Dr. Woodring Claude Pearson was descended from a distinguished pioneer Tennessee family who arrived in middle Tennessee in the early 1800's. Dr. Pearson's family produced a number of early physicians, including Newton Guilford Tucker who cared for troops during the Civil War as it swept through middle Tennessee.
Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Subsequently, he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army.
In addition to Newton, his two uncles, Ferdianand Blackburn Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis. John Hardeman Tucker was a confederate soldier until his death in 1864 at the Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When the family learned of his death, a wagon was promptly sent to Murfreesboro to bring him home. William Tucker was spared the agony experienced by many southern gentlefolk. He died at the beginning of the war, and it was left to the two remaining sons, George and Ferdinand, to manage the farm and care for their mother. His will revealed that William was a caring person, as he directed his sons, among other things, to care for two elderly slaves for the rest of their lives. His will was written in 1860, but was not probated until 1866, after the war. When a final disposition was made of his property in 1936, William had thirty-one known grandchildren and ninety-eight great grandchildren.
OBITUARY DR. NEWTON G. TUCKER.
Dr. Newton G. Tucker was born in Williamson County, this State, March 29, 1836. His parents moved to Marshall County when he was quite a child, where he made his home for fifteen years, at the end of which time they returned to Williamson County. When only 16 years old he secured a position as teacher in the public schools, which he held for three years, and at the age of 20 commenced the study of medicine, graduating in the Medical Department of the University of Nashville in 1861.
Soon after his graduation he was recommended for appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army then being organized in the State, but Gov. Harris, knowing him personally, induced him to return to his home, saying that his people needed him there more than in the army.
In 1870 he was elected Mayor of Lewisburg, which position he held until his removal to Nashville three years later. In 1875 he was elected a member of the Nashville City Council, holding the office of President of this body for six years. He was actively engaged in quarantine work on the N. & N.W. R.R. during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, and did most valuable service. In 1892 he was elected City Health Officer, which position he held for six years. For a number of years he held and adequately filled the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Meharry Medical College. He was a member of the North High Street Methodist Church, also of the U. O. G. C, National Union and Royal Arcanum. He was actively engaged in politics, an energetic, loyal and faithful Democrat to the day of his death, frequently and efficiently serving as a convention delegate.
Shortly after receiving his degree of M.D., he married Miss Mary E. Cochran, of Pontotoc, Miss., who, with his children, Drs. R. O. and B. G. Tucker, Mark G. Tucker, and Mrs. W. T. Woodring and Miss Maggie Tucker, are left to mourn his demise.
In his private life Dr. Tucker was generous, honest, a kind father and a valuable citizen. No one was ever turned away from him, whether it was professional services wanted by poor people or a loan by the impecunious. He had done much for the section of the city in which he lived and with which he was thoroughly identified for nearly twenty-five years. Many of the municipal advantages enjoyed by that section were first obtained through the work of Dr. Tucker. Thousands of those whom he has helped will learn of their benefactor's death with the deepest sorrow.
He was my classmate, entering the junior class the year I completed my course, and I have known him long and well. Of the strictest integrity, a man of sterling qualities, loyal to his friends and never vindictive or unjustly resentful to the very few who were inimical to him, his kindly and cordial greeting, the warm grasp of his hand will be sadly missed.
Faithful to his duty until driven to his last bed by an illness which even his resolute will could not withstand, Dr. N. G. Tucker, well known and beloved by all who knew him, passed away shortly after 8 o'clock Sunday night, January 8th, at his home 1220 North Vine street. In his last hours he was surrounded by his entire family, who alleviated with loving hands the suffering of his final moments. For several months past Dr. Tucker had been acting as Superintendent of the City Hospital, in the absence of the Superintendent elect who was ill, and it was while engaged in discharging the duties of this office that he over-exerted his constitution, already weakened by age. During the Christmas holidays the work was especially arduous. Dr. Tucker being called up night and day. On Christmas day there were six major operations at the hospital, breaking the record for any day in the history of the institution. On the Tuesday following Christmas day, which came on Sunday, Dr. Tucker was forced to go to bed and grew gradually worse until the end came.
While the end was not unexpected on the morning of the 8th, Dr. Tucker seemed much better and there were hopes that he could withstand for a few days longer the forces which were sapping his life away. But late in the afternoon he grew rapidly worse, and it became evident to the watchers that death's hand was upon the sufferer. In the early evening he passed peacefully away, firm in faith of another life beyond the grave.
The Nashville City Board of Health and all the attaches of that Department held a meeting at which suitable resolutions were adopted. The City Council was convened in called session by the Mayor, and after the adoption of appropriate resolutions, it was resolved that the members of the City Council and other officials of the city attend the funeral in a body.
At a meeting of the physicians of Nashville held at the Nashville Academy of Medicine at 7:30 o'clock, January 9th, 1899, to take action commemorative of the life and death of Dr. N. G. Tucker, Dr. L. B. Graddy was called to the chair, and Dr. Perry Bromberg was appointed Secretary. The chairman explained the object of the meeting and in glowing and eloquent words, paid a high tribute to the profound worth and standing of the deceased.
Drs. W. D. Haggard. Sr., W. A. Atchison, James B. Stephens, and Perry Bromberg, followed with speeches eulogistic of the deceased friend and brother. On motion of Dr. Haggard the chair appointed a committee of three to adopt resolutions expressive of the loss sustained by the demise of Dr. Tucker. The committee presented the following resolutions which were adopted:
Resolved 1st, That in the death of Dr. Tucker, his family, the public and the profession have sustained a great and irreparable loss.
Resolved 2nd, That the profession of Nashville extend to the family of the deceased their heart-felt sympathy and condolence in this great affliction.
Resolved 3rd, That by death Dr. Tucker, a member of the profession of which he was an honored and esteemed devotee, has been removed from our midst and has passed the ordeal which we must all sooner or later meet.
Resolved 4th, That in his death, a brother who prided himself on his strict and high ethical character which the profession universally accorded to him will be greatly missed and mourned by the profession wherever he was known.
Resolved, 5th, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the three Medical Journals of Nashville for publication, and a copy transmitted to the family of our lamented brother and friend.
W. D. HAGGARD,
JAMES B. STEPHENS,
PERRY BROMBERG.
_____________
HIS PARENTS:
Allen and Elizabeth Jane Tucker lived on Flat Creek until death took Elizabeth Jane about 1854. She was laid to rest in the old family graveyard. She was probably buried during the cold, snowey winter as the cause of death was cold plaque, our present influenza. She was only thirty-seven years of age and left six children to be cared for by their father. From the records, Allen Tucker appears to have married Zilpha Boyett in Marshall County in 1854. They were married only a short time when Allen died in 1856, predeceasing his father. Again there was a sad, silent procession to the cemetery and the children went home to live with their grandparents.
The Tucker home was full again with Allen's children and Williams sons, Ferdinand, John Hardeman and George Robert. Looming in the distance was war and the Tuckers were modest slave owners. They had many concerns. Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Later he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army. [Claytons history of Davidson County, page 264.]
In addition to Newton, his two uncles,
George Robert Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis.[Original in files of Dr. Woodring Pearson, Woodland, California.]George Tucker married twice; first to Emmaline Lanier and second to Aunt Matt [Martha Giles]. He did not have any children. George lived until 1895 at the old homeplace. He kept a wonderful Farmers Register for many years about the weather on Flat Creek and other information about the sewing of wheat, first lambs, church, grange affairs and trips to Nashville, mules and the weight and price of bacon. Ferdinand Blackburn Tucker lived with his family on Flat Creek until his death in 1907. Both Ferdinand and Rebecca Low, his wife, are buried on the farm William Tucker had purchased upon arriving in Williamson County almost one hundred years earlier. Headstones mark their graves on the present Luther Edmonson farm. After the death of Ferdinand Tucker, his son, Samuel Low Tucker continued farming the original farmland until the 1920s, when he moved to a farm on the Franklin-Murfreesboro Road. Cousin Sam had married Annie Ezell in 1900, and while several children were born to them, one son, Frank, was the only survivor. Aunt Becky lived with her son and his wife for the rest of her life. Sam and Annie Tucker will be well remembered by some residents, who recall the old days on Flat Creek. They would certainly agree that he was a gentle, kind and honest man; tall with a smiling, weatherworn face. Cousin Annie was quick of movement, cheerful and sweet of disposition.
