image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Inscription on the Crimean war period plate reads: Presented to Mr Tucker, chief interpreter at the Turkish contigent by Major General Cunningham CB and his fellow pupils as a small token of their appreciation of Mr Tucker’s services & public spirit in devoting his time gratis to enable them to master a difficult language and thereby forwarding a chief object in this force. The recepient Charles E. A. Tucker (my gr-gr grandfather), was an eminent Turkish scholar, born Plymouth April 10, 1809, died September 21, 1862, settled in Istanbul 1828, in Turkish government service 1828-1839 and of British government 1840-1862.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
This is the oldest family documentation I have, the marriage certificate of Charles E.A. Tucker to Marie S... in 1838.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Photo possibly of Charles E.A. Tucker, or possibly his son. I think he was an engineer in the Ottoman naval forces. He later founded the family company in 1875 and first resided on the shores of Golden Horn in Hasköy then moved to Mustafa Paşa apartments (now derelict) in Gümüşsuyu Taksim, then moved to Suadiye where he built the family mansion named ‘Thornclyffe’.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
The lady under the umbrella with the feathered hat is my great-grandmother, Mary Tucker nee Blaire (1855-1934, wife of Thomas Charles Tucker). She is of Scottish origin and the event here seems to be celebrating the ‘King’s anniversary’ in Istanbul, presumably King Edward VIIth. It might be in the gardens of the summer residence in Tarabya of the British Embassy. Next to Mary Tucker on her right is the French wife of uncle Charlie (Charles Hubert Tucker) Marcelle, and to the left of my great-grandmother is Lily (I don’t know who she is, might be the sister of Marcelle) it is written on the back that Charles Hubert could not come to the event as he had given his ticket to Lily. The two children in front are Maxwell and Dora Russell, daughters of Mary (nee Tucker) Russell (my Grandfather’s sister). Behind Marcelle, the gentleman with glasses is Mary’s husband ... Russel. Beside him is Evelyne Tucker (my Grandfather’s sister), Mary (nee Tucker) Russell is the one on the second row with the head inclined as if reading something.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
The marriage certificate of Thomas Charles Tucker to Mary Blair in 1877. Mary Blair is shown as from Haskeui (Hasköy), suggesting she was born there, so a Levantine.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
T.C. Tucker with wife Mary Blair.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
T.C. Tucker with wife Mary Blair with their daughter and their son-in-law, George Harty.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
A group photo that was always on the wall of my father’s office. Webley & Scott is a small arms manufacturer, still in existence and the location is Bisley, still a shooting range in Surrey and it is dated 1910.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
My Grand Father Thomas John Victor Ferid Tucker was one of the 5 children of Thomas Charles Tucker (1851-1941), born 4 March 1890 and died 27 June 1969. Here he is during his college days in Edinburgh, Scotland.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
left to right: Thomas J.V.F. Tucker, Auntie Gretel, and brother James David Tucker. The ship appears to be listed here, and from name/owner changes to this vessel it seems this photograph was taken in 1935. The shape of the coast in the background suggests this was photographed in the bay of Izmir.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
A gathering of the local British businessmen in Istanbul, Thomas J.V.F. Tucker is the man standing on the extreme left.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
James D.Tucker in Izmir where he was employed for Glenn Tobacco Co.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
James David Tucker and wife Gretel Tucker (German origin I think) in Izmir. The car is a ‘1924 Cowley four seat tourer’, so this photo was probably taken in the mid-late 1920s.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Jimmy Russell on the left, aunt Mary’s husband, Thomas Tucker (son of James David Tucker) on his lap , and the lady on right is probably aunt Gretel, wife of James David Tucker, probably in front of their house in Izmir - Bornova baptism records show Thomas was baptised there in 1928 and the family lived in Bayraklı - if that is the case and the picture refers to their house in that hilly quarter, the ground here looks flat, perhaps this was one of the shoreline properties, now all in a ruinous state - research article on this neighbourhood.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Gretel and young Thomas Tucker. James David Tucker died on the ship in 1942 that was taking them to Australia. Auntie Gretel, arriving to Australia as a widow, invested all her money on a house that was in the last remaining years of it’s lease. Disaster!!
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
I think the hunter on the far right is James David Tucker?
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
(l>r) My grandfather Thomas J.V.F. Tucker – Unknown lady – Robert Kerwin (American citizen, teaching in the Bosphorus University) – his wife, my Aunt Evelyn Muriel Kerwin nee Tucker (nicknamed Eechams as she was fond of Beechams medicines!), photographed 1930s. My grandfather entered the business of wheat mills, marine engines etc. Proffessor Robert Kerwin was first working in the American embassy in Istanbul. He married my aunt Evelyn Muriel Tucker and they lived mostly in Bebek on the Bosphorus. He then started teaching in the Bosphorus University. He was the one to convince my Grandfather to sell Thornclyffe (as my father told me).
