Published in the September 2008 issue of the Southern Genealogist’s Exchange Quarterly

  LOVE TUCKER’S PRAYER BOOK
J. G. Braddock Sr.

Several years ago, I corresponded with Alex S. Hopkins of Atlanta , Georgia . He contacted me after learning his ancestor, Captain John Hopkins, and my fifth great-uncle, Captain William Lyford Jr., had been harbor pilots in Savannah and both had fled Georgia as Loyalists at the outbreak of the Revolution. Another of Alex’s ancestors, Simeon Martinangel, was also a Loyalist and had fled to East Florida . After the war, Martinangel relocated to the Bahamas where he married Bahamian native Love Tucker. She previously had been married to Robert Henning and Charles Rowland, both of whom had apparently died.

During his research, Alex learned of a prayer book of Love Tucker Henning Rowland Martinangel in which she had recorded births, marriages, and death. He eventually tracked down the book to a Mrs. Derst in Savannah . Because the book was in too poor a condition to photocopy, Mrs. Derst hand-copied the notes for Mr. Hopkins. He sent me a photocopy of what she sent him

I have transcribed the notes to print as faithfully as I could and have inserted some few comments in brackets.  In looking at old Bahamas records on microfilm, I found some that substantiate some of the items in the prayer book. I also found numerous records to do with many of the people she mentions. One surname prominent among the names I found in these records was Love, primarily Ebenezer and John. I strongly suspect that Love Tucker’s given name was derived from some sort of relationship between the Love and Tucker families.

[Notes Recorded in Love Tucker’s Prayer Book]

Millener [old Bahamas records spells it Milner] Tucker was married to Mary Coverly 24 day of November 1758

George Tucker was Born February 23 in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven (page torn)

Miller[sic] Tucker departed this life January 12, 1813

Love Martinangle [Martinangel] departed this life November the 30th 1823

Charles Rowland Departed this life January 26, 1782 and in the Fortieth year of Reign …

Simeon Martinangel and Love Rowland was married February the 14th  

Robert Henning was married to Love Tucker April 12, 1765

Charles Rowland was born January 12, 1742

Love Tucker was born March 11, 1739

Charles Rowland was married to Love Henning the 9th of July 1769

George Tucker was born February 23, 1763

Elizabeth Lyford departed this life August 3, 1758 [she was Elizabeth Evans who was first married to a Rowland and was mother of Charles Rowland. Widowed, she was third wife of my 6th great-grandfather William Lyford Sr]

George Tucker, father of Love Rowland, departed this life June 10, 1773

Robert Tucker was bornd [sic] September 17, 1768

Simeon Martinangel and Love Rowland was married the 14th of February 1785[appears in book twice]

Willm Green the son of Josiah and Catharine Green was born June 24th In the year of Our Lord 1755

John Steel, the son of Joseph and Catharine Steel was Born Tuesday, May 8, 1770

Joseph Steel was Born Monday Sept 21, 1772

Catharine Steel the wife of Joseph Steel Departed this life January 26, 1777

Mary Lebey the daughter of William Green was born March 24, 1792 Died Dec. 17th, 1859

Catharine Steel was the widow of Josiah Green

[On the back page of this book is written: Mary Lebey Savannah, Georgia 1813