Thursday, September 27, 2012

Thomas Tucker And His Two Wives

Wealthy financier William Henry Manderfield and partner Thomas Tucker bought the printing plant and The Santa Fe Republican newspaper, changing its name to The New Mexican, and later published The Daily New Mexican.

By 1864, Thomas Tucker was listed as co-owner. Under Manderfield, the newspaper was lively, political and opinionated.

On February 6, 1876 six day old Ignacia Archuleta who was born on January 31, 1876, the daughter of Juan de Jesus Archuleta and Mariana Duran, was baptized in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her baptismal padrinos were Thomas Tucker and his wife Trinidad Ortiz. Ignacia was my maternal grandmother and hense the interest on my part.

Thomas Tucker was listed as a publisher in the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, he was born in Pennsylvania. He was also listed as a New Mexico Volunteer in the 1860's.

In 1881, Manderfield and Tucker left the paper and E.B. Purcell of Manhattan, Kan., became the owner.

Tomas Tucker and the woman he was later to marry, Trinidad Ortiz lived together and had three children sans the benefit of a Catholic marriage. They were finally married on the 13th of October in 1870 and were still married on October 8, 1893 when their daughter Sara Isabel was being baptized.

It appears that Tomas was living with Adela Martinez, also without the benefit of a Catholic marriage, as  by 1897 he and Adela Martinez were the proud parents of Rogerio C. Tucker born on February 25, 1898.


Trinidad Ortiz was baptized on the 7th of June in 1844 and died at age 89 and was buried on August 13, 1933, so something happened (a divorce, an annulment?) to their marriage between the date Sarah Isabel was born to Trinidad in 1893 and the date Rogerio was born to Adela in 1898.


Later yet, the 28th of February in 1902 to be exact, Thomas Tucker was married again, this time to Adela Martinez. Of this marriage Father Joseph Hintzen noted "Because they were on their deathbed, in order to receive the sacraments, I married Thomas M. Tucker, from Santa Fe with Adela Martinez, from Santa Fe. The witnesses were Julian Vigil and Francisca Mares."


As for his second marriage, better late than never as the old saying goes.