Simon Stuckey Family Laurens & Wilkinson Counties Ga.

Simon Stuckey Family
Laurens and Wilkinson Counties Author: R. Elizabeth Brewer
     This sketch is written to enable one to learn more about the migration of the Stuckey family in both Laurens and Wilkinson Counties. Our research of legal documents in both counties reveals deed transactions for this surname as early as 1815. These Stuckeys were not enumerated on the 1820 census.
     Our main focus is Simon Stuckey (1) of Wilkinson County. He was born about 1750 in North Carolina, descending from the Stuckeys of the Isle of Wight, Virginia. Records of Virginia show Stuckeys there as far back as the early 1700's. Censuses for Wilkinson County, Georgia do not show that Simon Stuckey (1) was in this State before the 1830 census, at which time it is shown that he was between sixty and seventy years of age. In the 1840 census, he was between seventy and eighty years of age. Then, in the 1850 census, he is shown as the "old" Simon who was 100 years of age, blind and married to Mahaley. We do not know of any other wife or the mother of his children. Simon married "Mahala Butler" on September 15, 1848. She must have been a widow of one of the Butler men, since she was approximately forty-three years of age and Simon (1) was about ninety-seven years old. His vocation was farming. We do not know how long he lived but he is probably buried in an unmarked grave in Pleasant Plains Cemetery, in the older section where the wooden markers have disappeared. In a
letter written by his great grandson, Richard Jackson Stuckey, dated December 16, 1897, the contents reveal that Simon came to the "now" area of Wilkinson County, in 1788, before it was created as a County. This could have been afterthe State of Georgia ratified the Constitution of the United States, in 1788, making it the fourth State to do so. In two paragraphs, Richard refers to Simon (1) as living in Wilkinson County during this time and that he was his great grandfather. We are sure that Richard knew his family lineage and, therefore, we have this documentation. From histories of early settlers, there were
non-Indians living in Indian territory. Settlers would cultivate land in Indian territory, returning to "block houses" at night for protection. If this occurred in one section of Georgia, it would seem plausible that it would occur in the "then" Indian/Wilkinson County area.
     Other research about Simon, age 100 in the 1850 census, regarding him as a son of Edmund Stuckey of South Carolina is dated 1930, thirty-three years after Richard Jackson Stuckey wrote his letter. There was about five years difference in Simon and Edmund's dates of birth so this could not be true. Edmund, too, was born in North Carolina and, in fact, did have a son named Simon (2). This son was born November 12, 1769, almost twenty-nine years after "old" Simon of Wilkinson County. Edmund's son, Simon, married America___. Edmund died in 1833, in South Carolina, at the age of eighty-four. We believe that perhaps Simon (1) could have been a Edmund's brother.
     Simon (1) probably came to Georgia, returned to North Carolina, and with his family moved and lived a few years near his brother in South Carolina. Then, in the early 1800's, he finally returned to the Wilkinson County area. There were several Stuckeys living in what is now Laurens County but deeds show Wilkinson County at that time. The Stuckey clan lived within "a radius of not more than three miles (where) all of these great grand, grand and children were reared" (per Richard's letter). Stuckey deed transactins for both counties begin in 1815 and forward. Since many records were destroyed, we cannot locate legal transactions for earlier dates. We do know there were two land grants issued to other people, in 1807, for property that the Stuckey clan in Wilkinson County would eventually own.
     Other Stuckey men who came with Simon (1) to Georgia were: John Stuckey who married Martha Jane Taylor on September 18, 1824 (moved west). Starling Stuckey (Sr.) who married Mary J.___, (settled in Wilkinson County), Simon Stuckey(3) died in Wilkinson County), and Lewis Stuckey settled and died in what is later to become Laurens County (md. Mary Bell of South Carolina). There was a Jackson Stuckey, living in Wilkinson County, who married Sarah Dean on November 23, 1838. He was probably related but we cannot document this. With the exception of Jackson, the above men were born in North Carolina. In the 1880 census for Arkansas, it is shown that Jackson and both of his parents were born in Georgia.
     Starling Stuckey (Sr.), was born between 1790 and 1795, in North Carolina. He migrated with his father, Simon, to Wilkinson County. His marriage to Mary J.___, occured in Georgia, date unknown. She was born in Georgia but we find no documentatin as to her maiden name. In this same letter, Richard Jackson Stuckey states that his grandfather, Starling Stuckey, "had seven sons and all of them reared large families." Starling's sons were: Nelson (md. Sabrina Porter); Alexander (md. Eliza Ann Porter); John Stuckey (md. Amanda Butler); Starling Stuckey(Jr.) md. Lucy Ann Norwood); Simon Stuckey (3) died before 1860); Daniel Simon Stuckey (md. Caroline Rogers); Alison Stuckey (md. Mary Ann Thomas); Howell Stuckey (Louisa Pnew?). There were two daughters (1) unnamed (who married Wiley Womack(sp?); and Mary Stuckey (who married Sandy/Tandy Eubanks). Starling Stuckey (Sr.) died in 1838~~~will probated in 1838. He is probably buried in an unmarked grave next to his wife, Mary J.___Stuckey, in Pleasant Plains Cemetery. Mary J. Stuckey has a tombstone and there are several large stones next to her which mark very old graves. Many of the Stuckey family are buried in a straight line descending from Mary J.___Stuckey and Starling Sr.

Additional Comments:
Note: Richard Jackson Stuckey did not list Simon (3) as the son of Starling probably because Simon was deceased. Simon's name is listed in Starling Stuckey's will.

Sources: Georgia Archives Research, numerous deeds of both Laurens and Wilkinson Counties, Georgia, Davidson's Marriages, Letter of Richard Jackson Stuckey, HeritageQuest.com through SGES; Galileo, "The Dublin Post, 5-5-1895,"
Pleasant Plains Stuckey burial plot, and Ancestry.com for censuses 1820 to 1880.