What was your dad like when you were a child?

My Daddy was the best Daddy in the whole world. He was kind, considerate, loving, generous and smart. He was the ninth child of ten and the only boy, but he was not spoiled. Since I had a sister, I was the last chance for the Tucker name to be carried on, so I was quite a disappointment. Fortunately, that didn’t keep the family from loving me.

Daddy always told me if I couldn’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Unfortunately, that didn’t take with me! He lived by that.

Daddy sang tenor in the Baptist Church choir for 50 years, and we were at Sunday School and church every Sunday. When the church bell rang on Sunday morning, Daddy always told me it was saying, “Come on, Blair”.

Daddy worked hard at the cotton gin, as a gentleman farmer, and he loaned money to many who probably couldn’t get it at the bank. He stayed busy, but he still had time to hunt, fish, and golf, and enjoyed all tremendously. He took me hunting rabbits one Thanksgiving day because they didn’t carry guns that day. I felt honored to be included. He also took me fishing in his pond many times. He had goats around the pond, and when he got out of his car, the goats would get on top of it. He let me take a goat home as a pet until the neighbors complained of the smell and we had to take him back to the farm. That goat followed me every where I went, so when I jumped rope, he jumped with me. My third grade class walked to my house one time to see the goat jump rope with me. That wouldn’t happen today.

Daddy always had a dog for us to love and play with. One day a dog was attacking my dog, so I beat him off. We didn’t realize the dog had rabies. Since I had a sore on my hand, I had to take fourteen shots in my stomach. Daddy told me if I didn’t cry when I got the shots he would give me a $25. war bond. I got the bond.

As a child, I realized my Daddy was older than most of my friend’s Dad’s, so when I said my prayers at night I asked God to please let my Dad live. I only remember him with white hair, but that seems to run in the family! Thank God I had my Daddy for thirty years.

Tell us about your aunts. What were your father’s sisters like? What are your favorite memories of them?

Daddy’s sisters, known as The Sisters, were such a big part of my life I don’t even know where to start. They were like many grandmothers to me. Louisburg was such a small town everybody knew everybody and their dog. Daddy had nine sisters. Florence died before I was born, and Ada died when I was a small child. Four sisters lived in Louisburg, and three eventually lived in Franklinton in Jodie’s house. I will save Mamie for another story because she is a story in herself.

All of the family was hoping for a boy when I was born. Onnie said if I were a girl she would throw me in Tar River. Don’t know who stopped her, but as time went on, I was her favorite. She was my first grade teacher and taught me to read.

The Sisters loved my Daddy and each other dearly and hugged whenever they were together. They enjoyed being together, and they enjoyed life. They must have had times when they didn’t get along so well, but I never knew of it.

When I was in sixth grade, Mother and Daddy went to Florida and I stayed with Ouida and Presh (Mr. Furgurson). I was starting to learn about subjects and predicates, so Ouida helped me. When I turned in my paper my teacher asked my why I got so many wrong. I told her Ouida had helped me.

The Sisters went to the mountains of N. C. every summer. Lois an Ouida stayed home with their husbands. When people would see those ladies piling out of the Chrysler it was like seeing the clowns coming out of a Volkswagen. One day going up a mountain, a car behind finally was able to pass. The driver called out to The Sisters, “Guess it beats walking”.

The Sisters spent many summer weeks at the Wheless cabin between Louisburg and Franklinton. They had no bathroom and used “slop jars” inside and a johnny house outside. I stayed with them a couple of times, but I did not like their facilities! I was afraid of snakes in the out house.

Mother and Daddy took The Sisters to Nags Head for a week each summer. The Williamsons had a cottage next door for the month of July. The Sisters enjoyed playing rummy most of the days, but every now and then some of them would go to the beach. Mamie splashed about six feet when she “swam”, someone had to hold Lizzie because her feet came up, and Jodie got dizzy looking at the tide coming and going. That didn’t keep Lizzie from going out with us one day, but her false teeth fell in the water. Lewis Word happened to be with us in the water. He said for everybody to be perfectly still. He dived down and when he came up, he had her teeth. That is a true story. I was there.

Ouida had a heart attack and was unable to come to our wedding She passed away several months before Candy was born.

