Sherbro Tuckers
Encyclopedia
The Tuckers of Sherbro
Sherbro
Sherbro can refer to:* The Sherbro people in Sierra Leone* Sherbro Island, off the coast of Sierra Leone* Sherbro River in Sierra Leone* Short for Sherbrooke...

 are an Afro-European
Afro-European
Black people in Europe are black people who are residents or citizens of European countries...

 clan in the Southern region of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

 and they ruled as chiefs in Gbap
GBAP
Glucosidase, beta; acid, pseudogene, also known as GBAP, is a human gene.-Further reading:...

. The clans progenitors were an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 trader and agent, John Tucker (merchant), and a Sherbro princess. Along with the Caulkers, the Tuckers became one of the two most powerful Afro-European chiefdoms in the Sherbro country. The Tuckers were also one of the three most notorious Afro-European slave trading clans in West Africa alongside the Rogerses and the Caulkers.

Clan History

In the 1620s, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 had a number of agents in the Sherbro region of Sierra Leone; these traders mostly purchased camwood and other such items and traded with the locals. In the late 17th century, the Gambia Adventurer and the Royal African Company
Royal African Company
The Royal African Company was a slaving company set up by the Stuart family and London merchants once the former retook the English throne in the English Restoration of 1660...

 began sending many agents to the region. In 1665, an agent in the service of the Gambia Adventurer called John Tucker left England and went to Sierra Leone alongside Zachary Rogers (prognator of the Afro-European clan the Rogerses). Upon arriving in Sherbro Country, John Tucker and Zachary Rogers took Sherbro daughters of a ruling chiefdom as their wives and produced children. The children of John Tucker and the Sherbro princess gained control of their mother's kingdom and utilised their father's name. These multiracial children then became powerful traders and middlemen between African and European business interests during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Tuckers eventually became one of the most influential and prominent Sherbro families during the 17th and 18th centuries and established and expanded a powerful chiefdom. The only other Afro-European clan to rival the Tuckers were the Caulkers, and the two families intermarried. The Tuckers maintained strong ties with their European connections and this only helped them expand their influence over the Sherbro trade industry. They remained thoroughly 'Africanised' and were able to gain control of more territory for their chiefdoms.

Tuckers today

The Tuckers are still a well known, prominent family in Sierra Leone and are known for their distinctive looks particularly their 'big eyes'. Many Tuckers hold positions of power in Sherbro society evn today and are known for their strong emphasis on a good education. All of the Tuckers in Southern Sierra Leone are descendants of the first John Tucker and his African bride. Though the European connection is all but gone, the Tuckers are still very westernized in their style of dress and behavior. Through historical intermarriages, some Tuckers are related to the Caulkers, Rogerses, and Clevelands of today. The Tucker family history has an oral testimony and a written testimony, both of which maintain their own traditions about their European ancestor.

Miscellaneous

Not all 'Tuckers' in Sierra Leone are descendants of John Tucker; some are Krio
Krio
Krio may refer to:*Sierra Leone Krio people*Krio language, language of the Sierra Leone Krio people*Krio Dayak people, an ethnic group in West Kalimantan, Indonesia*Krio Dayak language*Keriau River, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia...

s who are descendants of the Nova Scotian settlers who were African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 slaves resettled in Freetown, Sierra Leone after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

.

Notable Tuckers

  • Patricia Kabbah
    Patricia Kabbah
    Patricia Kabbah was the wife of Sierra Leone's 3rd President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah; was First Lady of Sierra Leone from 1996 until her death in 1998...

    - late First Lady of Sierra Leone and late wife of President Kabbah
  • Peter L. Tucker
    Peter L. Tucker
    Peter Louis Tucker is a notable Sherbro civil servant and he was once the Chief Executive for the Commission for Racial Equality in the United Kingdom a position he had from 1976-1982. Currently, Peter Tucker is the Chairman of the Law Reform Commission - a position he has held since 2003...

    -Chairman of the Law Reform in Sierra Leone
  • Henry Tucker -a powerful Merchant prince during the mid-18th century
  • B. J. Tucker
    B. J. Tucker
    Baigeh Joe Tucker is a professional American and Canadian football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.-College career:Tucker was a high school sprint champion in the 100...

     - an NFL Football Player
  • Harrison Tucker - Late Ambassador and Chair of Black and Hispanic Studies Department of Bernard Baruch College

Resources

  • http://books.google.com/books?id=V4ZIL4BlVagC&pg=PA183&dq=tucker+sherbro&sig=QLOrfiQwXAfiRYY9sjY3vReE6Ow
  • http://books.google.com/books?id=C4GuwL1cgnEC&pg=PA36&dq=tucker+sherbro&lr=&sig=rsRwn1MsjXJAHkXDy8x7J-J5tDg#PPA36,M1
  • http://books.google.com/books?id=5ObuJk0cavIC&pg=PA62&dq=tucker+sherbro&lr=&sig=gwYpYcjxEh2fZZyiOBg_2vzqqXo
  • My father, Theodore Williamson Taylor, was a native of Kissy in Sierra Leone; on

my paternal side, my grandmother was the daughter of King Tucker of Sherbro ...
Adam Jones
History in Africa, Vol. 10, 1983 (1983), pp. 151–162

TUCKER, PETER L. The Tuckers of Sierra Leone 1665-1914: a history of trade and. British Colonisation of Sherbro Land

http://books.google.com/books?id=zmgYSuOAkS8C&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=sherbro+caulkers&source=web&ots=GZBht_Ev8Y&sig=jrOlgtRVvS8nSk_DqQU8c7MynI8

http://books.google.com/books?id=blSYRnlpoX4C&pg=PA75&dq=sherbro+tuckers&sig=Wj22avHICs0ah63ftK7UhInyqMA

http://books.google.com/books?id=QN62ci99H7oC&pg=PA293&lpg=PA293&dq=sherbro+tuckers&source=web&ots=OGbmgW5H6K&sig=o0Hqg0eXHI6HQ5RL-cyliu1HHhI#PPA293,M1

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.emkweltmission.de/laender/sierra_leone/geschichte_s_l.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=5&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsherbro%2Bcaulkers%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLR_enUS212US213

http://books.google.com/books?id=C4GuwL1cgnEC&pg=PA36&dq=Sherbro+Cleveland&sig=rsRwn1MsjXJAHkXDy8x7J-J5tDg

Thomas d.S Tucker Twentieth Century Negro Literature: Or, A Cyclopedia of Thought on the Vital Topics Relating to ... By Daniel Wallace Culp

http://books.google.com/books?id=npUMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA76&dq=sherbro+tuckers#PPA76,M1

A Cyclopedia of Missions: Containing a Comprehensive View of Missionary Operations Throughout ... By Harvey Newcomb

http://www.manovision.com/ISSUES/ISSUE05/iss5ar09.htm
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