Tippit signature and family photographs

FAMILY HISTORY

Origins of the Family Name

The surname Tippit originated in England and France and was spelled "Typet," meaning "purse maker." In The Canterbury Tales, and other works of Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400), the pilgrims carried small pouches which contained knives, coins or other small personal items. These pouches were hung from a cord worn around the waist and were called typets. The family making these small pouches eventually took on the surname Typet.

There are many variations of the spelling - Tippett, Tippetts, Tippit, Teppet, and others. In England the letter 'p' was often changed to the letter 'b' (i.e., Hobbs to Hopps; Hobson to Hopson), a rather common practice in church records. For instance, the registers of St. Columb Major, County Cornwall, England, list the well-known Tippett family occassionally as Tibbett. [1]

The following account will utilize the spelling most commonly found in records associated with each individual. Since many of the same names appear across several generations, lineage will be differentiated by parenthetical numbers [i.e., Philip Tippett (1) had a son named Philip (2).]


Credit: Library of Congress
French map of the mid-Atlantic colonies showing the area (red circle) where the Tippett family originally settled


1635 - The Tippetts in America

The earliest record of the Tippett family in America is found in Richmond and Charles City County, Virginia and dates back to 1635. It was there that Philip Tippett (1) married a woman named Mary (last name unknown, although she was possibly from the Suttle family of Virginia, since she was living in a house owned by Suttle when her husband died in 1706). [2]

On April 28, 1681, Philip (1) and Mary Tippett came to St Mary's County, Maryland, probably in response to an advertisement for "free land." [3] Very often, settlers would come from England, arrive in Virginia, and then be "transported" a short distance across the Potomac river into Maryland in order to qualify for the free acreage being offered. Many would then return to Virginia and repeat the process to acquire additional land. [4]

Credit: Library of Congress
Woodcut of colonial life
Philip (1) and Mary Tippett had five sons. The son named for his father, Philip (2), was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, in 1682. His four brothers were Thomas, William, Dennis, and John. [5]

On July 13, 1706, the elder Philip Tippett (1) died. [6]

In April of 1717, his son Philip (2), "age ca. 35," gave a deposition regarding the bounds of a tract of land in St. Mary's County, Maryland, called Bashforde Manor. [7] By 1711, Philip married Mary Hilton, the daughter of John and Jane Hilton. [8]

Credit: Maryland Historical Society
Early map of Maryland and Virginia
In 1729, Philip Tippett (3) was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, to Philip (2) and Mary (Hilton) Tippett. He was the third generation of known Tippetts in America and was named after his father and grandfather. [9] He had three brothers (John, William, and Thomas) and three sisters (Frances, Sarah, and Jane). [10]

In May of 1735, the elder Philip Tippett (2)
died at the age of 53. He was survived by his wife Mary and three young sons. On May 18th his estate was inventoried and valued at 48 pounds, 19 shillings. [11]

In 1754, Philip Tippett (3), age 25, married Jane Lee, the 21-year-old daughter of wealthy St. Mary's County, Maryland, tobacco plantation owner John Lee (1704-1757) and his wife, Mary (Stiles). [12]

On August 1, 1760, Philip's (3) wife Jane gave birth to twin sons, Erasmus Lee (4) and Erastus Lee Tippett (4). [13] Two daughters, Mary Lee and Cloey Lee, were later added to the family. [14]

In September of 1761, Philip (3) and Jane Tippett inherited "some slaves," including a slave woman named "Wenny," from her parent's plantation, following the death of her mother, Mary (Stiles) Lee. [15]

Shortly thereafter, Philip Tippett (3) and family moved to Halifax County, North Carolina, where they prospered as tobacco farmers. In 1770, Philip Tippett (3), age 41,
Credit: Library of Congress
Woodcut of a colonial farm
bought 400 acres of land in Halifax County, North Carolina from his close friend Thomas Good for 33 pounds, 5 shillings. [16] A year later, he bought another 234 acres of land from John Evans of Dobbs County, North Carolina for 30 pounds. [17] The prospects for a bright future looked all but certain. But then, in May of 1772, Philip Tippett (3) died suddenly at the age of 43. His estate was disbursed based on a will filed two years earlier in Halifax County, North Carolina. His twin sons, Erasmus Lee (4) and Erastus Lee Tippett (4) each received "a cow and a calf." His two daughters, Mary Lee Tippett (4) and Cloey Lee Tippett (4) received "1 pounds, 5 shillings each." The rest of his estate went to his wife of 18 years, Jane (Lee) Tippett. [18]
Credit: Maryland Historical Society
Maryland six pence coins
In October of 1773, the Tippetts of North Carolina learned of the death of their great uncle, Dennis Tippett (2), who left a sizable tobacco plantation in Maryland and a number of slaves to his sons Notley, John, James, Butler, and Joseph, and daughter Elizabeth. To his son Dennis he left a bed, "my part of a still," and a Bible. [19]

