Monday, January 12, 2009

Tipton Family Research 2009











This is the year that all my Tipton family research is coming together. Now that I’m retired, I can devote more time to researching our common Tipton family history. Not only am I researching names and dates of births and deaths, but I am looking for old photographs and stories. The photographs and stories enable history to come alive for those of us who are interested in our origins.

From the time I was about 10 years old, I wondered about where my parents and their parents came from. What were they like? I especially wondered about my father’s parents and grandparents since his family wasn’t originally from Pennsylvania. My father knew little of his origins because his parents brought him to Pennsylvania when he was only about 10 years old. All I knew was that his family was a “hillbilly” from someplace called “Pigeon Roost.”

Now fast forward to 1994 when my brother John “discovered” Pigeon Roost. I still remember so clearly when John called me where I worked in Philadelphia to tell me “Ronnie! I found Pigeon Roost! It exists!” He was making his phone call from the Griffith General Store in Tipton Hill, North Carolina. I cannot adequately describe my feeling of exhilaration upon hearing this groundbreaking news. I still have that feeling to this day.

In the spring of 1994 I left my job and took a week off to visit my brother John and his wife Barbara in Greenville, South Carolina for the first time. It turns out that Pigeon Roost, North Carolina was only 2 ½ hours away from Greenville. John rented a van and off we went to the mountains of western North Carolina, near the Tennessee border with Johnson City, Tennessee. What a thrill it was the first time we traveled up one of those “hollers.” It wasn’t quite “Deliverance” (we weren’t going for white water rafting although John and his church group would do that later) but it was a experience of a lifetime.

From that trip I decided to actively research the Tipton family history. It has been a long journey. For a period I was actively researched the Tipton family history. A couple of return trips were made to interview relatives. Pictures and videos were taken. I was on a roll for awhile then I had a twin whammy hit me. My computer crashed and I lost my job. Life interrupted.

It took a while to rebuild my genealogy file and even longer to get established in a new job. In fact, it too took long. I lost several years. By the time I got back to actively researching my family history, many of my older relatives had passed on, thus taking their unique knowledge with them to their grave. It saddens me to know that information is lost forever.

But there is good news. I am back. I have restored my files and am building them everyday. For safety, I now back up my files on a regular basis. As an added measure of safety I now post my research on Ancestry.com for all to see. Anyone who is interested in my research only has to send me an e-mail and I will be glad to send them an invitation to view my family tree. There is no cost, you are my guest. One of my big fears these days is if something happened to me suddenly that all my research would be lost. As those of you know who have been also researching Tipton family history, the sudden loss of someone like Charles D. Tipton of Texas can happen any time. I plan to stay around a long, long time (I’m 67 now) but one just never knows.

This morning a long time Tipton family research, Robert Tipton Nave, sent me a link to a new web site for Colonel John Tipton. Colonel John Tipton was the half brother of my direct ancestor, Major Jonathan Tipton III (1750-1833). I’ve added this link to my blog. I will be glad to add any other links to my blog that the reader thinks will be of interest to the Tipton history.

In these economic hard times and fear of security in this world, the one thing we have that is comforting is the knowledge of our shared family history. Finding out about our ancestors; seeing those old photographs and the similarity to our present relatives is priceless. Join me on my journey into our shared family history.


For those of you who are interested you can e-mail me at the following address:


ronstales@aol.com


30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice, my family too is searching our ancestry, several hours....months have been put into this by my determined cousins. We are Tiptons, Colonel John Tipton was direct descendant, they were able to trace our ancestry back to the pilgrims-back to the vikings (explains alot about "some of us") We are royalty-we thought we were native american on the Tipton side, but we actually have roots in England-we had no clue, Scotch-Irish-we knew, and Welsh-we didn't know. Amazing roots we have. Thet are still digging.

Beth Tipton Burstein said...

The Tiptons go back to 763 A.D. We are decendents of Earls. You really need to look for the book "We Tipton and Our Kin" by Reverend Tipton for California. You are wasting you time and won't discover anything new from this geneology. Rev. Tipton spent 40 years tracing our family.

Veronica Elizabeth Tipton Burstein, daughter of Richard Carl Tipton-Oregon, grand-daughter of Richard Randoulph Tipton - Kanasas.

Ron said...

Beth,

Thank you for your comment. I have the book "We Tiptons and Our Kin." It is a wealth of information about the Tipton family.

