Tipton Family Tree

 

Me from the 1993 Tipton Family Reunion 

Today I spent the morning on the phone with Bob Tipton, a distant Tipton relative. We wanted my permission to take a DNA test for our common Tipton family line.

As I have mentioned many times before in this blog, I am very interested in researching my family tree, especially my paternal Tipton line. 

The photo above of me was taken at one of the occasional Tipton family reunions held here in southeastern Pennsylvania. Most of the Tiptons in this area are descended from my Tipton grandparents who had eleven sons (no daughters). The photo was a freeze frame on an 8 mm film, thus the blurriness. 

Note that the date is 1993. At that time I didn't know anything about my paternal Tipton family line other than the name of my grandfather, Fieldon Jacob Tipton who moved his family of young sons to southeastern Pennsylvania from the mountains of western North Carolina in 1929 to work as cheap farm labor on his brother-in-law's fruit and vegetable farm. My father was ten years old when he arrived in Pennsylvania. Eleven years later he met my Mother, is from old Pennsylvania Quaker stock, and married her. I was their first born son in 1941. Two more sons arrived in subsequent years. 

In 1994, my late brother John (he died this past September), was living in South Carolina. He said a co-worker, who often visited his relatives in the western North Carolina mountains and family cemeteries. After one trip he told my brother that he often encountered many Tipton headstones in the cemeteries he visited. Thus began my foray into Tipton family genealogy. The next year, 1994, I made a trip with my brother to those same mountains and discovered much information about my Tipton family history. 

My late brother John and I at the Tipton-Haynes historic site in Johnson City Tennessee 1998,
attending another Tipton Family Reunion

That was the year I began building my family tree, first on Family Tree Maker and later on Ancestry.com.

Since that time I've had intense periods of research and then times that life caught up with me and I had to abandoned my family research. 

Well folks, I'm back to researching my Tipton family history. I've always loved doing research. I can literally spend hours researching and building my family tree. I've even built out my maternal branch which is just as interesting as my Tipton family line. 

Too often I put off researching but time is catching up with me. My legacy will be what I leave on Ancestry.com about my family research. I have many stories to tell. 

I'm telling you all this because you may not see me post as often on this personal blog. I do not intend to stop posting but probably can't just as often. I still am Bill's full-time caregiver which is taking more time these days. Caregiving and running the whole household here at Casa Tipton-Kelly still takes up a lot of my time.  Before Bill's strokes, we used to pretty evenly divide the household duties around here. Bill did the handyman work (including electric and plumbing) and I did the cooking, shopping and paying bills. Now I do it all. And frankly folks, it pretty well takes up much of my day. I only have time to write this blog when Bill is sleeping as he is now. 

As I mentioned earlier in this post, I spend about two hours on the phone with a Tipton cousin talking about our Tipton family history research. This conversation reinvigorated my interest in doing more research before I leave this planet. 

Some have advised me to "take time for myself" when I became a caregiver. And I agree! And there are few things I enjoy more (trips with Pat) than researching my family history. I find it very relaxing and fascinating. 

Life goes on folks. Until it doesn't but in the meantime I'm off to a new path.

Have a great day everyone!

Tipton Family Association of America Reunion Aug 16th & 17th 1996

Another old VHS video, this one of the Tipton Family Association of America held at the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site in Johnson City, Tennessee April 16th and 17th, 1996.

I really have to take time to figure out how to edit my raw old VHS videos. Maybe that will be one of my New Year's resolutions. But until that time, I'm going to post this raw, unedited version of videos that I took when I attended a TFAA (Tipton Family Association of America) reunion at Johnson City, Tennessee. 

I drove down with my nephew Isaac "Ike" Tipton III, the son of my brother Isaac, who did not attend. Brother Isaac never attends my reunions, it's his thing. However, we did meet my other brother John and his wife Barbara at the reunion. They drove up from their home in Greenville, South Carolina. 

There are some long stretches on this video that are undoubtedly boring to most of you, but I thought the little interchange between me and brother John at the outhouse was interesting. 

For those of you who are devoted followers of this blog and find everything I post about fascinating and interesting, including myself which as you know I post a LOT about (after all this blog is about ME), enjoy this video. I know I did.