In January of 1777, Philip Tippett's (3) oldest twin son, Erasmus Lee (4), age 22,
married Lucy (Cartwright) Bierling, age 18. Her parents, Matthew and Jane Cartwright, gave their son-in-law and his new wife 200 acres of land "for love, good will and affection." [20] The land was a portion of the 400 acre tract sold to Erasmus' father in 1770. [21] The couple had four children between 1782 and 1789 - James Tippett (b.1782, St. Mary's, MD), Benjamin Forman Tippett (b. July 21, 1785, Halifax, NC), Alesey Tippett (b.1787, Halifax, NC) and Sarah Tippett (b.1789, Halifax, NC). [22]

Credit: Dale K. Myers/Tennessee State Archives

1778 - Erastus Tippett Goes to War

The following year, 1778, Erasmus Lee and his twin brother Erastus Lee Tippett (4), ages 18, enlisted in the army as private soldiers in Halifax County, North Carolina. The moxy of the Tippett brothers found its way through the generations to Erastus Tippett's great-great-great grandson, J.D. Tippit, who also enlisted in the army at a young age some 166 years later.

Erastus (4) served nine months as a drummer in Captain Joseph Mumford's Company in the 3rd Regiment, commanded by Colonel James Hogan. [23]

On June 15, 1778, Erasmus Lee Tippett (4) gave the 200 acre parcel of land he had received from his father-in-law in 1777 to his brother Erastus Lee Tippett (4) for "love, good will and affection." [24] Erastus (4) returned home in September and worked the farm for the next two and a half years.

Credit: Library of Congress
Colonial drummer boy
Then, in the spring of 1781, Erastus Lee Tippett (4), age 21, re-enlisted as a private soldier in Halifax County, North Carolina. This time he served eighteen months in Captain Issac B. Cates' Company in the 3rd Regiment commanded by Colonel Archibald Lytle. [25] On March 15, 1781, Erastus (4) fought in the battle of Guilford Court House, North Carolina, where British forces under the command of General Charles Cornwallis attacked American forces under the command of General Nathanael Greene.
Credit: National Park Service
Site of the Battle of Guilford Court House
General Greene's troops were 4,500 strong, though mostly militiamen like Erastus Tippett, while Cornwallis led 2,200 British regulars. The battle lasted for most of the day.

The result was a British victory in the sense that the Americans were dislodged from their positions and
forced to withdraw. The cost to the British, however, was too high. They suffered 93 killed and 439 wounded, while the Americans reported 78 killed and 183 wounded. The battle left Cornwallis' army in tatters. [26]

On September 8, 1781, Erastus (4) fought in the battle of Eutaw Springs, South Carolina, the last important engagement in the Carolina campaign of the American Revolution. American General Nathaneal Greene believed that if he could destroy British commander Colonel Alexander Stewart he could end the British threat to the south once and for all.

The American forces attacked at dawn, driving British troops from their camp 30 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina. Feeling the battle was won, the hungry, thirsty Americans began plundering the English stores of food, liquors, and equipment. Thoroughly enjoying themselves they ignored their leaders' warnings and commands.

Credit: Alonzo Chappel
Lithograph of the Battle of Eutaw Springs
Realizing the disorder, the British troops regrouped and fell upon them from all directions. The stunned Americans fought the impossible situation bravely, but were put to flight. After more than four hours of indecisive battle under a merciless sun, both armies had had enough. Casualties were extremely high. "Blood ran ankle-deep in places," and the strewn area of dead and dying was heart-breaking.

Credit: Massachusetts State House
Revolutionary battle flag (ca.1781)
The total casualties came to 1,188, according to Rev. M. H. Osborne. Many were buried where they fell. Patriot blood shed at Eutaw was certainly not shed in vain. This last major battle in South Carolina completely broke the British hold in the South and, more important, denied needed aid to the North.

