Frances Tucker

Around 1738, Bland married Frances Bolling, the daughter of Drury Bolling. They had six children:

• Elizabeth "Patsy" Bland (born January 4, 1739) married John Banister and had three sons.
• Theodorick Bland (March 21, 1741/42)
• Mary Bland (born August 22, 1745)
• Ann Bland (born September 5, 1747)
• Jane Bland (born September 30, 1749)
• Frances Bland (born September 24, 1752) first married John Randolph, the son of Richard Randolph, and had four children (including John Randolph of Roanoke); then later married St. George Tucker and had five children.

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From https://www.historyisfun.org/learn/learning-center/frances-bland-tu...

Frances Bland succeeded marvellously in Virginia society. Born in 1752 as the daughter of Colonel Theoderick Bland, Jr. of Prince George County, she enjoyed a relatively wealthy and privileged childhood. However, when in 1767 Frances married John Randolph of Mataox in Chesterfield County, she became linked to one of the most prominent families in Virginia; Randolphs traditionally occupied many of the most important offices in the colony. Although certain members of the Randolph family displayed Loyalist sympathies in the 1770s, the Revolution ultimately confirmed the family’s position among Virginia’s ruling gentry.

As was the typical pattern for eighteenth-century colonial women, Frances spent a considerable portion of her marriage to John Randolph as an expectant mother.

1. In 1770, she gave birth to her first son, Richard.
2. Within two years, John and Frances had a second son they named Theoderick, after Frances’s father.
3. In 1773, Frances bore a third son, John.

When Frances’s husband died in 1775, she was just twenty-three years old, already a widow, and now the owner of a plantation in Chesterfield County. Under the law of coverture, she was entitled to the use of a third of her deceased husband’s estate, with the remainder going to the surviving sons. However, their oldest son Richard was just five years old when his father died. Thus, the widow Frances Bland Randolph was a woman of means, and at greater liberty to select, and not just accept a husband.

On September 22, 1778, Frances married St. George Tucker, a promising young lawyer from Bermuda without any social connections in Virginia. The son of Henry Tucker, whose Royalist ancestors had fled to Bermuda in the 1650s after the execution of King Charles I, St. George was born in Port Royal, Bermuda in 1752. In 1771, he went to Virginia to attend the College of William and Mary where he studied law. Tucker family tradition maintains that Frances first saw St. George in Williamsburg at Bruton Parish Church. When they each rose from their knees, their eyes met and they fell instantly in love. As with her marriage to John Randolph, much of Frances’s marriage to St. George was spent as an expectant mother. She had a total of five children with her new husband, although only three survived childhood. Unlike her first marriage, Frances spent a great deal of time separated from her husband. St. George had attended William and Mary during the eventful 1770s, and the Revolution inspired him to join the Virginia militia where he rose to the rank of Colonel.

From William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Papers, 1892 Date:b1892 Publication place: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA MyHeritageImage

THE PRAYER BOOK OF FRANCES BLAND, THE MOTHER OF JOHN RANDOLPH, OF ROANOKE. Contributed by the late Dr. Andrew Glassell Grinnan

The Prayer Book of Fanny Bland, who married, ist, John Randolph, and 2d, St. Geo. Tucker, was printed in 1766, in London, for John Beecroft, who was agent for the University of Cambridge. It contains the Office for the Gunpowder Plot, Nov. 5, and also for Martyrdom of King Charles ist and the happy return of Charles 2d, and a number of curious and quaint plates.

In the Office for PubUc Baptism of Infants they are required to be dipped, if strong enough to stand immersion; if feeble, water could be poured on them. In private baptisms pouring of water on the infant was enjoined. In Mrs. Randolphs handwriting, which is large and very plain, on the back of an engraving representing the Lords Supper is the following :

The unhappy widowhood of Frances Randolph commenced on 28 of Oct., in the year 1775.

John Randolph and Frances Bland were married the 9th of March, 1769.

• Richard Randolph, their ist son, was born 9th of March, 1770.
• Theodorick Bland Randolph, their 2d son, was bom 22d of Jany. 1771.
• John Randolph, their 3d son, was bom 2d of June, 1773.
• Jane Randolph, their ist daughter, was bom Nov. 10, 1774, and died 26 of November, 1774.

