Iva Belle Moore Tucker

Iva Belle Moore was born November 10, 1915 in west Texas, the eldest of seven children of May V. Melton and Jesse L. Moore. She spent her childhood on west Texas ranches and farms, including the JA Ranch where several members of her family worked as cowboys and cooks.

According to Iva's notes, she attended a total of 34.5 months of school during her childhood (as opposed to the 108 months that a traditional 9 months x 12 years education would yield). She only attended a full year in first grade; from fourth grade onward she never attended more than 4 out of 9 months of a school year. Her absences were largely due to the family's need for her labor in farm fields. Despite the limits of her formal schooling, Iva's penmanship was well-formed and her memoirs reflect an eye for detail.

She married Cecil Ambrose Tucker in 1936; they moved to northern California soon after. They worked at the Mare Island naval base during World War II. Iva and Cecil had two children; Lyndon (b. 1939) and a daughter, Cecilia, who died at birth on 10 May 1944. Iva passed away on 24 October, 2012, aged 96.

Iva was the daughter of Jesse Moore and dated a ranch hand, Vernon Hofacket, in late 1929/early 1930.