Charles Tucker

TUCKER

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 5/22/2010 at 20:27:03

Charles Tucker of Boone, Iowa is not only an honored veteran of the Civil war, having participated in the battle of Gettysburg, but he gave for many years his efforts to teaching and those who came under his instruction profited by his lessons and went forth from him as valuable members of society. He is now in his seventy-fourth year and can look back with pride upon a career which has been of great usefulness to his country and particularly his county and nearer neighborhood. At present he is engaged in the grocery business as 1019 Story street, Boone, and enjoys a gratifying trade because he is always courteous and obliging to his customers and follows honorable and straightforward methods.
Mr Tucker was born on a farm September 6, 1840, in the town of Greenwich, Washington county, New York, his paternal ancestors coming originally from England. Three brothers, the original forbears of the Tucker family in America, settled in in this country before 1776, once choosing Rohde Island as his residence, another making his home in Connecticut and the third in Virginia. Simeon Tucker, grandfather of Charles Tucker, participated in the war of Revolution. He and his wife died in Rhode Island and were buried on their farm near Carolina Mills. Samuel Tucker, the father, was born on the homestead there and was one of eight children. He received a common school education and when a young man went to Washington county, new York, where he bought a farm. He married Betsy Coon a daughter of Charles Coon, and both he and his wife died on the old farm near Cossayuna, New York. They were Quakers originally but later attended the Baptist church.
Their family consisted of eight children, six sons and two daughters: Franklin, Lydia Ann, Harriet, Henry C, and Horace are deceased, leaving William Penn, Charles and Simeon now living.
Charles Tucker attended the public schools and academy of Greenwich and subsequently the Fort Edward Seminary. He then returned to the Greenwich Academy to prepare for entering college at Schenectady, but the Civil war broke out and after several calls for volunteers had been issued, he enlisted in August 1862, as a private in Company A, One Hundred and twenty-third New York Volunteer Infantry, his term being for three years. He was under Captain A T Mason and Colonel A L McDougall, and his regiment was assigned to the First Brigade of the First Division of the Twelfth Army Corps under General H W Slocum. In the fall after he had enlisted he was taken sick at Loudoun Valley, Virginia, and was afterward taken to Harpers Ferry and placed in the hospital. There he remained until March 1863, many times being near the point of death. At one time he had just written a letter home asking for some money, when the doctor came to his cot and he asked him what the verdict was. As the assurances of the physician was not very encouraging. Mr Tucker recalled his letter and wrote another one asking to be taken home. The r father sent the family doctor for him. He remained at home until June 1st, when he rejoined his regiment about twenty miles above Washington. They became part of the main army and he participated in the battle of Gettysburg, after which they went to Bristow Station, Virginia. They army was then reorganized and Mr Tucker’s regiment with the Eleventh and twelfth Corps was ordered to join Sherman. He then did general duty in patrolling the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, being detached form his regiment, but afterward joined his command and participated in the battles of Chattanooga, Resaca and New Hope Church, Colonel McDougall being killed in the last engagement. Te was also at Marietta, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and Atlanta. There he remained until the fall of 1864, when he went with Sherman to the sea and afterward marched thought the Carolinas to Washington and took part in the grand review. He was mustered out June 1865, receiving his discharge in Albany, New York. He returned home and there spent the summer. In the winter he took up school teaching in Greenwich, having already been engaged in that line of work before he joined the army. IN the spring of 1866 Mr Tucker made his way to Jo Daviess county, Illinois, on a visit and thence came to Boone county, Iowa which at that time was the end of the railroad. In the summer of the that last year he solicited insurance and also sold shrubbery. He then began teaching in Des Moines township, continuing so for four terms and remaining a teacher for about twelve years in all, the last five of which were spent in the schools of Boone. For four years of his time he as principal of the grammar school and the fifth year he acted as principal of the Boone school. At one time he was a candidate for the office of county superintendent of schools but was defeated. Mr Tucker has always given his allegiance to the republican party and is still true to those political colors. For thirty years he has been a member of the Universalist church and has been president of the board for the last ten or twelve yrs. Fraternally he is a Mason and has been a member of that order since 1868.
In August 1871, Mr Tucker was married in Madrid, Iowa to Miss Emma A Norton, of Boone, a daughter of Andrew S and Elizabeth (Hoppin) Norton, and to this union were born two children: Grace E a graduate of the Boone high school here, Scott Emory received his education in Boone and at the age of nineteen entered his father’s store as a clerk. He at first acted as delivery boy but is now a member of the firm. Mrs Tucker died in Boone, September 2, 1908, her death causing sincere regret among her many friends. Mr Tucker is highly respected and esteemed by all who know him and stands high as a citizen of Boone county.

1914 Boone County History Book