Documented History
Some family trees on Ancestry have Rebekah’s birthdate listed as 27 December 1781 in Shelbyville, Shelby, Kentucky. But Find A Grave lists her birthdate as 1775. So far, I don’t have any official sources to verify her date of birth.
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Marriage
According to Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850, Rebecca Tucker married Victor Buchannon in Shelby, Kentucky on 12 April 1799. The Shelby County, Kentucky, Marriage Bond Index, 1791-1822 lists Rebecca’s parents as “John Tucker Joshua Morris.”
1800 – Kentucky, Tax Lists, 1799-1801
According to Kentucky, Tax Lists, 1799-1801 and Kentucky, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1810-1890, Victor lived in Gallatin County in 1800. It is assumed Rebekah lived there with him.
1810 – United States Federal Census
In 1810, according to the United States Federal Census, Victor lived in Gallatin, Kentucky with ten household members, two of which were over 25 and six under 16 years old. Victor was the white male 45 and over, his wife Rebekah was the white female aged 26 thru 44. There were also two males under 10, one male between 10 and 15, two males between 16 and 25, and three females under 10.
1818 – Illinois historical Lawrence County Biographical
According to Illinois: Lawrence County Biographical, Chapter IX, Victor’s father William left Scotland in 1750 with his two brothers, John who settled in Halifax, and James in Virginia. Two of William’s sons, John and Victor, reportedly left Pennsylvania and went first to Kentucky, and then to Madison, Indiana. Due to land troubles, Victor floated down the Ohio River with his second wife, Mary (Rebekah Tucker); his sons, Thomas, Victor, Walter and James, and his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, wife of Thomas and his daughters Rebecca and Elizabeth. They settled on what was known as Charles Gillespie place but then took the Buchanan name afterwards.
1820 United States Federal Census
Victor lived in Edwards, Illinois with John Buchanan according to the 1820 Census. There were 8 total people in the household, all free white people, no slaves.
1830 United States Federal Census
Victor lived in Lawrence, Illinois in 1830 according to the Census. There were seven free white people in the household at the time, no slaves.
1840 United States Federal Census
Victor lived in Lawrence, Illinois in 1840 according to the Census. There were nine free white people in the household, again, no slaves owned.
Death
In Maurice Grant Buchanan’s book, Buchanan Ancestry, Rebekah Tucker was reported to have passed away in Lawrence County, Illinois on 8 May 1843.
This fact is confirmed by the England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915 as well as U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current.
Find A Grave lists her spouse as Victor Buchanan (1762-1843) and their children as:
- Walter Brisco Buchanan (1804-1881)
- Rebecca Buchanan Galloway (1811-1903)
- James Hex Buchanan (1814-1873)
- Victor Buchanan (1817-1881)
Rebekah’s Family Members
Rebekah is buried at the Buchanan Cemetery in Lawrence County, Illinois.
Rebekah’s Grave
I don’t have too terribly much yet for Rebekah Tucker but I did find out her marriage date, death date and that her father’s name was John Tucker. Hopefully this information will lead to a bunch more. As always, I’ll update this post as I find additional information for this ancestor. In the meantime, if you knew of this pioneer “mother of many”, please don’t hesitate to share what you’ve learned about her in the Comments section below and help keep her memories alive.
Take care and hug your loved ones!
~Kris
Rebekah’s Family Tree
