More pictures

I want to reassure everyone that I will not post current pictures or type out full names of living persons on this blog without permission. The ones I have posted so far are at least 30 years in the past. If anyone is unhappy with having an old picture of them posted, please contact me or leave a (polite) comment and I'll take it down as soon as I can.

Now, on to the fun.



My cousin Chris. He's the cousin nearest me in age. Not sure the date of this, probably sometime in the 1960's.

Daddy building our treehouse, and we're helping. :) The boy is our newphew, Joe. Not sure which of the girls is me and which is my sister Jane. All of us girls look alike and were so close in age it's hard to know who is who.

More of the treehouse.. with oldest sister Sue holding Sandra up so she can see what's going on. Notice the date at the top of the picture. May 1965.. must've been when pic was developed??

Joe, ready for a game. My son looks a lot like Joe.

Joe & Sandra. Not sure of the date, but I think I recognize the house as the one in Ft. Meade.

I think this was also taken in Ft Meade. If not Ft Meade it was definitely in South Florida. I remember Grandma borrowing someone's adult tricycle to try out, considering getting her one to use where she lived in Lake Butler, but the final concensus was that there was too much traffic on the main drag in LB. Funny to think that 40 years ago there was too much traffic.

Me.. what age? I'm guessing 5.

And here's me again about 10 years later at my Aunt Atalyne's and Uncle Buster's house for my Grandmother's birthday. I think we had decided she was 83. No one was quite sure how old she was. I don't remember hearing why there wasn't a birth certificate, but likely Grandma was born at home and who know where it was recorded, or if it was.

VERY old pictures

My grandfather. Date of the picture unknown. I think he died in the late 1930's or early 1940's.

My Great Grandmother, Ellen Lavinia DuBose at age 18. I will have to check my records, but I think she was a "lap baby" when the family moved by covered wagon from S.C. to Florida in 1859 or 1860.

my grandmother's brother, my great Uncle. John Henry Thompson. I have on the back of the picture that he was born in 1850, but that must be a mistake. I'm thinking it must be more like 1890 or so.

Mama's Family

Some pics of my mother's family now. First up is Uncle Elmo.

Uncle Hugh and his daughter.

Uncle Jack

Uncle Buster

Momma

Grandma, Grandpa, Momma and Uncle Jack This was taken around 1938 or 39, according to one of my sisters.

Momma and all 4 of her brothers. I think the order is from left to right.. Uncle Jack, Uncle Buster, Momma, Uncle Hugh and Uncle Elmo. Anyone who knows better please correct me.

Old letter

Letter from Father Tucker (Benjamin Franklin) to his grandson, my dad. I transcribed it as best I can decipher. "Sanda Claus" is the way he spelled it, not my creation. Remember, spelling is fluid over time, customs and ordinary spellings do change. If I was absolutely stumped at a spelling.. it's indicated by a (?) following the word.

One thing to note, Dad would've just been about 4 years old in 1926.. pretty young to be writing to his grandfather. I expect it was just a few words and his mother filled in the rest. I'd have loved to seen what he did send..

Again, as always, click on the picture to see a larger version.

Conyers, Ga 12 – 9 – 1926

My Dear Tommie

Lagrange

Ga

I received your welcome letter last week was delighted to know you was so smart to write me a letter. Sanda Claus came to Atlanta last Saturday and He is still there has put his reindeer in a good dry place to rest so they will be ready to go out again by Christmas, am going to try to get things to come to Lagrange to see you. Don’t expect they will come to Conyers unless you come up here. I saw a great big rabbit. He run right in a brier patch his old white just just shined. I did not have any gun so did not get him. You are such a smart & nice boy, want to see you so bad want you to come we will find some birds & rabbits & squirrels.

