Lt. Col. Ephraim Julius Rucker

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA with the rank of LIEUTENANT COLONEL. DAR Ancestor # A099478

A timeline of land deals involving Ephraim Rucker

•1750 – 200 acres in Culpeper Co, VA, were deeded by John Vawter to his son-in-law Ephraim Rucker and Margaret •1751 – 159 acres in Orange Co, VA sold by Angus and Ann Vawter to Ephraim and James Barbour (Orange Co Deed Book 13, p. 272) •1759 – 100 acres in Culpeper Co on Elk Run at the fork of the Robinson and Rapidan Rivers purchased from brother-in-law Isaac Tinsley and wife Margaret Rucker •1773 – 505 acres on Elk Run at the fork of the Rapidan and Robinson Rivers purchased from William Twyman of Culpeper •1774 – sold some land in Culpeper Co, VA; also Ephraim and his wife paid for three years of their grandson’s schooling: “ … paid 30 shillings for the present years schooling of Charles George Cook, and thirty shillings for the next, and for the year following.” (Culpeper Co Deed Book H, p. 22) •1775 – grandson Charles G. Cook paid 21 lb. to Ephraim for 60 acres of land, 1/2 mile above the bridge, which crosses Elk Run •1775 – Ephraim deeded 150 acres at the fork of the Robinson and Rapid Rivers to son Angus Rucker; another 150 to son-in-law Edmund Gaines; and 150 to James Davis (whose relationship has yet to be determined) •1776 – sold 159 acres to Jeremiah Jarrell

Attached here is some of the newer research of the Ruckers and Vawter to determine the right Mary, wife of David Vawter.

Book- History of the Rucker Family (no date or author given).Mary Rucker was the dau. of Elliot Legrande Rucker b. ca 1730 d. 19 Mar 1832. Married (1) Nancy Smith (thought to be dau. of Isaac Smith of VA).Elliott was Rev. War soldier and received land in KY in 1794.He married (2) Mary Burton of Orange Co. (KY or VA?) in 1809. Children of Elliot were Merial Rucker m. John E. DeNeal of KY, LeGrande Rucker b. 1790 m. Harriet Davis of KY, John Ephraim Rucker b. abt 1795 m. --- Wright and Mary Rucker who married her cousin, Wm. Vawter. (GJ Note: this information is incorrect on Mary and William)

Another scenario:Peter Rucker in his will had many children but two of his sons, James Rucker who married Elizabeth Elzaphan and Ephraim Rucker who married Margaret Vawter had a son and dau. who married each other (they would be first cousins).Augustine Rucker, son of James Rucker and Tomagen Rucker, dau. of Ephraim Rucker.Augustine and Tomagen Rucker then had nine children, their oldest dau. was named Mary Rucker.It is this Mary who married William Vawter in 1784.Augustine and Tomagen Rucker moved to KY as did many of the Rucker family.So the Mary Rucker who married William Vawter was the granddaughter of Margaret Vawter, wife of Ephraim Rucker.
A third scenario is found in the Rucker Family Genealogy by Sudie Rucker Woods pub. 1932in possession of Carla Orcutt of WA.This seems to have some documentation. Page 289:

Mary Rucker, dau. of Lt. Col. Ephraim Rucker m. 4 Jun 1784 to William Vawter son of David Vawter.Marriage bond in Orange Co., VASecurity James Staples, William Vawter b. 1758 d. 27 Nov 1823.

They moved to Woodford Co., KY in 1788 then to Burlington, Boone Co., KY.In 1803, William and Mary sold land in Fayette Co., KY bet. the years of 1805 and 1809 they also had land in Jessemine and Gallatine counties.William Vawter was appointed by Angus Rucker (brother of Mary) of Madison Co., trustee for his dau., Jane Minor, wife of Elliott Minor, of Boone Co., KY.William Vawter refused to act.William Vawter served in the Revolution.Enlisted 17 Jan 1779, under Capt. John Champ, of the 1st VA Reg., under Colonel George Gibson.Later became a lieutenant.At a court of appeals held at the Capitol of Richmond, VA Sept 1791, in a suit, the Commonwealth against William Vawter, late Lieutenant of the 1st VA Reg.Case was dismissed.So now we know Lt. Col. Ephraim Rucker and Margaret Vawter’s dau. Mary Rucker married William Vawter not David Vawter who was Margaret’s brother.Mary Rucker and William Vawter were cousins.

To further complicate the above matter, we have Jean B. Robinson from a letter 30 Apr 1991, granddaughter ofSudie Rucker Wood who has been compiling primary and secondary information to clear this problem.In a letter to Doris Edwards, 2017 43rd SE U-2, Grand Rapids, MI dated 1992 much of the above is disputed and dispelled.While long it is important to add as much information as possible to stop errors from continuing to occur.