Above, me and brother John at a much earlier outhouse (1947), which visiting our step-aunt Mary in Compass, Pennsylvania. 

Genealogy Break

Twenty years ago (1994) I began researching my family (Tipton) history.  At first my research consumed just about all my time.  Then Life interrupted.  

Since then, I go in spurts in researching my family genealogy.  Right now I am in one of those spurts.  

Yesterday I received two different e-mails from distant cousins inquiring about their Tipton connection.  I talked to both of them today on the phone.  One lives in Montana and the other lives in Ohio.  Both fine fellows and coincidentally, both related and not through the Tipton connection but through their Bennett family connection which is also in my family.

All of our ancestors were hillbillies from the western North Carolina mountains (which I am proud to admit, true Americana - Appalachian stock sometimes referred to as "hillbilly.") 

So folks, my usually daily blog postings here may not be so daily for the next few days.  Rest assured I am still here and in fine health but taking a little detour here whilst I update my family history on Ancestry.com.

Old Family Photos

My great grandfather Hiram Tipton and his family about 1927 Limestone Tennessee
My grandfather Fieldon Jacob Tipton is the tallest man (of course) second from the right in the back row)

Good morning folks!  Little tired this morning.  Just got off of working three days straight at the hotel.  I'm a bit off my track now.  I have a couple of really good posts coming up but this morning I'll just touch base to let you all know I'm still here and not in the ER or just pouting.

Yesterday I discovered a photo of my grandfather Fieldon Jacob Tipton and his brothers and sisters and parents that I had never seen before on Ancestry. com.  I never knew my paternal grandfather, he died two years before I was born.  I've heard a lot about him and I physically resemble him.  He was a hillbilly (there, I said it) from the Appalachian mountains of western North Carolina, on the border of Tennessee.  

My Uncles Sam, Bruce and Tip at the Baker Place - cheap farm labor who lived in tenant houses - note the washing machine on the porch - my uncles Same and Bruce were the my last two Tipton uncle born in Pennsylvania

He moved to Pennsylvania with his nine sons about 1930.  Two more sons were born in Pennsylvania thus making up a football team. Actually, they moved to Pennsylvania to work on their uncle Don Byrd's farm as cheap farm labor.  Yep, this was before "the illegals".  Back in the day poor white trash relatives hillbillies were used as cheap farm labor.  Long story short, my father met my mother on a double and they fell in love immediately and I resulted one year later.  Miracles do happen!

My father (the tallest man in the back to the right - fifth son) and his ten brothers at a Tipton Family Reunion 1960 Downingtown, Pennsylvania - the last time all eleven of them were together

The Ike Tipton family - me (center) with my two younger brothers (yes, I am the Crown Prince) and Uncle Ed and  Aunt Mabel's place "int he country - 1948

I'm going to spend some time this weekend updating my family tree on Ancestry.com with photos.  I may not be updating my blog on a daily basis for the next few days.  I'll try but something has to give.

My grandmother Hester Lewis Tipton with ten of her eleven sons (Uncle Rich took the picture) after burying my grandfather Fieldon Jacob Tipton - 1939 at Union Cemetery, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (of course my father is the tallest man in the back to the left)

My friend Pat asked me a few months ago "How do you have time to do everything?"  You know what folks?  I don't.  I rob Peter to pay Paul.  This weekend will probably be one of those instances.

So hang tight folks, I'll be back in full force in a few days ready to agitate, question, provoke, thrill and amaze soon!

The Great Carsoni!

Converting Old 8 mm Films to iMovie

Yesterday my sister-in-law Barbara sent me an e-mail requesting a clip of an old 8 mm movie that I had transferred from VHS format to a DVD.  I would be glad to do this for her but there was one BIG problem.  How do I convert the DVD to an iMac compatible video?  Oh woe is me.  My brain was going to get exercised again.

Hey folks, I'm no tech guru, far from it.  I'm a 72 year old man with a brain that is cluttered with the debris of over 40 years of office work.  I don't have the clear (empty) head of my boss's five year old daughter who probably knows more about computers than I do.  And to be quite frank, I'm sometimes just plain afraid to mess around with my computer lest I cause it to explode.

But folks, I've been putting off this latest challenge, converting my old VHS tapes to DVD then to iMac.  Thy name is procrastination.

