Tucker, William E.

TUCKER

Posted By: Mona Sarratt Knight (email)
Date: 5/5/2004 at 19:43:30

William E. Tucker (appearing in census and other records of Cerro Gordo County as Will Ed Tucker, journalist of Mason City) was born in New York on 17 January 1837. He was a printer by trade and appears in the 1870 census for Hancock County, Iowa, Mason City, as Will Ed Tucker, age 33, printer, born in NY. Living with him were Hays Knappen, age 15, also a printer and born Wisconsin, and J.G. Hamlin, age 24, printer, born in NY.

Mr. Tucker apparently traveled to Iowa prior to the Civil War, and he enlisted in Company I, 2nd Iowa Cavalry at the start of the War. An original document which is a Relief Fund Warrant indicates that No. 55, dated 1 March 1865, was issued to Will Ed Tucker for the sum of $100 and was received by H.G. Parker as a Bounty of Veteran Volunteer. Perhaps Mr. Tucker assigned his bounty to Mr. Parker in payment for partnership in a newspaper venture. In the history of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, there is record that the first newspaper published in the county was the Cerro Gordo Press, which made its first appearance in the Summer of 1858, with D. E. Coon, subsequently a major in the 2d Iowa Cavalry, and brevet brigadier general, as editor. It was published at Mason City, and was discontinued after running about two years. The second was the Cerro Gordo Republican, published at Mason City, by J. H. Aylesworth, who in about one year sold to H. G. Parker, who conducted it until September, 1866. Horace G. Parker, age 31, is listed as a farmer of the Mason City area in the 1860 census, living alone, unmarried, born in New York.

It would appear that Mr. Tucker, Mr. Coon, and Mr. Parker all knew each other, perhaps having served in the Civil War together. In any case, it is clear from census records that Will Ed Tucker remained in the Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, area until his death on 20 October 1906. He married Francis A. Dillingham on 3 December 1872 in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, at about age 35. They appear in the 1880 census for Mason City, Iowa, as:

Will Ed Tucker, 43, publisher, newspaper, b. NY, father b. RI, mother b. NY
Frances Tucker, 33, wife, b. MI, parents both born NY
Minnie E. Tucker, 4, daughter, b. IA
Ethel Tucker, 10 months, daughter, b. IA

In the 1900 census for Cerro Gordo County, 2nd Ward, Mason City, living on Washington Avenue is the Tucker family:

William E. Tucker, b. January 1837, NY, journalist, age 63
Francis A. Tucker, b. April 1847, MI, wife, age 53
Minnie E. Tucker, b. September 1875, daughter, age 24, b. IA, school teacher
Ethel A. Tucker, b. August 1879, daughter, age 20, b. IA, bookkeeper

Mr. Will Ed Tucker died 20 October 1906 and is buried next to his wife, Francis, at the Elmwood Cemetery, Mason City, Iowa. Frances A. Tucker died 26 December 1922.

[I am not related to anyone in Cerro Gordo Co., Iowa, but visited your page at the USGenWeb because I purchased a page of original Civil War relief fund documents for two County residents one of whom was William E. Tucker. Here is the info I have written, as constructed from census, etc. if you care to post it at your web site. If you want a scanned image of the Relief Fund Warrant from the Civil War time, please let me know.]

Mona Sarratt Knight