Tucker family papers

Collection

Identifier: Col-0036

Dates

Creation: 1882-1915

Creator

Tucker family. (Family)

Restrictions on Access

Many of the receipts are brittle; please handle with care. Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.

Biographical / Historical

The Tucker family resided in Odessa, Delaware. Most of the items are addressed to William E., Harry, or Henry Tucker. William E. Tucker (1836-1911) was married to Sarah Tucker (1841-1918). In the 1900 census, he was listed as a teamster. Three children were listed as living with them: Harry (age 30, a fisherman,; properly Henry E., 1869-1953), William R. (age 25, a laborer on a steamboat), and Mollie N. (age 22, a laundress in a shirt factory).

William, Sarah, and Henry are buried at the Old St. Paul’s Church Cemetery.

Full Extent

385 item(s) (1 box) : illustrations

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Arrangement

The receipts were arranged in alphabetical order by previous processors. This arrangement has been retained even though it divides some of the tax receipts from the rest. County and poor tax receipts are found under both "New Castle County" and under "St. George's Hundred." School tax receipts are found under both "New Castle County" and "Odessa." Receipts for dog taxes are found under both "Odessa" and "St. George's Hundred." The relatively small size of the collection (less than 400 items) should mean that this poses no problem for researchers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of James V. R. Taylor, Wilmington, Delaware.

Summary

These papers consist almost entirely of receipts for goods and services purchased in Odessa, Delaware, around the turn of the century. The few other pieces originated in nearby Middletown, and from St. George's Hundred, New Castle County, or Wilmington, Delaware. The receipts record purchases of food, supplies, dry goods, a stove, medical care, insurance; and payments for freight charges, taxes, and rent. Documenting life in rural, turn-of-the-century-Delaware, these receipts complement the library's other Odessa-related collections. Many of the bills are on printed bill heads, some of which are illustrated.