Peter & Rachel Clay Tucker of Stanly Co, NC

Reasoning by BCB (don't throw stones! J)

Peter Tucker was born c1775 probably in Mecklenburg Co, NC. And from what I'd always heard, Tempy Tucker's mother was a "Susan Clay." Well, I found no Susan, but did come across some other research showing that Peter's wife was Rachel Clay. Well, this started me to thinking… wonder if there's a relationship? Turns out that Peter Tucker (b.1775) married Rachel Clay and was the son of George Tucker. In the 1810 census for Montgomery Co, NC, only George Tucker (prob. Jr.) shows: 11101-12201-00-10. But, in 1830, Rachel Tucker (50-60 yrs old) shows living next to Leonard Tucker (Peter's brother, also 50-60 yrs old): her #'s were: F 10-20, F 20-30, F 50-60. Tempy Tucker married James Brooks about 1822 and so, would not be in this census with Rachel. The last known child of Peter and Rachel is Nellie Tucker, b.1815 so it's possible that Peter died between 1815 and 1830 which made it difficult to track him. (no 1820 census for Mont. either).

Peter and Leonard were brothers and likely owned land near one another, having received land from their father (supposition) and their oldest brother George Tucker, Jr. was also found in the same place in 1810 (now Stanly Co, NC). So, it's reasonable to assume that George Tucker Sr.'s family had settled this region in the early 1800's, possibly just after his death in 1804. Ironically, this is also the same year that Temperance Jane Tucker was born.

Duncan Tucker, Peter's nephew and son of George Tucker, Jr. settles here with his father... one of his sons was named John Oliver Tucker. J.O. Tucker was a neighbor to Tempy Tucker Brooks Ledbetter and the old Brooks estate (now owned by Ezekiel Brooks). In the article about the cyclone that struck the Brooks home between 1880 and 1892, it was stated that one of the daughters of Ezekiel had been thrown across Island creek and landed in a tree in the orchard of "J.O. Tucker."

James Brooks received land from his father, William Brooks I on the east side of Island Creek after William's death in 1818. He would have been no more than a stone's throw from Rachel Tucker and her daughters. It is highly possible that his land holdings increased as a result of marrying Temperance Tucker through her dower from Peter Tucker, dec'd. This may also explain why Temperance remained on her land after James' death and married Alfred Ledbetter, making it now Ledbetter land, where the Ledbetter Cem. can be found today.

If all this supposition is true and Nellie Tucker IS Tempy's sister, I find it very interesting that Tempy's dau, Hester Leah Brooks and her younger sister Nellie Tucker would have married brothers, Nathaniel Duncan Shinn and Littleton Crank Shinn, respectively before moving to Pope Co, AR with James and Tempy's other two children, William H. and James Henry Brooks.

If anyone sees trouble with this reasoning, please email me and say so! J