Well folks, I could put it off no longer.  I jumped right in today and figured it all out.  Yes, I DOOD it.  And yes, my head is hurting right now but I finally got that short black and white film of me departing from the family home in April of 1960 for Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, after I finished Army basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.  Wow, was I EVER that young?  

So here it is folks, Chapter One of the Old Family Films.  Some of you may not find it interesting but hey, this is my blog and I find these old films fascinating.  Plus, I'm leaving a history behind which is my goal now that I am entering my Twilight Years.  It's all good folks.  Enjoy!

Tipton Family Reunion 2013

Me and my cousin Darlene Ford Tipton

Yesterday I attended my bi-annual Tipton Family Reunion in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.  While there weren't as many folks there this year, those of us who were there had a great time!

The weather was perfect (as it always is for my family reunion - I guarantee it) and the food was fabulous (catered by my cousin Dick Tipton and his wife Linda from their son's R.D. American grill).  And as at my last reunion I asked my friend Mark H. of "Our Simple Lives" to take photos.  Mark is a superbly talented photographer who has yet to be discovered.  I was wondering what I was going to post about my reunion and I decided to post this series of photos of my friend Mark herding cats gathering a family group together to take a photo.  

Enjoy!

Mark on his knees!  

The Frederick White (and Louise Tipton) Family - 2013

Thanks for the great job Mark.

Those Hot Tipton Men

Paul Turner Tipton

All right folks, I'm going to do some bragging here.  Or as an acquaintance of mine calls it "braggadocio".  I think that's Italian for bragging.  

My cousin Paul Turner Tipton posted this picture of himself on his Facebook page this morning.  Paul is actually the son of my first cousin Tom Tipton.  Tom had three sons just like my parents had three sons.  Why is this unusual?  Because my father had ten brothers and no sisters.  One would think with those 32 children (yes, I have 32 first cousins, not counting the few that I know of who were born out of wedlock but that's another whole story for another blog posting where we're not going now).

The Tipton Brothers - 1960 (my father is the tall man on the right in the back)

Anyway, one would think with those 32 first cousins that they would perpetuate even more Tipton boys.  But one would be wrong to think that.  Not to give you one of those family genealogy headaches, but most of their kids were girls. My father Isaac was the only Tipton son who produced three sons, no daughters.

Me and my brothers Isaac and John - Isaac Jr. being the handsomest of the Tipton Boys

Paul Tipton, son of Thomas Tipton also produced two sons, no daughters.  Below are his twin sons Tanner and Hunter, thus continuing the tradition of handsome Tipton men.

Hunter Tipton

Tanner Tipton

Then of course there was the "original" blonde, blue eyed, smooth talking lady-killer Tipton man, my father Isaac "Ike" Tipton, Sr.

"Ike" Tipton - 1940 (my dad)

The 18 year old "Ike" Tipton Lukenweld Employee

(love the hair)

Isaac W. Tipton, Jr. (16 years old) proof that the good-looking apple doesn't fall too far from the family apple tree

Isaac W. "Ikey" Tipton, III - grandson of Isaac Tipton, Sr. and son of my brother Isaac Tipton, Jr.

And there the Tipton line of men ends with my line.  I have no children.  My brother John has two daughters and my nephew "Ikey" has two daughters.  

Other lines of the Tipton family will have to keep the handsome Tipton family gene going.  Below is my cousin Richard "Dick" Tipton; his son R. D. and R.D.'s son Caleb.  

120 Washington Avenue - A Trip Down Memory Lane

120 Washington Avenue, Downingtown, PA
Our apartment was the two windows on the right, 2nd floor

Yesterday, while going through my Mom's papers I discovered another old photo which I never saw before.  It was taken probably about 1948, shortly after we moved to Downingtown, Pennsylvania.  It was the one below of my (with my fat ass) running up the steps to our apartment.  Oh did I ever climb the stairs in those days, unlike today!

Me scrambling up the steps by my Mother and father - 1948

We moved to a second floor apartment at 120 Washington Avenue in 1947 because my father lost his driver's license.  Prior to our move, we had always lived in the country.  Because my father couldn't drive a car, he had to move to a place close to where he worked.  He worked as a welder at Waste Motor Haulage in Downingtown, only a few blocks from the $22 a apartment he had rented at Washington Avenue.  The apartment building was owned by the man he worked for, David Ginsburg.