A.The Vawter Family in America, by Grace Vawter Bicknell, 1905 offers no primary evidence for any of the information on David Vawter, son of John and his connection of Mary Rucker.Unfortunately this information was used for the following: 1. Maxwell Genealogy and History 2. Stepp/Stapp Families of America by Henry P. Scalf and 3. Forks of the Elkhorn Church by Ermina Darnell, 1980.So none of these secondary records can be used for primary proof at this time.

B.Edythe Whitley, History of the Rucker Family 1927 stated David Vawter m. Mary Rucker, da. of Ephraim Rucker and Margaret Vawter with no primary proof again offered.Sudie Rucker Wood showed primary proof that Mary Rucker m. William Vawter her cousin, not David, her uncle.Additionally the dates do not match.If you examine the dates for David (1720-1785) and William (1758-1823) you will see that David would have been 64 years old in 1784 and too old to have married in 1784.And there is no way he could have had five children by the time he died the following year.(GJNote: we now have proof he died before 1782 so he could not have married in 1784-see marriage record of daughter Margaret)William, born in 1758, would have been 26 in 1784 and the right age to marry.Most important is a found marriage record for William Vawter and Mary Rucker in Orange Co., VA

C.Mary Snyder, in Rucker Ruckus, Vol. 3 Issue I, p 87 states:Ephraim, father of Elliot Rucker and wife Nancy Smith had a dau. Mary who married Wm. Vawter.This could not be possible as Elliott and Nancy Smith married6 Mary 1789 (Marriage Bond, Orange Co., VA) and it would have been difficult for a dau. to have been married five years before her parents.Plus, no other primary record states Elliott Rucker even had a daughter named Mary.

D.The Underwood Family by Ben Coke 1986 p 88 suggests that David Vawter married Mary Offill (Offitt/Offield, Aufil, etc). He wrote Wm. Offill m. Mary Rucker dau. of Peter Rucker 1743/4.Wm and Mary Rucker Offill had several children inc:1. Mary Offill m. 1st David Vawter b 1720 and m. 2nd James Rentfrow.Their son William Vawter m. 1784 Orange Co., VA to Mary Rucker (Prob. dau. of Ephraim Rucker & Margaret Vawter, sister to David Vawter b. 1720)The problem with this is:1. Ben Coke only guessed that Wm. Offill and Mary Rucker had a dau. Mary, no proof is found.2. His reasoning came from the Vawter Book and autobiography by Jesse Vawter who mentioned Uncle Oppill (ie Offill), Uncle I Coper (ie J. Coper) and Aunt Underwood.Ben Coke’s first sentence is prob. true and Jesse Vawter’s statements about aunts and uncles make sense only if Jesse’s mother was Mary Offill, So Jesse’s mother was Mary Offill and it was her mother who was Mary Rucker.However, he could have been referring to them as such because his aunt Margaret Vawter was married to Ephraim Rucker, sister of Mary Offill, so no solid proof is yet found.Ben Coke in a letter 6 Dec 1985 said everyone always assumed that John Vawter (1782-1862) would know his grandmother’s maiden name.No primary proof exists on this material and historically only 10% of the population can name the maiden name of grandmothers.

E.Sudie Rucker Wood, The Rucker Family Genealogy 1932 p 289 states Mary Rucker m. 4 Jun 1784 William Vawter (Marriage Bond of Orange Co., Security James Staples).Wm. b. 1758 d. 27 Nov 1823.The children of William Vawter and Mary Rucker were: William Jr., George M., Herman, Edmond, Thomas and Virginia.Wood on page 512, gives the following dates for David Vawter b. 1720 d. 1785 m. ca 1755 Mary of Culpeper Co., (no maiden name). The following evidence is used for Primary Proof of William Vawter and Mary Rucker. (GJ Note: again the death date has since been proven to be prior to 1782)

1.Proof of parentage of Ephraim Rucker, Peter Rucker immigrant lists son, Ephraim Rucker in will (WB1, p 299 Orange CO, VA dated 18 Jun 1743, rec. 23 Feb 1743/4)

2.Proof of parentage and marriage of Ephraim Rucker and Margaret Vawter.Will of John Vawter 23 May 1748, Culpeper Co., VA leaves his dau. Margaret Rucker 150 acres at the Great Mountains.This 150 acres was deed by John Vawter to Ephraim Rucker 7 Feb 1750 Culpeper Co.

3.Proof that Ephraim Rucker and Margaret Vawter had a dau. Mary.She was mentioned in the will of her father, Ephraim Rucker, WB1, p 348 Madison Co., VA dated 24 Sep 1796 prob. 28 Dec 1797.1/7 of my estate to dau. Mary Vawter.

4.Proof that Mary Rucker m. William Vawter.Marriage Bond 4 Jun 1784 Orange Co., VA

Until further documented primary proof is found no other information should be accepted as fact and the errors of old should be corrected.A printed genealogy book is not proof of previous material.

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