Only six weeks later, in October of 1781, Cornwallis succumbed to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, and American Independence was assured. [27]

Discharged at Charleston, South Carolina, Erastus Lee Tippett (4) returned home to Halifax County, North Carolina; his right arm lame from wounds received during the war. [28]

In the years that followed, Erastus prospered as a land owner and farmer. In 1783, he sold 200 acres of a 400 acre parcel to his twin brother Erasmus for 25 pounds. [29] Three years later, he sold 47 acres of land to Nathan Speir for 100 pounds. [30] In early August of 1786, Erastus, age 26, married a woman named Elizabeth. Her maiden name, date of birth, and what became of her are unknown. [31]

In the mid-1790's, Erastus Tippett moved his family across the Smokey Mountains to Blount County, Tennessee. His twin brother Erasmus joined him.

Credit: Dale K. Myers
Blount County, Tennessee (red, left) and Halifax County, North Carolina (red, right)


Established in 1795, Blount County, Tennessee had been carved out of what was once Washington County, North Carolina. Eight years earlier, a land office was opened to sell lands (in 5,000 acre tracts or less) for the purpose of paying off Revolutionary War soldiers, like Erasmus and Erastus Tippett. The territory was inhabited at the time by Cherokee Indians who didn't take kindly to white settlers flocking into the disputed area. Many bloody battles resulted. [32]

By September 1795, the basics of government began to take shape, including a court system. On June 13, 1796, Erastus Tippett was appointed constable of the court of Blount County, Tennessee. Rates were established for Inn keepers: Breakfast, 16 cents; Dinner, 25 cents; Supper, 12 cents; Lodging, 8 cents; 1/2 pint of Good Whiskey, 8 cents; Rum, 16 cents; 1 quart of Good Beer, 8 cents; and 1/2 pint of Good Brandy, 12 cents. [33]

Erastus (4) remarried sometime during this period to a woman named Judith T. (last name unknown). Little is known about her, other than she was born about 1770. [34] The couple had five children: Ross (born about 1803), James H. (born about 1805), John L. (born about 1807), Jane (birth date unknown), and Nancy (born about 1811).

By 1811 both Tippett brothers migrated further west into Tennessee. Erastus and his family settled in the area of Piney River and Wolf Creek, in Rhea county (est.1807), near the juncture of Roane County. His brother Erasmus and his family settled in Roane County (est. 1801), just across the Rhea county line. [35]

Financial problems immediately beset the two brothers. On January 17, 1811, Erastus Lee Tippett, in need of money, sold "a negro girl named Bet" to Joseph Childress for $200 dollars. [36]

Between 1812 and 1814, Erasmus Lee and his brother Erastus Lee Tippett became embroiled in series of lawsuits that left both men nearly broke. [37]

Credit: Massachusetts State House
1813 Wilson's Knoxville Gazette posting
On Monday, October 25, 1813, Constable John Lewis appeared at the court house and returned an execution in Case No.373, William Murphree vs. Erastus Tippett, on which he stated "that there is not personal property to be found to satisfy the said Execution."

The constable said that he had instead levied the Execution "on 120 acres of land with the standing corn thereon as the property of [Erastus Tippett] to satisfy [William Murphree]'s demands."

The court ordered that Tippett's land be sold to satisfy the debt. The next day, the court ordered Erastus Tippett released from payment of taxes for the present
year on 40 acres and one white poll "and that his stud Horse stood at $1.50 the season." [38] The November 8, 1813 edition of Wilson's Knoxville Gazette posted a notice that Erastus Tippett's land would be sold on Saturday, December 4 to satisfy the debt. [39]

In July, 1814, Erastus Tippett again faced a judge in court in a dispute with Richard G. Waterhouse, who charged that Tippett owed him $360 dollars. The court reduced Tippett's payment to $30.60 "by reason of the detention of the said debt besides his costs." [40]

By 1818, Erastus Tippett moved further west to Lawrence County, Tennessee, the same county where the legendary Davey Crockett lived and presided as judge over the local court. [41]

Credit: Texas State Archives
David "Davey" Crockett
On March 18, 1818, Congress passed "an Act to provide for certain pensioners engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary
War." [42]