Virginia has been to see me several times since you was here. I am goig to have some firecrackers, roman candles and sparklers. Candy and oranges and apples. Tell Mother that Mrs. W. V. Almand was buried yester. Very sad to loose such a good friend. Mrs. Sharp(?) was carried to the Hospital yesterday the drs will decide today whether they will have to operate or not. If I go to Atlanta am going to try to get Sanda to drive his deers to Lagrange to see you, I am going to tell him what a nice boy you are. They must get so tired going to every body house we have (these?three?) cats and one dog. Six Legorn (?) pullets one of them has found 20 egg then we have some red chickens. The old trains still runs up and down the RR and Blows at us. Will be looking for a letter telling me when you are coming.

So good by,

Father Tucker.

Benjamin Franklin Tucker

Now that I have all these marriages, births and deaths typed out, I know who these people are.

B. F. Tucker was my great great grandfather. He was married twice, first to Lucinda Penelope Maddox (I've seen her grave marker and on it her name is written Lou P. Maddox Tucker.. some genealogy sites have her name as Loup. oh well, at least we know her real name).

B. F. and Lou had the following children:
Otha Erastus
Pearl Edward
Elizabeth Eveline
Henry Madison
Olive Ethel
Varina Doris (Davis?)
Benjamin Franklin, Jr.

The baby, Benjamin Franklin, Jr., only lived to be 4 months old.. and then his mother died 5 months after that in Nov. 1896.

A year later in Dec. 1897, B. F. married Ida Mae Walker.

B. F. and Ida Mae had one child:

Thomas Walker Tucker born in Jan. 1899. He was nicknamed Walker. Walker married Susie Smith Tucker and became my grandparents. I never knew Walker, he died long before I was born, but my grandmother, Nanny, was very present in my life.

3 years after her mother dies and 9 months after Walker is born, Varina dies on her 10th birthday. She shares her mother's headstone.. whether out of love and sentiment or economy, I don't know. Her name and dates of birth & death are carved on the side of the stone (it's a unusual square marker, shaped kinda like a church spire). I don't know if she's buried in the same space as her mother or to the side.

So much loss in such a short time in that family.

I hope this makes things clearer for some.

Tucker Family: Marriages, Births, Deaths

Here's the handwritten copy of some of the Tucker family genealogy by my grandmother, Susie Smith Tucker. She covered the front and back of a 6 x 9 sheet of paper; this is the front. (click on the picture to see it larger and read directly from her handwriting)

I've transcribed it below, with only punctuation added for ease and sense in reading. Some spellings were unclear and there I indicated my best guess with a (?).






Marriages:

Benjamin Franklin Tucker & Lucinda Penelope Maddox married December 18, 1878 and on Dec 14, 1897 he married Ida Mae Walker.

Otha Erastus Tucker & Fannie Mayo were married in Albany, GA. The (sic) had 5 children daughter Hermine, a son Ben Franklin, a daughter Sara, a son Mayo, a daughter Fannie.

Pearl Edward Tucker married Bonnie Donaldson, Atlanta, GA. They had 4 children: a son Reuben Edward, a daughter Sara Elizabeth, a son Benjamin Donaldson, a son Jacob Hawk (Hank?).

Elizabeth Eveline Tukcer married William Henry Berry Oct 23, 1902 at Almon, GA. They had one daughter, Virginia Elizabeth, born July 4, 1924. The real date of marriage must be 1912 or later. Elizabeth Eveline was only 9 years old in 1902. Please click on the picture of the handwriten document and see what you think the date is. It looks like 1902 to me, but that cannot be correct.

Henry Madison Tucker married Hester Anne Woodward. They had one daughter, Martha Virginia born Sept 3, 1919. Hester & Madison were married Memphis, Tenn.

Olive Ethel Tucker & Herbert Johnson Stuckey were married in Conyers, GA in June ?, a daughter Olive Herberta, Elizabeth, Louise, a son Herbert Tucker Stuckey.

Thomas Walker Tucker married Susie Smith Aug 25, 1920, LaGrange, GA. They had one son, Thomas Walker Tucker, Jr. (born July 5, 1922 ~ note by transcriptionist, his daughter).

