He served as a captain in the French and Indian War. He was a very influential citizen of Amherst Co, and was said to be 6'6" tall and weighed 300 pounds.

He first appears on Orange County in 1745, as a witness, and was living there in 1751 when his elder brother, Peter, the executor of his father's will, divided the land of their father, John.

He moved to Amherst County between the years 1752 and 1766. At this time he produced a commission to be a lieutenant of a company of militia from Amherst County. In November of 1766, Ambrose Rucker was appointed a Justice of the Peace of Colonial Virginia, Amherst County.

He was appointed sheriff of Amherst County on 16 Mar 1778.

Lynchburg Paper, May 20, 1884, a list of Revolutionary Soldiers of Amherst County, prepared by Mr. Alexander Brown, Nelson County:

A. Rucker (Anthony)
Ambrose Rucker
John Rucker, Sr.
John Rucker, Jr.
Lieut. Isaac Rucker
John Rucker, died in service
Reuben Rucker, died in service

Ambrose Rucker served as Captain of the Amherst Militia until 1779, then was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. From these claims it was evident the Amherst and Bedford Co. militia served at Yorktown.

H563 (msb@myfamily.org) says he died on 14 Dec 1807.
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Rucker's Chapel was one of the first Anglican (present-day Episcopal) churches in Amherst County. Also known as Harris Creek Church and later as St. Matthew's, the church was founded by Col. Ambrose Rucker before 1751. It stood on part of a 5850-acre tract his father, John Rucker, patented in 1745. The church served its congregation until 1817, when the members moved to Ascension Church, in Amherst. Logs from the chapel were later used to construct a corncrib at Sweet Briar College, two miles north.
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Ambrose Rucker was born 13 April 1735 in Orange Co, VA and died 14 December 1807 in Amherst Co, VA. He served as Captain in the French and Indian War and the Revolution. He was a very influential citizen of Amherst Co, and was said to be 6'6" tall and weighed 300 pounds.

His brothers Anthony and Benjamin Rucker were inventors of the James River batteau, which superseded the double dugout canoe and rolling road for transporting tobacco hogsheads. Each hogshead weighed about two tons, and each bateau could haul an average of ten hogsheads. These long (about 50 or 60 feet), double-ended vessels dominated the commercial traffic on the James River and other Southern upland waterways between the 1770s and 1840s. A dispute arose in 1821 when the Rucker brothers' heirs sought to patent the design. A letter from Thomas Jefferson testifying to his presence at the first batteau's launch resolved the matter in the Rucker’s favor. There is now a batteau festival held each year on the James River to celebrate this invention.
Rucker's Chapel was one of the first Anglican (present-day Episcopal) churches in Amherst County. Also known as Harris Creek Church and later as St. Matthew's, the church was founded by Col. Ambrose Rucker before 1751. It stood on part of a 5850-acre tract his father, John Rucker, patented in 1745. The church served its congregation until 1817, when the members moved to Ascension Church, in Amherst. Logs from the chapel were later used to construct a corncrib at Sweet Briar College, two miles north.
1778 –Ambrose Rucker served as Sheriff of Amherst Co, VA