On the back of engraving representing execution of Charles I. are the following entries in Mr. Randolphs handwriting :

• St. George Tucker and Frances Randolph were married the 23 of Sept., 1778. (They were married at Mattoax.)
• Dr. Grinnan was born Aug. 14, 1827, and died May 9, 1902.

References

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=58261160
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Apr 27 2017, 14:28:25 UTC
• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~warejamesbakercalder/genealogy/rando...
• https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/u/c/Linda-S-Buchholz/WEBSITE-0001/U... list as (daughter of Richard Bland and Mary Swann)
• DNA for Linda Carr Buchholz See DNA Tab
• The Bland papers : being a selection from the manuscripts of Colonel Theodorick Bland, jr. ; to which are prefixed an introduction, and a memoir of Colonel Bland. < FamilySearch > page 120 and page xiv
• A vision of unity : the Bland family in England and America, 1555-1900. < FamilySearch >
• < DAR descendant, Ancestor #: A011133 > Search »The Said Henry St George Tucker was the child of St George Tucker born on - - 1752 at _______________ died at _______________ on - - 1828 and his ( 1st ) wife Frances Bland born on - - at _______________ died at _______________ on - - married on - - 4.Search » The Said Frances Bland was the child of Theodorick Bland born on - - 1708 at _______________ died at _______________ on p - - 1783 and his ( 2nd ) wife Frances Bolling …
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bland-215

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GEDCOM Note

Theodoric and Frances Bland also had a daughter, Frances Bland, who married the first time, John Randolph. Their son was John Randolph of Roanoke. The second time she married St. George Tucker, and their daughter, Frances B. Tucker, is the one who married Judge John Coalter.

Birth: Sep. 24, 1752
Hopewell City
Virginia, USA
Death: Jan. 18, 1788

Daughter of Theodorick and Frances Bolling Bland.
She married her first husband, John Randolph on March 9, 1769. Children:
1. Richard (b. 1770)
2. Theodorick (b.1771)
3. John Randolph of "Roanoke"(b. 1773)
4. Jane (b. Nov. 10, 1774, died 16 days later)

Frances and St. George Tucker marry on Sept. 23, 1778.
Children from this union:

1. Anne Frances Bland (b. 1779)
2. Henry St. George (b. 1780)
3. Theodorick Thomas Tudor (b.1782)
4. Nathaniel Beverly (b.1784)
5. stillborn daughter (b. 1786)
6. Henrietta Eliza (b. Dec. 16, 1787)

She died less than a month after the birth of her 10th child.

Frances Bland Randolph Tucker (1752-1788)
John Randolph Medical Center stands today on the site of Cawson'soverlooking the mouth of Appomattox River in Hopewell, Virginia. There is no longer any trace of the home of Theodorick and Frances (Bolling) Bland, where their daughter Frances spent her childhood.

Frances Bland was a sixteen-year-old beauty in 1769, when she married John Randolph, eleven years her senior. They lived at Matoax, his plantation in Chesterfield County, which encompassed over a thousand acres on Appomattox River. Their marriage lasted only six years, for John Randolph died in October 1775, leaving his young widow with three small sons and a life right in Matoax, as well as the management of Bizarre, his plantation in Prince Edward County. She was thereby obliged to manage two large plantations, distant from one another, during the first years of the American Revolution. She did well, exhibiting prudence, diligence, competence and honor.

None of John and Frances Randolph's sons left children. The two elder sons, Richard and Theodorick, died in their twenties. The youngest son, famous "John Randolph of Roanoke," lived for almost sixty years, mesmerizing and exasperating fellow members of the United States Congress with his eloquent oratory, and shocking many with his vitriolic verbal attacks on his enemies, and his involvement in a caning and a duel!

Frances Bland Randolph was only twenty-three when John Randolph died, and two years later a chance encounter in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a young lawyer from Bermuda changed her life dramatically. By his own account, St. George Tucker had vowed never to marry a widow, but just one look at the beautiful face of Frances Randolph in Bruton Parish Church melted his resolve! He pursued her in the most elegant and romantic style imaginable by a well educated and gently bred young eighteenth century gentleman. Their letters attest to her hesitation and his ardor, her care for the well-being of her children and Tucker's corresponding assurances. While her extensive properties and material assets added to her desirability, there is no doubt from their letters, both before and after their marriage in 1778, that they cared deeply for each other.