While Sam Tucker was tall and slim, another of William Tuckers grandsons was of medium height with sandy hair and a red beard. He may have resembled that first John Tucker and he still belonged to the Presbyterian Church, blue stocking variety! This was Newton Tucker, the grandson who determined that his lifes work would be in the field of medicine. After the war, Newton and his wife Mary Ellen (Mollie) Cochran continued to live in Marshall County for thirteen years. Dr. Tucker became the mayor of Lewisburg, Tennessee, a position he held until he moved with his family to Nashville, where he practiced his profession until his death in 1899. He was a beloved doctor of distinguished reputation. His grandchildren and great grandchildren called him Grandpa Tucker:; his wife called him Doctor. He called his wife Mrs. Tucker. In spite of the formality, Newton and Mary Ellen Tucker were the parents of the following children:
(1) a daughter born 1862, died soon after birth.
(2) Robert Oliver Tucker, M.D., born 1863, died 1945, married first Allie Harlin and second Ada Harlin.
(3) Ellen Bugg Tucker, born 1866, died 1945, married William Thomass Woodring (grandmother of Beverly Barnes).
(4) Annie Maxwell Tucker, born 1868, died 1873.
(5) Margaret Stockton Tucker, born 1871, died 1947, married Charles Henry Yarbrough.[This is who Sara Josephine Andrews knew, while studying at Columbia University, as dean of Women at Columbia University in New York.]
(6) Mark Guilford Tucker, born 1872, died 1938, married Lena Reese.
(7) Blackburn George Tucker, M.D., born 1875, died 1936, married Emma McGowan.
(8) James Gurley Tucker, born 1877, died 1896.
In Nashville, the Tuckers moved to a large brick home on Seventh Avenue North. Here Dr. Newton Tucker and his wife reared their children, and he opened an office of general practice. He continued to be interested in public health and public affairs. He became a City Councilman and president of that body in 1877. He was a member of all appropriate medical societies and taught at Meharry Medical College. Two of his four sons, Dr. R. O. Tucker and Dr. B. G. Tucker, graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School; and a third was attending Vanderbilt University Medical School at the time of his death.
Several of Dr. Newton G. Tuckers descendants have followed him in the practice of medicine to the present generation. These included his grandson, Dr. T. V. Woodring, and a great grandson, Dr. Woodring Pearson. For the past one hundred and twenty-five years, the Tucker family has furnished doctors to serve their country and their communities. Each generation of Tuckers has stepped forward to serve his country when needed, since the time of the Colonial Militia.
A great- great- great- great- great bedtime story&..
By Barbara Smith Tucker
At first glance, I may not look very unique. But my grandma thinks I am very special and has been telling me stories about people that provided the family legacy that I inherited. Some of these folks are just everyday folks who made a difference. One of my favorite stories is about my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Newton Tucker&.
You see, once upon a time, he was a little baby born in this great state of Tennessee; the year was 1839, that was 170 years ago! This little boy named Newton grew into a young man, who, at the age of 20, left Williamson County to study medicine in Nashville. On March 1, 1861, he graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School, which, by the way, is the forerunner of the Vanderbilt University Medical School, which is cool because Vanderbilt Hospital is where I was born, my mom was born and my great granddad was born!
So, whats the big deal about this guy? Well, my grandma thinks it is interesting to know how this one man has influenced the world that I live in today& its the same Nashville community of which I am now growing to be a part, so I thought it might be worth paying attention.
So back to the story&.the year is now 1861, just after 22-year-old Newton Tucker became Dr. Tucker . He was recommended for an appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army that was being organized in Tennessee, but was personally asked by Governor Harris to refrain from joining the war effort and to stay in Nashville as families of Nashville needed him there more than the army. Delivering babies, setting broken bones, performing surgery on kitchen tables, caring for the elderly and pronouncing the dead was expected in his daily work making house calls, although he also had an office in his home. Grandma says she will take me by there since the house still stands, protected by the Historic Registry, just off Jefferson Street. Apparently, Dr. Tucker developed quite a reputation for caring for the sick, regardless if they were able to pay. I can see that is how he became a prominent and highly-regarded physician during this very historic time of our country.
Then, sadly, in the midst of the reconstruction period that followed the War Between the States, Grandma says Nashville had the distinction of having the worst mortality rate in the country as conditions among freed slaves were particularly bleak. The Meharry brothers came to Dr. Tucker asking him to join them in an effort to educate freed slaves and provide health care services for the poor and under-served. Even though it was an unpopular move to make in many social circles, in October of 1876, Dr. Newton Tucker agreed and became a much-respected professor and held the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine of the newly founded Meharry Medical College and served there many years. In later years, two of his sons followed in their fathers footsteps and also served on Meharrys faculty.
Grandma found a remarkable example of Newtons tenacity: During the yellow fever epidemic in 1878-79, Dr. Tucker volunteered to meet all incoming trains on the road from Memphis and take charge of all yellow fever patients. This heroic work, for which he would receive no compensation, sets forth the character of the man. [From the Obituary of Dr. Newton G. Tucker]
Not only was he a professor, a doctor, and known as a loving family man, but he also actively engaged in politics. From 1875, Dr. Tucker served as an elected member of Nashvilles City Council, holding the office of President of the council for six years. Capping off his impressive medical and political careers, Dr. Tucker was elected to Nashvilles Board of Health as the City Health Officer and served his city faithfully from 1891-1898, until just prior to his death in 1899. His career spanned a similar timeframe as Louis Pasteur, providing him with important scientific revelations that provided him with the 19th century version of evidenced-based practice! Notably, his attempts to heighten awareness of the need for sanitation proved to be one of the fundamental gifts he gave to his homeland of Nashville. His determined efforts led to the institution of the position of Food Inspector for the city, providing improved inspection for milk, livestock and uncontaminated water sources. He became a promoter of vector control in the city and brought attention to the conditions of the workhouse and became a catalyst for more suitable buildings. During Tennessees Centennial celebration, Dr. Tucker could see public health problems due to the influx of visitors, so he arranged to daily quarantine any individuals on incoming wagons and trains who might compromise the health of citizens of Nashville.
There is a wonderful photograph of Newton surrounded by his family in Nashville during the 1896 Centennial Celebration. At that time his name and his face were prominent in Nashville, but the memories of him have faded over time and he is no longer recognizable. However his foundational contributions to the health and well-being of citizens of Nashville over 100 years ago made significant progress and planted important seeds for todays public health of Nashville. So I have decided my great-great-great-great-great grandfather should not be forgotten. And while you might even think Im just another baby born at Vanderbilt, dont underestimate me! I am Emma Catherine, born into this great family with this amazing legacy. I can and will make an impact through my contributions throughout my life. How do I know? My grandma told me so&
______________
This is an abstract of the Physicians Record Book 1, 1899-1902
Page Name Medical School Diploma Certificate Issued
1. Dr. R. O. Tucker Vanderbilt University Mar 1 1880 Aug 21 1889
3. Newton G. Tucker MD University of Nashville Mar 1 1861 Oct 11 1889
15. Blackburn G. Tucker Vanderbilt Med College Mar 31 1897 (blank)
33. Chas. H. Tucker American School of Osteopathy Jan 25 1906 Feb 14 1906
Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Subsequently, he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army.
