Posted by Warren Tooker on January 15, 1999 at 12:23:48:
It is apparent that we need to change the information on the welcome page. I had previously thought that one Captain John Tucker was the first to change the spelling of his name to Tooker in the 1600s, but it has been shown me that there were others in England who did likewise at much earlier dates.
As shown on the welcome page, Tucker is a trade or occupational name for a fuller or thickener of cloth. It seems that when someone rose above the ranks of his family's trade, is was common to change the spelling of a name to differentiate themselves from others in the trade. In this manner, perhaps Captain John Tucker changed his name to Tooker when he became a ship captain.
Does anyone else have thoughts on this?
Warren Tooker
wetooker@inforum.net