Fishing Rodeo

The Tipton men have always loved to fish. My previous blog featured my cousins Steve and Tom Tipton on a fishing trip. This blog features me and my cousin, Edward “Bud” Walter Tipton, on another fishing trip long ago. This fishing expedition was over fifty years ago (1951). The occasion was the West Chester (Pennsylvania) Fishing Rodeo. The picture in this blog is of Ronald Walter Tipton (the author of this blog – born November 9, 1941) and my cousin Bud Tipton (born April 1, 1941 along with his twin sister Joan “Sis” Tipton). I won the fishing rodeo. Yes! Really! I caught the biggest fish, a 14 inch trout. My cousin Bud posed in the picture with me. It is ironic that I won the first prize that day (a young girl also won a prize for catching the first fish). Why the irony? I haven’t been fishing since. I figured I would quit while I was ahead.

Tipton Fishing Outing

Tiptons have always loved to fish. Yesterday my cousin Steve Tipton sent me these pictures of him and our cousin Tom Tipton (along with other friends) on a fishing outing at Little Pine Creek, Tioga County, Pennsylvania last Thursday, May 8th, 2008. The picture of the diamond black rattlesnake was taken in Lycoming County. Cousin Tom wasn't with them when they were teasing the snake to strike (not a wise decision according to Steve). The snake was spared. They tossed it in the woods with a stick.

This is the second contribution I’ve received to my Tipton Tales and Trails blog. That’s what this web site is all about, Tiptons and their “tales and trails”. Keep the contributions coming!

Steven Bruce Tipton (born Feb 4, 1958)
Son of Richard Berry Tipton (29 Aug 1922 – 09 April 1989)

Thomas Fieldon Tipton, Sr. (born November 5, 1939)
Son of Erby Erwin Tipton (20 Nov 1917 – 20 Sep 1990)

Steve, Tom and I are all the grandsons of:
Fieldon Jacob Tipton, Sr. (04 Jun 1884 – 08 May 1939)

The Pop-Pop Look

In my last blog entry I made reference to “The Look” that my father, Isaac W. Tipton, Sr. (18 Apr 1920 – 22 Aug 2000) would give to me if I said or did something that he didn’t like. My cousin Dick Tipton called me to tell me he enjoyed reading the blog and that his granddaughter Sydney knows “The Look”. In fact, Dick says she does a wonderful impersonation of her grandad’s look. Look at the picture and judge for yourself. She’s got it!

Sydney Abigal Rutt (24 Apr 2006) is the daughter of Kristen Leigh Tipton (02 Oct 1974), who is the daughter of my cousin Richard Dwight Tipton (o3 Sep 1945), who is the son of my Uncle Raymond Luther Tipton 20 Ot 1908 – 03 Aug 1988).

Tipton Humor

As any true Tipton knows there is that "Tipton Humor." There are two types of Tipton Humor. There is the risqué (being polite here) humor. Then there is the other type of Tipton Humor is the practical joke. That is the humor I will talk about now. It is ironic that the Tipton men are well known for two things. Anyone who has been around a Tipton long enough has experienced the Tipton Temper. It is well known with much justification. In another blog, I will delve more into that aspect of the Tipton character. However, in this blog I will discuss the Tipton humor. From my earliest memory, I remember that my father never ceased to find passing gas just hilarious. My Uncle Henry had a well known trick all of us young Tiptons caught onto real fast. He would put his finger out and ask us to pull on it. We all knew the joke. We would pull on his forefinger and he would pass gas. However, onetime we had the last laugh on Uncle Henry. Once one of us pulled his finger and he passed more than gas. Uncle Henry had an accident. This brings to mind another irony of Tipton humor. The Tipton men (and it was only the men, I don’t remember my aunts pulling these jokes) have a glorious time pulling their jokes but don’t like to be on the receiving end of the jokes. Oh no. Then you got the Tipton Look. With my Pop it was “What’s the matter with you”? Then Pop would administer a quick slap up the side of my head (maybe that’s why I have a cauliflower ear). During my research into the Tipton family genealogy history I’ve been in contact with distant Tipton cousins I have never met face to face. One thing that is interesting is the prevalence of Tipton humor stories. The following story is from Anne Tipton (Born 21 Aug 1935) of Elizabethton, Tennessee.

