Addie Tucker

Addie Tucker

Reviewing information I had gathered on the Tucker family, I had only one sentence attached to Adelaide C. Tucker b: 7 April 1871 – “Adelaide Tucker remained unmarried.”  Not much of a bio for Addie! 

She is a bit elusive at this point, but I do know that for over thirty years she taught school in Asbury Park, New Jersey. For at least ten of those years she boarded with Cornelia Thompson on South Main Street in Neptune Township, Monmouth County, NJ.  Addie returned home to visit her family during summer vacation and at holiday time. My mother remembers Addie taking the train that ran through Willow Creek to travel to and from New Jersey.  Addie Tucker was the daughter of Fanny Adelia Hosner and William Lanning Tucker; her sisters were Carrie Tucker (Beardsley) b: 1866, Olive Tucker (Rightmire) b: 1873 and my great-grandmother Jessie Tucker (Agard) b: 1876.

Addie came to mind when I pulled out some photos my cousin gave to me recently. The photos were in an old box that was found in a corner of their barn.  I will do my best to learn more about Addie’s life. 

Tuesday's Tip: Blogs and Journals - A Lesson Learned

My husband volunteers at the local Family History Center.  Recently one of the volunteers gave him a DVD of an April 2010 conference held in Salt Lake City, A Celebration of Family History.  The DVD is a wonderful compilation of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a talk by Latter Day Saints President Henry B. Eyring, a talk by Historian David McCullough, and wonderful family history research stories.  In his talk, David McCullough stated he tells his students if they want to be famous, all they need to do is keep a journal. Keep a journal; write down what is happening and how you feel about it.  In our increasing virtual world that information is becoming scarce.

His words have been resonating with me, because I have tried to keep a journal; in fact I have at least four almost empty journals sitting on my shelves right now.  My plan for a page a day went awry when I found myself writing way too much, and so I got discouraged.

I know that through blogging I am sharing and preserving my genealogy research, but I also know I should document the other parts of my life. To do this successfully I need to develop a formula for journal writing.  I will work on that and then add to my Genealogy Goals for 2011 – Keep a Journal.  Wish me luck!

A Lesson Learned

I am in possession of twenty years of my great grandmother’s diaries. She started writing a diary in 1944 because of the war. I learned that she went to the small town of Jacksonville, NY each week to wrap bandages for the troops.  She would document how many bandages she was able to make. Occasionally there would be a birth, marriage or death mentioned, but for the most part the information was disappointing. I knew the temperature that day, and what area of the house she cleaned. I learned that my great grandfather came over from the barn for lunch, and that their son stopped by. But as for what was going on in the community, economic, social, political, there was nothing. And there was nothing of how she felt about her life or what was happening in the world.  I started to transcribe those diaries of Jessie Tucker Agard and have labeled the document, “Life on the Farm.”  They begin like this:

January 5 - Rather mild -Addie [Tucker] went up to Merritt’s while Arthur went to Trumansburg. She sent a box of clothing to Asbury Park by parcel post. Addie and I went to the Red Cross with Alice. There were seven of us to make surgical dressings. I made 110. It is very interesting work. January 6 -Not very cold -Addie went to Asbury Park today. Marian and I took her to the Black Diamond at noon. I did some shopping. It got colder in the p.m. Very windy. We got home at 3:30 in time to do some extra washing. I ironed two dresses. January 7 – Cold - Cleaned the rooms for the weekend. Was too tired to go to the WCSC tea at Julia Lueder’s. Have felt like grip, but guess I am going to fight it off by being careful. Got a nice letter from Adeline. The sun has gone back almost to the big barn when it rises. January 8 - 9 a.m. 2 above zero; cold wind -Emma Kelsey’s funeral. Went to spend Christmas with her brother, Tom. All had flue. Emma taken to hospital. Had pneumonia. Baked bread, blueberry pie, hickory nut cake. Martha Schwartz gave me the hickory nuts last year. Bill, Marian and Johnnie Will went to Ithaca in p.m. Stayed to supper at LaRue’s.

I suspect that our genealogy blogs and personal journals will greatly help future historians and genealogists with their particular research.  

Wedding Wednesday

My great-grandmother Jessie Agard began her diaries in 1944. On the left hand pages she wrote about her wedding day. An interesting account written in third person.  Jessie writes:

"June 26, 1901, Arthur C. Agard and Jessie M. Tucker were married in her home in Enfield. Arthur was the son of John and Sarah Agard of Mecklenburg. Jessie was the daughter of William and Adelia Tucker of Enfield. They were married by the Methodist Minister at Enfield Center. They were married at 4:00 p.m. at her home called, “The Tichenor Place” in Enfield. The house on the main road from Mecklenburg to Ithaca just before you get to Millers Corners, one mile north of Enfield Center. Those present were: Frank and Carrie Beardsley, John and Ollie Rightmire, Addie Tucker, Belle Hubbell and Father and Mother Tucker. We were married by Methodist minister Rev. Wilcox.

After the wedding they went to Newfield to Hattie Phoenix’s wedding at the home of Jay Phoenix. The horse they drove was given to Jessie by her Uncle Martin Hausner and the buggy was owned by Arthur. Hattie Phoenix was a cousin of Arthur and she married George Gardner at 7 o’clock June 26, 1901. After the wedding, George and Hattie went with Arthur and Jessie to the Tichenor Place for the night. The next day they spent at Enfield Falls and had dinner there."