B. about 1690 in (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland
M. about 1710 in (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland
Wife: Isabelle Baird
D. before 21 Nov 1757, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Robert Luckey was one of the thousands of Scots-Irish who helped populate America for generations to come. He began by settling in Pennsylvania, and producing children whose lines spread all over the country.
Little is known about Robert’s beginnings. He was said to be from Londonderry, Ireland, and if not from there, he likely came from some part of what is now Northern Ireland. It’s hard to establish a birth year for Robert, but we know that his son Hugh was born in 1713 because it’s on his gravestone, so a rough year of birth year of 1690 is applied to Robert. He married in about 1710 to Isabelle Baird, and they went on to have at least 12 children, with the oldest ones born in Ireland. Their order of birth is unknown, so the list below names them in a random order.
Sometime during the prime of his life, Robert took his family to America. Between 1717 and 1775, it was said that 200,000 people of Scottish descent living in Ireland migrated to the English colonies, the largest group of immigrants to that date. Since they were late-comers compared to the people already living there, the lands near the coast were taken and so the Scots-Irish settled inland. Many of them arrived in Philadelphia, and this appears to be the case for Robert. From there, he went west to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he operated a farm.
The six sons and six daughters of Robert and Isabelle were each mentioned in the will he wrote on April 30, 1754, and from here we can glean that none of them were underage, although at least two girls were unmarried. The land Robert owned was to be divided between two sons, Samuel and Robert, while each of the other children was bequeathed an amount of money between three and five shillings. The will was probated on November 21, 1757, so Robert likely died not long before that date; wife Isabelle seems to have survived him.
As new lands opened up during the following years, many of Robert’s children moved on. By 1762, at least five of them had migrated to Rowan County, North Carolina, and we can track the descendants of these people to places all over the South and Midwest. The ones we know stayed in Pennsylvania also had later generations who moved west. This is the legacy of Robert — one of many Scots-Irish men who became the ancestor of thousands who formed the backbone of the United States.
A personal note
As of yet, I don’t know the line that gets me back to immigrant ancestor Robert Luckey. I have a proven ancestor, Joseph Luckey, born sometime during the 1790s in Rowan County. From circumstantial evidence, I estimate that Joseph was either the grandson or great-grandson of Robert. Since Robert was the progenitor of the Luckey family of Rowan County, the only thing that would seem to disprove a link were if there was an unrecorded illegitimacy in the lineage. There’s nothing to suggest that scenario.
Children:
1. Hugh Luckey — B. Feb 1713, (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland; D. 14 Apr 1786, Chester County, Pennsylvania; M. Jane Findley (1710-1782)
2. Andrew Luckey — B. about 1718, (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland; D. 30 Oct 1770, Hopewell, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
3. Ann Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 7 Aug 1782, (probably) Fayette County, Kentucky; M. Samuel Hillis (1707-1782), before 20 Aug 1753, (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
4. Mary Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 20 Aug 1753; M. William Orr
5. Jane Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 20 Aug 1753
6. Agnes Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 20 Aug 1753, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina; M. Robert Pendry
7. Samuel Luckey — B. about 1733, Martic, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 4 Jan 1801, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina; M. Mary _____ (~1735-?), before 1765
8. John Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 6 Oct 1772, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina; M. Mary Anna ______, before about 1760
9. Sarah Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 20 Aug 1753
10. Isabella Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 25 Dec 1757, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina; M. William Slavin (1723-1762), before 25 Dec 1757, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina
11. James Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 20 Aug 1753, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina
12. Robert Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; D. after 6 Oct 1772, Rowan County, North Carolina; M. Mary Holmes (1735-?), before 1755
Sources:
