My Family Tree

 This morning I posted a reply to one of my favorite bloggers who wrote about his grandparents. He asked his readers to share their memories of their grandparents. I left a long reply briefly sharing information about the grandparents I knew. I thought my reply was interesting and some of you might find the same. I have posted some of this information overt the years in my twenty plus years of blog posting. I'm posting it again, in this condensed form.

 I only knew one grandparent, my maternal grandfather.

Maternal grandfather - George Hadfield

He was a piece of work. He was descended from his grandfather who came over as an immigrant from Glossip, England to work in the wool mills as he and his family did in England. The year was 1854. A womanizer (married three times), cruel to my Mother growing up and at the end of his life he made everyone miserable by berating them with his Jehovah Witness crap which he discovered late in life. He even brought over a young girl my age during one of his visits thinking that would sway me. I told him “The next time you come bring a young man and I might consider….”. Yes, I did that. Of course he never brought over the young man. I think my Mother explained to him my situation. He never bothered me again.

My paternal grandmother was alive when I was but I don’t remember her because he died when I was two years old. She was an uneducated hillbilly from the western mountains of North Carolina. 

Hester Lewis Tipton, my paternal grandmother

She couldn’t read or write but she did chew tobacco and tell my Mother that dancing was “sinful.” Glad I didn’t know her.

My paternal grandfather died two years before I was born.

My paternal grandfather Fieldon Jacob Tipton with my paternal grandmother and two of their grandchildren (my cousins brother and sister Jackie and Bill Tipton) He was a farmer who along with his wife couldn't read or write but they could produce children (had a Toal of 12 sons)

He was descended from Jonathan Tipton who immigrated to this country from Port Royale, Jamaica after the Great Earthquake of 1692 destroyed his rum barrel stave making business. He had money and brought a lot of land in Maryland. His grandson fought along George Washington during the Battle of King’s Mountain. His name was Major Jonathan Tipton and he was my six time great grandfather. He was also involved in the formation of the state of Tennessee when it broke off from North Carolina. He settled in those mountains of Western North Carolina and proceeded to produce a prodigious batch of Tipton’s of which I am descended from. My paternal grandfather was also an uneducated hillbilly from those same western North Carolina mountains bordering on Tennessee. He was in the lumber business and brought his nine sons to Pennsylvania during the depression because they were starving and he and his sons (two more born in PA) lived on his brother-in-law’s fruit and vegetable farm in southern Chester County as field labor. My father met my Mother during this time. My father had multiple scars on his back from beatings received from his father. Such was the nature of chid discipline in those days. He died in 1939, two years before I was born. My Mother never met him, only knew him as “Mr. Tipton.” After the experience with her father, she probably wouldn’t want to meet him either.

My maternal grandmother died at 29 years old giving childbirth.

My maternal grandmother Ethel Hickman Hadfield. She was the oldest daughter of a well to do pig farmer.  Very educated and quite the independent personality I understand from family lore. Unfortunately she died giving childbirth at home to her sixth child at 29 years old).

She was from a long line of historical Quaker families in Pennsylvania. From her picture she was very elegant. She died before my Mother was two years old. My Mother often talked about her.

There was one great grandmother (my maternal grandfather’s mother) who I met only once. She was on her deathbed.

My great maternal grandmother Isabelle "Belle" Donely Hadfield. She is the woman on the right with the long hair. My Mother as a young girl used to brush her grandmother's hair for hours. My Mother said she liked doing that for her grandmother and her grandmother liked it. I only met her once when she was a very old lady on her deathbed when they trooped up all us sweaty great grandkids to see her once before she died. I think she was about the age I am now!

They brought up all us unwashed ruffian offspring to see her before she died. She was also a very elegant lady from another long line of Pennsylvania Quaker families. During the 1880’s she was an actress. All I remember about her was climbing those stairs to the third floor of the house where she lived with her daughter and seeing this very small bird like white haired lady in a bed. As we ruffians came in one by one she turned her head and smiled slightly and nodded her head every so slowly. I will always remember that moment. Years later a cousin gave me a report card that great-grandmother Isabella Donely (she was Irish) had attend a private girls school during her youth. Her grades were excellent. She was a far cry from my tobacco, “dancing is sinful”, paternal grandmother. 

