During the 49 years David Crockett lived in Tennessee, he moved from near Limestone on the Nolichucky River to his last home in present-day Rutherford in Gibson County, tracing a path across East, Middle, and West Tennessee before leaving for Texas in November 1835 and dying at the Alamo. Born into poverty in the American wilderness, he was shaped by a Scot-Irish upbringing that fostered physical strength, determination, and persistence through many setbacks. During the War of 1812, fearing hostile attacks would reach his home on Beans Creek, he enlisted for two terms and fought in battles in Alabama, including Talluwshatchee and Talladega. Although widely known as a bear hunter, he spent almost forty percent of his life in public service, beginning as a Justice of the Peace in 1817, then serving as Colonel of the 57th Militia, State Representative, and a United State Congressman for three terms. He focused chiefly on helping squatters obtain land at affordable prices and strongly opposed President Andrew Jackson’s policies, especially the Indian Removal Bill, a stand that later cost him his political career.