When we were married Jodie and Beulah had a beautiful and delicious dinner at Jodies’ after our rehearsal for the wedding party and those from our of town. I can really appreciate that now. Onnie had a wedding breakfast at the Sir Walter Hotel in Raleigh the morning of our wedding.

I am thankful that our children were able to know some of The Sisters and play rummy with them. Of course, Mamie always told them she wanted to take them camping. She always told me the same thing. Maybe I would have liked camping better if that had happened.

The Sisters were all a wonderful part of my family and my life. I was so fortunate to have had them living so close and being such a close family.

They were a wonderful part of my family and my life.

What were your relatives in the Tucker family like?

THE TUCKER FAMILY

Trinity Methodist and Corinth Baptist Churches, near Ingleside, are about a mile apart, and William Ellis Tucker, a Baptist, and Josephine Edwards, a Methodist, were married in Trinity December 22, 1870. Because after marriage, they didn’t want to give up their respective churches and continued going to Corinth and Trinity, their ten children, nine girls and one boy, were evenly divided between Methodist and Baptist.

Florence Patty (June 9, 1872-March 4,1934) Married Robert Benjamin Beasley and they lived in Apex. Their children were Wilbur, Forrest, Blair, Ruth, Exie and Katrina. Two step children, Rob and Mary.

Ada Alice (July 8, 18741-May 21,1938) married Jess Reid and lived in Wake Forest. Children: Josephine, Hazel, Tucker, and Jess, Jr.

Josephine Ellis, called Jodie (April 29,18761-August 10,1969) married Cornelius Simon Williams and lived near Franklinton.

Onnie Luola Tucker (January 5,1878-August 2, 1971) married Algenon Bryant Perry and lived in Louisburg.

Mary Ann Priscilla, called Mamie, (October 7,1879- December 12, 1979) married Benjamin Napier Williamson and lived in Louisburg. Children: B. N. Jr. and John Perry.

Elizabeth Ethel (August 8, 1881-November 19,1968) married Ernest Bragg and lived in Oxford. Children: Elizabeth, Frelon, and Ernestine.

Lois Eula (April 9,1983) married Edward Crudup Perry and lived in Louisburg. Children: Eleanor, Sally Taylor, Crudup and Josephine.

Ouida Blanche (March 4, 1885-April 9,1959) married Ernest Furgurson, and lived in Louisburg. Child: Ernest Jr.

William Blair Tucker (December 19, 1986-June 2, 1964) married Helen Welch and lived in Louisburg. Children: Helen Welch and Carolyn Blair.

Beulah Augusta (February 4, 1989-May 23, 1081) married Herbert Dail and lived for a while in Cambridge, Md., then returned to live with Jodie in Franklinton. She had one daughter who died in infancy.

The Tuckers moved from their farm near the two churches into Louisburg to what is now known as the Green Hill Place and the two youngest children, Blair and Beulah were born there.

When Beulah was still a baby, their mother, Josephine, died. The two oldest daughters, Florence and Ada, had married by then and the next in line, Jodie, was left to bring up the rest of the family. At an early age, she automatically became the matriarch and not until the other sisters were married did she also marry.

Enlisting as a soldier in World War I, Blair was stationed in France at a base hospital. Before leaving Louisburg, he bought a house at 306 Church Street for his father, Ellis, who left the Green Hill Place when he could no longer farm. Ouida and Ernest Furgurson moved in on Church Street to take care of him. When Blair returned from the war, he also lived there, and after his marriage to Helen, Ouida and Ernest moved to another house on Church Street and Ellis “visited around” among his daughters.

Ellis died April 30, 1930, and although his funeral was held at the Baptist Church in Louisburg, he was buried beside his wife in Trinity Church cemetery. Years later, two of his daughters, Onnie and Beulah, also were buried there.

For many years Blair operated a cotton gin on the corner of Church and Nash Streets. When he retired the gin was taken over by Napier Williamson, Jr. Later, the gin was taken down and the property became a parking lot.

Jodie, whose home had become a center meeting place for the family, died in 1969. At her funeral, all of the living first cousins, some of whom had never met others before, assembled for the first time. It was the largest gathering of the family before or since —entirely befitting such a matriarch.

Five of the Tucker sisters lived beyond their 90th birthday, one of whom, Mamie, made it to 100, which was observed by a birthday card from Jimmy Carter, President at that time.