At the beginning of the next year, on January 4, 1819, Erastus Tippett (4), age 59, and his sister, Chloey Lee (Tippett) Asbell, appeared before Judge Alfred de Harris, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee, and gave affidavits as part of Erastus Tippett's application for a Revolutionary

Credit: Tennessee State Archives
A portion of Erastus Tippett's January 4, 1819, affidavit

"This day personally appeared before one Alfred de Harris one of the circuit Judges in & for the state of Tennessee the undersigned Erastus Tippett who being sworn says that he did some time in 1778, in the county of Halifax in the state of North Carolina enlist as a private Soldier on the condition that enlistments for the term of nine months during the revolutionary war in a company there commended by Joseph Mumford, in the 3rd Regiment of North Carolina troops commanded by Col. James Hogan. That he did serve..."

War pension. [43] The judge declared that Erastus should begin receiving a pension of $80 dollars per month, [44] but payments were delayed by bureaucratic red tape until August 5, 1819, when Erastus Tippett was certified to receive a pension of just $66.25 per month. [45]

The August 7, 1820, Census for Lawrence County, Tennessee, shows the Erastus Tippett farm consisted of 2 males between 10-16 years old, 1 male between 16-26 years old, 1 male over 45, 1 female under 10 years old, 1 female between 16-26 years old, 1 female over 45 years old, and a total of four persons working in agriculture. [46]

On Thursday, October 5, 1820, nearly destitute, Erastus Tippett (4) appeared before the Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee, and an inventory of his property was taken. His total life holdings consisted of "beds and necessary clothing, 1 cow and calf, 4 sows, and 16 goats about 8 months old." Erastus told the court, "My occupation is farming. There are seven in the family - myself, my wife Judith, three sons (Ross, James and John), and two daughters (Jane and
Credit: Tennessee State Archives
Erastus Tippett's Pension
Certificate No.13788
Nancy). My youngest son [John L.] is 12 years old." The court put a value of $38 dollars on the property. [47]

Nine months later, on July 3, 1821, Erastus Tippett (4), age 62, returned to the Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions and declared his entire property to be "2 cows and calves, 3 sows, 10 pigs, one feather bed of small value, one small pot and kettle, one large and one small spinning wheel (both old and of little value), and that he is indebted about $50 dollars for the necessities of life." He again told the court that his occupation was farming, but that he was infirm and was lame in his right arm and was unable to support himself. Living with him were his wife, Judith, age about 51 years, who was "decrepit and unable to labor," James Tippet (5), his son of about 16 years, John Tippet (5), who was about 14 years old, and his daughter Nancy Tippet (5), who was about 10 years old. The court assessed his property at a value of $44.50 dollars. [48]

Erasmus Lee Tippett (4) died in Roane County, Tennessee in January, 1822. He was 61 years old. His 40-year-old son, James Tippit (5), served as administrator of his will. Among the sundry items of Erasmus' estate at the time of his death: two negro women named Elizabeth and Milley, one negro man named Richard, two negro girls named Eliza and Harriet, and two negro boys named George and Jacob, and a boy named James. His entire estate was valued at $60 dollars, which was distributed in equal shares to his widow Lucy and their four children. [49]

Documents show that Erastus Lee Tippett (4) outlived his twin brother by three years. Court records show that he served jury duty and offered securities in April of 1822. [50] Erastus died of unknown causes on March 19, 1824 in Lawrence County, Tennessee, at the age of 63. [51]

In 1829, the second oldest of Erastus and Judith Tippett's children, James H. Tippit (5), age 24, married Martha Adelaide (last name unknown), age 19, in Tennessee. They had nine children: John W. (born November 30, 1829), James (born about 1837), Susan (born about 1839), Elisha (born about 1841), J. William Lee (born June, 1842), Rachel (born about 1847), Francis (born about 1848), Flint (born about 1849), and Eluena (born about 1854). [52]



Credit: Library of Congress
Pulaski County, Missouri (red) and Conastoga wagon of the period


1839 - James H. Tippit Heads South

By 1839, James H. Tippit (5) and family moved to Pulaski County, Missouri. He was joined by his brother, John L. Tippit. The next year, James Tippit (5), age 35, bought three parcels of land in Pulaski County, Missouri, totaling 127 acres. [53]

In June, 1842, J. William Lee Tippit (6), J.D. Tippit's great-grandfather, was born to James (5) and Martha Tippit in Missouri. [54]

By October of 1850, brothers James H. and John L. Tippit (5) moved their families to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana and settled in the 7th Ward, 22nd Township. [55]

John L. Tippit (5) and others are listed in Claiborne Parish records as being among the early land and slave owners. [56] There seems little doubt that brother James H. Tippit was among the "others."