Tucker Family: Marriages, Births, Deaths, part 2

Again, I'm transcribing, only adding punctuation and spacing as necessary for legability. This is the back page of the 6 x 9 piece of paper where my grandmother wrote out what she knew of her husband's genealogy.



Benjamin Franklin Tucker died Oct. 8, 1936, Atlanta, GA buried at Smyrna Camp Ground -

Lucinda Maddox Tucker died Nov. 16, 1896

Ida Mae Walker Tucker died Feb. 1, 1931, Conyers, GA.

Otha Erastus Tucker died Jan. 16, 1918, Albany, GA.

Pearl Edward Tucker died Dec. 3, 1954, Atlanta, GA.

Henry Madison Tucker died Jan 30, 1954, Atlanta, GA.

Varina Doris (Davis ?) Tucker died Sept 19, 1899 Almon, GA buried Smyrna CampGround near Conyers, (the next part is lined out, but still legible) Born Sept 19, 1889.

Benjamin Franklin Tucker, Jr. died June 16, 1896

Thomas Walker Tucker, Sr. died Oct 3, 1939 Cincinnati, OH

________________________________

Benjamin Franklin Tucker born June 9, 1858, Newton Co., GA.

Lucinda Maddox born Nov. 27, 1855 near Conyers, GA.

Ida Mae Walker born Aug 31, 1858 Covington, GA.

Otha Erastus Tucker born Jan 9, 1881.

Pearl Edward Tucker born June 29, 1882.

Elizabeth Eveline Tucker born Nov. 9, 1883.

Henry Madison Tucker born Nov 3, 1885.

Olive Ethel Tucker born Nov. 6, 1887.

Varina Doris (Davis?) Tucker born Sept 19, 1889.

Benjamin Franklin Tucker, Jr born Feb 10, 1896.

Pictures from the past

My uncle Buster and my mom, Joyce. Undated, but must be after 1920.

In the box of family photos, but I don't know who these people are. Anyone know?


Note: I heard back from my uncle, who was the young boy in the first picture and here's what he says about the photos:

The two children are Joyce and me, and must have been taken in 1921, as Joyce was born 1/2/20, and appears to be about a year old.

The other picture is Daddy (Thomas Brookes R.) and his younger brother,
Willie R. I'm sure about the former, and guessing about the latter. I
think the picture was made just prior to Dad's coming to Florida in 1910.

Thank you, Uncle Buster, for helping out!!!

A Thanksgiving Reverie

An undated Thanksgiving reverie written by my mother. She was born in 1920, the only girl with 4 brothers. She died in the fall of 1997, while suffering with anesthesia enhanced alzheimers (she had symptoms of Alzheimers before surgery, but we believe that the very necessary surgery and therefore the subsequent anesthesia hastened the progression of the disease). I would estimate that this was probably written between 1991 and 1996. I will type in the text in case the picture is illegible. The statements made in the text are simply my mothers experiences and no offense is intended towards anyone, living or dead.

Thanksgiving
I'm thankful for changes in my lifestyle from what I knew as a child vs. today ~ 70 years in transition.
I enjoy having clothes that are comfortable and warm. In first grade I shared knee-high socks with my brother, and the socks having lost their elasticity through age and many launderings, were all day long down around my ankles. With the first cool weather I was forced to wear "a union suit" ~ cotton knit underwear that buttoned down the front, with a "drop seat", long sleeves and long legs, down to the ankle. Designed for boys, they were a weird sight with my dresses until I rolled them up to my crotch. By the time I got to school they had unrolled to my knees, intent on reaching my ankles, which were already swathed in sagging socks. I hardly learned anything for the distraction of keeping my underwear rolled up.

Beginnings

I'm going to try to start to post some of my family stuff here.. to share with sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and anyone else that might be interested. Pictures up very very soon.