.

After becoming a colonel in the Tennessee militia, Crockett got involved in politics. He was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. Running unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in 1825, he won a congressional seat two years later.

Crockett spearheaded a land bill that would allow homesteaders to buy their land at low cost. Andrew Jackson opposed the bill and, due in part to Jackson’s opposition, Crockett was defeated in his re-election bid in 1830, but two years later he won back his seat.

With his homespun philosophy and regional popularity, Crockett began to think about running for the presidency, but his defeat in the 1834 congressional election caused him to get disgusted with politics. He set out for Texas for fresh opportunities.

He and a band of Tennesseeans decided to join the revolutionary activities of a small band of Texans who were defending a small mission outside San Antonio called the Alamo. General Sam Houston had encouraged the Texans to hold out against the Mexican army to give him time to raise an army of his own to challenge the Mexican forces.

After several days of attacks by Mexican forces, the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836. All of the Alamo defenders, including Crockett, were killed.