In addition to Newton, his two uncles, Ferdianand Blackburn Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis. John Hardeman Tucker was a confederate soldier until his death in 1864 at the Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When the family learned of his death, a wagon was promptly sent to Murfreesboro to bring him home. William Tucker was spared the agony experienced by many southern gentlefolk. He died at the beginning of the war, and it was left to the two remaining sons, George and Ferdinand, to manage the farm and care for their mother. His will revealed that William was a caring person, as he directed his sons, among other things, to care for two elderly slaves for the rest of their lives. His will was written in 1860, but was not probated until 1866, after the war. When a final disposition was made of his property in 1936, William had thirty-one known grandchildren and ninety-eight great grandchildren.
OBITUARY DR. NEWTON G. TUCKER.
Dr. Newton G. Tucker was born in Williamson County, this State, March 29, 1836. His parents moved to Marshall County when he was quite a child, where he made his home for fifteen years, at the end of which time they returned to Williamson County. When only 16 years old he secured a position as teacher in the public schools, which he held for three years, and at the age of 20 commenced the study of medicine, graduating in the Medical Department of the University of Nashville in 1861.
Soon after his graduation he was recommended for appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army then being organized in the State, but Gov. Harris, knowing him personally, induced him to return to his home, saying that his people needed him there more than in the army.
In 1870 he was elected Mayor of Lewisburg, which position he held until his removal to Nashville three years later. In 1875 he was elected a member of the Nashville City Council, holding the office of President of this body for six years. He was actively engaged in quarantine work on the N. & N.W. R.R. during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, and did most valuable service. In 1892 he was elected City Health Officer, which position he held for six years. For a number of years he held and adequately filled the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Meharry Medical College. He was a member of the North High Street Methodist Church, also of the U. O. G. C, National Union and Royal Arcanum. He was actively engaged in politics, an energetic, loyal and faithful Democrat to the day of his death, frequently and efficiently serving as a convention delegate.
Shortly after receiving his degree of M.D., he married Miss Mary E. Cochran, of Pontotoc, Miss., who, with his children, Drs. R. O. and B. G. Tucker, Mark G. Tucker, and Mrs. W. T. Woodring and Miss Maggie Tucker, are left to mourn his demise.
In his private life Dr. Tucker was generous, honest, a kind father and a valuable citizen. No one was ever turned away from him, whether it was professional services wanted by poor people or a loan by the impecunious. He had done much for the section of the city in which he lived and with which he was thoroughly identified for nearly twenty-five years. Many of the municipal advantages enjoyed by that section were first obtained through the work of Dr. Tucker. Thousands of those whom he has helped will learn of their benefactor's death with the deepest sorrow.
He was my classmate, entering the junior class the year I completed my course, and I have known him long and well. Of the strictest integrity, a man of sterling qualities, loyal to his friends and never vindictive or unjustly resentful to the very few who were inimical to him, his kindly and cordial greeting, the warm grasp of his hand will be sadly missed.
Faithful to his duty until driven to his last bed by an illness which even his resolute will could not withstand, Dr. N. G. Tucker, well known and beloved by all who knew him, passed away shortly after 8 o'clock Sunday night, January 8th, at his home 1220 North Vine street. In his last hours he was surrounded by his entire family, who alleviated with loving hands the suffering of his final moments. For several months past Dr. Tucker had been acting as Superintendent of the City Hospital, in the absence of the Superintendent elect who was ill, and it was while engaged in discharging the duties of this office that he over-exerted his constitution, already weakened by age. During the Christmas holidays the work was especially arduous. Dr. Tucker being called up night and day. On Christmas day there were six major operations at the hospital, breaking the record for any day in the history of the institution. On the Tuesday following Christmas day, which came on Sunday, Dr. Tucker was forced to go to bed and grew gradually worse until the end came.
While the end was not unexpected on the morning of the 8th, Dr. Tucker seemed much better and there were hopes that he could withstand for a few days longer the forces which were sapping his life away. But late in the afternoon he grew rapidly worse, and it became evident to the watchers that death's hand was upon the sufferer. In the early evening he passed peacefully away, firm in faith of another life beyond the grave.
The Nashville City Board of Health and all the attaches of that Department held a meeting at which suitable resolutions were adopted. The City Council was convened in called session by the Mayor, and after the adoption of appropriate resolutions, it was resolved that the members of the City Council and other officials of the city attend the funeral in a body.
At a meeting of the physicians of Nashville held at the Nashville Academy of Medicine at 7:30 o'clock, January 9th, 1899, to take action commemorative of the life and death of Dr. N. G. Tucker, Dr. L. B. Graddy was called to the chair, and Dr. Perry Bromberg was appointed Secretary. The chairman explained the object of the meeting and in glowing and eloquent words, paid a high tribute to the profound worth and standing of the deceased.
Drs. W. D. Haggard. Sr., W. A. Atchison, James B. Stephens, and Perry Bromberg, followed with speeches eulogistic of the deceased friend and brother. On motion of Dr. Haggard the chair appointed a committee of three to adopt resolutions expressive of the loss sustained by the demise of Dr. Tucker. The committee presented the following resolutions which were adopted:
Resolved 1st, That in the death of Dr. Tucker, his family, the public and the profession have sustained a great and irreparable loss.
Resolved 2nd, That the profession of Nashville extend to the family of the deceased their heart-felt sympathy and condolence in this great affliction.
Resolved 3rd, That by death Dr. Tucker, a member of the profession of which he was an honored and esteemed devotee, has been removed from our midst and has passed the ordeal which we must all sooner or later meet.
Resolved 4th, That in his death, a brother who prided himself on his strict and high ethical character which the profession universally accorded to him will be greatly missed and mourned by the profession wherever he was known.
Resolved, 5th, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the three Medical Journals of Nashville for publication, and a copy transmitted to the family of our lamented brother and friend.
W. D. HAGGARD,
JAMES B. STEPHENS,
PERRY BROMBERG.
_____________
HIS PARENTS:
Allen and Elizabeth Jane Tucker lived on Flat Creek until death took Elizabeth Jane about 1854. She was laid to rest in the old family graveyard. She was probably buried during the cold, snowey winter as the cause of death was cold plaque, our present influenza. She was only thirty-seven years of age and left six children to be cared for by their father. From the records, Allen Tucker appears to have married Zilpha Boyett in Marshall County in 1854. They were married only a short time when Allen died in 1856, predeceasing his father. Again there was a sad, silent procession to the cemetery and the children went home to live with their grandparents.
The Tucker home was full again with Allen's children and Williams sons, Ferdinand, John Hardeman and George Robert. Looming in the distance was war and the Tuckers were modest slave owners. They had many concerns. Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Later he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army. [Claytons history of Davidson County, page 264.]
In addition to Newton, his two uncles,
George Robert Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis.[Original in files of Dr. Woodring Pearson, Woodland, California.]George Tucker married twice; first to Emmaline Lanier and second to Aunt Matt [Martha Giles]. He did not have any children. George lived until 1895 at the old homeplace. He kept a wonderful Farmers Register for many years about the weather on Flat Creek and other information about the sewing of wheat, first lambs, church, grange affairs and trips to Nashville, mules and the weight and price of bacon. Ferdinand Blackburn Tucker lived with his family on Flat Creek until his death in 1907. Both Ferdinand and Rebecca Low, his wife, are buried on the farm William Tucker had purchased upon arriving in Williamson County almost one hundred years earlier. Headstones mark their graves on the present Luther Edmonson farm. After the death of Ferdinand Tucker, his son, Samuel Low Tucker continued farming the original farmland until the 1920s, when he moved to a farm on the Franklin-Murfreesboro Road. Cousin Sam had married Annie Ezell in 1900, and while several children were born to them, one son, Frank, was the only survivor. Aunt Becky lived with her son and his wife for the rest of her life. Sam and Annie Tucker will be well remembered by some residents, who recall the old days on Flat Creek. They would certainly agree that he was a gentle, kind and honest man; tall with a smiling, weatherworn face. Cousin Annie was quick of movement, cheerful and sweet of disposition.
