Jesse P. Thacker was born abt. 1804, the son of Reuben Thacker, who was born about 1775.
Reuben was a veteran of Wayne's Indian War. According to Reuben's pension file, he lived in
Albemarle Co., VA at the time of his enlistment abt 1794. He was born in Fluvanna Co., Va
and died in Letcher Co., KY in 1860, which is where his son Jesse also lived. 

Prior to arriving in Southeastern Kentucky about 1836, Reuben lived in Southwestern Virginia.
In 1810 he appears on the Giles Co., VA census, which shows he was between 26-45 years old,
thus born between 1765-1784. In the years, 1824 & 1827, he appears on the Logan Co., VA
tax lists with his son Jesse. In 1830 he appears on the Russell Co., VA census, which shows he
was between the ages of 50-60, thus born between 1770-1780. In 1835 he appeared on the
Russell Co., VA pension list as a previous member of the 3rd US sub legion. In 1836, his pension
filed states he moved to Floyd Co., KY. In 1840 and 1850 he appears on the Floyd Co., KY census.
 
His pension file also states at some point prior to moving to KY he lived in Washington Co., VA. 
I believe this would have been between shortly after his service in the war and before he was 
identified on the 1810 Giles Co., VA census. He could have also been in Washington Co. after 
appearing on the Giles Co., VA census and before appearing on the Logan Co., VA tax list in 1824. 

Reuben's son Jesse may have been married and had children before he married Nancy Cook. 
Apparently, Nancy was previously married to an unidentified man with the surname Dyals.
This is confirmed by a deed of gift which was filed in Russell Co., VA in 1842. This instrument
identified Elizabeth Dyals as the step-daughter of Jesse P. Thacker. According to this instrument,
Jesse P. Thacker transferred ownership of certain personal property items to his step-daughter 
Elizabeth Dyals. Even though Betsy was identified on the instrument with the Dyals surname in 1842, 
she later assumed her step-father's Thacker surname because she was identified on the 
1850 Letcher Co., KY census as Betsy Thacker living in the household of her step-father 
Jesse P. Thacker and her mother Nancy, whose maiden name was Cook. Since both Betsy and 
her son Robert are identified with the Thacker surname on the 1850 census, this suggests she
was not married when she gave birth to her son Robert in 1841 and gave him the surname of 
her step-father. Robert's natural father remains unidentified. Since Jesse helped to raise Nancy's 
children including Elizabeth "Betsy" Diles (alias Thacker), Sarah Mahala Diles (alias Thacker), 
Levisa "Vicy" Ferrell (alias Thacker) and possibly their brother Andy Diles (alias Thacker), 
they all assumed Jesse's surname; however, later census records show that Sarah and Elizabeth
later changed their surnames back to Diles. Vicy kept the surname Thacker. She was the daughter
of an unidentified man with the surname Ferreel who became involved with Nancy Cook while
Jesse P. Thacker was in prison.