Anonymous said...

I am from Tipton Hill NC and I was wondering if you knew who Tipton Hill School is named after. Is John Henry Tipton the same man as Colonel John Henry?

Ron said...

Anonymous,

I believe Tipton Hill was named after Major Jonathan Tipton, who was a half-brother of Colonel John Tipton. After the Battle for the State of Franklin, Major Jonathan retired from Johnson City, Tennessee to the "hills of North Carolina." There are no records that indicate that Colonel John Tipton was in those mountains just across the border of Tennessee. Most if not all of the Tiptons of Tipton Hill and surrounding areas, including the Baily Settlement (where my father Isaac Tipton was born) are descended directly form Major Jonathan Tipton.

Are you also a Tipton?

Ron Tipton

Gwendolyn Karber said...

My name is Gwendolyn Tipton... I wonder if I'm related??? I want to know where my family came from...

Ron said...

Gwendolyn,

Give me the name and date of birth and death of your great grandfather Tipton and I can probably find how you fit into the Tipton family tree,

Ron Tipton

Gwendolyn Karber said...

Thank you so much. His name was Walter Tipton I know he died July 18 1987 and was 83 not sure of the date he was born but I do know he was 83. His parents were George and Sally Kate King Tipton. Also I know he lived in Buncombe County NC and was a native of Madison County. Also his wife was Dahlia Rose Bryan Tipton. Again thank you for whatever information you find and taking your personal time to help me.

Gwendolyn Tipton

Gwendolyn Karber said...

Thank you so much. His name was Walter Tipton. Not sure of the date he was born but I know he died July 18,1987 and was 83. I also know his parents names were George Tipton and Sally Kate King Tipton and was married to Dahlia Rose Bryan Tipton. Again Thank you very much

Ron said...

Gwendolyn,

I have found information of your father and grandfather. Send me your e-mail address of Facebook address and I'll send you what I found. It is too difficult to communicate this way through the Comment section of my blog.

Ron

Ron said...

Gwendolyn,

Walter Tipton was born September 30, 1903.

Ron

Gwendolyn Karber said...

gwendolynkarber@gmail.com.. Thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

My name is Malcolm Recardo Tipton, I'm African American. My immediate family is in Southern Florida (Palm Beach County) but my mom Betty Joyce Tipton Hawkins was born in Mississippi. My Grandmother Betty Jean Tipton Williams was born in Alabama. I came across this site and read some of the comments and figured how Africans (I know through slavery)fit in the Tipton name. Who owned who and when (time frame)?

Anonymous said...

My line goes through Jonathon's son Wiley is there any proven record from Jonathon to Wiley to Joseph? I have record from Joseph down to me.
Thanks in advance!
Steve

Karen said...

On 3-25-12 Anonymous asked about Tipton Hill School and John Henry Tipton. John Henry is my grandfather. He was the founder of the school. His father was Samuel Tipton, his father was David Tipton, his father was David Tipton, whose father was Major Jonathan Tipton.
karen

Ron said...

Thanks for your comment Karen. I would love to add your line to our common family tree. Would you be willing to send me your information so I could do that?
Thanks!

Ron Tipton

karen said...

I would be more than glad to share our family info. Please advise on best way to send.
karen

Ron said...

Karen,

Give me some way to contact you and I'll tell you the best way to send your family information.

Thanks!

Ron

karen said...

my email is: coast@embarqmail.com
Thanks, karen

Anonymous said...

Hello Ron,

Ive been trying to do research as well on my family. Its been difficult for me because I lost my parents at the age of 15. I do know that my great grandfathers name was Samuel Tipton and he married a woman named Elizabeth. Could you help me in any way? There are so many Tiptons across the country. What you are doing is amazing!! Thank you

Gwendolyn Karber said...

Hello ron i have continued doing research and found out major jonathan tipton is my 5th great grandfather!

Gwendolyn Karber said...

Hello ron! I have been continuing my research and found out major jonathan tipton is my 5th great grandfather!!

Anonymous said...

My Tipton Family Tree

Oldest to Newest

###################################Edward Tipton
###################################Jonathon Tipton Sr (I)
###################################Jonathon Tipton JR (II)
###################################Jonathon Tipton III
###################################
Here is where my research breaks down. I finally figured this out, but I had a hard disk crash a few years ago, and did not pick it back until now. I remember being
decended through a Wiley Tipton - either the father or the son.