While Sam Tucker was tall and slim, another of William Tuckers grandsons was of medium height with sandy hair and a red beard. He may have resembled that first John Tucker and he still belonged to the Presbyterian Church, blue stocking variety! This was Newton Tucker, the grandson who determined that his lifes work would be in the field of medicine. After the war, Newton and his wife Mary Ellen (Mollie) Cochran continued to live in Marshall County for thirteen years. Dr. Tucker became the mayor of Lewisburg, Tennessee, a position he held until he moved with his family to Nashville, where he practiced his profession until his death in 1899. He was a beloved doctor of distinguished reputation. His grandchildren and great grandchildren called him Grandpa Tucker:; his wife called him Doctor. He called his wife Mrs. Tucker. In spite of the formality, Newton and Mary Ellen Tucker were the parents of the following children:
(1) a daughter born 1862, died soon after birth.
(2) Robert Oliver Tucker, M.D., born 1863, died 1945, married first Allie Harlin and second Ada Harlin.
(3) Ellen Bugg Tucker, born 1866, died 1945, married William Thomass Woodring (grandmother of Beverly Barnes).
(4) Annie Maxwell Tucker, born 1868, died 1873.
(5) Margaret Stockton Tucker, born 1871, died 1947, married Charles Henry Yarbrough.[This is who Sara Josephine Andrews knew, while studying at Columbia University, as dean of Women at Columbia University in New York.]
(6) Mark Guilford Tucker, born 1872, died 1938, married Lena Reese.
(7) Blackburn George Tucker, M.D., born 1875, died 1936, married Emma McGowan.
(8) James Gurley Tucker, born 1877, died 1896.
In Nashville, the Tuckers moved to a large brick home on Seventh Avenue North. Here Dr. Newton Tucker and his wife reared their children, and he opened an office of general practice. He continued to be interested in public health and public affairs. He became a City Councilman and president of that body in 1877. He was a member of all appropriate medical societies and taught at Meharry Medical College. Two of his four sons, Dr. R. O. Tucker and Dr. B. G. Tucker, graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School; and a third was attending Vanderbilt University Medical School at the time of his death.
Several of Dr. Newton G. Tuckers descendants have followed him in the practice of medicine to the present generation. These included his grandson, Dr. T. V. Woodring, and a great grandson, Dr. Woodring Pearson. For the past one hundred and twenty-five years, the Tucker family has furnished doctors to serve their country and their communities. Each generation of Tuckers has stepped forward to serve his country when needed, since the time of the Colonial Militia.
A great- great- great- great- great bedtime story&..
By Barbara Smith Tucker
At first glance, I may not look very unique. But my grandma thinks I am very special and has been telling me stories about people that provided the family legacy that I inherited. Some of these folks are just everyday folks who made a difference. One of my favorite stories is about my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Newton Tucker&.
You see, once upon a time, he was a little baby born in this great state of Tennessee; the year was 1839, that was 170 years ago! This little boy named Newton grew into a young man, who, at the age of 20, left Williamson County to study medicine in Nashville. On March 1, 1861, he graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School, which, by the way, is the forerunner of the Vanderbilt University Medical School, which is cool because Vanderbilt Hospital is where I was born, my mom was born and my great granddad was born!
So, whats the big deal about this guy? Well, my grandma thinks it is interesting to know how this one man has influenced the world that I live in today& its the same Nashville community of which I am now growing to be a part, so I thought it might be worth paying attention.
So back to the story&.the year is now 1861, just after 22-year-old Newton Tucker became Dr. Tucker . He was recommended for an appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army that was being organized in Tennessee, but was personally asked by Governor Harris to refrain from joining the war effort and to stay in Nashville as families of Nashville needed him there more than the army. Delivering babies, setting broken bones, performing surgery on kitchen tables, caring for the elderly and pronouncing the dead was expected in his daily work making house calls, although he also had an office in his home. Grandma says she will take me by there since the house still stands, protected by the Historic Registry, just off Jefferson Street. Apparently, Dr. Tucker developed quite a reputation for caring for the sick, regardless if they were able to pay. I can see that is how he became a prominent and highly-regarded physician during this very historic time of our country.
Then, sadly, in the midst of the reconstruction period that followed the War Between the States, Grandma says Nashville had the distinction of having the worst mortality rate in the country as conditions among freed slaves were particularly bleak. The Meharry brothers came to Dr. Tucker asking him to join them in an effort to educate freed slaves and provide health care services for the poor and under-served. Even though it was an unpopular move to make in many social circles, in October of 1876, Dr. Newton Tucker agreed and became a much-respected professor and held the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine of the newly founded Meharry Medical College and served there many years. In later years, two of his sons followed in their fathers footsteps and also served on Meharrys faculty.
Grandma found a remarkable example of Newtons tenacity: During the yellow fever epidemic in 1878-79, Dr. Tucker volunteered to meet all incoming trains on the road from Memphis and take charge of all yellow fever patients. This heroic work, for which he would receive no compensation, sets forth the character of the man. [From the Obituary of Dr. Newton G. Tucker]
Not only was he a professor, a doctor, and known as a loving family man, but he also actively engaged in politics. From 1875, Dr. Tucker served as an elected member of Nashvilles City Council, holding the office of President of the council for six years. Capping off his impressive medical and political careers, Dr. Tucker was elected to Nashvilles Board of Health as the City Health Officer and served his city faithfully from 1891-1898, until just prior to his death in 1899. His career spanned a similar timeframe as Louis Pasteur, providing him with important scientific revelations that provided him with the 19th century version of evidenced-based practice! Notably, his attempts to heighten awareness of the need for sanitation proved to be one of the fundamental gifts he gave to his homeland of Nashville. His determined efforts led to the institution of the position of Food Inspector for the city, providing improved inspection for milk, livestock and uncontaminated water sources. He became a promoter of vector control in the city and brought attention to the conditions of the workhouse and became a catalyst for more suitable buildings. During Tennessees Centennial celebration, Dr. Tucker could see public health problems due to the influx of visitors, so he arranged to daily quarantine any individuals on incoming wagons and trains who might compromise the health of citizens of Nashville.
There is a wonderful photograph of Newton surrounded by his family in Nashville during the 1896 Centennial Celebration. At that time his name and his face were prominent in Nashville, but the memories of him have faded over time and he is no longer recognizable. However his foundational contributions to the health and well-being of citizens of Nashville over 100 years ago made significant progress and planted important seeds for todays public health of Nashville. So I have decided my great-great-great-great-great grandfather should not be forgotten. And while you might even think Im just another baby born at Vanderbilt, dont underestimate me! I am Emma Catherine, born into this great family with this amazing legacy. I can and will make an impact through my contributions throughout my life. How do I know? My grandma told me so&
______________
This is an abstract of the Physicians Record Book 1, 1899-1902
Page Name Medical School Diploma Certificate Issued
1. Dr. R. O. Tucker Vanderbilt University Mar 1 1880 Aug 21 1889
3. Newton G. Tucker MD University of Nashville Mar 1 1861 Oct 11 1889
15. Blackburn G. Tucker Vanderbilt Med College Mar 31 1897 (blank)
33. Chas. H. Tucker American School of Osteopathy Jan 25 1906 Feb 14 1906
Dr. Woodring Claude Pearson was descended from a distinguished pioneer Tennessee family who arrived in middle Tennessee in the early 1800's. Dr. Pearson's family produced a number of early physicians, including Newton Guilford Tucker who cared for troops during the Civil War as it swept through middle Tennessee.
Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Subsequently, he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army.
