Shelton Tucker

We at #NCMAAHC would like to Thank Mr. Shelton Tucker for sharing this family history with us. .
Photograph: Three Generations of Documented Military Service
Surrounded by family members, William A. Tucker a WWII and Vietnam veteran (center) accepts Butler Medal posthumously for Thomas Bell while holding the burial flag of his great grandfather Willie Bell a Spanish American War veteran. Pictured from left to right museum curator Hari Jones followed by descendants Demetria Tucker, Shelton Tucker, Addie Freshwater, William A. Tucker, Hattie Tharps, Henry Tharps and museum founding executive director Frank Smith (far right).

UNION SOLDIER THOMAS BELL POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDAL
FOR SERVICE IN THE ARMY OF THE JAMES

"Grandpa finally gets his medal!” proclaimed Shelton Tucker during a Descendant’s Day
presentation at the African American Civil War on May 4, 2013. The medal he was referring
to was the Butler Medal. According to historians, after distinguishing themselves in the
Battle of New Market Heights, General Benjamin Butler commissioned a medal to be made to give to the black men who fought so hard in that battle. This silver medal was struck at Tiffany's, and the medal is inscribed with the words "Distinguished Courage Campaign Before Richmond 1864" Approximately 200 medals were made, only the names of 16 recipients of the Butler Medal are known to this day.
Some had their names inscribed along the edge of the medal. The medal became controversial at a time where Lincoln was trying to recruit white soldiers and appease those that opposed fighting the war “to free the Negro”. So, the medal was not sanctioned by the US military, paid for out of Butler’s own money, only given to a handful of soldiers and the recipients were discourage from wearing it.
“According to the muster roll records in his pension file, Thomas Bell was present and accounted for during the Army of the James and New Market Heights battles” said his direct descendant Shelton Tucker, “I can’t think of a reason why he wouldn’t deserve this Butler Medal.” So, Shelton and his sister Demetria -the family historian-spearheaded the effort to posthumously award the medal in memory of
their ggg grandfather at the African American Civil War Museum and Memorial complex tucked away in the historic U street district of the nation’s capital.
Frank Smith, founding executive director of the museum and memorial foundation, was very excited to attend the family presentation about the service of the civil war veteran. “Every first Saturday of the month we allow families to tell us about their ancestors that fought in the Civil War” said Smith who founded the museum in the year 2000. Smith along with his colleague Hari Jones, associate director and curator, encourage families to make presentations about the soldiers to let them emerge from obscurity. “The African American contribution particularly as soldiers and spies has been left out of history books” lamented Jones. “We’ve been able to uncover unique family stories by using the museum to inspire descendants to research these freedom fighters.”
Three Generations of Documented Military Service homas Bell, a USCT serving in Company C of 37th Regiment was born in 1823 in Belvoir/Falkland township area of what is now known as the Greenville, NC metro area. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1863, mustered out in 1867 and died in 1903 at the age of 70. There to receive the replica of the Butler Medal was the oldest living direct descendant, William A. Tucker of Hampton, VA who is a WWII and Vietnam veteran. A host of other Bell and Tucker descendants also attended the presentation along with museum visitors. William Tucker (Thomas Bell’s gg grandson) accepted the
medal from Frank Smith, founding director and Hari Jones, curator, while also holding the burial flag and medal of his grandfather Willie Bell who fought in the Spanish American War.
“The presentation was an extremely well researched and documented account of their ancestor and his widow services as freedom fighters prior to, during and after the war.” said Hari Jones. Jones, who is an expert on the subject of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), was not only excited about the
family’s long military history; but, also some new findings presented during the presentation. “The
presentation introduced compelling new evidence that reveals previously unidentified blacks who played an integral role in the successful Union raid known as Potter’s Raid.”
Analysis of family history, pension records and historical data, appears to conspicuously identify Thomas Bell and the men who (shortly after the raid) joined Company C of the USCT 37th Regiment as the 25 black men that were released from jail during General Potter’s raid of Greenville, NC. “General Potter
and the Union troops raided 3 towns; but, they only released 25 black men jailed in Greenville who were schedule to be shot for trying to join the Union Army,” said Shelton,” their release was needed to help the Union troops avoid a Rebel ambush at Otter Creek Bridge in Falkland and navigate contrabands through enemy territory into freedom in New Bern, NC.” In fact, Tucker said that he sourced an “insightful” 1863 article in the New York Times that provided details of the Union raid.

“Thomas Bell Is Trying to Tell You Something…”
Shelton Tucker visited the museum while on a business trip. The museum is off the beaten path of the touristy National Mall. But, the award winning bronze sculpture of African American Civil War soldiers surrounded by stainless steel plates of more than 200,000 names makes for a very impressive memorial site. The founders selected the site to be a part of the revitalization efforts for that part of town. “I was awestruck by the bronze image of the sculpture; but, more impressed that the names of all the soldiers were listed by their respective regiment” said Shelton. “When I found my relatives, I went inside the museum, toured the exhibits and talked to Hari Jones who is one of the most brilliant subject matter experts I’ve ever met.” The museum gives each visiting descendant a free high quality certificate of their ancestor listing the name, company and regiment they served in. “For some reason, Thomas Bell’s certificate was the only one of my requests that kept coming up with a strange imperfection that looked like an imprint. After three attempts with no improvement, Hari Jones looked me dead in the eyes and said that Thomas Bell is trying to tell me something.”

After a follow up visit to the National Archives, a trip to North Carolina, excursions to Civil War
battlefields along the James River, Thomas Bell appears to have resurrected. The numerous discussions with his sister Demetria, the family historian, also provided insights about the Union soldier. Demetria Tucker has been doing extensive research on the family since receiving her Master’s Degree in library science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. “We have amassed a huge volume of source
documentation to trace our lineage way back on both sides of my family.” she said. With her expertise in sourcing data and her brother Shelton’s background as an analyst they make a formidable team in connecting the dots in the challenging world of genealogical research. “Our attention to detail and respect for ethnographic practices such as recording family stories, visiting family members in rural and
remote areas has uncovered the most awesome and simply amazing information about our family
ancestry” says Shelton, who along with his sister presented “The Thomas Bell Story- For Family and Country” during the Descendant Day at the museum.

Who Was Thomas Bell?
he presenters wove a riveting story that featured information, primary source documentation
and old photos of the descendant military families from the Civil War to present. There was
significant circumstantial evidence of Thomas Bell’s involvement in the struggle for freedom prior to his joining the Union Army in November 1863. “We were able to glean information about his physical stature and personality from the pension depositions” says Shelton. His pension file included medical records, depositions, and muster rolls. The collection includes a letter from a Col. Alonzo C. Rembaugh recommending a furlough for Thomas Bell that included praises such as “a well-deserved indulgence”
and “very good soldier”. “I think the furlough letter said it all in terms of the quality of military service he rendered. We also have a great collection of old family photos including a sketched portrait of Thomas Bell’s wife Henrietta that was in our great grandfather’s house,” said Shelton.
Below are the highlights of the presentation about the life of Thomas Bell:
-Pre-colonial family connections
-Comments about his military service from Union
officers and tent mates
-Post war depositions from his neighbors that
included former Confederate soldiers
-Connections to Kehukee; Free Will Baptist
Associations and freemasonry
-Marriage to a free mulatto seamstress who had
23 children
-Military service in North Carolina and Virginia
under Generals Butler, Chamberlain & Paine
-Role as boatman and knowledge of the eastern
Carolina waterways
-Process of filing for and receiving his military
pension
-Family farm in Plymouth, NC (the town of one of
the worst atrocities against Black soldiers and
families during the Civil War) which is still in
the family at the present.

“Life did not appear to be easy for Thomas Bell after the war” said Shelton. According to his pension records it took 9 years of pension application filings before he received a war pension. In fact took the Disability Act of June 1890 which instituted a service based pension for disabled veterans even if the disability was unrelated to the war for him to get a pension. “He got $12.00 a month until his death in
1903. There’s also an interesting story about how his widow Henrietta received a widow’s pension and made an inquiry about an increase via a local town publisher,” says Tucker. “It tells me a lot about her intellect and influence that she went through the press to inquire about an increase from the government.” With an arsenal of genealogical information this family has the Thomas Bell story appears to be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the stories this family has to share.
(All Rights Belong To Shelton Tucker And His Family)