Me and my brothers sitting on the fire escape at 120 Washington Avenue - believe it or not I remember when I punched in the tip of my brother's hat (just to aggravate him) .  I was always doing something like that.  It was my job as Big Brother.

Me (on the far right) and my brothers John (far left) and Isaac, Jr. (in the middle...as always)  on the second floor roof landing outside our apartment at 120 Washington Avenue - 1950

Looking back over the years I see now where because my father had to make this change in his life because he lost his driver's license, changed the course of my life...for the good.  Because we lived in town I was able to walk to school and stay in the same school system for the next twelve years.  Back then in the Fifties you were either a "townie" (a kid who lived in town) or a "farmer" (a kid who lived outside of town usually on a farm but not necessarily so).  To be called a "farmer" back in those days (The Fifties) was a derogatory term.  Funny how times change, today it wouldn't mean anything.

My brothers John and Isaac, Jr. with my Mother and father on the steps at 120 Washington Ave., check out the hood ornament of the car - 1951

My two younger brothers (Isaac, Jr. and John) grew up on Washington Avenue.  We were poor but we had a wonderful childhood.  I would not have had it any other way.  We always had something to do.  Maybe we didn't have toys or parents arranging schedules for us but we had plenty of friends.  Mom always let us out of the apartment at daylight and we didn't come back until it was dark, and sometimes not then (for which we usually got a beating).

Isaac, Jr. and John playing on Washington Avenue - 1947

Fun times and summertime was the best playing "Hide and Seek" in the hot summer evenings.  Air conditioning?  What was that?  We didn't miss it at all.

Me (center) with my brother John (next to me) and Isaac, Jr. (in front) with some of our neighborhood friends (Patty Robinson and Johnny Johnson) at 120 Washington Avenue - 1952

I'll have to write a small novel about our years on Washington Avenue (from 1947 to 1953) just because I don't want those wonderful memories to be gone forever when I'm no longer around.

But for now here are some photos of that magical time.

120 Washington Avenue today - we lived int he second floor apartment - the steps we used to sit on are still there - 60 years later!

Tipton Family Reunion Movie Part One

This is part one of a movie that I made of some of the many wonderful photos my friend Mark Himes of "Our Simple Lives" blog. took at my family reunion this past October 9th, 2011 at the East Brandywine Park near Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

I'm really enjoying making these iMovies.  I still have a lot to learn but I think I have the basics down.  More movies on the way.  This is way better than a slide show!

A little narrative as to who is in this movie:

The movie open with me (in the green hat) and my "baby" brother Isaac, Jr. (in the orange pullover) arriving first at the pavilion to set up the tables and place the Tipton Reunion Banner.

First to arrive were our cousins Darlene Tipton Ford and Rita Tipton Buxbaum, daughters of my uncle Luther Raymond "Dude" Tipton.  Darlene's son David Ford arrived with them.

They all signed the guest book.

Next to arrive was my cousin Bob Tipton and his wife Marie and daughter Sharon who traveled all the way from Marietta, Georgia.  Cousin Bob brought along his chihuahua dog Brutus.  Cousin Bob is the son of my uncle Erby Erwin Tipton.

Next in the picture is 11 year old Hunter Tipton, on crutches.  Hunter has a twin brother named Tanner Tipton.  Hunter and Tanner are the sons of Paul and Linda Tipton.  Paul is the grandson of my uncle Erby Tipton.  Hunter injured his leg playing football.

Next to arrive is my cousin Tom Tipton, Jr along with his wife Kathleen.  Tom is also the grandson of Erby Tipton.  Tom is also on crutches.  He severely injured his leg in a motorcycle accident.  Thank goodness he is healing nicely although he does have an ugly Frankenstein scar on his leg.

Next to arrive is cousin Louis Tipton White with her daughter Debbie Fincke and her son Aaron Fincke.  Louis is the daughter of my uncle Erby Tipton.  Louise's husband Fred White also arrive.  He is in the red shirt shaking my hand at the end of this movie.

There, I hope I didn't confuse the reader too much.  If you're of the Tipton family, you know the players.  If not, oh well.

