Wedding Wednesday – Lida A. Tucker

Lida A. Tucker (1883) was the first born of Fred and Josephine (Dickens) Tucker.  In 1906 she married Ervin Griffen (Griffin) (1881-1936).  Their wedding announcement appeared in the 7 March 1906 Ithaca (NY) Daily News.

“One of Enfield’s most popular young women, Miss Lida Tucker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Tucker was married to Ervin Griffen, son of Alice Griffen, of New York City, at the Baptist parsonage, Enfield Center, Sunday.  The young couple were attended by Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Hausner of Mecklenburg.  After a wedding supper at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Tucker, the young couple left for a short wedding tour, after which they will reside in Mecklenburg.”[1]

Lida and Ervin had four children: Alice J. b: 1910; Florence b: 1915; Alfred b: 1918, and Richard b: 1929.

Lida and Ervin are buried in the Trumbulls Corners (NY) Cemetery.

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[1] “Fred Tucker,” society note, Ithaca N.Y. Daily News, 7 March 1906, p. n/a, col 5. [www.fultonhistory.org – 18 September 2012. 

Those Places Thursday - Enfield, New York

My current project of documenting the Tucker family brings me to a geographic area just north of Ithaca, New York that I had thought of as just a crossroads. I am now learning that during the 1800s, Enfield was the busy hometown of the many branches of the Tucker family.  I am a bit overwhelmed already as I trace out the eight living of ten children of Ezra and Caroline Lanning Tucker. And then researching the four daughters of William Lanning and Fanny Adelia Hosner Tucker.

I learned that William was raised on a farm in the northeast corner of Enfield, possibly attending School District #10, while his father supported the family by being a blacksmith.

Although early residents of Enfield, NY were from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Middletown, Connecticut, it is suspected that Enfield, New York was actually named after Enfield, Connecticut.

When I am feeling stressed about the amount of work ahead of me, I gaze on this postcard of early Enfield that was recently found in a box in the back corner of my great-grandparent's barn. 

"Now, don't you wish you were here?" 

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. 

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. 

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.

Surname Saturday - Searching Tucker Cousins

When the 1830 family bible of my great-great-grandfather, William Lanning Tucker (b: 1839; d: 1859), came into my possession I was thrilled. That source provided names and birthdates of the ten children of Ezra D. and Caroline Lanning Tucker.

Ezra D. Tucker was born 25 August 1817 in New Jersey He died in 1898 at the age of 81. Ezra married Caroline Lanning on 21 February 1837 in Enfield, New York. Caroline was born 7 July 1817 and died 31 December 1894.  Living in their household was Caroline’s father, William Lanning. 

With this information in hand, I traced and “filled in the dash” of most of the children in that family line.  Although I have names, dates, and spouse information I do not have any photos of this family.  I would love to connect with any cousins who may have photos of this large family.

I was also fortune to acquire William Lanning Tucker’s diaries – a few he kept in the early 1920s when he was in his 80s.  Although sparsely written there are some precious entries, one in which he described the events surrounding the birth of my mother in 1924.  From his diary I learned how long my grandmother was in the hospital following the birth, and that she and the new baby were sent home in an ambulance!

Wordless Wednesday - Woodbury Family

George and Bertha Woodbury
and family about 1900

On the back of this photo Jessie Agard wrote:

Woodbury Family

He - Baptist Minister – Enfield.

Mrs. – Practical nurse was with me when Merritt was born.

(Merritt Agard is my grandfather.)

Being a genealogist I needed to verify the information. According to the 1900 Federal Census this family consisted of: George F. Woodbury (Minister); his wife, Bertha, and their daughters, Mabel, age 8, Grace, age 5, and Marion age 1.  Also in the household is George’s mother, Diane Woodbury.  They are living in Enfield, Tompkins County, New York.  My Wordless Wednesday entry turned out to be not so “wordless,” but I am happy to put names to the faces and to see the nurse who helped bring my grandfather into this world.