In addition to Newton, his two uncles, Ferdianand Blackburn Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis. John Hardeman Tucker was a confederate soldier until his death in 1864 at the Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When the family learned of his death, a wagon was promptly sent to Murfreesboro to bring him home. William Tucker was spared the agony experienced by many southern gentlefolk. He died at the beginning of the war, and it was left to the two remaining sons, George and Ferdinand, to manage the farm and care for their mother. His will revealed that William was a caring person, as he directed his sons, among other things, to care for two elderly slaves for the rest of their lives. His will was written in 1860, but was not probated until 1866, after the war. When a final disposition was made of his property in 1936, William had thirty-one known grandchildren and ninety-eight great grandchildren.
OBITUARY DR. NEWTON G. TUCKER.
Dr. Newton G. Tucker was born in Williamson County, this State, March 29, 1836. His parents moved to Marshall County when he was quite a child, where he made his home for fifteen years, at the end of which time they returned to Williamson County. When only 16 years old he secured a position as teacher in the public schools, which he held for three years, and at the age of 20 commenced the study of medicine, graduating in the Medical Department of the University of Nashville in 1861.
Soon after his graduation he was recommended for appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army then being organized in the State, but Gov. Harris, knowing him personally, induced him to return to his home, saying that his people needed him there more than in the army.
In 1870 he was elected Mayor of Lewisburg, which position he held until his removal to Nashville three years later. In 1875 he was elected a member of the Nashville City Council, holding the office of President of this body for six years. He was actively engaged in quarantine work on the N. & N.W. R.R. during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, and did most valuable service. In 1892 he was elected City Health Officer, which position he held for six years. For a number of years he held and adequately filled the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Meharry Medical College. He was a member of the North High Street Methodist Church, also of the U. O. G. C, National Union and Royal Arcanum. He was actively engaged in politics, an energetic, loyal and faithful Democrat to the day of his death, frequently and efficiently serving as a convention delegate.
Shortly after receiving his degree of M.D., he married Miss Mary E. Cochran, of Pontotoc, Miss., who, with his children, Drs. R. O. and B. G. Tucker, Mark G. Tucker, and Mrs. W. T. Woodring and Miss Maggie Tucker, are left to mourn his demise.
In his private life Dr. Tucker was generous, honest, a kind father and a valuable citizen. No one was ever turned away from him, whether it was professional services wanted by poor people or a loan by the impecunious. He had done much for the section of the city in which he lived and with which he was thoroughly identified for nearly twenty-five years. Many of the municipal advantages enjoyed by that section were first obtained through the work of Dr. Tucker. Thousands of those whom he has helped will learn of their benefactor's death with the deepest sorrow.
He was my classmate, entering the junior class the year I completed my course, and I have known him long and well. Of the strictest integrity, a man of sterling qualities, loyal to his friends and never vindictive or unjustly resentful to the very few who were inimical to him, his kindly and cordial greeting, the warm grasp of his hand will be sadly missed.
Faithful to his duty until driven to his last bed by an illness which even his resolute will could not withstand, Dr. N. G. Tucker, well known and beloved by all who knew him, passed away shortly after 8 o'clock Sunday night, January 8th, at his home 1220 North Vine street. In his last hours he was surrounded by his entire family, who alleviated with loving hands the suffering of his final moments. For several months past Dr. Tucker had been acting as Superintendent of the City Hospital, in the absence of the Superintendent elect who was ill, and it was while engaged in discharging the duties of this office that he over-exerted his constitution, already weakened by age. During the Christmas holidays the work was especially arduous. Dr. Tucker being called up night and day. On Christmas day there were six major operations at the hospital, breaking the record for any day in the history of the institution. On the Tuesday following Christmas day, which came on Sunday, Dr. Tucker was forced to go to bed and grew gradually worse until the end came.
While the end was not unexpected on the morning of the 8th, Dr. Tucker seemed much better and there were hopes that he could withstand for a few days longer the forces which were sapping his life away. But late in the afternoon he grew rapidly worse, and it became evident to the watchers that death's hand was upon the sufferer. In the early evening he passed peacefully away, firm in faith of another life beyond the grave.
The Nashville City Board of Health and all the attaches of that Department held a meeting at which suitable resolutions were adopted. The City Council was convened in called session by the Mayor, and after the adoption of appropriate resolutions, it was resolved that the members of the City Council and other officials of the city attend the funeral in a body.
At a meeting of the physicians of Nashville held at the Nashville Academy of Medicine at 7:30 o'clock, January 9th, 1899, to take action commemorative of the life and death of Dr. N. G. Tucker, Dr. L. B. Graddy was called to the chair, and Dr. Perry Bromberg was appointed Secretary. The chairman explained the object of the meeting and in glowing and eloquent words, paid a high tribute to the profound worth and standing of the deceased.
Drs. W. D. Haggard. Sr., W. A. Atchison, James B. Stephens, and Perry Bromberg, followed with speeches eulogistic of the deceased friend and brother. On motion of Dr. Haggard the chair appointed a committee of three to adopt resolutions expressive of the loss sustained by the demise of Dr. Tucker. The committee presented the following resolutions which were adopted:
Resolved 1st, That in the death of Dr. Tucker, his family, the public and the profession have sustained a great and irreparable loss.
Resolved 2nd, That the profession of Nashville extend to the family of the deceased their heart-felt sympathy and condolence in this great affliction.
Resolved 3rd, That by death Dr. Tucker, a member of the profession of which he was an honored and esteemed devotee, has been removed from our midst and has passed the ordeal which we must all sooner or later meet.
Resolved 4th, That in his death, a brother who prided himself on his strict and high ethical character which the profession universally accorded to him will be greatly missed and mourned by the profession wherever he was known.
Resolved, 5th, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the three Medical Journals of Nashville for publication, and a copy transmitted to the family of our lamented brother and friend.
W. D. HAGGARD,
JAMES B. STEPHENS,
PERRY BROMBERG.
_____________
HIS PARENTS:
Allen and Elizabeth Jane Tucker lived on Flat Creek until death took Elizabeth Jane about 1854. She was laid to rest in the old family graveyard. She was probably buried during the cold, snowey winter as the cause of death was cold plaque, our present influenza. She was only thirty-seven years of age and left six children to be cared for by their father. From the records, Allen Tucker appears to have married Zilpha Boyett in Marshall County in 1854. They were married only a short time when Allen died in 1856, predeceasing his father. Again there was a sad, silent procession to the cemetery and the children went home to live with their grandparents.
The Tucker home was full again with Allen's children and Williams sons, Ferdinand, John Hardeman and George Robert. Looming in the distance was war and the Tuckers were modest slave owners. They had many concerns. Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Later he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army. [Claytons history of Davidson County, page 264.]
In addition to Newton, his two uncles,
George Robert Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis.[Original in files of Dr. Woodring Pearson, Woodland, California.]George Tucker married twice; first to Emmaline Lanier and second to Aunt Matt [Martha Giles]. He did not have any children. George lived until 1895 at the old homeplace. He kept a wonderful Farmers Register for many years about the weather on Flat Creek and other information about the sewing of wheat, first lambs, church, grange affairs and trips to Nashville, mules and the weight and price of bacon. Ferdinand Blackburn Tucker lived with his family on Flat Creek until his death in 1907. Both Ferdinand and Rebecca Low, his wife, are buried on the farm William Tucker had purchased upon arriving in Williamson County almost one hundred years earlier. Headstones mark their graves on the present Luther Edmonson farm. After the death of Ferdinand Tucker, his son, Samuel Low Tucker continued farming the original farmland until the 1920s, when he moved to a farm on the Franklin-Murfreesboro Road. Cousin Sam had married Annie Ezell in 1900, and while several children were born to them, one son, Frank, was the only survivor. Aunt Becky lived with her son and his wife for the rest of her life. Sam and Annie Tucker will be well remembered by some residents, who recall the old days on Flat Creek. They would certainly agree that he was a gentle, kind and honest man; tall with a smiling, weatherworn face. Cousin Annie was quick of movement, cheerful and sweet of disposition.
