William Lanning Tucker

William Lanning Tucker

Several years back my cousin found a deteriorated box of photos stored in a back corner of their barn. The photos were in such bad shape that I used gloves to handle them, and carefully unpacked them on our screened porch when a breeze was coming through. I am sorry to say that many of the photos were damaged to the extent they could not be saved.  But I was able to save a few, and in that few this morning I found a photo labeled on the back as being William Lanning Tucker.  I am thrilled to find this photo, because as I work through his diaries, it is so nice to know what he looked like.  

Wedding Bells for Grace Tucker

Nelson Sansouci and Miss Grace Tucker of Enfield (NY) were married at the West Groton parsonage on January 22 (1924) by Rev. De Witt C. Nye. They visited a few days at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Karlson.

This notice was cut out and pinned into the 21 Jan 1924 page of William Lanning Tucker’s Daily Reminder. Grace was the granddaughter of William’s brother Fred.

Grace was the daughter of Emmett and Blanche Tucker.  At the time of Grace’s wedding, she was age 18; Nelson was 36.  Grace and Nelson lived in Enfield Center, NY where he earned his living working for the town highway department. By 1930 Grace and Nelson had two children, a son, Louis, and daughter Jean. 

Tuesday's Tip - Tompkins County, NY GenWeb Search Box

 The Tompkins County NY GenWeb website has been an invaluable source of information for me over the years as I have traced a number of family lines in that geographic area.  Because I am a creature of habit, when I am hot on the search, I tend to go immediately to the link where I think my ancestor might be.  I frequently check the Past, Present, Future link to see what new material has been added, or I head directly to the local Cemeteries link looking for death dates, or the Scrapbook link to see what hidden gems are there.

Recently I noticed the search engine box. How long has that been there? I am too embarrassed to ask.  Once found though, I immediately put it to use. I typed in the name of the person I was searching, and the site’s web crawler provided me with a list of items in which that particular name appeared, not just in Tompkins County, but all over the Southern Tier of New York and Northern Pennsylvania.  

I’ve got to go now and search for more family through this newly found search engine! 

Sunday's Obituary - George Smith Tucker

Obituary for George Smith Tucker

George S. Tucker, 82, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. James Hine in Enfield this morning, after a long illness [March 1926]: He is survived by another daughter, Mrs. Jennie Doolittle of Interlaken; three grandchildren, Leslie and Smith Hine of Enfield and Mrs. Harold Daily of Trumansburg, besides two great grandchildren and a brother, William Tucker of Ulysses. Funeral services will be held at the James Hine home on Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock with Rev. L.C. Macey of the Christian Church at Trumbull’s Corners officiating. Interment will be at Trumbull’s Corners. 

Surname Saturday - Doolittle

Mary Jane Tucker (b: abt 1838) was the first child of Ezra and Caroline Lanning Tucker. Mary Jane married John Doolittle (b: 1828). John supported his family by farming.  They first lived in Havana, Town of Catherine, Schuyler County, NY, then moved to Veteran, Chemung County, NY. 

Mary Jane and John Doolittle had six children: Jay b: 1863; Frank b: 1865; Frederick b: 1867; Edgar J. b: 1870; Charles J. b: 1873, and Evalina b: 1875.[1]   John Doolittle died July 24, 1891, age 63 years.

Mary Jane then married Clarence Dickens (b: 27 March 1852) on 4 April 1897.[2]

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[1] 1880 U.S. Census, Chemung County, NY, Veteran, P. 592D, John Doolittle, digital image, Ancestry.com (hppt://www.Ancestry.com) ; accessed 15 June 2012, NARA T9, 1,454 Rolls.

[2] Extracts from A Biographical Record of Schuyler County, NY 1903. 

Wordless Wednesday - University of Alabama 1941

Alpha Sigma Phi
University of Alabama 1941

Following graduation from the James Monroe High School in the Bronx, New York, my father, Edward F. Nunn attended the University of Alabama. This photo, with no names provided, is of him with his Alpha Sigma Phi brothers. Dad is last row, third from right.

Why would a New York City boy attend the University of Alabama? My mother's best guess 70+ years later was: It had a good engineering school; it was less expensive than the Ivy League school his brother attended.  

Because the dark clouds of war were on the horizon, Dad spent only two years at the University. But those two years made him a life long University of Alabama football fan.  To this day we root for Alabama, because it would make Dad very happy.  

Alabama "Special" December 1940

Alabama "Special" 1940
New York Bound

I love this photo showing a busload of University of Alabama students, which included my father, Edward Nunn, heading home for Christmas break. In his very exact handwriting, Dad printed on the back of the photo, "Dec. 1940 Alabama 'Special' New York Bound."  

James Monroe High School Yearbook 1937

It is fun to browse through old yearbooks, and I am lucky to have my father's (Edward Nunn)  from his senior year at the James Monroe HS, 172nd Street and Boynton Avenue in New York.  It has been interesting to read the comments.  Here is a scan of his page. I am happy to scan other pages upon request.

Class of 1937 Monrovian

Sunday's Obituary - Fred Tucker d: 6 September 1924

William Lanning Tucker’s 1924 diary has a number of obituaries from 1924 and 1926 attached to the pages using straight pins. These obituaries have held up remarkably well, and I am excited to share them.  The first one is of William’s younger brother, Fred Tucker, who died 6 September 1924.