St. George Tucker married without the wholehearted approval of his parents in Bermuda. They apparently did not object to Frances Randolph, but rather to his marrying and staying in Virginia, when they had expected he would return to Bermuda. He did not inform them of his marriage until after it had taken place. In 1780 he commissioned John Durand to paint both his and his wife's portraits, which he sent to Bermuda, hoping no doubt that Frances's obvious beauty and elegance would soften the blow of his absence.

Although born in Bermuda, St. George Tucker threw himself wholeheartedly into support of the American Revolution. His military service required frequent absences from home soon after their marriage. During the war, he rose to the rank of Colonel and was injured in 1781. Their correspondence during that period bemoaned their mutual loneliness. Frances remarked once that she had difficulty getting letters to him because most of her neighbors did not understand the intensity of their attachment and so they did not think to inform her when they were going to see him. During her husband's absences, Frances continued to manage both Matoax and Bizarre effectively.

Frances and St. George Tucker had five children: Anne Frances Bland Tucker, Henry St. George Tucker, Theodorick Tudor Tucker, Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, and Henrietta Eliza Tucker. Anne married Judge John Coalter and died in 1813. Henry St. George and Nathaniel Beverly both distinguished themselves as jurists and Professors of Law. Theodorick died when he was only twelve, and Henrietta Eliza, when she was eight. Had Frances Tucker lived long enough, she could have been justly proud to have two sons serve in the U. S. Congress. Henry St. George Tucker was elected to Congress in 1815 and served two terms. John Randolph of Roanoke served in the Congress from 1799-1813, from 1815-1817, from 1819-1825, and as a U. S. Senator from 1824-1827.

After the Revolutionary War, St. George Tucker busied himself establishing his law practice in Richmond. Once again, he was often absent from Matoax, and Frances was kept busy managing children and plantations. Their letters continued to provide solace and express mutual affection. In April 1787 he wrote to Frances, whom he called Fanny, that Richmond was the "dullest place in the universe," because he saw no one but lawyers and judges. She wrote of her daily routine and the children's activities and scholastic progress. Her health declined during the latter years of their marriage, and her death in January 1788 followed the birth of her last child by only a month. She was buried at the Randolph plantation, Matoax, beside her first husband, John Randolph.

St. George Tucker moved to Williamsburg with the children shortly after the death of his wife, and in 1791 he married Lelia, widow of George Carter and daughter of Sir Peyton Skipwith.

References:

Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne, The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, 1720-1789 (Greenville, SC, 1994)
H. J. Eckenrode, The Randolphs The Story of a Virginia Family (New York, 1946)
Rev. Philip Slaughter, D. D., A History of Bristol Parish, Va... (Greenville, SC, 1994)
Lyon Gardiner Tyler, LL. D., Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, vol. II (Baltimore, 1998) 34, 63-64, 202
Claudia Lamm Wood, "With Unalterable Tenderness": The Courtship and Marriage of St. George Tucker and Frances Randolph Tucker, Master's Thesis, Department of History, College of William and Mary (1988)
Letters of Frances Tucker and St. George Tucker, St. George Tucker Papers, Tucker-Coleman Collection, Earl Greg Swem Library, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

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Return to Frances Bland Randolph Chapter, NSDAR, Home Page
Page updated 12 April 2011 for Frances Bland Randolph Chapter, NSDAR

Family links:
Parents:
Theodorick Bland (1719 - 1783)
Frances Bolling Bland

Spouses:
John Randolph (1742 - 1775)
St. George Tucker (1752 - 1827)

Children:
John Randolph (1773 - 1833)*
Henry St. George Tucker (1780 - 1848)*
Nathaniel Beverley Tucker (1784 - 1851)*

• Calculated relationship

Inscription:
I. H. S.
FRANCESCÆ TUCKER BLANDÆ
Conjugis
STI GEORGII TUCKER
Quis desiderio 'sit modus!
Obiit XVIII Januarii
MDCCLXXXVIII
Æt XXXVI

When shall we cease to mourn!

Burial:
Matoax Randolph Family
Matoaca
Chesterfield County
Virginia, USA

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Created by: SheWalksTheseHills
Record added: Sep 06, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 58261160