Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890–1920
Biography of Francis “Edith” Edgeworth Marshall Tucker, 1874–1973
By Sherry L. Mercer, Dallas, Texas
Woman Suffrage Activist
Francis “Edith” Edgeworth Marshall was born on September 23, 1874, in Carrollton, Carroll County, Mississippi. She was the second of seven children (possibly eight) born to Joseph M. Marshall and Mary Alvah Goza. The Marshalls were members of the county's pioneer families and helped found the Enon Church in 1859.
On May 23, 1896, Edith married Joseph Wofford “Work” Tucker in Hinds, Mississippi. Work owned the Tucker Printing House of Jackson. He was a prominent member of the community, including serving as President of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and the first President of the Jackson Rotary Club. In addition to his printing business, he was one of the original owners of the Jackson Daily News. Edith and Work had four children—Joseph Wofford Tucker, Jr., born 1898; Angeline, born 1901; Emily Louisa, born 1904; and Samuel Marion, born 1906—all of whom became educated, accomplished adults.
In April of 1913, the Mississippi Women's Suffrage Association (MWSA) announced its 9th annual meeting. Edith presented the report of the State Treasurer. On May 26, 1914, MWSA held its convention in the state senate chamber. Edith presented the welcome as President of the Jackson Equity League in addition to the report of the State Treasurer. This particular convention drew controversy in regard to the treatment of African American women and their right to vote. As women from across the state gathered in Jackson for the convention, the Vicksburg Evening Post reported that a “prominent leader” of the suffrage movement stated “If the men of Mississippi can handle the male negro—and history for the past twenty-five years conclusively shows their ability to do so—I am confident that the women of Mississippi can handle ‘the female of the species' in an equally effective manner.”
During 1914, the MWSA lobbied for legislation in Mississippi to enfranchise women. After an initial resolution was defeated, one representative invited the women to present their case in the House the next day, which resulted in the resolution carrying by a close vote in the afternoon. A hearing was set for early the next morning, but it was too late in the day to put an announcement in the newspaper. Edith organized members of the Jackson Equity League to spread word of the hearing by telephone. The History of Woman Suffrage records that “when the women who were to speak filed into the House on that memorable morning of January 21 they found all available space occupied and the galleries overflowing.” A heated debate followed and continued into the next day when the resolution was defeated. Edith continued her support of suffrage and was listed among the women serving on the official board of the MWSA in 1917.
Edith continued her community work after the passing of the nineteenth amendment. She was chair of the Girl's Work Committee at the YWCA. Edith was leader of the Service Division of the Jackson Woman's Club and hosted a meeting of their Art and Appreciation Class in 1925. In addition, she helped originate the Annual May Festival of Flowers which was held at her home in 1925. Edith was the President of the City of Federation of Women's Clubs, elected in 1920. She attended the Biennial Convention of Women's Clubs in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in May of 1926. At the same time, she attended her daughter Angeline's wedding in New York.
In 1925, Edith and her daughter Louisa traveled to Europe, specifically Paris and Germany, for three months.
In 1932, Edith was quoted in the paper in support of the Jackson Improvement Campaign. “To maintain Jackson's reputation as a city beautiful we must keep our lawns green and clipped, shrubbery pruned and in order, gardens gay with a succession of flowers, our houses pained [sic] and in repair inside and out. A great many men now unemployed can earn a living doing this necessary work. I heartily endorse the Home Improvement Campaign.”
Edith was routinely cited in the society pages as hosting receptions and attending parties, several referenced her attending bridge parties. She also hosted the Young Maids and Matron's study club in her home which included music and cultural education. Edith was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Work Tucker died on November 30, 1962, in Jackson, Mississippi, and Edith Tucker died on September 4, 1973, in Jackson. In her obituary, she was described as the oldest member of Galloway Memorial Methodist Church. Edith and Work are buried together at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.
This photo of Edith Tucker appeared in the Clarion-Ledger on March 13, 1932.
Sources:
1880 U.S. Census, Tennessee. Nashville, Davidson County, p 46A; Enumeration District: 037. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1880 U.S. Census, Mississippi. Carroll County, p 129C; Enumeration District: 023. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1900 U.S. Census, Mississippi. Brookhaven, Lincoln County, p 10; Enumeration District: 0094. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1900 U.S. Census, Mississippi. Jackson, Hinds County, p 7; Enumeration District: 0075. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1910 U.S. Census, Mississippi. Jackson, Hinds County, p 1B; Enumeration District: 0017. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1920 U.S. Census, Mississippi. Jackson, Hinds County, p 13B; Enumeration District: 5. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
1940 U.S. Census, Mississippi. Jackson, Hinds County, p 8B; Enumeration District: 25-34B. Digital images. Ancestry.com.
“Suffrage Association in Convention.” Vicksburg Evening Post, May 27, 1914 p 7.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 28, 1912, p. 9, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), April 10, 1913, p. 5, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), April 15, 1913, p. 5, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 11, 1923, p. 14, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), December 30 1923, p. 11, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), October 5, 1924, pp. 7-8, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 26, 1925, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 10, 1925, p. 14, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 26, 1925, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), May 10, 1925, p. 14, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), May 25, 1925, p. 3, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), June 16, 1925, p. 3, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), July 24, 1925, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), August 20, 1925, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), August 30, 1925, p. 3, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), October 6, 1925, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), December 22, 1925, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), May 23, 1926, p. 20, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), May 28, 1926, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 13, 1932, p. 13, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), March 31, 1955, p. 16, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), February 24 1962, p. 6, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), December 2, 1962, p. 16, via Newspapers.com.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), December 3, 1962, p. 8, via Newspapers.com.
Greenwood Commonwealth, September 16, 1949, p. 2, via Newspapers.com.
Harper, Ida Husted, et al., eds. The History of Woman Suffrage. Vol. VI (1900-1920). N.p.: National American Woman Suffrage Association, 1922, pp. 333, 336. [LINK]
Jackson Daily News, May 25, 1914, p. 5, via Newspapers.com.
Jackson Daily News, May 28, 1914, p. 2, via Newspapers.com.
Jackson Daily News, December 22, 1919, p. 3, via Newspapers.com.
Jackson Daily News, October 20, 1920, p. 9, via Newspapers.com.
Jackson Daily News, March 16, 1921, p. 9, via Newspapers.com.
Jackson Daily News, July 16, 1922, p. 9, via Newspapers.com.
Mississippi, Compiled Marriage Index, 1776-1935, via Ancestry.com.
Natchez Democrat, May 26, 1914, p. 8, via Newspapers.com.
The Conservative, September 13, 1973, via Newspapers.com.
Vicksburg Evening Post, May 27, 1914, p. 7, via Newspapers.com.
Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 29 January 2019), memorial page for Francis Edgeworth “Edith” Marshall Tucker (23 Sep 1874–4 Sep 1973), Find A Grave Memorial no. 11940249, citing Cedarlawn Cemetery, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, USA ; Maintained by The Meriwether Society, Inc. (contributor 46827721) .
U.S. Social Security Death Index, Number: 587-02-5951; Issue State: Mississippi; Issue Date: 1973, via Ancestry.com.