It has been a while since I posted so here goes. Hope this is not too lengthy. Who were Allen Tucker's ancestors and from where did they come? ALLEN TUCKER was born 1765 somewhere (we believe) in Virginia, maybe Amelia County where there were a large clan of Tuckers. He made his will 11/2/1841 and died 11/3/1841 in Marengo County Alabama where the will was probated in January 1842. He signed his will with an "X" and had owned about 120 acres of land in Marengo County Alabama. He owned about 100 acres+ in Marengo Co. His eldest son, Truhart, was born in Henrico County Virginia in or near Richmond on May 18, 1788. About 25 miles North of Williamsburg there is a small community by the name of Truhart. While researching in "the Valentine Papers" I found several Truharts in the same area between Richmond and Williamsburg. George W. Truhart was there in 1699 and Aaron Truhart was there in 1744. It may be a good bet that Truhart Tucker got his given name from his mother's maiden name or from a close friendship of the two families. Allen Tucker had left Virginia by 1796 and shows up in the Georgia 1796 Wilkes County Tax R! ecords and in the 1798 Geogia Tax Digest in Oglethorpe County. Truhart Tucker had two brothers, James Wilson, born in Greene County Georgia (1/6/1799-7/22/1859), and John G., born in Greene County Georgia in 1811 and died after 1860. Although it was not confirmed until December 1992, the weight of evidence strongly indicated that Truhart was a brother to the proven sons of Allen Tucker. James Wilson Tucker, a son of Allen, had a daughter, Kitty (Tucker) Skinner of Heiberger Alabama. Kitty had a great nephew named Preston Tucker that I worked with in Fayette Alabama. Preston told me that his aunt Kitty had mentioned an uncle Truhart. After considering this and a lot of other evidence I was reasonably sure that Allen Tucker was my great great great great grandfather. A trip to the Marengo County Courthouse in Linden Alabama on December 28, 1992 resulted in finding documents that confirmed Truhart to be a son of Allen Tucker. Probate minutes of the 1841 November term page 217 say that James W. Tucker made application for probate of Allen Tucker estate and that citation be issued to Truhart Tucker, John G. Tucker, Joshua Wade (husband of Allen's daughter Nancy) and William H. Perkins with wife Martha (anothe! r daughter of Allen) to be in court on December 13 and show just cause why the will should not be probated. The 1841 December term pages 248 and 255 certifies the will and records the appointment of James W. Tucker as executor. After 25 years of searching I was finally certain that Allen Tucker was my great great great great grandfather. We don't know how or why Allen went to Georgia but there are some historical facts that probably had a significant bearing on his actions. There was cheap land in the Georgia frontier lands and room to grow. The first settlers came to Wilkes County in the latter part of 1773. These lands were ceded by the Cherokee and Creek Indians in 1773. This ceding of this territory by the Indians removed a tremendous barrier to the settlement of this part of the new world. The Indians were very fierce and considered blood thirsty by white man's standards. These lands were called the "New Purchase" or sometimes the "Ceded Lands." This area extended between the Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers and was bounded by the Little River and Williams Creek. This included all of present counties of Wilkes, Elbert, Lincoln and Oglethorpe with parts Of Greene, Warren, Taliaferro and Madison (subsequently formed from Elbert). Traders were an important part of frontier life in these early days. They brought essential supplies to settlers at no small risk to themselves. Many times the traders lost their goods to Indian attack or simply were not paid because of the lack of hard money. Governor Wright was ordered by the Crown to use the proceeds from the sale of the lands to pay the traders. On June 11, 1774 he issued a proclamation that he was going to have the lands surveyed and parcel it out in 100 to 1000 acre tracts. Parcels of 100 acres would be sold to heads of families, 50 more for each child and his wife, 500 more for each slave owned, 50 more for each able bodied white male servant he could bring and 25 more for each 15 to 40 year old woman servant. Not more than a shilling per acre would be charged and 5 pounds would be charged as entrance money for 5 acres. We assume that Allen Tucker came from Virginia because his first son was born there. I have found no records of Allen anywhere but in Georgia and Alabama. There was an Allen Tucker recorded in the 1800 census in Chathom County NC. He was listed as between 16 & 26 yrs of age with a wife of the same age and a male child 0-10 yrs and one slave. This NC Allen would have been about 10 years too young and Truehart would have been 12 yrs old. The following are the earliest records I find of Allen & family: GEORGIA TAX INDEX 1796 Allen Tucker Wilkes County Capt. Wm. Ashmore Dist. 1798 Allen Tucker page 011 Oglethorpe County Stewart District 1801 Allen Tucker page 031 Greene County Tuggle District 1805 Allen Tucker page 036 Greene County Cabanis District 1809 Allen Tucker page 039 Greene County Myrick District 1815 Allen Tucker page 028 Greene County Samuel Edmonson District 1815 Truhart Tucker page 029 Greene County ditto (left for Al. Shortly after) GEORGIA CENSUS RECORDS 1820 Allen Tucker page 242 Greene County Rankin District (Truhart had left Al.) 1820 Josua Wade page 241 Greene County Rankin District (Allen's son-in- law, married Nancy Tucker 2/2/1820) 1830 Josua Wade page 241 Greene County Rankin District (Allen is in this household, he had apparently lost his wife) 1840 Allen nor Josua are in Georgia-----They are found in Marengo Co. Al. Census. (Allen is found in Truhart's household. He died in son's, J.W. Tucker's, house November 3, 1841) Truhart Tucker was born in Henrico County Virginia (5/18/1788-10/8/1856). It has been said that his full name was Christopher Columbus Truhart Tucker. He married Judith Hall, who was also born in Henrico County Virginia (1787-3/2/1855). They were married in Greene County Georgia 4/10/1808 and had nine children. Richard H. (1809-1882), David L. (1812-1896), and (Buck) William H. (10/7/1814-5/10/1886) were born in Greene County Georgia. Francis Jane was born in Clarke County Alabama, probably Suggsville, in 1818. Mary Ann (8/31/1823-8/11/1912) was born near Clifton in Wilcox County Alabama. The others were born in Marengo County Alabama at Shiloh and were; Jeremiah L: (1826-1864), Lemuel T. (1829-1880+), Amanda A. (9/5/1830-12/23/1904), and Judith Ann (1831-1853). Truhart was my great, great great grandfather. He and his wife Judith were baptized at the Baptist Church of Christ, Bethesda, near present Union Point, Georgia by rev. Jesse Mercer. This church was organized in 1785! and f! irst known as Whatley's Mill Church. Truhart left Greene County Georgia about 1815 after he was counted in the census on page 029 above. Truhart first shows up in Alabama around Suggsville in Clarke County Alabama where he signed a petition with a group of citizens in 1818. Suggsville is about 10 miles southeast of Grove Hill Alabama. Truhart Tucker must have been well educated for the times. He was appointed Justice of the Peace for Clarke County in 1821. He resigned his commission in 1823 and moved to Wilcox County near Clifton where he was licensed to preach in August that same year. His ordination took place at Shiloh Baptist Church in Marengo County, Alabama in November of 1823. His credentials for the ministry were signed by elders Solomon Perkins and William Fluker in January 1824. Truhart and his family made their home at Shiloh. From that time he pastored and cofounded several churches; was a circuit rider preacher for various churches in Clarke, Marengo, and Wilcox Counties.