Wiley Tipton ???
###################################

Wiley C Tipton ???

Here is the part I need help figuring out.

###############################
M. C. "Mac" Tipton 1851 - 1932 ["Malcum" or "Malcolm" was his real name]
[Lived in Unicoi Co TN - came from Tipton Hill NC as a boy]
###################################Joseph Tipton 1878 - 1961
###################################Howard Monroe Tipton 1912 - 1995
###################################Ronald Wayne Tipton 1935 -
###################################Michael Alan Tipton 1958 - [me]
###################################

Suggestion:

Also, is there a MASTER Tipton family tree that someone keeps? There are obviously a LOT of decendents, and you find fragments of the Tipton tree all over - but if we Tiptons's could contribute to the MASTER tree, then anyone could see the results and add their part to it - without having to try a build the whole thing each time.

Thanks

Michael A Tipton
Charlotte NC
MichaelTipton22@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hi! My granny Florence Holshouser was originally a Tipton. She passed in 2000, and was in her 90's, but I don't have an exact date of birth. I know she had a huge family from the mountains/Cherokee area of NC.

Anonymous said...

Hi ron I have been trying to find some kind of history about any of my family. So if you can contact me I would greatly appreciate it. The only thing I know is my father's name and my grandfather name. My email is lenderinka@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Ron, Hi, my name is Kolene League. I have been researching my geneology for about 12 years now. My dads family lineage, no problem, his Mom was a Mormon so you know how that goes. My mom tho, is another matter. The hundred year old family bible went in a fire in 1982, and my Moms family were all dead by 2001. I have made contact with distant cousins of my Papa, and gotten lots of info on his line. But the maternal line is killing me. Here is what I know for sure: My mothers line is Mom- Billie Jeanne Plant, daughter of Verna Mae Burgett, daughter of Jessie Lee Young, daughter of either Martha Jane or Martha Ann "Mattie" Tipton. This is where I hit a snag. I have two different men listed as Martha's father, 1) Caleb Longley Tipton, (according to most family trees on Ancestry.com), or T.S. Tipton, (according to the death certificate for Mattie). There are two different women listed for her mother- Caroline Matilda King, from Alabama, or Caroline Martin, from North Carolina. I am befuddled by the censuses, as they are all over the place. Mattie is supposed to have many siblings but their family trees have no info on Mattie and her progeny, it's like she was ostracized or something. If you are so moved to help me I will be eternally grateful. Feel free to e-mail me either way. I read somewhere on the net that we Tipton's are all descended from Sir Anthony one way or the other so I'm am bowing to your superior knowledge. Thanks for listening, Kolene.

Gary Tipton said...

Hello. Just came across this site for the first time. My name is Gary Tipton and I live in St. Joseph, Michigan. I have also done some research in the past about the Tipton line in America. My father was Charles Ernest Tipton born in Corbin, KY in 1920, passed in Michigan in 1989. My great, great, great, great grandfather was Major Jonathan Tipton, who served in the Revolutionary War, and of whom much is written. I have actually been able to trace our Tipton line origins back into the middle ages in England. Richard Tipton II, (1572-1617) of England had 4 sons, all of whom came to America settling in what is now Maryland. My particular family line is descended from Edward Tipton (1617-1688) and his wife Amy Anna Phillips (1617-?). The Phillips line is well known in English history with several knighted men going back to Sir Maredudd Phillips who was born in the 1300s. Through marriage, the line can be linked to the Plantagenet monarchs of England including, of course, the infamous Edward I Plantagenet (Longshanks). The history of the Tipton line is very rich indeed.

Anonymous said...

Houseofnames.com/tipton

Kathy said...

Any information about Susan Catherine (Kate) Tipton Sparks of Cades Cove TN would be greatly appreciated - I'm looking for pictures of her family. She was married to William Robert (Will) Sparks who died when he was 26 - we think in a logging accident. Thanks!

Unknown said...

My Grandmother was Julia Lyals Born Feb. 5, 1894 in Powell County Her Father was William was 35 and her mother was Olivia was 33. She had a brother Van who was born on Sept. 14, 1896 and died Oct. 13, 1968 - Van's wife was Mollie Ellen Brewer and they had a daughter Mildred Tipton. Can anyone give me more information about my Grandmother's family? Thank you