While Sam Tucker was tall and slim, another of William Tuckers grandsons was of medium height with sandy hair and a red beard. He may have resembled that first John Tucker and he still belonged to the Presbyterian Church, blue stocking variety! This was Newton Tucker, the grandson who determined that his lifes work would be in the field of medicine. After the war, Newton and his wife Mary Ellen (Mollie) Cochran continued to live in Marshall County for thirteen years. Dr. Tucker became the mayor of Lewisburg, Tennessee, a position he held until he moved with his family to Nashville, where he practiced his profession until his death in 1899. He was a beloved doctor of distinguished reputation. His grandchildren and great grandchildren called him Grandpa Tucker:; his wife called him Doctor. He called his wife Mrs. Tucker. In spite of the formality, Newton and Mary Ellen Tucker were the parents of the following children:
(1) a daughter born 1862, died soon after birth.
(2) Robert Oliver Tucker, M.D., born 1863, died 1945, married first Allie Harlin and second Ada Harlin.
(3) Ellen Bugg Tucker, born 1866, died 1945, married William Thomass Woodring (grandmother of Beverly Barnes).
(4) Annie Maxwell Tucker, born 1868, died 1873.
(5) Margaret Stockton Tucker, born 1871, died 1947, married Charles Henry Yarbrough.[This is who Sara Josephine Andrews knew, while studying at Columbia University, as dean of Women at Columbia University in New York.]
(6) Mark Guilford Tucker, born 1872, died 1938, married Lena Reese.
(7) Blackburn George Tucker, M.D., born 1875, died 1936, married Emma McGowan.
(8) James Gurley Tucker, born 1877, died 1896.
In Nashville, the Tuckers moved to a large brick home on Seventh Avenue North. Here Dr. Newton Tucker and his wife reared their children, and he opened an office of general practice. He continued to be interested in public health and public affairs. He became a City Councilman and president of that body in 1877. He was a member of all appropriate medical societies and taught at Meharry Medical College. Two of his four sons, Dr. R. O. Tucker and Dr. B. G. Tucker, graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School; and a third was attending Vanderbilt University Medical School at the time of his death.
Several of Dr. Newton G. Tuckers descendants have followed him in the practice of medicine to the present generation. These included his grandson, Dr. T. V. Woodring, and a great grandson, Dr. Woodring Pearson. For the past one hundred and twenty-five years, the Tucker family has furnished doctors to serve their country and their communities. Each generation of Tuckers has stepped forward to serve his country when needed, since the time of the Colonial Militia.
A great- great- great- great- great bedtime story&..
By Barbara Smith Tucker
At first glance, I may not look very unique. But my grandma thinks I am very special and has been telling me stories about people that provided the family legacy that I inherited. Some of these folks are just everyday folks who made a difference. One of my favorite stories is about my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Newton Tucker&.
You see, once upon a time, he was a little baby born in this great state of Tennessee; the year was 1839, that was 170 years ago! This little boy named Newton grew into a young man, who, at the age of 20, left Williamson County to study medicine in Nashville. On March 1, 1861, he graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School, which, by the way, is the forerunner of the Vanderbilt University Medical School, which is cool because Vanderbilt Hospital is where I was born, my mom was born and my great granddad was born!
So, whats the big deal about this guy? Well, my grandma thinks it is interesting to know how this one man has influenced the world that I live in today& its the same Nashville community of which I am now growing to be a part, so I thought it might be worth paying attention.
So back to the story&.the year is now 1861, just after 22-year-old Newton Tucker became Dr. Tucker . He was recommended for an appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army that was being organized in Tennessee, but was personally asked by Governor Harris to refrain from joining the war effort and to stay in Nashville as families of Nashville needed him there more than the army. Delivering babies, setting broken bones, performing surgery on kitchen tables, caring for the elderly and pronouncing the dead was expected in his daily work making house calls, although he also had an office in his home. Grandma says she will take me by there since the house still stands, protected by the Historic Registry, just off Jefferson Street. Apparently, Dr. Tucker developed quite a reputation for caring for the sick, regardless if they were able to pay. I can see that is how he became a prominent and highly-regarded physician during this very historic time of our country.
Then, sadly, in the midst of the reconstruction period that followed the War Between the States, Grandma says Nashville had the distinction of having the worst mortality rate in the country as conditions among freed slaves were particularly bleak. The Meharry brothers came to Dr. Tucker asking him to join them in an effort to educate freed slaves and provide health care services for the poor and under-served. Even though it was an unpopular move to make in many social circles, in October of 1876, Dr. Newton Tucker agreed and became a much-respected professor and held the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine of the newly founded Meharry Medical College and served there many years. In later years, two of his sons followed in their fathers footsteps and also served on Meharrys faculty.
Grandma found a remarkable example of Newtons tenacity: During the yellow fever epidemic in 1878-79, Dr. Tucker volunteered to meet all incoming trains on the road from Memphis and take charge of all yellow fever patients. This heroic work, for which he would receive no compensation, sets forth the character of the man. [From the Obituary of Dr. Newton G. Tucker]
Not only was he a professor, a doctor, and known as a loving family man, but he also actively engaged in politics. From 1875, Dr. Tucker served as an elected member of Nashvilles City Council, holding the office of President of the council for six years. Capping off his impressive medical and political careers, Dr. Tucker was elected to Nashvilles Board of Health as the City Health Officer and served his city faithfully from 1891-1898, until just prior to his death in 1899. His career spanned a similar timeframe as Louis Pasteur, providing him with important scientific revelations that provided him with the 19th century version of evidenced-based practice! Notably, his attempts to heighten awareness of the need for sanitation proved to be one of the fundamental gifts he gave to his homeland of Nashville. His determined efforts led to the institution of the position of Food Inspector for the city, providing improved inspection for milk, livestock and uncontaminated water sources. He became a promoter of vector control in the city and brought attention to the conditions of the workhouse and became a catalyst for more suitable buildings. During Tennessees Centennial celebration, Dr. Tucker could see public health problems due to the influx of visitors, so he arranged to daily quarantine any individuals on incoming wagons and trains who might compromise the health of citizens of Nashville.
There is a wonderful photograph of Newton surrounded by his family in Nashville during the 1896 Centennial Celebration. At that time his name and his face were prominent in Nashville, but the memories of him have faded over time and he is no longer recognizable. However his foundational contributions to the health and well-being of citizens of Nashville over 100 years ago made significant progress and planted important seeds for todays public health of Nashville. So I have decided my great-great-great-great-great grandfather should not be forgotten. And while you might even think Im just another baby born at Vanderbilt, dont underestimate me! I am Emma Catherine, born into this great family with this amazing legacy. I can and will make an impact through my contributions throughout my life. How do I know? My grandma told me so&
______________
This is an abstract of the Physicians Record Book 1, 1899-1902
Page Name Medical School Diploma Certificate Issued
1. Dr. R. O. Tucker Vanderbilt University Mar 1 1880 Aug 21 1889
3. Newton G. Tucker MD University of Nashville Mar 1 1861 Oct 11 1889
15. Blackburn G. Tucker Vanderbilt Med College Mar 31 1897 (blank)
33. Chas. H. Tucker American School of Osteopathy Jan 25 1906 Feb 14 1906
Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Subsequently, he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army.
In addition to Newton, his two uncles, Ferdianand Blackburn Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis. John Hardeman Tucker was a confederate soldier until his death in 1864 at the Battle of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When the family learned of his death, a wagon was promptly sent to Murfreesboro to bring him home. William Tucker was spared the agony experienced by many southern gentlefolk. He died at the beginning of the war, and it was left to the two remaining sons, George and Ferdinand, to manage the farm and care for their mother. His will revealed that William was a caring person, as he directed his sons, among other things, to care for two elderly slaves for the rest of their lives. His will was written in 1860, but was not probated until 1866, after the war. When a final disposition was made of his property in 1936, William had thirty-one known grandchildren and ninety-eight great grandchildren.
