Abner was a friend of eighteen year old Stephen S. Harding of Palmyra. With Stephen Harding, Abner played a trick on Calvin Stoddard (a believer in Joseph Smith’s visions and a brother-in-law of Joseph Smith). The two young men pretending to be an angel. As related by Pomeroy Tucker and later confirmed by Stephen Harding, at about 10:00 p.m. Stephen went to Stoddard’s house in company with sixteen year old Abner Tucker. Knocking three times at the door with a large stone, they startled the Stoddards from their sleep. “In a loud, sonorous voice, with solemn intonations,” Stephen announced, “Calvin Stoddard! The angel of the Lord commands that before another going down of the sun, thou shalt go forth among the people and preach the gospel of Nephi, or thy wife shall be a widow, thy children orphans, and thy ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven!” Stephen recalled, “I remained at the door only for a moment, long enough to hear the startled Mormon saint in his fright cry out to his Maker in supplication for mercy and promise of obedience.”
Abner Tucker married Ann Asay on October 18, 1835 in Walworth, Wayne County, New York. Abner was listed in the 1850 US Federal Census as living in Macedon, New York. Abner was listed in the 1860 US Federal Census as a farmer in Lawrence, Van Buren County, Michigan. At that time, he had a real wealth of $1,000. In 1870, he was still living in Lawrence and had a personal wealth of $859 and a real wealth of $3,000.
On September 19, 1872, Abner died of heart disease in Lawrence, Michigan at age 60 years, 8 months, and 19 days.[1] He was buried in Section 2, Lot 20, Grave 1 in the Prospect Lake Cemetery in Lawrence.
In January 1895, his widow Ann was reported to be badly deformed and living with her daughter Mrs. Clark Huff in Lawrence. On August 29, 1897, she died in Lawrence. She was also buried in the Prospect Lake Cemetery.[2]
[1] “Died,” Wayne County Journal, October 10, 1872.
[2] “Abner Tucker,” Find a Grave Index.