M. (1) before Aug 1776 in (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland1
Wife: Hester ______
M. (2) before 1800 in (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina2
Wife: Rachel ______
D. after 14 Nov 1837 in (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina2
Robey Tucker was part of a migration of poor tobacco planters from Maryland who moved to the backwoods of North Carolina during the late 18th century. His origins are not well-documented; some sources indicate that his parents were Thomas Tucker and Mary Robey, but there doesn't seem to be hard evidence of this. His father may have had a different first name, and his mother could have been Esther instead of Mary. Either way, Robey was born in about 1753.1
The place where Robey was born and grew up was Prince George’s County, Maryland, a rural area where the only crop was tobacco. Most of the population were descendants of English settlers who arrived in the colony during the 17th century. Robey likely did much of the farm labor as he grew up. Through land records, it’s possible to identify the general location of where the family lived, an area which was irrigated by one of the many creeks flowing into the Port Tobacco River.
Robey first turned up in records as a married man at age 23. A census was taken in Maryland in August of 1776 to assess the collection of taxes for supporting the Continental Congress. Some of the records are remarkably detailed, listing names and ages for everyone in each household. Robey’s wife was named Hester, also age 23, but in the absence of any marriage record, her maiden name is unknown. Their farm was the only one with just two people.1 Nearby were John and Drusilla Tucker, ages 74 and 64, and John and Mary Robey, ages 62 and 55.1 The Robeys were his grandparents, and the Tuckers were likely his close relatives.
Robey was a young man during the American Revolution, but there's no evidence that he ever volunteered as a soldier. He did swear his allegiance to the cause on February 23, 1778;3 nearly all of the men in Maryland did the same. Perhaps one reason Robey didn’t join the service was that he had started a family in 1777 with the birth of a son.4 He had seven children with Hester, mostly boys, with the youngest child born in about 1789.
Robey's name on list of men who signed 1778 oath of allegiance.
About 1790, Robey left the tobacco country of Maryland for the piedmont of North Carolina. The motivation was probably to find cheaper land, and there was plenty available in the backwoods of the Carolinas. The 1790 census showed that Robey lived in Iredell County with his wife and eight children, all unnamed in the listing.5 Other members of his family migrated to Iredell around the same time or earlier, including Robey’s uncle, Leonard Robey, and his grandfather, John Robey.
Sometime during the 1790s, Robey’s wife Hester passed away, and he remarried a woman only known as Rachel.2 She was likely much younger and provided him five children who were born between 1803 and about 1810, when Robey was nearly 60-years-old. Robey and Rachel spent over two years as caretakers for his elderly grandfather, and when the old man made out his will, he left Rachel a small bequest.6 After the will was probated in 1808, Robey was paid £30 for the work he had done, of which £10 was for “trouble and expense of his last sickness and death.” The receipt for the payment shows Robey’s only known signature.6
Robey's signature in 1808.
Robey was shown to be living in Iredell County at least until 1820. In each of the census years 1800, 1810 and 1820 he was listed as a head of household with descriptions of dependents corresponding to his wife and known children.7 At no time did he own any slaves, which he likely couldn’t afford. Robey made out his will on November 14, 1837;2 at age 84, he was “weak in body” and signed his name with a shaky “X,” suggesting that he had some disability. The document is very brief and mentions only one of his children, Robey, to whom he left his entire estate. This was likely because Robey was the only one who still lived in North Carolina, since most of the others are known to have moved to Kentucky or Illinois.
Robey's mark on his 1837 will.
The will was probated in February 1842, so Robey died by that date. It isn’t known if Rachel survived him. His descendants scattered across the U.S. continuing the migration of the family to the west. One of his descendants was Marilyn Tucker, the wife of Vice President Dan Quayle.8
Children by Hester:
1. John B. Tucker — B. 25 Sep 1777, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland;4 D. 28 Dec 1848, (probably) Washington County, Indiana;4 M. Mary Campbell (1781-1853), after 9 Nov 1797, Iredell County, North Carolina4
2. (possibly) Zachariah Tucker — B. about 1782, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland; D: 2 Oct 1857, (probably) Kentucky; M. Levina Jarboe, after 27 Jun 1812, Washington County, Kentucky9
3. (possibly) Freeman Tucker — B. about 1779, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland; D. 15 Feb 1850, Tazewell County, Illinois; M. Esther Fitzgerald
4. Absalom Tucker — B. about 1783, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland;10 D. 1849, Washington County, Kentucky10
5. (possibly) Thomas Tucker — B. about 1785, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland;11 D. 28 Jun 1859;11 M. Rachel Kendrick, 3 Aug 1815, Washington County, Kentucky12
6. Benjamin Tucker — B. about 1787, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland;13 D. 1848, Nelson County, Kentucky;13 M. Elizabeth Livers, 26 Jan 1823, Nelson County Kentucky14
7. (possibly) Mary Tucker — B. about 1789, (probably) Prince George’s County, Maryland;15 D. about 1852;15 M. Samuel Turner15
Children by Rachel:
1. Esther J. Tucker — B. 20 Apr 1803, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina;16 D. 27 Feb 1883, Waverly, Illinois;16 M. Joseph Luckey (?-~1840), before 182917
2. Samuel S. Tucker — B. 20 Nov 1805, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina;18 D. 22 Dec 1891, Hat Creek, California;18 M. Nancy Ann Allison (~1803-1875), 1825, Iredell County, North Carolina18
3. (possibly) Elizabeth Tucker — B. about 1807, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina
4. Robey Tucker — B. 8 Sep 1808, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina;19 D. before 7 Dec 1885, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina;20 M. Rachel Mason (1832-1914), 11 Jan 1853, Iredell County, North Carolina19
5. Randolph J. Tucker — B. 1810, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina;21 D. 1892, Illinois;21 M. (1) Henrietta Jones (1813-1868), before 1837, (probably) Iredell County, North Carolina;21 (2) Sarah Mahala Stroud (~1832-?), after 1868, (probably) Illinois21
Sources:
1 Prince George’s County, St. John’s and Prince George Parishes Maryland State Census, 1776
2 Will of Robey Tucker, 14 Nov 1837, North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970, FamilySearch.org
3 Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources, Vol. 1, Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, 1915
4 Find-a-Grave listing for John B. Tucker
5 1790 U.S. Census
6 Will of John Robey, 1 Feb 1804, N.C.P.R.
7 1800, 1810 and 1820 U.S. Censuses
8 Political Family Tree (PDF)
9 Marriage record of Zachariah Tucker and Lovina Jarboe, Kentucky County Marriages, 1797-1954, FamilySearch.org
10 Find-a-Grave listing for Absalom Tucker
11 Estimated birth and death of Thomas Tucker from family tree listing on FamilySearch.org
12 Marriage record of Thomas Tucker and Rachel Kendrick, Kentucky County Marriages, 1797-1954, FamilySearch.org
13 Estimated birth and death of Benjamin Tucker from family tree listing on FamilySearch.org
14 Marriage record of Benjamin Tucker and Elizabeth Livers, Kentucky County Marriages, 1797-1954, FamilySearch.org
15 Estimated birth, marriage and death of Mary Tucker from family tree listing on FamilySearch.org
16 Death record of Esther J. Luckey, Morgan County, Illinois
17 Find-a-Grave listing for Esther J. Luckey
18 Find-a-Grave listing for Samuel S. Tucker
19 Find-a-Grave listing for Robey Tucker (younger)
20 Probate file card for Roby Tucker, North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979, FamilySearch.org
21 Find-a-Grave listing for Randolph J. Tucker
