The 2012 TFAA meeting in Townsend, Tennessee was a resounding success.
An enthusiastic group of Tiptons gathered and spent the day learning about our family and its heritage while exchanging information on genealogy and history.
The members in attendance are best characterized by their excitement and sense of bonding among Tiptons. The gathering included people from Idaho, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
Group photo courtesy of Tipton descendant Chandra Pickering.
Lendel Abbott presented “Tales and History of the Tiptons of Cades Cove” in an entertaining, informative and much appreciated talk.
John Parrish presented the results of his research on the Tipton veterans of the War of 1812 from East Tennessee.
Bob Tipton updated the membership on the Tipton DNA Project.
John Parrish was re-elected President of the TFAA and it was decided to have the 2013 meeting in Burnsville, North Carolina on October 12th.
Major Jonathan Tipton (1750-1833) was one of the earliest settlers in this area of North Carolina and many of his descendants live there today.
The principal business concern expressed by the members was the need for the TFAA to receive more membership donations so our business can be accomplished efficiently and so that the Association will prosper.
Potential TFAA Projects were discussed as follows:
Complete and launch the TFAA website
Produce & distribute a digital copy of We Tipton and our Kin
Produce and provide monuments at specific locations to document the accomplishments of our Tipton ancestors such as an historical marker to Colonel John Tipton in Woodstock, Virginia; a historical marker about the Tiptons in Sycamore Shoals State Park, Elizabethton, Tennessee; document William “Fighting Billy” on the monument at the Battle of Savannah, Georgia.
The TFAA was instrumental in assuring the historical marker citing Joseph Tipton’s role in the founding of Johnson City, Tennessee will be installed in the city’s Founders Park.
John Parrish gave the Treasurer’s report which was approved by the membership.
Hope Your Thanksgiving was Wonderful!
Geraldine Hansen of Twin Falls, Idaho was in attendance at this year’s meeting. After returning home she was ordering some items embroidered with the Tipton Coat of Arms from Doe Valley Printing for Christmas gifts. As a result, she became interested in the Coat of Arms and its background, description and meaning so she asked for some details. Geraldine’s request caused me to think there would be others interested so the following presents information about
The Tipton Family Coat of Arms
The Tipton Family Coat of Arms was adopted at the founding meeting of The Tipton Family Association on 15 August 1987 as the Association logo.
The Coat of Arms was given to Anthony de Tipton by King Edward I of England according to Tipton Family legend. Tipton was knighted on 12 December 1282 following the battle that ended the last Welsh rebellion against English rule.
The Battle of Orewin (Irfon) Bridge took place 11 December 1282 near Bulith Wells in Wales. Following the defeat of the Welsh, Prince Llewellyn of Wales was killed in single combat. Legend says Anthony vanquished Llewellyn and that King Edward was grateful.
The inscription in Latin translates as This Sword in This Hand Caused
The Decision That Ended the War.
The Coat of Arms is pictured in Reverend Ervin Charles Tipton’s book We Tipton and Our Kin on page four in full color. On page 18, Reverend Tipton describes the Coat of Arms as follows “Arms: a shield azure. chev. or. 3 cross septors. fenster 1 marlet. Crest: an upheld hand holding a dagger”
A little research indicates the cross septors (scepters) can be a sign of royal authority and were also commonly used as simple decoration. A fenster describes a window; in this case the space in which the martlet is depicted. The martlet is a heraldic symbol of a stylized bird resembling a marlin or swallow. It could represent promptness and readiness in the dispatch of business and/or nobility acquired through bravery.
At some point in time, the Tiptons did not retain Anthony’s knighthood status within the family. While this seems strange today, the responsibilities were demanding and expensive and it was not uncommon for subsequent generations to drop noble status.
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Melissa Turner sends the following:
My name is Melissa Turner and I would love to
find other Tipton Family in Arkansas, it would be nice to have family
close by. My email address is turnerbbmk@aol.com.
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The Siege of Savannah occurred 9 October 1779 when American forces attacked the British to retake the city. William “Fighting Billy” Tipton (1761-1849) was a soldier in this Revolutionary War battle and was badly wounded in the fighting.
The Society of 1779 in Savannah, Georgia commemorates and maintains the battlegrounds. Members of the Society can place the record of a Revolutionary War soldier on a two foot by two foot blue granite stone on the battlefield to permanently honor an ancestor.
The cost is $ 1,779.00
The Society of 1779 is a group within the Coastal Heritage Society of Savannah, Georgia 31401 at 303 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. You can learn more about the Society and the battle at www.chsgeorgia.org.
If TFAA members make donations to the TFAA to begin a fund to commemorate William Tipton’s service on the battlefield, the TFAA will start the fund, maintain it and make the arrangements when $ 1,779.00 is donated. If you choose to make a donation to this fund, please make the donation a separate check from you membership donation and note this on your check.
Happy Holidays to You and Yours
PS: I got somewhat behind on getting this newsletter out to you because I had some eye surgery that slowed me down as did the Thanksgiving Holiday. The surgery was very successful and I am now back to full speed.
Please share this newsletter with everyone you know that could be interested in our family’s history and association. If you are receiving this newsletter by snail mail, please let me know your email address so you can get the newsletter electronically and in color. My email is parrrish968@aol.com.
Previous newsletters are archived on the TFAA website.
The TFAA and President thank the many TFAA members and friends who support our Association financially. That support makes our family’s association prosper and achieve its goal to preserve Tipton family history in the present!
Please support the Tipton Family Association by making your membership donation to the Tipton Family Association of America on the TFAA website: www.tiptonfamilyassociationofamerica.com
Many Thanks to All Who Make Their Membership Donations to
The Tipton Family Association of America
Tipton Family Membership donations make the TFAA able to accomplish the goals of the membership. In recent years, the TFAA has re-established meetings and newsletters, made the book We Tipton and Our Kin available on CD, provided a plaque in honor of William “Fightin’ Billy” Tipton in Savannah, assisted research in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on the farmland of Colonel John Tipton and the successful quest to find the burial place of Major Jonathan Tipton. With your financial support, we can continue to succeed and do more!