OBITUARY DR. NEWTON G. TUCKER.
Dr. Newton G. Tucker was born in Williamson County, this State, March 29, 1836. His parents moved to Marshall County when he was quite a child, where he made his home for fifteen years, at the end of which time they returned to Williamson County. When only 16 years old he secured a position as teacher in the public schools, which he held for three years, and at the age of 20 commenced the study of medicine, graduating in the Medical Department of the University of Nashville in 1861.
Soon after his graduation he was recommended for appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army then being organized in the State, but Gov. Harris, knowing him personally, induced him to return to his home, saying that his people needed him there more than in the army.
In 1870 he was elected Mayor of Lewisburg, which position he held until his removal to Nashville three years later. In 1875 he was elected a member of the Nashville City Council, holding the office of President of this body for six years. He was actively engaged in quarantine work on the N. & N.W. R.R. during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878, and did most valuable service. In 1892 he was elected City Health Officer, which position he held for six years. For a number of years he held and adequately filled the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Meharry Medical College. He was a member of the North High Street Methodist Church, also of the U. O. G. C, National Union and Royal Arcanum. He was actively engaged in politics, an energetic, loyal and faithful Democrat to the day of his death, frequently and efficiently serving as a convention delegate.
Shortly after receiving his degree of M.D., he married Miss Mary E. Cochran, of Pontotoc, Miss., who, with his children, Drs. R. O. and B. G. Tucker, Mark G. Tucker, and Mrs. W. T. Woodring and Miss Maggie Tucker, are left to mourn his demise.
In his private life Dr. Tucker was generous, honest, a kind father and a valuable citizen. No one was ever turned away from him, whether it was professional services wanted by poor people or a loan by the impecunious. He had done much for the section of the city in which he lived and with which he was thoroughly identified for nearly twenty-five years. Many of the municipal advantages enjoyed by that section were first obtained through the work of Dr. Tucker. Thousands of those whom he has helped will learn of their benefactor's death with the deepest sorrow.
He was my classmate, entering the junior class the year I completed my course, and I have known him long and well. Of the strictest integrity, a man of sterling qualities, loyal to his friends and never vindictive or unjustly resentful to the very few who were inimical to him, his kindly and cordial greeting, the warm grasp of his hand will be sadly missed.
Faithful to his duty until driven to his last bed by an illness which even his resolute will could not withstand, Dr. N. G. Tucker, well known and beloved by all who knew him, passed away shortly after 8 o'clock Sunday night, January 8th, at his home 1220 North Vine street. In his last hours he was surrounded by his entire family, who alleviated with loving hands the suffering of his final moments. For several months past Dr. Tucker had been acting as Superintendent of the City Hospital, in the absence of the Superintendent elect who was ill, and it was while engaged in discharging the duties of this office that he over-exerted his constitution, already weakened by age. During the Christmas holidays the work was especially arduous. Dr. Tucker being called up night and day. On Christmas day there were six major operations at the hospital, breaking the record for any day in the history of the institution. On the Tuesday following Christmas day, which came on Sunday, Dr. Tucker was forced to go to bed and grew gradually worse until the end came.
While the end was not unexpected on the morning of the 8th, Dr. Tucker seemed much better and there were hopes that he could withstand for a few days longer the forces which were sapping his life away. But late in the afternoon he grew rapidly worse, and it became evident to the watchers that death's hand was upon the sufferer. In the early evening he passed peacefully away, firm in faith of another life beyond the grave.
The Nashville City Board of Health and all the attaches of that Department held a meeting at which suitable resolutions were adopted. The City Council was convened in called session by the Mayor, and after the adoption of appropriate resolutions, it was resolved that the members of the City Council and other officials of the city attend the funeral in a body.
At a meeting of the physicians of Nashville held at the Nashville Academy of Medicine at 7:30 o'clock, January 9th, 1899, to take action commemorative of the life and death of Dr. N. G. Tucker, Dr. L. B. Graddy was called to the chair, and Dr. Perry Bromberg was appointed Secretary. The chairman explained the object of the meeting and in glowing and eloquent words, paid a high tribute to the profound worth and standing of the deceased.
Drs. W. D. Haggard. Sr., W. A. Atchison, James B. Stephens, and Perry Bromberg, followed with speeches eulogistic of the deceased friend and brother. On motion of Dr. Haggard the chair appointed a committee of three to adopt resolutions expressive of the loss sustained by the demise of Dr. Tucker. The committee presented the following resolutions which were adopted:
Resolved 1st, That in the death of Dr. Tucker, his family, the public and the profession have sustained a great and irreparable loss.
Resolved 2nd, That the profession of Nashville extend to the family of the deceased their heart-felt sympathy and condolence in this great affliction.
Resolved 3rd, That by death Dr. Tucker, a member of the profession of which he was an honored and esteemed devotee, has been removed from our midst and has passed the ordeal which we must all sooner or later meet.
Resolved 4th, That in his death, a brother who prided himself on his strict and high ethical character which the profession universally accorded to him will be greatly missed and mourned by the profession wherever he was known.
Resolved, 5th, That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the three Medical Journals of Nashville for publication, and a copy transmitted to the family of our lamented brother and friend.
W. D. HAGGARD,
JAMES B. STEPHENS,
PERRY BROMBERG.
_____________
HIS PARENTS:
Allen and Elizabeth Jane Tucker lived on Flat Creek until death took Elizabeth Jane about 1854. She was laid to rest in the old family graveyard. She was probably buried during the cold, snowey winter as the cause of death was cold plaque, our present influenza. She was only thirty-seven years of age and left six children to be cared for by their father. From the records, Allen Tucker appears to have married Zilpha Boyett in Marshall County in 1854. They were married only a short time when Allen died in 1856, predeceasing his father. Again there was a sad, silent procession to the cemetery and the children went home to live with their grandparents.
The Tucker home was full again with Allen's children and Williams sons, Ferdinand, John Hardeman and George Robert. Looming in the distance was war and the Tuckers were modest slave owners. They had many concerns. Young Newton Guilford Tucker, son of Allen C. Tucker and Elizabeth Jane Bugg, stretched on the floor in front of the fire. He was sixteen and thirsty for an education. Grandpa William believed in work; and while he worked on the farm, Newton collected pine knots to throw on the fire for light. Grandpa felt he had enough education and did not permit wasting a lamp for the sake of education! Newton had much studying and reading ahead. In spite of his youthfulness, he was considered educated at age sixteen and was teaching in the public schools of the county. Later he studied medicine as was the custom, under the direction of Drs. Johnson and McClure in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1859. He graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School on March 1, 1861. He was married to Mary Ellen Cochran on July 18, 1861 in Marshall County. He was recommended as a surgeon in the Confederate Army. [Claytons history of Davidson County, page 264.]
In addition to Newton, his two uncles,
George Robert Tucker and John Hardeman Tucker joined the Confederate Army. Newton was ordered by Governor Harris of Tennessee to proceed to Marshall County, where he was to care for the medical needs of the county. George Robert was discharged in 1862 or 1863 as being unfit for service because of a stiff leg from White swelling and chronic bronchitis.[Original in files of Dr. Woodring Pearson, Woodland, California.]George Tucker married twice; first to Emmaline Lanier and second to Aunt Matt [Martha Giles]. He did not have any children. George lived until 1895 at the old homeplace. He kept a wonderful Farmers Register for many years about the weather on Flat Creek and other information about the sewing of wheat, first lambs, church, grange affairs and trips to Nashville, mules and the weight and price of bacon. Ferdinand Blackburn Tucker lived with his family on Flat Creek until his death in 1907. Both Ferdinand and Rebecca Low, his wife, are buried on the farm William Tucker had purchased upon arriving in Williamson County almost one hundred years earlier. Headstones mark their graves on the present Luther Edmonson farm. After the death of Ferdinand Tucker, his son, Samuel Low Tucker continued farming the original farmland until the 1920s, when he moved to a farm on the Franklin-Murfreesboro Road. Cousin Sam had married Annie Ezell in 1900, and while several children were born to them, one son, Frank, was the only survivor. Aunt Becky lived with her son and his wife for the rest of her life. Sam and Annie Tucker will be well remembered by some residents, who recall the old days on Flat Creek. They would certainly agree that he was a gentle, kind and honest man; tall with a smiling, weatherworn face. Cousin Annie was quick of movement, cheerful and sweet of disposition.
