Piecing the Life of a Midwestern Farmer — Joseph Luckey

B. about 1795 in (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina¹
M. before 1829²
Wife: Esther J. Tucker
D. after Mar 1841 in (probably) Jersey County, Illinois³

No document survives that identifies the vital events of Joseph Luckey’s life, but from various sources, it’s possible to get a sense of him. He was born during the 1790s¹ to unknown parents, probably in Rowan County, North Carolina. That area had a large, extended family all descended from a common ancestor named Robert Luckey. This progenitor was from Northern Ireland, having migrated to Pennsylvania in around 1720, and by mid-century, several of his sons wound up in North Carolina. By estimating ages, Robert was likely Joseph’s great-grandfather, and by using other facts, a speculative pedigree emerges (see below).

Since Joseph wasn’t named in any probate records of a potential father, his family was likely poor, and his later migration west helps confirm this. Sometime during the 1820s, he married a young woman named Esther Tucker,² who was from Iredell County, North Carolina. The record of their wedding is lost, but it probably wasn't in Rowan County, where marriage records are fairly complete for that time. A daughter was born in Tennessee in about 1829,⁴ although we don't know if the family actually lived there — they may have been just passing through.

One of the few documents that shows Joseph during his lifetime was the 1830 census, and it’s unfortunately sketchy. That year, he was listed in St. Charles County, Missouri, which was located on the Mississippi River.⁵ St. Charles was the western frontier where Daniel Boone had died ten years earlier, but by 1830, the population had grown to over 4,000 settlers. Besides Joseph, the household consisted of his wife Esther and daughter Ellen, although the census didn't list them by name. During the next two years, two more children were born, then by 1835, the family crossed back to the east side of the Mississippi and settled in Illinois.⁶

The record that establishes Joseph in Greene County, Illinois was for a purchase of federal land on December 2, 1837.⁷ The government sold undeveloped land at a low price, and in this way, Joseph was able to purchase 84.82 acres. After the land was paid for in full, a deed was issued dated January 1, 1840.⁸ While living on this property, Joseph became a father twice more with the youngest child born January 7, 1842.⁹ By this time, the area had been split off to form a new county named Jersey.

Joseph Luckey land deed (Source: Ancestry.com)

After the land deed, there is no further record of Joseph. His family was listed without him in the 1850 census, where the personal wealth of his widow Esther was shown to be only $100.¹⁰ She survived him by many years, and died in 1883.¹¹

The speculative family of Joseph Luckey
In my effort to identify the parents of Joseph Luckey, I noticed there were other people who had the exact same migration from Rowan County to St. Charles County, Missouri in 1829. One family was headed by John and Jane Davis, and Jane’s maiden name was Luckey.¹² Another was a single man named James McGuire, and his mother’s maiden name was also Luckey.¹² By 1835, all ended up in Greene County, Illinois (later called Jersey County) where they lived for the rest of their lives.¹²

Joseph Luckey, Jane Davis and James McGuire were each born in the 1790s, and it seemed unlikely that these three people weren’t closely related. I’m proposing that Joseph and Jane were brother and sister, and that James was their first cousin. The significant thing is that James has a traceable pedigree: his mother was the daughter of Samuel Luckey (1733-1804), who was the son of immigrant ancestor Robert Luckey. From Samuel’s probate records we can see that he had two sons, Samuel and John,¹³ either of whom could be the father of Joseph and/or Jane.

The lack of records still creates a roadblock in definitively proving this. But I do feel that Joseph must be a descendant of Robert Luckey, and so I am making that claim.

Possible family of Joseph Luckey. (Joseph and Jane may not have the same father, making them first cousins instead.)

Children:
1. Ellen Ann Luckey — B. 1829, Tennessee;⁴ D. 1882, Labette County, Kansas;¹⁴ M. John Ross (1829-?), 3 Apr 1850, Jerseyville, Illinois¹⁵

2. Samuel Luckey — B. 7 Jan 1830, (probably) St. Charles County, Missouri;¹⁶ D. 8 Mar 1884, Labette County, Kansas;¹⁶ M. Mary Jane Davis (1834-1927), 7 Apr 1853, Jerseyville, Illinois¹⁷

3. Rachel E. Luckey — B. 10 Nov 1832, (probably) St. Charles County, Missouri;¹⁸ D. 23 Apr 1883, Morgan County, Illinois;¹⁸ M. Aaron B. Devore (1822-1884), 26 Feb 1861, Sangamon County, Illinois¹⁹

4. Joseph Luckey — B. 15 May 1835, (probably) Greene County, Illinois;²⁰ D. 20 Jan 1916, Jersey County, Illinois;²⁰ M. Edith Catherine Davis (1838-1913), 12 Jan 1865, Jersey County, Illinois²¹

5. John Luckey — B. about 1839, (probably) Jersey County, Illinois²²

6. Mary Jane Luckey — B. 7 Jan 1842, Jersey County, Illinois;⁹ D. 15 Jan 1908, Belvidere, Nebraska;⁹ M. (1) John Stanfield (about 1838-?), 1 Mar 1863, Sangamon County, Illinois;²³ (2) Charles N. Lovercheck (1847-1927), 3 Feb 1870, Sangamon County, Illinois²⁴

Sources:
1    Estimated birth year of Joseph Luckey based on his 1830 U.S. Census listing
2    Estimated marriage year based on approximate age of Joseph Luckey’s oldest child in census records and on Find-A-Grave
3    Estimated death date of Joseph Luckey based on birth date of his youngest child, counting back 9 months
4    1870 U.S. Census listing for Ellen Ann Ross
5    1830 U.S. Census listing for Joseph Luckey
6    Based on birthplace and birth year of Rachel Luckey on her 1850 U.S. Census listing
7    Jersey County Early Land Records, Jersey County IL GenWeb  
8    1840 Jersey County, Illinois land grant for Joseph Luckey
9    Find-a-Grave listing for Mary Jane Lovercheck  
10  1850 Census listing for Esther Luckey
11  Find-a-Grave listing for Esther Luckey 

12  Atlas of Jersey County, Illinois, 1872

13  Probate records of Samuel Luckey, Rowan County, North Carolina, 1804

14  Find-a-Grave listing for Ellen A. Ross  
15  Marriage record of John Ross and Ellen Ann Luckey, Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935, FamilySearch.org
16  Find-a-Grave listing for Samuel Luckey  
17  Marriage record of Samuel Luckey and Mary Jane Davis, Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935, FamilySearch.org
18  Find-a-Grave listing for Rachel Elizabeth Devore  
19  Marriage record of Aaron B. Devore and Rachel E. Luckey, Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935, FamilySearch.org
20  Find-a-Grave listing for Joseph Luckey  
21  Marriage record of Joseph Luckey and Edith Davis, Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935, FamilySearch.org 22  1850 Census listing for John Luckey
23  Marriage record of John Stanfield and Mary Jane Luckey, Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935, FamilySearch.org
24  Marriage record of Charles N. Lovercheck and Mary Jane Stanfield, Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935, FamilySearch.org