Part Two will show more Tiptons arriving.  My father had ten brothers.  They all had families.  The largest contingent, that of uncle Ray's line didn't show up.  Hopefully they will come next year.

I plan on having an annual Tipton Family reunion every year as long as I'm able to do it.  My thanks to my friend and fellow blogger Mark H. for the fabulous photos.  Thanks Mark!

F.A.G.

My account for update my Find a Grave info

F.A.G. is the acronym for Find a Grave.  Find a Grave is a website that was originally started to identify burial places of famous people, (usually movie stars).

I discovered Find a Grave through a tip from my cousin Tim Tipton who, like me, made numerous trips to graveyards searching for information on our common ancestors.  Tim told me that I could go to the Find a Grave website and probably find a lot of information about our ancestors.

I went, I saw and I was hooked!  Over the years I had taken many pictures of graves and their headstones.  Now I had a place to put them.  I joined the Find a Grave community (which ironically has the acronym of FAG - oh the irony since I am gay) to share my information and also to fulfill photo requests.  Many a time Bill and I searched and visited nearby graveyards to fulfill a photo request for a far flung relative or friend of the deceased.

Me at my great-grandfather's grave in Limestone, Tennessee

Since joining Find a Grave, I have made many friends in the FAG community, most of whom are straight (again, the irony).  Like my genealogy research, sometimes I'm hot and heavy into it and then sometimes I take months off and do nothing because I'm caught up in other aspects of my life in "retirement".  More irony, I have never been busier in my life than I have in my retirement but I've also never been happier.  No irony there, just contentment and happiness and much to look forward to each day that I wake up and see the morning light.

Over the past two years I have taken hundreds of photos of grave headstones that I haven't posted to FAG. A couple of weeks ago when I was fulfilling another photo request for a FAG member, I noticed that I now have competition down here in Lower Slower Delaware for Find a Grave contributors.  In fact, I have discovered that someone else is posting pictures they have taken of gravestones!  I have dallied too long.  So for the next couple of months, I'm going to try and post my backlog of pictures to Find a Grave.com.  I may not have as many blog postings so if you're all wondering what happen to Ron, it is just that I am shifting priorities.  Just so many hours in this retiree's days.

Before I leave, one more irony.  About a year into my membership of Find a Grave I discovered who founded Find a Grave.  It is a man by the name of :

JIM TIPTON.  

Jim Tipton, Find a Grave Founder

Tipton Family Reunion a Success!

Children and husbands and their children of the 36 Tipton cousins

With some trepidation I awoke this past Sunday morning where I was staying at my brother's home in East Brandywine Township (Downingtown) to cloudy skies.  Oh no, I guaranteed sunny skies for the Tipton Family Reunion which was to take place at noon.  I signed on to my brother's computer and checked the weather forecast and was much relieved to find that the skies were clear later in the morning.

After my breakfast (a bowl of Corn Chex with a banana) I headed out to the East Brandywine Community Park to get the tables ready for the reunion which was to begin at 12 noon.

Debbie White Fincke with Tipton Family Reunion sign

As I was putting on the many colored light tablecloths (actually very thin plastic) that I had purchased at Walmart, the wind picked up.  The wind has always been a problem at this park.  The East Brandywine Community Park is a beautiful park but it is located on high flat land which was a crop field of a former field.  I knew I would have trouble with these tablecloths.  Even with the weights on the tablecloths , the wind was still blowing the tablecloths off the tables.

I made an executive decision and got in my car and made an emergency run to Wegmans.  I had a couple of more expensive table cloths from Wegmans and they were holding their own with the wind.

By the time I got back to the park with my new tablecloths, cousin Dick Tipton and his wife Linda had arrived.  Dick and Linda were going to help me with the food.  SHOWTIME!

East Brandywine Community Park, Downingtown, PA 2010

While putting on the new tablecloths my cell phone rang.  On the other end was Cousin Darlene Ford.  She couldn't find the park.  There are three pavilions at the East Brandywine Park.  I told her it was the last one.  In a few minutes Darlene pulled in the lot.  Now we were ready to go.  Darlene, Dick and Linda were my lifesavers.  A few minutes later Darlene's sister Rita Buxbaum arrived to lend a helping hand.

