Greenbrier County, West Virginia Biography of JAMES THOMAS RUCKER. This biography was submitted by Sandy Spradling, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm History of Greenbrier County J. R. Cole Lewisburg, WV 1917 p. 205-206 JAMES THOMAS RUCKER. Among the prominent educators of West Virginia is found the name of James Thomas Rucker, of Lewisburg, who was born at Island Ford, near Covington, Va., November 22, 1856. The late Dr. William P. and Margaret Ann (Scott) Rucker had four sons, H. Scott, an attorney at Marlinton, W. Va.; William Wailer, for the past eighteen years member of Congress from the second district of Missouri; Edgar Parks, former attorney general of West Virginia, who died at the age of forty-two, and the subject of this sketch, who was the third son. At the close of the Civil war, he moved with his parents to Nicholas County, West Virginia, where he resided until June, 1870, at which time they came to Lewisburg to live, and Mr. Rucker now resides on his farm, one mile east of Lewisburg, occupying the old Rucker homestead. In early manhood he began teaching, and has been prominent in educational work ever since. For several years he was principal of the Keytesville High School at Keytesville, Mo., but in 1890he returned to West Virginia and was principal of the Lewisburg graded school until 1897, when he was appointed superintendent of the State School for the Deaf and Dumb at Romney. serving in that capacity until 1910. He was one of the inspectors for the state compensation commissioner before his death in 1916. On September 26, 1882, Mr. Rucker was married to Ida G. Riffe. daughter of David Campbell and Catherine E. (McClintic) Riffe, who was born at Mazeville, now Sunlight, W. Va. Mrs. Rucker is a great granddaughter of Joseph and Nancy (Rogers) Maze, and through this branch related to the Clendennins, prominent in the pioneer history of Greenbrier and Kanawha counties. On her maternal side she is a descendant of Robert and Jane (Mann) McClintic, who were also among the early settlers of Greenbrier county. They moved to this county from Bath county, Virginia, soon after the Revolutionary war. The children of Mr. and Mrs. James T. Rucker are as follows: Roy Waller, born May 12, 1884; Fannie Riffe, born November 22, 1886, died at Sturgeon, Mo., at three years of age; Anna Parks, horn April 14, 1893, unmarried, residing with her parents at Lewisburg. Roy W. Rucker was married to Elizabeth G. Estle, of Carrollton, Mo., October 12, 1909. Their home is at Keytesville, Mo., where he is a practicing attorney.