While Sam Tucker was tall and slim, another of William Tuckers grandsons was of medium height with sandy hair and a red beard. He may have resembled that first John Tucker and he still belonged to the Presbyterian Church, blue stocking variety! This was Newton Tucker, the grandson who determined that his lifes work would be in the field of medicine. After the war, Newton and his wife Mary Ellen (Mollie) Cochran continued to live in Marshall County for thirteen years. Dr. Tucker became the mayor of Lewisburg, Tennessee, a position he held until he moved with his family to Nashville, where he practiced his profession until his death in 1899. He was a beloved doctor of distinguished reputation. His grandchildren and great grandchildren called him Grandpa Tucker:; his wife called him Doctor. He called his wife Mrs. Tucker. In spite of the formality, Newton and Mary Ellen Tucker were the parents of the following children:
(1) a daughter born 1862, died soon after birth.
(2) Robert Oliver Tucker, M.D., born 1863, died 1945, married first Allie Harlin and second Ada Harlin.
(3) Ellen Bugg Tucker, born 1866, died 1945, married William Thomass Woodring (grandmother of Beverly Barnes).
(4) Annie Maxwell Tucker, born 1868, died 1873.
(5) Margaret Stockton Tucker, born 1871, died 1947, married Charles Henry Yarbrough.[This is who Sara Josephine Andrews knew, while studying at Columbia University, as dean of Women at Columbia University in New York.]
(6) Mark Guilford Tucker, born 1872, died 1938, married Lena Reese.
(7) Blackburn George Tucker, M.D., born 1875, died 1936, married Emma McGowan.
(8) James Gurley Tucker, born 1877, died 1896.
In Nashville, the Tuckers moved to a large brick home on Seventh Avenue North. Here Dr. Newton Tucker and his wife reared their children, and he opened an office of general practice. He continued to be interested in public health and public affairs. He became a City Councilman and president of that body in 1877. He was a member of all appropriate medical societies and taught at Meharry Medical College. Two of his four sons, Dr. R. O. Tucker and Dr. B. G. Tucker, graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School; and a third was attending Vanderbilt University Medical School at the time of his death.
Several of Dr. Newton G. Tuckers descendants have followed him in the practice of medicine to the present generation. These included his grandson, Dr. T. V. Woodring, and a great grandson, Dr. Woodring Pearson. For the past one hundred and twenty-five years, the Tucker family has furnished doctors to serve their country and their communities. Each generation of Tuckers has stepped forward to serve his country when needed, since the time of the Colonial Militia.
A great- great- great- great- great bedtime story&..
By Barbara Smith Tucker
At first glance, I may not look very unique. But my grandma thinks I am very special and has been telling me stories about people that provided the family legacy that I inherited. Some of these folks are just everyday folks who made a difference. One of my favorite stories is about my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Newton Tucker&.
You see, once upon a time, he was a little baby born in this great state of Tennessee; the year was 1839, that was 170 years ago! This little boy named Newton grew into a young man, who, at the age of 20, left Williamson County to study medicine in Nashville. On March 1, 1861, he graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School, which, by the way, is the forerunner of the Vanderbilt University Medical School, which is cool because Vanderbilt Hospital is where I was born, my mom was born and my great granddad was born!
So, whats the big deal about this guy? Well, my grandma thinks it is interesting to know how this one man has influenced the world that I live in today& its the same Nashville community of which I am now growing to be a part, so I thought it might be worth paying attention.
So back to the story&.the year is now 1861, just after 22-year-old Newton Tucker became Dr. Tucker . He was recommended for an appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the army that was being organized in Tennessee, but was personally asked by Governor Harris to refrain from joining the war effort and to stay in Nashville as families of Nashville needed him there more than the army. Delivering babies, setting broken bones, performing surgery on kitchen tables, caring for the elderly and pronouncing the dead was expected in his daily work making house calls, although he also had an office in his home. Grandma says she will take me by there since the house still stands, protected by the Historic Registry, just off Jefferson Street. Apparently, Dr. Tucker developed quite a reputation for caring for the sick, regardless if they were able to pay. I can see that is how he became a prominent and highly-regarded physician during this very historic time of our country.
Then, sadly, in the midst of the reconstruction period that followed the War Between the States, Grandma says Nashville had the distinction of having the worst mortality rate in the country as conditions among freed slaves were particularly bleak. The Meharry brothers came to Dr. Tucker asking him to join them in an effort to educate freed slaves and provide health care services for the poor and under-served. Even though it was an unpopular move to make in many social circles, in October of 1876, Dr. Newton Tucker agreed and became a much-respected professor and held the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medicine of the newly founded Meharry Medical College and served there many years. In later years, two of his sons followed in their fathers footsteps and also served on Meharrys faculty.
Grandma found a remarkable example of Newtons tenacity: During the yellow fever epidemic in 1878-79, Dr. Tucker volunteered to meet all incoming trains on the road from Memphis and take charge of all yellow fever patients. This heroic work, for which he would receive no compensation, sets forth the character of the man. [From the Obituary of Dr. Newton G. Tucker]
Not only was he a professor, a doctor, and known as a loving family man, but he also actively engaged in politics. From 1875, Dr. Tucker served as an elected member of Nashvilles City Council, holding the office of President of the council for six years. Capping off his impressive medical and political careers, Dr. Tucker was elected to Nashvilles Board of Health as the City Health Officer and served his city faithfully from 1891-1898, until just prior to his death in 1899. His career spanned a similar timeframe as Louis Pasteur, providing him with important scientific revelations that provided him with the 19th century version of evidenced-based practice! Notably, his attempts to heighten awareness of the need for sanitation proved to be one of the fundamental gifts he gave to his homeland of Nashville. His determined efforts led to the institution of the position of Food Inspector for the city, providing improved inspection for milk, livestock and uncontaminated water sources. He became a promoter of vector control in the city and brought attention to the conditions of the workhouse and became a catalyst for more suitable buildings. During Tennessees Centennial celebration, Dr. Tucker could see public health problems due to the influx of visitors, so he arranged to daily quarantine any individuals on incoming wagons and trains who might compromise the health of citizens of Nashville.
There is a wonderful photograph of Newton surrounded by his family in Nashville during the 1896 Centennial Celebration. At that time his name and his face were prominent in Nashville, but the memories of him have faded over time and he is no longer recognizable. However his foundational contributions to the health and well-being of citizens of Nashville over 100 years ago made significant progress and planted important seeds for todays public health of Nashville. So I have decided my great-great-great-great-great grandfather should not be forgotten. And while you might even think Im just another baby born at Vanderbilt, dont underestimate me! I am Emma Catherine, born into this great family with this amazing legacy. I can and will make an impact through my contributions throughout my life. How do I know? My grandma told me so&
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This is an abstract of the Physicians Record Book 1, 1899-1902
Page Name Medical School Diploma Certificate Issued
1. Dr. R. O. Tucker Vanderbilt University Mar 1 1880 Aug 21 1889
3. Newton G. Tucker MD University of Nashville Mar 1 1861 Oct 11 1889
15. Blackburn G. Tucker Vanderbilt Med College Mar 31 1897 (blank)
33. Chas. H. Tucker American School of Osteopathy Jan 25 1906 Feb 14 1906
Bio by: BandJAndrews1945
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