Anne is the daughter of George Britt Tipton (born 31Mar 1897 – died 28 Dec 1969), and granddaughter of Dove William Tipton (born 11 Nov 1875 – died 22 Jul 1951). She tells the story of her father, George Britt Tipton pulled on his son Clyde Raymond Tipton (09 Jul 1924 - 13 Oct 1982). George Britt and his dad, Dove William operated a general store at the base of Pigeon Roost Road. The store was about 100 yards from where Anne's grandparents lived, and where her parents and brother, Willie and Doris began their families The store was torn down at some point.

Anne Tipton tells the story:

"Daddy used to laugh & say his joke on young Clyde backfired. He caught Clyde sneaking candy out the cat hole door of the general store just down to the left of this house. Clyde would plant the candy & later go out on a very high porch leading off the store to gather his goods. Daddy said he thought he would set a trap to catch Clyde. So, he waited for Clyde to stick his hand through the hole & thus, he grabbed his hand & held on tightly with Clyde screaming. Dad was then afraid to let go because he thought if he did, Clyde would fall back off the high porch. Dad was really scared, but somehow it was resolved & all ended with nobody getting hurt. "

Thankfully, no one was hurt by the “trap” that George Britt set for young Clyde. Just as no one was hurt by Uncle Henry’s finger pulling episode that resulted in him requiring a change of underwear.

Hiram Barnett

August 15th, every other year, Colonel John Tipton’s birthday is celebrated at the Tipton-Haynes Historic site in Johnson City, Tennessee. Thus it was in August of 1996 that I made plans to drive to Johnson City and attend my first Tipton Family Association of America reunion. My nephew Isaac W. Tipton, III (‘Ikey”) would drive us to Tennessee in a van that I rented. We arrived on a typical hot, muggy August day and checked into our rooms at the Johnson City Hampton Inn. The next day I gave directions for while Ikey drove to visit our genealogical roots in the forested hills and hollows that form the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Without Uncle Aster around to direct us, I managed as best I could from memory where the little roads that led up the hollows in those mountains. We arrived at the Tipton Hill community. This was a thrill for both of us, to be in a town named after us. Ikey and I spent most of the day driving around those roads. The only person I talked to was Glenn Renfro’s wife, Wanda Byrd Renfro. We missed Glenn, he was away. The next day we attended the TFAA reunion at the Tipton-Haynes Historic site. What a thrill it was to meet other Tiptons and their descendants we had never met before. My brother John and his wife drove up from their home in Greenville, South Carolina. Perhaps the highlight of the day, other than meeting fellow Tiptons, was meeting for the first time our father’s first cousin, Hiram Barnett (02 Jul 1917 - 28 Nov 2007). Hiram was the son of Jane Tipton who married Spencer Barnett. Hiram and his wife Nadine could not have been more gracious and accommodating to their new found cousins. A special treat of the visit was when Hiram brought out a large framed photographic picture of his grandfather and namesake, Hiram Tipton. John and I were stunned. We had never seen a picture of our great-grandfather. The thought never entered our minds. What a wonderful surprise. Our great-grandmother, Myra Warrick was also in the picture. Of course I wanted to take the picture, frame and all, with me. Hiram chuckled and said that would not be possible. He knew I was kidding (I wasn’t). He placed the frame on an ornate gold chair. I asked if I could take a picture in order to share with my Tipton relatives back home in Pennsylvania. Hiram gave me his permission. I took two pictures, one of which is posted in this blog. As was our visit two years previously with Aster Lewis, Hiram Barnett and his wife Nadine treated us the best of southern hospitality . Before we left, Barbara (John’s wife) took pictures of us outside of the Barnett home. A few years later Hiram died of melanoma cancer. Our visit to Hiram Barnett was in many ways like our earlier visit to Aster Lewis. Both were kind and gracious gentlemen. They generously offered their time and knowledge to help build the Tipton Family history. Fortunately I was able to meet these gentlemen before they left us. I will always remember them with affection and respect.