Rosemarie Tucker: Groton town historian for over two decades

On March 13, 1818 – just a little over 205 years ago – the town of Division changed its name to Groton. It was on April 7, 1817, that the town we know today split off from the town of Locke in Cayuga County, was initially named Division and became part of the then-newly formed Tompkins County.  

That little snippet of Groton’s history is a drop in the bucket of the vast amount of historical knowledge that has been researched and recorded by Rosemarie (“Rose”) Tucker, who is the town of Groton historian (TGH) and has been since January 9, 2001.  

Tucker was born in Auburn, New York, joining her older brother, Fred, and her parents, Leslie (“Red”) and Marie (Wood) Palmer. They moved to Groton when Rose was two years old, where her father built the home that she has lived in as an adult since 1998.  

Red, who served in the Army under General George Patton during World War II, ran the Sinclair gas station on Main Street, on the site of the Dollar General store today.   

Rose’s two younger brothers, Robert and Donald, eventually joined the family, and all four siblings attended Groton Central School (GCS).  

A 1966 alumna of GCS, Rose thoroughly enjoys her job, and while she has developed a deep love of history through the years, she readily admits that she did not like history in school.   

“My history teacher, LaVena Court, always told me, ‘You’ll get this someday,’” Rose said with a chuckle.   

Aside from her dislike of history in school, Rose was a good student and was involved in the Future Teachers of America and the Future Homemakers of America.   

After high school, Rose attended Powelson Business Institute, a one-year secretarial school in Syracuse, and then went to work at Cornell University’s Landscape Architecture program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where she remained until 1988. In 1997, she was hired at the City of Ithaca Planning Department, from which she retired in 2007.   

In the midst of her work life, Rose married Gary Tucker in 1969, but they divorced in 1977. She has a son, Gary Jr., and a daughter, Valerie, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She is very proud of all of them.   

It was not until 1975 that Rose had the experience that ignited the spark that started her path to discovering history in a way she never had in the classroom.   

“My grandmother, Myrtle Wood, had heard a genealogy speaker somewhere and asked me to research our family,” Rose said. “I didn’t even know what that was, but I did it for her, and what I learned from genealogy was that it was more than just the people – it was learning about where they lived, what they did for a living and more – and it piqued my interest in local history from then on.”  

Rose was asked by Juanita Griffin, who was the GTH from 1999 to 2000, to become her deputy historian, which Rose eagerly accepted in October 2000. Griffin stepped down that December, and Rose was officially appointed GTH in January 2001.  

A fascinating fact that Rose pointed out is that it has actually been a New York state mandate since 1919 for every city, town and village to appoint a historian on an annual basis.  

In recent years, prior to Griffin, Dorothy Ostrander held the position from 1990 to 1998, and before her was Henry Sincerbeaux since 1983. Thus far, Rose’s tenure has exceeded both of those combined.

In addition to keeping busy with the research she has done and continues to do, Rose is also the president of the Association of Public Historians of New York State, the secretary/treasurer for the Groton Rural Cemetery, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) since 2001 and currently the New York State Committee Chair for the DAR Americanism Committee, a member of the advisory committee for The History Center in Tompkins County, a life member of the Town of Groton Historical Society, president of the Groton Columbian Club, a member of the Groton Alumni Association, a member of the New York State Partnership Trust and a member of both the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society and the New England History and Genealogical Society.  

As town historian, Rose is also involved with the Municipal Historians of Tompkins County, a group of all of the historians in the county that meets monthly. She has been its treasurer since 2008.   

“I am so inspired from learning more about my town, its organizations and its people,” Rose said. “And not just Groton, but also the hamlets that are within it – Groton City, McLean, Peruville, Pleasant Valley and West Groton.”  

Through the years, Rose has done many presentations on local history for various organizations and groups. 

Rose is also a published author, having written articles for local publications and the chapter about Groton in “Places and Names of Tompkins County,” contributions to “Tompkins County, New York Images of Work and Play” and tourism brochures focused on Groton. Her book, “Images of America: Groton,” was published by Arcadia Publishing and Amazon.   

“My greatest inspiration came when I wrote my book because that’s where I learned the most,” Rose said, “especially from photos. Those visual images of olden times made me want to learn more.”  

Rose’s most recent project was inspired by a WWII six-star flag that was brought to her by John and Richard Collier, descendants of Helena K. Donegan and Wilfred R. Adams, who were married in 1913 and lived out their lives in Groton until 1946 and 1955, respectively.   

Rose explained that every parent who had a child in the service during WWII would receive one of those flags with a star for every child. The Adamses had six such children and two young daughters at home.   

Currently, the flag is on loan to the Groton American Legion Post 800 and may be viewed on the wall there. In the meantime, Rose has researched all of the Adamses’ children and has embarked on a journey to research every veteran who has ever lived in Groton from the Revolutionary War onward.   

Has your own interest in local history been piqued, or do you have any historical gems to pass on to Rose? She may be reached at roseingrotonny@gmail.com.  

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.  

In brief: 

Outstanding CTE students 

The following Groton students were recognized as outstanding students of the month for February at the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES Career and Technical Education Center: Nick Hall, Welding, and Jacob Zigenfus, Heavy Equipment.   

The outstanding students are chosen based on qualities such as character, leadership, citizenship, work ethic and attendance. They must also be compassionate, honest, trustworthy, responsible and a positive role model.  

Congratulations to these exceptional career and tech students in our school! 

Roller skating and laser tag! 

Groton Recreation will sponsor an evening of roller skating and laser tag fun Saturday, April 8 in the Groton Jr./Sr. High School cafeteria and middle school gym. Cost per session is $5 per person and includes skates and laser tag. Beginner skate will take place from 4 to 5 p.m., and an experienced skater session will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.   

Red Cross babysitting course  

A Red Cross babysitting course will be held Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the STEAM Learning Center, Groton Jr./Sr. High School, 400 Peru Rd. There is no charge, and training includes a participant manual, emergency reference guide and DVD. 

This class is taught by a certified American Red Cross instructor and is recommended for youth aged 11 to 15. Students should bring their own lunch. Class maximum is 12 students. Registration is first come, first served at https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/grotonrecreation.