Keeper Bio: Tune, Helen C.

Date of Service: 1877 – 1883

1854: Helen Dodge was born in October 1854 in Vermont

1871: Marries Thomas Steptoe Tune on June 21 in the District of Columbia.

1872:  Daughter Lorena Elizabeth is born on June 22 in the District of Columbia

1877:  Helen is hired as acting Keeper in March for the Piney Point Lighthouse, MD.

1877: Helen is appointed permanent Keeper in July for the Piney Point Lighthouse, MD. Her salary is $520/year.

1879: Son Roscoe Ivan is born on April 9^th at Piney Point Lighthouse, MD.

1880: In the 1880 U.S. Census, Thomas S. Tune, age 43, is listed as Keeper of Piney Point Lighthouse, MD. Helen C. Tune, age 26, is listed as keeping house.

1883: Helen C. Tune resigns as Keeper of Piney Point Lighthouse, MD., after serving for 6 years.

1899: Helen’s husband, Thomas, is listed as an Assistant Manager with the Record & Pension Office for Headquarters of the Army in Washington, D.C.

1910: In the U.S. Census, Helen is listed as widowed, age 56, and living in Washington, D.C.

1940: Helen C. Tune died at her residence in Washington, D.C. on May 27. She is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery.

Sources:

J. Candace Clifford Research Catalog, https://archives.uslhs.org/ ; April Havens, Piney Point Museum, Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, FamilySearch.org; Photo courtesy Paula Schwarting