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
(l>r) Thomas J.V.F. Tucker – his wife, my Rosemary Selena Tucker nee Fiest – her daughter, Rosemary Tucker (nicknamed Doodles) – her other daughter Sylvia Margaret Tucker (Nicknamed Letu) – unknown lady – Robert Kerwin – Evelyn Muriel Kerwin – unknown lady. Rosemary Selena Tucker nee Fiest is of Irish origin. She met my grandfather in Greece during the First World War as she was a nurse in British Forces in Greece and he served under British naval forces in Greece.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
My great-grandfather Thomas Charles Tucker in front of his house, ‘Thornclyffe’, Suadiye, Istanbul. Thomas Charles Tucker started as an engineer in the Ottoman navy, then set up his own company which imported naval goods like varnishes vessel paints, diving suits etc. supplying the Ottoman navy and private individuals.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Looking out from the conservatory of this house with Auntie Gretel, the wife of James D. Tucker on the patio.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
The front facade of this house. The house was destroyed in 1959. It was called Thornclyffe as on the waterfront there were thorns growing. I found a letter from the government asking permission of my great-grandfather for the road that was planned to pass in front of the property. It became reality only after 70 years!
A copy of the Pervititch map - info - of the greater Kadıöy area, given as a souvenir to the Thomas Charles Tucker (M. Tucker in French for some reason) by this famous map maker. It shows the substantial plot of ‘Thornclyffe’ next to the sea of Marmara - hover for a zoomed image.
Abbas Celal Bey were some Egyptian Princes (as my father used to tell me), my father and uncle used to seek refuge at their houses when they were chased by their mother.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
A family gathering at Thorneclyffe dated August 1928. The German text on the back reads: ‘... link nach rechts, stehend [left to right, standing]: Rose (Schwägerin [sister-in-law]), Onkel [uncle] John ( Schwiegermutter’s Bruder [mother-in-law’s brother]), Dora (Mary’s kind [child]), Lily (Marcelle’s Tochter [daughter]), ?Grannny, Jimmi (Mary’s Mann [husband]), ?Gugerade (Besuch [visit]), Mein Scho?-Tealer. (Auf Stuhl [on chair]) Evelyn. Unter sitzend [below sitting]: Madame Eugenie ([Besuch]), Ich [me: Aunt Gretel], ?, ? (Rose’s Kind), meine Schwiegermutter [my mother-in-law], Marcelle’.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
The British summer embassy at Therapia [Tarabya], with the chapel clearly standing on the bay side of the peninsula, photographed in 1912, a year before (?) a fire was to destroy it.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Baptism Certificate of my Uncle Desmond Percival Tucker.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
Thomas Tucker (James David’s son) and Auntie Mary (My grandfather’s sister).
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
My Father Thomas Ian James Tucker and my uncle Desmond Percival Tucker probably at Bournemouth.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
My father Thomas Ian James Tucker (1922 – 2009). He is buried in the Haydarpaşa cemetery, next to my aunt Rosemary who died 2 years before him. My father continued the same trade as his father until its closure. They were the sole agents for Turkey of the companies like, Mander’s Varnishes – Siebe Gorman - Tangye’s – Stuart marine engines – International Paint – Dewar’s whiskey and many others. The company name was ‘Thomas Charles Tucker Koll. Şti.’, then ‘T.C.T. and Successors’.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
My mother Judith nee Ferrera and my Father, in 1948. My mother is Sephardite Jewish of Istanbul. They got married against the will of both families. (Great Love !!)
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
My mum and dad on the left in a party.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
(l>r) Maxwell Russell (the daughter of my grand aunt Mary Tucker), James David Tucker, Evelyn Muriel Tucker (my aunt). The photo was taken in the garden of Thornclyffe. It is a cabin that could turn 360 degrees, built by Thomas J.V.F. Tucker so that his father Thomas Charles Tucker could watch easily and comfortably observing with his binoculars.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
The wedding invitation of Maxwell Russell, in 1946, the reception held in the Tucker household.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
One of the wooden boxes still in my possession originally used to store all the family business bi-annual paperwork, so a filing system. In one of them my father found documents related to a certain George Bragiotti, together with a priest’s clothes and a gun. He threw the gun into bosphorus. It was dangerous to keep a gun with no license !!!. He also found American Central Railways bonds that were expired 20 years before he found them.  They had a value of approximately 8 million USD. I still have most of them together with the American Central Railways map.
The name plates were given by grateful customers. They used to call Thomas Charles Tucker “Takar Efendi” (the Turkish pronounciation of Tucker and the respectful title Efendi), the Ottoman caligraphy is again his name. The red plate with “Tomas Taker Halefi Komisyoncu” means Thomas Tucker Successors Commissioner - hover to zoom onto portrait.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
The wooden horse called Gleng Glong was a present of Mary Tucker (My grand father T.J.V.F. Tucker’s sister) to my father and uncle. It was brought from England. After my father, we used it as well. Poor thing is now very tired.
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
One of the bonds my family invested in the past and clearly forgot all about!
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
A shopping receipt from a delicatessen in Pera Street dated 30th November 1921, clearly the family stocking up for Christmas!
image courtesy of Jeffrey Tucker
A 1924 dated invoice to my great-grandfather from a horticultural supplier from France to help fill his garden of Thornclyffe.


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