The Alison Pavilion, East Brandywine Community Park 2010

We had our sign in book at the table at the entrance to the pavilion.  Blank name tags were ready for marking to identify cousins.  Ready to go!

Me multi-tasking at the sign in table

The first official arrivals were Cousin Bob Tipton and his wife Marie and their daughter Sharon.  They had come all the way up from Marietta, Georgia.

Me greeting Tom Cruse, Terri Porter-Cruse's husband

We all greeted Cousin Bob with a warm hug.  I don't know how many years it has been since we've seen Bob but it has been too long.  It seems that in our adult years the only time we see our cousins are at funerals.  This is one of the reasons I decided to restart the family reunions, to bring the family back together again.

Louise Tipton White greeting her nephew, Tom Tipton, Jr.

When we were little kids, our parents used to have frequent family reunions at places like Lenape and Kerr Park in Downingtown.  However, over the years as the original eleven Tipton brothers died off and their thirty six children (yes, I have thirty five first cousins) grew into adulthood, we drifted apart.

The Tipton First Cousins

Back in 1993 Dude's girls (my uncle Luther Raymond Tipton) decided to have a family reunion for the remaining surviving Tipton brothers.  Dude's girls are: Donna, Rita, Darlene and Joy.  This reunion was held at the Westwood Fire Company outside of Coatesville, PA.

Linda Tipton, Dick Tipton, Bob Tipton and Darlene Tipton Ford

In 1994 I held the next Tipton Family reunion at the same location.  My goal was to gather information for my genealogy research of the Tipton family.  I also wanted to take pictures but I wasn't able to do too much because I was too busy cooking hamburgers.  Cousin Dick Tipton saw my dilemma and rescued me from my Hamburger Stress.

1993 Tipton Family Reunion 1993 Westwood Fire Company, Coatesville, PA

I held the next Tipton Family reunion in October of 1997 at the present location, the East Brandywine Community park.  I thought at that time we were on way to more frequent family reunions but life interfered.  The next thing I knew, thirteen years had passed and our family had not had a family reunion.

1997 Tipton Family Reunion, East Brandywine Community Park, Downingtown, PA

Last year Cousin Dick Tipton asked me when we were having another family reunion.  Dick question got me to thinking that it's been too long since we had a family reunion.  I told him I would coordinate and make arrangements for the family reunion.

Jeff Tipton greeting his uncle Ed Tipton (with Charles Tipton sitting to side) at 1997 reunion

All of the eleven Tipton brothers have since passed on since the last reunion in 1997.  Also several of the thirty-six cousins have passed on and the surviving cousins weren't getting any younger.  So I decided, that as long as I can, I will hold annual family reunions.

My brother John called from his home in Greenville, South Carolina yesterday to ask me how the reunion went  He was concerned that it wouldn't be a success and I would be disappointed.  I was very glad to tell him that the reunion was a wonderful success!  Not every one could make it to the reunion but for those who did, we all had a wonderful time.  After many years, the Tipton cousins were reunited again.  There were many hugs and warm greetings of long absent cousins.


Most of the Tipton cousins now have adult children and many of them have children who are entering into their teen years.  It was a special treat for me to meet my first cousins once and twice removed for the first time.  Many of them I have been in contact with on Facebook but meeting them in person was special.  My only regret was that I didn't have enough time to socialize and get to know them better.

1960 Tipton Family Reunion, Kerr Park, Downingtown, PA (Tipton kids)

I also had a friend roaming around to take pictures but I still didn't have enough pictures.  Even with all the help that cousins Darlene, Rita, Dick and Linda Tipton were providing I was still running around writing name tags and making sure those tablecloths weren't blowing in the wind.

Even though things could have ran more smoothly yesterday, the reunion was a great success.  The weather was beautiful, the food delicious, and being with family was wonderful.

This may be the digital age with the dominance of social networks like My Space and Facebook but there is nothing like an old fashioned family reunion.

1960 Tipton Family Reunion, Kerr Park, Downingtown, PA (Tipton Women)

Thank you to everyone for contributing to making the reunion such a success.

Mark your calendars because the next family reunion is planned for October of 2011!

The sons of Fieldon and Hester Tipton

1960 Tipton Family Reunion

Kerr Park, Downingtown, PA