Now you know why my personality is so fucked. Look at my family tree.

My Roots

 

Not that anyone's interested but here are my ancestral regions as a result of two different DNA tests. Not a Latin bone in my body. I knew that already.

In not too many years I'll have a chance to visit my ancestors in person. I am looking forward to that!

Throwback Thursday - April 1994 - Uncle Aster

My Grand Uncle Aster Lewis and me in front of a historic general store in Jonesboro, Tennessee - 1994

This week's Throwback Thursday is a recognition of my grand uncle Aster Lewis (1919-1997).

The photo in this posting is of my Uncle Aster Lewis and myself taken in the historic town of Jonesborough, Tennessee (in 1994 - over twenty years ago)!

Uncle Aster was significant in my life because he opened the way for my genealogical research into my paternal family line.

The spring of 1994 was the first year I met my grand uncle Aster.  Before that date I didn't even know he existed.  How it came about that I knew I had an Uncle Aster was from my Aunt Peg Tipton.  

Aster was the son of Isaac Ledford Lewis, my great grandfather and the father of my grandmother Hester Lewis Tipton, who married my grandfather Fieldon Tipton. 

Uncle Aster's father and my great grandfather Isaac Ledford Lewis - abt. 1940

Aunt Peg knew I was interested in researching my paternal line of Tiptons from whence they came in western North Carolina.  

My great grandfather Isaac Lewis (no relation to Jerry Lewis)

When I left my job at the bank in Philadelphia on April 1st, 1994 (I quit), I made plans to visit my brother John in Greenville, South Carolina.  From John's home it is a two hour drive to the mountains of western North Carolina which borders on eastern Tennessee and the city of Johnson City, Tennessee.  Aunt Peg gave me Uncle Aster's phone number and suggested I call him knowing that he would know folks who still were living who knew my grandfather Fieldon Tipton before he moved with his family to southeastern Pennsylvania during the late 1920's to seek work (they were starving in the mountainous hills of western North Carolina - oh yes - they were hillbillies - when his lumber business went belly up. 

Me headed up to the top of the mountain to Goldwater Cemetery where my great grandfather Isaac Lewis is buried

Uncle Aster was a traveling, fire and brimstone, preacher.  He was very poor but generous with his time and knowledge in helping me research my family history.

I specifically remember one thing he said to me when I left.  He said "God be with you Ron because I know I'll never see you again."  And you know what folks, I never did again.  He died three years later but I will be forever thankful to him form providing me the path to research my family history through his introductions.  

The headstone of my great grandfather Isaac Lewis's grave at the top of the mountain which is now inaccessible

The Coldwater Cemetery, a private Lewis cemetery located at the top of a mountain on Upper Pigeon Roost Road, Green Mountain, Tennessee.

Pictured above are Glenn Renfro (who owns the land and is married to Wanda Byrd who is the granddaughter of Pansy Tipton, who was the sister of my grandfather Fieldon Tipton - I hope you go that and your head doesn't hurt now).

Aster Lewis is in the center of the photo and my brother John is to the far right.  He was taking a video.  You can see him shouldering the video camera (this was before iPhones and videos).  

This was and is a beautiful and peaceful cemetery now inaccessible.  A side note; during my last visit three years ago Glenn Renfo's son Jerry asked me if I was gay (specifically he asked "There is a rumor that you practice the gay lifestyle, is that true?"  I told him I was (I answered his question by saying "If you're asking me if I'm gay, I am").  He was the relative (second cousin, once removed) who  threatened me by saying "If you ever visit my parent's again you'll have me to deal with!"  

Of course I haven't been back since but I am so appreciative to my dear Grand Uncle Aster who providing the hospitality that the South is known for when I visited him over twenty years ago.  

Uncle Aster at his mother's grave (not my great grandmother, my great grandfather married a second time after his first wife my great grandmother died) in Johnson City, Tennessee.  Aster's wife is to the left. Aster is now buried in this cemetery.

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.