Claiborne Parish, Louisiana map
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana map
In the summer and early fall of 1857, death struck the Tippit household with a vengeance. Four of John L. and Julia Ann Tippit's eleven children died at a young age: Adelaid G. (age 14), Erastus C. (age 1, 10 mos.), Hellen D. (age 4), and Elizabeth H. (age 8). The exact causes are unknown. All were buried at Rocky Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. [57]

When the Civil War broke out, James H. Tippit's (5) oldest son, John W. (6), joined the fight. One roll call lists him as a deserter, however, he was actually captured and became a prisoner of war. [58]
Ward 6 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Ward 6 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
On June 10, 1862, J. William Lee Tippit (6), age 19, married Louisiana Allen, who died giving brith to their first child, Matt. The exact date is not known, but it was sometime before 1865. [59]

Three years later, on August 31, 1865, J. William Lee Tippit (6), then 22, married Francis Rebecca "Becca" Clark, age 18, of Mississippi. The couple have six children over the next twenty-five years - three sons (Ulysus G., Tom, and Will) and three daughters (Minnie, Annie, and Nora). [60]

On November 16, 1868, J.D. Tippit's grandfather, Ulysus G. "U Gee"
Tippit (7), was born to J. William Lee (6) and "Becca" Tippit in Louisiana. [61]

The August 29, 1870, Census of Ward 6, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, shows 27-year-old farmer J.W.L. (J. William Lee) Tippit's (5) land was valued at $600 dollars and his personal estate at $300 dollars. His wife "Becca" kept house for her husband and family consisting then of sons James M., age 4, and U.G., age 1; and daughter Annie, age 5 months. [62] J. William Lee's (5) older brother John W. Tippit (5), age 40, and family (wife Julia Ann [Gray], son John Lee [born 1867], and daughter Mary Frances [born March 3, 1870]) lived on the farm next door. The next farm over was occupied by J. William Lee Tippit's (5) younger sister Rachel, age 24, her husband N.E. Underwatt, age 26, and their two daughters Lucy, age 2, and Adaline, age 1. At the next farm lived the patriarch of the Tippit family, 65-year-old James H. Tippit (5), his wife Martha Adelaide, age 61, and their youngest daughter Eluena E., age 16. Census records show that none of the Tippits were able to read or write. [63]

James H. Tippit (5), the patriarch of the Tippit family, died in 1872 in Louisiana at the age of 67. Though a specific record was not located, his wife Martha Adelaide Tippit probably died sometime before 1880. [64]


Red River County, Texas (red) and settlers heading west
Red River County, Texas (red) and settlers heading west


1872 - J. William Lee Tippit Moves to Texas

In 1872, at the age of 29, J. William Lee Tippit (6) packed up his wife and children, including four-year-old son U.G., and moved to the Red Oak Community near Detroit, Texas, in Red River County where William homesteaded along what was called the Hiler Road. [65]

Two years later, in 1874, J. William Lee's (6) brother, John W. Tippit (6), also moved from Louisiana to Texas with his wife, Julia Ann, and three children, John Lee, Mary Frances, and a new baby, Thomas O. (born in April, 1873).

John later bought 160 acres of Lamar County School Land (1881), and served as a Red Oak School trustee (1900-01). He died at his home on March 9, 1911 and was buried in Red Oak Cemetery. In reporting his death, the local newspaper noted that "he was one of the oldest settlers in the neighborhood." His wife Julia, called "Grandma" Tippit in her later years, died about 1927. [66]

Seven years later, on May 15, 1879, J. William Lee Tippit's (6) uncle, John L. Tippit (5), died in Claiborne Parish,
Credit: Dale K. Myers
John W. Tippit grave site
Louisiana, at the age of 72. He was buried at Rocky Springs Cemetery, Rocky Springs Baptist Church. [67]

John L.'s oldest son, James A. Tippit (6), left Louisiana for Texas three years later with friend and brother-in-law B.R. Hargrove, both following in the footsteps of James' first cousins J. William Lee and John W. Tippit (6). The December 19, 1882 issue of the Claiborne Guardian noted that the two families left "last week" for Texas. "We express regret that these good men have left our parish for other lands." [68]

Credit: Tippit Family Collection
J. William Lee Tippit homestead
Life on the eastern Texas plain was harsh.

