NUCKOLLS SCOTLAND HERITAGE

Most of the NUCKOLLS families in North America come from either of two origins. One comes from a story from the granddaughter of Nathaniel Nuckolls. “For over three hundred years, there have been Nuckols families in Scotland, so James could have very well been from there. Whatever his roots, James was a yeoman, a man who worked for years to earn the right to a piece of land. A small piece, by the standards of the James River planters, but land of his own, that may still be in the possession of his descendants, some three hundred years later. A letter coped Aug 31, 1957 by Bertha Nuckolls, written by Ann Elizabeth Nuckolls, daughter of Nathaniel Nuckolls, granddaughter of Thomas Nuckolls " ....his ancestors came from Dunfermline, Scotland, and settled in Virginia.""

 

Another source appears here: History of Ohio, American Historical Society, Chicago, 1925. Section V pg 302 "While analysis of the surname Nuckols seems to indicate a remote German origin, the American branch of the family traces its lineage to a sturdy Scotchman, who was a substantial shipbuilder in Scotland, where he maintained his home in the City of Glasgow. According to well established family tradition there were nine Nuckols brothers who came from Scotland to America, and their posterity is now scattered about in different states of the union. Investigation made by representatives of later generations of the family all seem to indicate a common ancestor, the Glasgow shipbuilder. "

From the chronological history of Scotland we find that 1684 The first trans-Atlantic voyage made by a Clyde ship (The “George”) when a vessel sailed from Greenock employed on a special mission to America with 22 persons transported to Carolina for attending conventiclers and 'being disaffected to Government'. In 1719 First Greenock based vessel (built at Crawfurdsdyke in 1719) crosses Atlantic. It was part of the Darien expedition, having been fitted out at Cartsdyke in 1697. (This expedition was to Panama)

Because our first records of Nuckolls are 1657 York County, 1689 in New Kent Co and 1702 in Hanover, the “Scottish Shipbuilder” would have had to come to America prior to 1657, prior to the time Scotland was able to produce sea-going vessels. See history of Greenock http://www.greenock-town.co.uk/history.html and history of Glasgow
http://www.scotland.org/about/innovation-and-creativity/features/education/maritime.html

The second story handed down by family members that they were all from England……………