Fred Tucker, a well-known resident of Enfield, died at 5:30 o’clock Saturday afternoon at his home, following a brief illness. Death was due to paralysis. Surviving are his widow and two daughters, Miss Louella Tucker and Mrs. Erven Griffen; one son, Emmett W. Tucker, all of Enfield; two brothers, William Tucker of Ulysses and G. Smith Tucker of Enfield, also three grandchildren.  The funeral will be held at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon at the residence, Rev. F.C. Booth of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Enfield officiating. Interment will be in Hayts Cemetery. 

Surname Saturday - Tucker

William Lanning Tucker was the second of ten children of Ezra D. Tucker (b: abt 1817) and Caroline Lanning Tucker (b: abt 1817).   The Tuckers raised their ten children in Enfield, New York; Ezra supported his family by a blacksmith trade.  William was born 19 September 1839. He married Fanny Adelia Hosner in 1863. Fanny Adelia is descended from the Rev. John Lowthropp of London, England and Barnstable, MA.

William Lanning Tucker and Fanny Adelia Hosner had three daughters: Carrie b: 1866, Adelaide b: 1871, Olive b: 1873, and Jessie b: 1876.

Enfield NY Neighborhood Snapshot circa 1890s

The diaries of my great-great-grandfather, William Lanning Tucker came into my possession several years ago at a time when I could not give them the attention they deserved.  Since I am in the final stages of producing the Hardenbrook family monograph, I picked up William Tucker’s diaries and will work on a monograph based on them.

The diaries range from 1919 to 1929, when he was 80 years old, and when he was living with his daughter, Jessie Tucker Agard on their farm near Jacksonville, New York.  To find his exact date of death, I referred back to Jessie’s diaries in which she included some family history.

No luck yet with William Tucker’s death date, but what I did find in Jessie’s diaries that might be of interest is a neighborhood snapshot of those who lived near Enfield Center in the 1890s.  You can catch some of these families on the 1892 Census for Tompkins County, New York.  And Bill Hecht’s maps also help visualize this area.

Jessie Tucker Agard writes:

“My grandfather Ezra Tucker and his wife Caroline Lanning Tucker lived the first place east of the schoolhouse. His grandson Emmet Tucker lives in a trailer near there. Grandpa’s house has been gone sometime.  Uncle Jim and Aunt Sofia Hausner lived in the first house north of the schoolhouse, then Dr. Kelsey and family in the next house, Will Bullard and Mr. Broas and family. Abels Corners was next and there the District ended.  South of the schoolhouse first was Will Tubbs, William Lanning Tucker, and then the Aiken home.  Grandma, Frank and Fred Aiken, The Holtzaphel family, a German family. Just across from the schoolhouse Tubbs Family, Walt, Sally and children, Geo, Will, Nate & Elvira and others. East was Grandpa Tucker, Seth Cowan. West, John Bailey and mother, Henry Hausner, Roy Fletcher, Wm Ammack, Gillette Hausner, Dr. Kelsey. This was our School District #9.

I would love to hear from Tucker family cousins as I learn more about this family line.

Sunday's Obituary - Fidella Gay Hardenbrook

Obituary for Mrs. Emory W. Hardenbrook

The death of Mrs. Emory W. Hardenbrook, 78, occurred Tuesday afternoon [Aug 1933] following an illness of several months. Mrs. Hardenbrook always lived in Bath, her maiden name being Delia Gay. A daughter of the late Dolsen and Sarah Gay, early local residents, she was born June 8, 1855. On March 4, 1884 she became the wife of Mr. Hardenbrook, whom she survived nearly 20 years.

Mrs. Hardenbrook leaves a son, E. Ray Hardenbrook, a granddaughter, Miss Lenora Hardenbrook and a sister, Mrs. E. H. Barton, all of Bath.

Mrs. Hardenbrook was a member of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, membered in the Sunshine Class of the Church school and was long active in the Bath Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

The Rev. John Adams of Batavia, a former Bath pastor, will conduct the funeral at her late home in Howell Street at 2:30 o’clock Thursday afternoon and burial will be in the family plot in Grove Cemetery.

Mrs. Hardenbrook merited and commanded the high esteem of the people of this community, her life characterized by industry and usefulness. She was devoted to her home and the member of her home circle. She was devotedly loyal to her church, kind and sympathetic as a friend and neighbor. Of Mrs. Hardenbrook it may be truly said a useful life is closed.[1]

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[1] “Mrs. Emory W. Hardenbrook,” obituary, The Evening Leader, Corning, NY, 9 Aug. 1933, p.10, col. 5. [www.Fultonhistory.com – 21 May 2012]

Surname Saturday - Bowlby

Sarah E. Hardenbrook was the first daughter of Edward and Evelyne (Thompson) Hardenbrook of Bath, New York, abt 1858.

George K. Bowlby was born in Bath on 15 June 1855 to James N.W. Bowlby originally of Dryden, NY and Emily King Bowlby.  George K. Bowlby was educated at the Haverling Academy in Bath.

In 1878 Sarah married George K. Bowlby. The couple lived in Bath, earning their living by farming and in 1895 George was elected as Bath’s town assessor.

George and Sarah had three sons: James Edward b: 1882, George Albert b: 1886, and Charles Ernest b: 1890. 

George Albert Bowlby served as Superintendent of the Watkins Glen State Park, and was working in that post at the time of his death in March 1951.