Now you see why I am living so long! I am the oldest Tucker of that generation still living.

Muney’s parents and siblings. What were they like? What are your memories of them?

Lina Verma James (9-29-1873) married Robert Henry Winborne Welch (1-30-1871) in Perquimans County, N. C. and had six children: Robert (1899), Edward (1901), Helen (1903) James (1905), Fanny (1908), and Lina (1910). I do not remember Uncle Edward at all. He had epilepsy, lived up north, and died in 1941.

Granddaddy was a director of a bank which closed during the depression, and I was told that he lost almost everything because the directors had to ante up. Daddy bought land in Louisburg which became their home. Grandmother called it Lone Oak because of the big oak tree in front of the house.

Grandmother was extremely smart both mentally and physically. She was a graduate of Woman’s College in Greensboro, N. C She was the first female School Superintendent in North Carolina. She taught her children at home until they went to Elizabeth City for the last two years of high school. Uncle Robert was so far advanced he entered UNC at the age of twelve and was graduated from there at sixteen years of age. That was quite a feat in those days. Mother said she lived with two old maids in Elizabeth City her last two years of school and had to sleep in the bed with one of them. She later was graduated from Sweet Briar College with honors.

I don’t know when or why my uncles and Aunt Fanny moved to Massachusetts, but we only saw them if and when they came to see their parents, so I didn’t know them as well as I would have liked. It took me a while to realize they were really nice people in spite of being Yankees!! Uncle James flew down immediately when Daddy died and was by my Mother’s side.

He was very successful as head of Welch’s Candy. He started sending me a box of candy bars when I went to St. Mary’s. I was the most popular girl on the hall for a couple of days. He continued sending candy until he sold his company to Nabisco. The Sugar Daddy is still around, but I’m not sure about the other kinds. Uncle Robert worked for the company and, among other things, he wrote verses or rhymes which were printed on the stick of the Sugar Daddy.

Uncle James was so very generous. He had a room and bath added to Grandmother and Granddaddy’s house, and he gave every niece and nephew of his $10,000. in Nabisco stock which we later used to build our wonderful sunroom. He gave Mother, Lina, and Wilson several trips abroad which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Uncle Robert founded the John Birch Society which was very conservative and fought Communism. He received many awards for his work, but certainly not every one agreed with him. He came to our wedding and gave a great toast at our wedding breakfast. He was always Grandmother’s favorite.

Aunt Fanny’s first husband died in 1938. She worked for Uncle James and sent Carolyn by train to Grandmother’s for the summer. Those summers were when we drove Granddaddy crazy with our giggles. He would say, “Ah shut up”, and that would just make more giggles. He and Grandmother put up with a lot. Grandmother had a closet full of “dress up” clothes which Carolyn and I enjoyed. I especially remember the Alice Blue Gown.

Lina and Wilson were married in the front yard of Lone Oak. Grandmother was matron of honor and I was flower girl. I had new shoes and enjoyed showing them as I walked.

I lived with Lina, Wilson and Mike my second year at St. Mary’s School. Wilson always washed the dishes after supper and I dried them. We were quite a team. Mike was like having a little brother. I’ll never forget him shooting me with a water gun when I walked out of my bedroom one morning going to the bathroom. Don’t know why I didn’t kill him.

Aunt Fanny married Chuck Paul, and when he had to go in the Navy, she, two children and a nanny moved to Grandmother’s for at least a year. Carolyn was in fourth grade and I was in fifth, but it was a combined class so we were together. I don’t think either of us learned a thing that year. Much later, Aunt Fanny and Uncle Chuck moved to Southern Pines and I got to know her well. She was a lot of fun, but Chuck always treated Carolyn like a step child, which she was. When I didn’t clean my plate at meal time, he told me to remember the starving Armenians. I had no idea what an Armenian was.

Mother, Daddy, Jimmie, and Pier drove to California the summer I was graduated from Wake Forest College. They had me spend nights at Grandmother’s. Don’t know if that was for safety or because John Hatcher was living in Louisburg for the summer and going to summer school at Wake Forest. He also measured tobacco crops, and the only one he got wrong was Daddy’s. Don’t know that he ever lived that down.