On January 31, 1885, the Tippit family suffered a loss when J. William Lee Tippit's (5) wife, "Becca" died at the age of 43 giving birth to her seventh child, daughter Nora.

Francis Rebecca (Clark) Tippit was buried in Red Oak Community Cemetery near Blossom, Texas. Her mother, "Grandma"
Clark, came to Texas from Louisiana to help raise the children.

J. William Lee moved onto a piece of property that lay along the Red River-Lamar County line. The house, or part of it, was made of logs. [69]

He lived there until April 13, 1903, when he died of cancer at the age of 63. J. William Lee Tippit (6), who had brought the Tippit family to Texas thirty-one years earlier, was buried next to his beloved wife "Becca" in Red Oak Community Cemetery near Blossom, Texas. [70]

In the 1890's, J. William Lee's (6) second oldest son, Ulysus G. "U.G." Tippit (7) met his future bride, Ara Della Rivers, who lived on an 80 acre farm in Lamar County near the Red River County line.

Ara Della was one of nine children born to William Luke "Uncle Billie" and Charlotte Catherine "Lottie" (Smith) Rivers. "Uncle Billie" Rivers, born June 22, 1849, had come from Alabama and met "Lottie" Smith, born August 12, 1852, in Gordon County, Georgia.

In November 1864, "Lottie" and her sister Adeline "Ad" Smith, in an incredible story
Credit: Tippit Family Collection
"Lottie" C. and William L. Rivers (ca.1920)
of hardship and courage, fled Atlanta with their father as General William T. Sherman's Union army closed in on the city.

Over the course of many months, the three traveled west on foot from farm house to farm house, sleeping in fields or barns, stealing what little food they could find, and hiding from the Union army. One morning, they awoke to find their father dead, apparently of lung disease. The two sisters continued westward and arrived on foot in Deport, Texas, in the spring of 1865.

Credit: Tippit Family Collection
Ara Della Rivers, age 3
Their hair matted and their clothes brown with mud, they stopped to rest under a bridge. They were spotted by L.J. Gray who was crossing the bridge on foot and saw what he thought were two dogs. He took them in and provided for them until they became of age. The sisters never forgot L.J. Gray's kindness.

"Lottie" later married William Rivers at Mr. Gray's home in Moseley, Texas, on December 20, 1871. He was twenty-two and she was nineteen-years-old.

The first of their eight children, Ara Della, was born nine months later on October 5, 1872. She attended school at Blossom, Texas, completing the 5th grade.

"Uncle Billie" Rivers became a deacon at the Red Oak Baptist Church in the mid 'teens and died in July, 1930. He was buried at Red Oak Cemetery and his wife "Lottie," who died five years later, was buried at his side. [71]

Credit: Dale K. Myers
"Lottie" C. & William L. Rivers grave site, Red Oak Cemetery, Red River County, Texas

In August, 1892, U.G. Tippit (7), was working in Madill, Oklahoma. He and Miss Ara Della Rivers had been "sparkin' a little" before he left, and now, his heart ached for her. He rode back to Texas and fingering his black mustache, popped the question. On August 23, 1892, twenty-three-year-old U.G. Tippit (7), married 19-year-old Ara Della Rivers at the little Red Oak Church in Blossom, Texas. [72]

U.G., "Gee" to family and friends, and his young bride, Ara Della, moved to Antlers, Oklahoma, where they lived for the next seven years.

"Gee" earned his living raising livestock, farming, and trading. He returned to Red River County at the turn of the century and
Credit: Tippit Family Collection Credit: Tippit Family Collection
U.G. Tippit (ca.1948)
Ara Della Tippit (ca.1950)
bought 53 acres of land in the Post Oak area near the county line. He bought another 73 acres a year later and lived in Red River County the rest of his life. [73]

The couple had nine children - three sons (William E., Edgar Lee, and Alvin) and six daughters (one stillborn, Lonie, Annie M., Rebecca P., Troy T., and Oneita). Tragedy was a common element in those child rearing years. The couple's first born, William Earnest, died of a stomach ailment at 10 months of age in 1894. The second child, a daughter, was stillborn on May 21, 1894. And their third son, