This week’s 52 Ancestors writing prompt is “The Name’s the Same”. I had prior written about how my ancestor named Tacy was a very popular name in my tree. I decided to update and add to my original post and share it for this week. All about the female first name Tacy, and my ancestor that gave rise to so many of her descenants being named after her.

Above is a promotional photo from the 1953 film The Long, Long Trailer, starting Lucille Ball, as Tacy Bolton-Collini, and her real-life husband Desi Arnaz, playing a married couple. Prior to discovering that I am descended (twice) from my 9th great-grandmother, Tacy Cooper Hubbard, I had only heard of the female first name Tacy in the Lucille Ball movie. It is a favorite of mine, and I have seen in numerous times on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel. On a side note, I am related to Lucille Ball, we share several of the same Colonial American ancestors.

I checked to see if the name Tacy was used for a character in any other productions. It has been used only a few times. In addition to film The Long, Long Trailer, there was a character named Tacy Cassidy in the 2019 USA Network TV series Dare Me, played by Alison Thornton. Currently, you can stream Dare Me on Netflix.

In literary works, it only appears a few times. The name appears in the haunted library mystery, Due or Die Trying by Allison Brook. Tacy can be a nickname for Anastacia, although not the case with my ancestor. Using Tacy as a nickname, there is a character named Anna Anastacia “Tacy” Kelly in the Betsy-Tacy series consisting of 10 books written in the 1940s and 1950s by Maud Hart Lovelace.

I also just happen to share the Colonial American ancestors, William Preston and Elizabeth Sale, with the author of the Betsy-Tacy series, Maud Hart Lovelace.

The original ancestor that engendered the name Tacy to be passed down to numerous of her descendants was Tacy Cooper. She is my (twice) 9th great-grandmother. She was born 23 February 1618 in England and died 27 September 1697 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Rev. Samuel Hubbard.

Tacy is considered one of the founders of the American Seventh Day Baptist Church. Tacy, her husband Samuel, one daughter, and four other persons formed the first Seventh Day Baptist Church in America in 1671. The Seventh Day Baptists exist to this day and were a big part of my family line for many, many years.

The parentage of Tacy Cooper is unknown and unproven. But she and her husband were originally members of the Congregational Church. The origins of Congregationalism are found in 16th-century Puritanism.

Although the name Tacy can be a nickname for Eustacia or Anastasia, her name is only found listed as Tacy (and misspelled as Tasy on occasion) and was not a nickname. It was passed down to numerous descendants as Tacy, occasionally as Tacey, and at least once as Tacie, but never as a nickname for Eustacia or Anastasia. Tacy is an English name that means “fruitful”. Tacy is also a name used by Puritans that means silence, it is from the Latin tace for “Be quiet!” It was in use in the 16th century, though usage of the name died out two centuries later. But as you will see the name did not die out in usage among the descendants of Tacy Cooper Hubbard. Even in the beginning of the 20th century, 200+ years after her death, I found one of her descendants named Tacy after her!

The name appears in genealogical records in the USA, UK, Canada, and Scotland as both a first name and a surname. The name is much less common today as a first name.

The name Tacy was passed down at least 35 times to the descendants of Tacy Cooper Hubbard. These are just the ones I know about! I am sure there are more than 35 descendants named Tacy, if I were to follow every single one of her descendancy lines down to the 20th century. I descend from two daughters of Rev. Samuel Hubbard and Tacy Cooper: Ruth Hubbard who married Robert Burdick and Bethia Hubbard who married Rev. Joseph Clarke, Jr. (Seventh Day Baptist clergyman).

I am including a brief biography of she and her husband below, but further down I have included the list of her 35 known descendants named after her. This list includes two of my direct ancestors, several siblings of my direct ancestors, and oodles of cousins.

Tacy Cooper’s husband Samuel Hubbard arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, in October 1633, and probably came in the ship “James”, which left Gravesend, England, late in August of 1633, and arrived in Massachusetts Bay in October. He says in his diary, “I was born of good parents. My Mother brought me up in the fear of the Lord, in Mendlesham, in catechizing me and hearing choice ministers.”

In 1635, he moved to Watertown, Massachusetts, where he joined the [Congregational] church and that same year he went to Dorchester (Windsor), Connecticut. where he married Tacy Cooper.

Samuel and Tacy went to Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1637, and moved up the Connecticut River to Springfield, Massachuetts in 1639. In December 1640 “Samuel Hubbard is alsoe appoynted by a generall vote to keepe an Ordinary [Inn] for ye entertaynment of Strangers.”

They left for Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1647, though only stayed a short time due to church disagreements. Samuel and Tacy were preaching the doctrines of Anabaptism. He says in his diary: “God having enlightened both (but mostly my wife) into his holy ordinance of baptising only of visible believers, and being very zealous for it, she was mostly struck at, and answered two terms publicly, where I was said to be as bad as she, and sore threatened with imprisonment to Hartford jail, if not to renounce it or to remove: that scripture came into our minds.”

“If they persecute you in one place flee to another;” and so we did 2nd day of October 1648. We went for Rhode Island and arrived there the 12th day. I and my wife upon our manifestation of our faith were baptised by brother Joseph Clarke, 3rd day of November 1648.“

Samuel was a zealous Baptist and public religious disputant. For twenty-three years he belonged to the First Baptist Church of Newport, which sent him to Boston in 1651 “to visit the bretherin who was imprisoned in Boston jayl for witnessing the truth of baptising believers only, viz : Brothers John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes, and John Crandall.” In 1657 he went with Holmes on a preaching tour on Long Island, and in 1664 he was appointed General Solicitor of the Colony.

In about 1665, a Seventh Day Baptist missionary and his wife arrived in Newport from London; the first convert to the Sabbath in America being Tacy Cooper Hubbard. Samuel and Tacy, one daughter, and four other persons formed the first Seventh Day Baptist Church in America in 1671. Samuel reported that in 1678 there were 37 “Sabbatarians” in America; 20 in Newport, 7 at Westerly (also known as Hopkinton) and 10 at New London, Connecticut. Three years later the number of members reached 51; of this group two were Native Americans.

In 1675 in his diary, he refers to a “testament of my grandfather Cocke’s, printed in 1549, which he [Cocke] hid in his bed straw lest it should be found and burned in Queen Mary’s days.”

Samuel was born to Dissenter parents in Mendlesham, England in 1610. Samuel’s grandfather, Thomas Hubbard was driven out of the town of Mendlesham in 1556 for believing that Scripture contained enough information on its own to teach necessary doctrine to be saved.

He died between 1688 and 1692, and his wife after 1697, but no traces of their burial places have been found.

Source for biography:

One Thousand years of Hubbard History: 1866 – 1895
Published by Harlan Page Hubbard, New York. 1895.
Shope Family Ancestors

All the women below are descendants of my ancestor, my twice 9th great-grandmother, Tacy Cooper Hubbard:

Tacy Crandall, my 5th great-grandmother, she was born 1721 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, and died 1 June 1795 in White Day Creek, Monongalia County, West Virginia. She married Rev. Thomas William Davis (clergyman in the Seventh-Day Baptist church).

Tacy Kennedy, my 3rd great grandaunt, she was born about 1782 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, she died young. She was a sibling of my 3rd great-grandfather John Kennedy.

Tacy Davis, my 4th great grandaunt, she was born in 1761 Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey, and married Thomas S. Palmer. She was sibling of my 4th great-grandmother Ruth Davis Kennedy.

Tacy Crandall, my 6th great grandaunt, she was born 1692 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married John Lewis.

Tacy Burdick, my 7th great grandaunt, she was born 2 December 1677 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, she married Rev. Joseph Maxson (Seventh-Day Baptist clergyman). I am also related to Rev. Joseph Maxson, he is my 7th great granduncle.

Tacy Davis, my 1st cousin, 5 times removed, she was born 1 September 1774 Monmouth, New Jersey, she died as a baby in 1775.

Tacy B. Davis, my 1st cousin, 5 times removed, she was born 25 June 1801 in Harrison, Charles, Virginia, she married Joseph Jeffrey Jr.

Tacy Davis, my 1st cousin, 6 times removed, she was born 13 July 1766 in Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Nathaniel Kenyon.

Tacy Wells, my 1st cousin, 7x removed, she was born 4 January 1715 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island, she married Hubbard Burdick.

Tacy Burdick, my 2nd cousin, 6 times removed, she was born 1740 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she died at eight years of age.

Tacy Burdick, my 2nd cousin, 6 times removed, she was born 12 October 1754 in Hopkinton, Washington, Rhode Island, she married Peleg Saunders.

Tacy Saunders, my 4th cousin, 5 times removed, she was born 4 February 1722 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married John Allen.

Tacy Maxson, she was born 15 December 1728 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Jonathan Lewis.

Tacy Burdick, she was born born 11 September 1735 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island.

Tacy Lewis, she was born 29 September 1743 in Charlestown, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Benjamin Cahoon Card.

Tacy Stillman, she was born 14 April 1755 in Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Stephen Saunders.

Tacy Clark, she was born 3 June 1756 Kingston, Rhode Island, she married Benedict Crandall.

Tacy Crandall, she was born 30 November 1769 in Rhode Island, she married Samuel Crumb.

Tacy Lanphier, she was born 14 May 1770 born Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Ethan Allen Maxson.

Tacy Langworthy, she was born 1 Jul 1773 in Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Charles Babcock.

Tacy Lewis, she was born 14 January 1790 Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Nathaniel Tanner.

Tacy Crandall, she was born 8 September 1798 Washington County, Rhode Island, she married William Scriven.

Tacy C. Card, she was born 17 February 1807 in Richmond, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Seventh-Day Baptist clergyman Weeden Barber.

Tacy Ann Gilkeson, she was born 1819 in Pennsylvania, she married William MacIntosh

Tacy Lucinda Greene, she was born 7 December 1820 in Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Thomas Taylor Larkin.

Tacy Ann Greene, she was born 18 October 1822 in North Stonington, New London, Connecticut, she married James Jerome Crandall.

Tacy Ann Maxson, she was born 12 October 1825 in Washington County, Rhode Island, she died four years later and is buried in Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island.

Tacy M. Scriven, she was born 17 September 1829 in Rensselaer County, New York, she married James Carroll Schullin.

Tacy Ann Palmer, she was born 4 January 1831 in Rhode Island.

Tacy Jane Jeffrey, she was born 28 February 1833 in West Union, Harrison, West Virginia, she married Elisha Hall.

Tacy Noyes, she was born 7 November 1844 in Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, she died aged 19 in 1864.

Tacie Elizabeth Larkin, she was born 31 Jul 1858 in Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Alberti Randolph Stillman.

Helen Tacy Ann MacIntosh, she was born 18 February 1865 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she never married, she died at age 52 in 1918.

Tacy Ann MacIntosh, she was born 16 November 1896 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she married Earl Chester Fuhrman.

Tacy Angeline Crandall, she was born 19 July 1902 in Ashaway, Washington County, Rhode Island, she married Dr. Walter Saretzki (Chiropractor).

Famous Kin of Rev. Samuel Hubbard and Tacy Cooper:

1. John Batterson Stetson, Inventor of the Cowboy Hat.
2. Harry Chapin, Singer and Songwriter.
3. Mary Chapin Carpenter, Singer and Songwriter.
4. Billy Gilman, Country Music and Pop Singer.
5. Cash Warren, TV Producer.
6. Amy Adams, Movie Actress.

My two direct lines of descent from Tacy Cooper:

1. Tacy Cooper and Rev. Samuel Hubbard (son of Yoeman James Hubbard and Naomi Cooke (Cocke)).
2. Ruth Hubbard and Robert Burdick.
3. Debora Burdick and Rev. Joseph Crandall (son of John Crandall (the elder) and his first wife).
4. John F. Crandall and Mary Yeomans (daughter of Samuel Yeomans and Mary Ellis).
5. Tacy Crandall and Rev. Thomas William Davis (son of Rev. John Davis and Elizabeth Maxson).
6. Ruth Davis and Dennis Kennedy (son of John Kennedy and Sarah Murray).
7. John Kennedy and Jane Williams (daughter of Zachariah Williams and Elizabeth Swartzlander).
8. John Davis Kennedy and Susan Palmer (daughter of John Palmer and Mary Ann Spots (Spatz)).
9. Abraham G. Kennedy and Mary Elizabeth Price (daughter of James Price and Julia Ann Meteer/Mateer).
10. Glenna Annette Kennedy and Durward Edward Cole (son of Joseph Cole and Anna Cora Prindle) – my grandparents.

1. Tacy Cooper and Rev. Samuel Hubbard (son of Yoeman James Hubbard and Naomi Cooke (Cocke)).
2. Bethia Hubbard and Rev. Joseph Clarke, Jr. (son of Rev. Joseph Clarke, Sr. and Margaret Turner).
3. Judith Clarke and Rev. John M. Maxson, Jr. (son of Rev. John M. Maxson, Sr. and Mary ___).
4. Elizabeth Maxson and Rev. John Davis (son of Rev. William Davis and Elizabeth May Brisley).
5. Rev. Thomas William Davis and Tacy Crandall (daughter of John F. Crandall and Mary Yeomans).
6. Ruth Davis and Dennis Kennedy (son of John Kennedy and Sarah Murray). This couple is #6 in the first direct line.

Please see my other blog post regarding many of my ancestors listed above, and related family lines: My Davis, Maxson, Crandall, Burdick, and related lines, in Wales, England, and Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.

This post was updated with new information on 18 November 2025.

Links for further reading about my ancestors Rev. Samuel Hubbard and Tacy Cooper:

1. Samuel and Tacy Hubbard: A Couple Devoted to God’s Sabbath by Rev. Don A. Sanford. Sabbath Recorder, Council on History.
2. Icon: Tacy Cooper at redtreetimes.com. Concerning the work of artist GC Myers, who is also a descendant of Tacy Cooper Hubbard.

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