My Genealogy Blog

Tipton Family Reunion October 2011

Hey folks!  Here is my genealogy blog.  I've had it up for several years but have been remiss in updating it.  However, I am making a sincere attempt to be more timely in my postings. To see it go here.


I really love my genealogy postings and have neglected it for far too long. Most of my blog postings are on this blog, Retired in Delaware.  I have to watch myself that I don't descend into complaining and depressing blogs.  I am never depressed when I do my genealogy blog.

Yesterday I finalized the plans for our annual Tipton Family Reunion in Downingtown. As in years past the reunion will be held on Columbus Day Weekend.

Even though it is a Tipton Family Reunion, all are invited because we are all family aren't we?

Come join us this Sunday October 7th, 2012 at the East Brandywine Park in Guthriesville, Pennsylvania.

Cousin Richard "R.D." Tipton will be catering.  Below is his the menu.  Only $10.00 a head, children free.

A special treat, as last year, my blogger friend Mark of "Our Simple Lives" will be on hand to take his wonderful photos.  Mark is an extremely talented photographer and I am lucky to have his services available for my family reunion.

With all the negativity in the air these days because of politics, what better remedy than for family to get together and share happiness?  Lots of smiles always at the reunions.  Come join us!

Our fabulous photographer - MARK!

Why I Do Reunions

My cousin Barbara with her two daughters and four grandchildren - all smiles

Some people I know never do reunions.  In fact, most of my friends don't do class reunions.  I don't know of anyone who does family reunions.  I do both.

To put on a reunion requires a lot of effort.  Also, another downside to organizing a reunion is I almost always offend some member of my family by some imagined slight.  But I don't let those pitfalls deter me.

The way I look at life is that there are so many negative things going on in our world.  From politics to terrorists to some disease waiting in the wings to take you out of this life.

Almost a day doesn't go by that someone of some organization is asking me to give them money to to donate my time to them.  Sometimes I give,  but mostly I don't.  I don't know where that money is going or what good it is going to do.  And I certainly don't donate my time.  Why?  I just don't have enough of it to give away.  Even though I'm retired, I am kept fully occupied just taking care of my house, my Bill, my friends and my family.  I'm not putting down volunteers, if that's your thing go for it.  But for me it doesn't work.  This is my "volunteering."  I put together reunions.  And this is why:

My cousin Tom, Sr. (on the right) sharing a laugh with his son Tom, Jr.

Family Reunion

Taking the reunion sign down from last year's reunion

Who says I'm retired?  I just finished addressing the invitation to the Tipton Family Reunion.  I hope I didn't' forget anybody.  One has to watch that one doesn't leave someone off the mailing list or else they will feel offended and hold a grudge and Tiptons (most of us anyway) are famous for holding grudges.  We're like elephants, we never forget a slight.  I know I don't.

This year I'm going to try and stay out of the food aspect of the region.  In past reunions that I have organized it seemed that most of my time was spent securing tablecloths in the windy venues where we usually have our reunions and making sure we had enough paper plates, sodas, utensils, and hot dog rolls.  I started these family reunions just for the simple fact of having a family reunion and reconnecting with family members.  Each generation grows farther and farther apart and after a while we lose all contact.  By holding these family reunions, I hope to keep family members closer or another way of putting it, keeping our tribe intact.

I also use the family reunions as an opportunity to record family members by taking group and individual pictures.  In past reunions I've been so busy with the nitty gritty detail of running the reunion that I had little time to talk or even to take pictures.  This year I think I have it solved.  My blogger friend Mark H. will also be attending and using his talented photography skills to record the event.

Lots to do around here always.  And I thought I was retired!

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

Family Reunion

Me pulling out of my garage to put the final touches on the family reunion arrangements

After much planning and coordinating zero hour of the Tipton Family Reunion is finally here.




I left my home in Delaware and arrived late this morning at my brother Isaac’s home outside of Downingtown, PA.

Me leaving home at 8 am this morning

We took an early lunch at Pizzeria Uno in Lionville. Deep dish pepperoni pizza for Ike and an eggplant, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese pizza for me. Isaac rated his pizza a 6 but I rated mine an 8.

Brother Isaac's deep dish pepperoni pizza (6)

Brother Ronald's eggplant, sun dried tomato and feta cheese pizza (8)

Then it was off to the East Brandywine Community Park to clean up the pavilion to get it ready for the first Tipton family reunion since 1997. I can’t believe that thirteen years have passed since the last reunion, which was held at the same location.

The Alison Pavilion where our reunion will be held

Ike and I had to rearrange the heavy picnic tables, not an easy task for a 68 and 67 year old men. If he have another reunion in 13 years I don’t think we’ll be rearranging the tables again. We will have to call on some of the younger generation of Tiptons to help with that task That is if we’re still around.



A few days ago I was looking at a DVD I had made of the VCR tape that I had taken of the last reunion and I was surprised at how many of my relatives have passed on since that October 4, 1997 date. This fact is a reminder to me to have more frequent reunions in the future. I can’t let 13 years pass between reunions again.



After rearranging the tables we had to clean the floor of the pavilion. It was gritty with gravel and dirt. Ike had a good idea to use a leaf blower. That is what he is doing in the picture posted on this blog.

Brother Isaac using the leaf blower to clear out the dirt on the floor of the pavilion

I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to display the Tipton Family Reunion banner that cousin John Tipton made for the last reunion. However, my fears were soon put to rest because Isaac and I found that we could tie the banner to the bulletin board at the entrance to the pavilion.



All that remained was to find tablecloth clamps for the vinyl tablecloths. The pavilion is very windy and the multicolored table cloths I purchased at Walmart would quicky blow away in the green grassy knolls surrounding the pavilion. Off we went to Lowe’s for tablecloth clamps. Of such minutia we were now charged with. After about two hours we found some tablecloth weights at a Christmas store. The darn things cost more than the tablecloths. Oh well.



Now it was back to home base and rack my brain for anything I may have forgotten.



Thank goodness the weather forecast tomorrow at 71 degrees and low humidity is almost perfect. I’m not bragging (would I do that) but I did guarantee perfect weather.



Now to get a good night’s sleep so I can be all fresh and sparkly for tomorrow’s reunion. Lots of stress here but it’s worth it. You only get one family. I am very thankful that we will able to see each other tomorrow and renew old friendships and meet new cousins.

The way I feel now