Saline County Century Farm: Tuckwiller farm history starts with bachelor uncle

Lewis Hudson farmed the family farms until his death in 1958, when his nephew John Tuckwiller took over the family farms. Above, he shows off some of his working mules. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Charles Tuckwiller and his sister, Mary Tuckwiller Peterman, laugh when they talk about themselves and their four siblings "descending" on their "bachelor uncle" Lewis Hudson and their Aunt Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hudson, who also never married, when the family moved into the Hudson Farm home place.

"John Tuckwiller, my dad, was raised one farm south on the next 80 acres," explained Charles Tuckwiller, who now lives on the farm with his wife, Carol. "In we moved, a man, his wife and six kids. 'Moved' is not the word I'm looking for, we descended upon him."

Lewis farmed the home place southwest of Marshall, which was first owned by Capt. William L. Corum and his wife, Virginia Ewing Rubey. They had sold the farm to Francis Marion Hudson and his wife, Mary, their daughter, in 1889 for $2,000. The 80-acre farm, now owned by Charles and Carol, was one of three farms the family recently had recognized as a Saline County Century Farm.

The Hudson home place was an elegant 11-room house built around 1905. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

John's mother, Margaret Hudson Tuckwiller, was one of the nine Hudson children (eight lived to adulthood) and grew up in the very large "Hudson Home," which was built around 1905.

It was a "totally elegant" home with 11 rooms, four porches, two halls and beautiful furniture, but no bathrooms, explained Mary Peterman. The hand-dug basement was lined with sandstone and it had a stone chiseled "1905," which showed when it was built.

It was into that home that John and Ruby Tuckwiller moved with their children, ranging in ages from 3 to 13.

"I don't know how the poor guy stood it to tell you the truth. He's going from him and a sister living in a house entirely quiet to having six little monsters living with him," said Charles.

They remembered that Lewis' bedroom was downstairs and they all had bedrooms upstairs in the large house.

"We would get in trouble for sliding down the banister," said Charles. "My uncle would sit at the table every morning and have two raw eggs and lemon juice every morning for breakfast. That was kind of a sight to behold."

According to Charles, however, the family was just there a year or two, when Uncle Lewis "got all he could stand and we were evicted."

From there, the family moved to Knob Noster and then to Houstonia, where they bought a farm. When Uncle Lewis passed away, the family moved back to the Hudson place and the large family home.

"My aunt said, 'Come on back, John, you can move in the home place,'" said Charles. "Well, my dad would have walked through fire to get back to this place, so in 1958, we moved back here."

Although they farmed the place, the Hudson home was still home to the Hudson aunts.

"Aunt Lizzie, who was born and died here, took care of the household and did the cooking," said Mary.

Two of F.M. and Mary Hudson's daughters were very well educated and lived in the east, but came home often.

One of the aunts was an English teacher, and would come back to live in the house for three months of the year.

"My aunt, the English teacher, built a bathroom on the house finally, but when she was gone teaching nine months out of the year, we were locked out of the bathroom," said Charles. When she was back for the three months, she unlocked the room, but they still weren't allowed to use it.

Another of the aunts was a "worldwide traveler" who lived in New York City.

"She was a swell person, she came back here and endured us very well," said Charles.

He also had fond memories of his Aunt Lizzie, who never left the farm, and even cooked and cared for his sisters when they stayed there.

"My Aunt Lizzie and my Grandma Tuckwiller were sociable people, nice to talk to and nice to visit with," he said.

Charles Tuckwiller's daughter, Jenny Cornine, said that the obituary of her great-aunt Lizzie showed how well-liked she was.

"The sister that never left this farm, they said the line was all the way out the door (at her visitation)," she said, reading from the obituary.

Editor's note: Next week's story will focus more on the other Tuckwiller Century Farms and their farming operation through the years.

Contact Marcia Gorrell at marshallag@socket.net