The Ties that Bind
How are we all
related? Well, it’s a simple question
with a not so simple answer. The
information below is a compilation of information from oral history, census
records, birth records, death records, and data provided from previous reunions. Now, bear with us. This is like a puzzle; some pieces seem too big to fit. So, we just stomped on’em until they fit
nice and snug. J
Frank TUCK
was born in August of 1847. His future
wife, Arrena or Rena, was born in May of 1852.
According to the United States Census of 1900, Tallapoosa County,
Alabama, Poplar Springs District, Arrena was the mother of 18 children, 7
living at that time. Children
documented through the census include Willie, Hixie, Bell, Emma, Arthur,
Hattie, and Bertha Tuck. Oral history
reveals the names of additional daughters:
Lelia, Beattie, and one also named Arrena. Presumably after Mother Arrena’s death, Frank Tuck married Emma WRIGHT.
The 1900 census
reveals that Emma, aged 32, is a widow and the mother of 8 children, 7
living. Included amongst Emma’s
children is a daughter named Dora.
Frank and Emma began their marriage soon after 1900. They had several children: Lavelle, Luther, Rosie, Chaney, and
Otis. Again, presumably after the death
of Emma, Frank would begin another family.
His bride would be Dora WRIGHT.
Frank and Dora would have Fletcher, Kaizer, Cecil, and Jessie James.
By 1900, Willie
Tuck had taken a wife of 9 years, Frances M.
Willie and Frances had 2 children, none living at that time. However, living in their household were four
boarders: Allen VINES, Sindy
Vines, Oddis Vines, and Nora Thomas.
Spelling mistakes and erroneous dates were common during early census
collection. Careful examination would
identify Sindy Vines as Lucinda LINDSEY Vines, the wife of Allen. Oddis Vines is identified as Artis Vaillard
Vines, the son of Allen and Lucinda.
The identity of the 16 year-old Nora Thomas is not known. She is not Nora Davis, the sister of
Lucinda, who would be approximately 35 at this time. Oral history tells us that the Tuck and Vines families are
cousins.
Lucinda Lindsey
was born in 1868 in Alexander City, Alabama, to Frank and Lizzie Lindsey. Frank and Lizzie had several children: Nancy (b. 1863), Nora (b. 1865), Mary (b.
1867), Ophelia, Cordelia, Millie, Laura, and Will. Nancy Lindsey would marry Preston MONTICURE and would have five
children: Andrew, Luther, Dee, Ella,
and Sis. Nora Lindsey would marry John DAVIS. Together they had MacIntyre (Will), Dora,
Lennie, Ethel, Mamie, Corine, Murth, Earnest, Marcus, and Ada Davis.
As mentioned
previously, Frank Tuck had a daughter named Beattie. Beattie would marry Alex WRIGHT and have the following
children: Margaret, Alex Jr., Exie,
Flossie, Allie Belle, and Pearl.
Presumably after the death of Alex Wright, Beattie would marry again to
Mr. Alex SMITH. Beattie and Alex
Smith had several children: Clothie,
Mary, Calvin, Callie, Lula, and Jeanette.
The recollections of Miss Jeanette as passed on to her nephew, Clifford
Robinson, would identify the existence of Julia, a sister to Jeanette’s Aunt
Beattie. At a minimum, Julia was born
circa 1859, a year that biologically precludes Arrena Tuck from being her
mother. Therefore, we must conclude
that Julia is the daughter of Frank Tuck.
Julia would go on
to marry William (Willie, Billie) WALTON. Together, they would have several children: William, Jr., Thomas (August 1869), George
(~1878), Freeman (~1873), Annie, Sue (?), and Oliver (~1885). To date, no census records have been found
that predates the Walton family before 1900.
Thomas (Tom) Walton would surface as Tom Hawkins on the 1900 census in
Russellville, Alabama.
In summary, the
relationships above represent marriages and kinships to two core families, the
Tuck family and the Lindsey family. As
we look back to Alexander City and the bonds we have formed through the years,
we pray that we move forward forever strengthening the ties that bind.
Trevis D.
Hawkins
*A special thanks to Tamia
Tuck, Reseda Shelton, and Randy Boddie for information they compiled through
the years.