On June 3rd, 1726, at the font of St. Andrew's Church, Holt, Norfolk (left), Elias and Elizabeth Tuck had their twins named Joseph and Mary baptised. Their first born child was a boy whom they named William, thereby either starting, or continuing, a Tuck family tradition that the first born male always be named William, even if his father is not a William.

Joseph Tuck grew up, and on March 27, 1746 at All Saints' Church, Hempstead, right, married Elizabeth Betts. Their children were Mary (baptized Nov. 23, 1746 - buried at Bodham, August 15, 1797); Elizabeth (baptized March 20, 1747- ), Anne (baptized Dec. 22, 1751- ); William (baptized Dec. 30, 1753 - died 1844); Joseph (baptized December 12, 1756, buried October 22, 1792 ); Sarah (baptized January 18, 1756, buried February 1, 1756); Sarah II (baptized May 20, 1759, and who later married Thomas Riseborough ); Tamasin (baptized Oct. 11, 1761, buried April 9, 1762); Tamasin II (baptized October 23, 1763 - ); Thomas (buried November 28, 1766). Joseph's mother Elizabeth was buried at Hempstead September 26, 1751, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also buried at Hempstead on February 24, 1804.

Their son William settled in nearby Edgefield parish after marrying Martha Coe, daughter of Sarah Jones and Mark Coe, on April 15, 1771, in All Saints' Church, Thornage, a neighbouring village. They had seven children: Sarah, baptized January 5, 1772; William, baptized May 1, 1775; Elizabeth, born March 3, 1777, and baptized on March 30 the same year; Mary, born July 20, 1779, baptized 5 days later on July 25, and buried at the age of 18 at Hempstead on April 7, 1797; Mark, born December 24, 1780, and baptized on January 6, 1781; Joseph, born November 6, 1782, baptized November 27 the same year, and died at Little Barningham April 4, 1868; and Jonathan, who was born November 28, 1783, and baptized two weeks later on December 13.

As an adult Joseph Tuck settled in Little Barningham Parish where, on March 19, 1806, he married Elizabeth Thirtle, daughter of Robert Thirtle and Elizabeth (Lydia?) Platten, who had been baptized October 6, 1782 at Little Barningham. Witnesses at their marriage were Thomas and Sarah Wright. Joseph and Elizabeth had eight children, all of whom were born at Little Barningham: William, born August 6 and baptized August 10, 1806, who died in 1890 and was buried in Little Barningham churchyard; Charles, born in 1808 and died on May 26, 1877, in Canada; Benjamin, born April 11, 1811, and baptized the next day, April 12, who died in Canada September 18, 1891; Lydia, baptized May 30, 1813; John, baptized March 8, 1816, and died in Canada in 1874; and Mary and Robert (twins), who were baptized on Christmas Day, December 25, 1819. Robert died at Nelson, Ontario, December 21, 1891. In White's 1845 Directory of Norfolk Joseph Tuck is listed as "Beer Retailer" in Little Barningham. A generation or so later beer was sold from a small cottage, one of a group known as "The Dogs" (below, left) at the western end of the Little Barningham "Street", and so it may have been one of these cottages that was the home of Joseph and Elizabeth. They died within a couple of weeks of each other in 1868. Their grave stone in Little Barningham Churchyard, together with that of their grandson, Charles Tuck, who died in Norwich at the age of 28, also in 1868, is at bottom, right.

Close to 30 North American descendants of JOSEPH TUCK and ELIZABETH THIRTLE got together near Burlington, Ontario, at the end of September, 2000, to get acquainted with one another and become more familiar with their family history. Photos of the event have been posted on the TUCK JUNCTION webpages at www.MyFamily.com. website.

(Thanks to Ann Dea Hogan of Tennessee for this account of the Tuck History, which is undergoing ongoing development as time passes; also thanks to cousins Doug Hines, Timothy Tuck Smith, Bruce Atkins, Ann Denton and Dr. Nancy Vivian for their input, and to Karen Alton, for the Charles Tuck story. Much of the genealogical material was collected originally by Ruth Vivian of Burlington. See also Burlington: Memories of Pioneer Days by Dorothy Turcotte, and published The Boston Mills Press. Any corrections and additions may be communicated to Bob Tuck rctuck@maplewoodmall.ca)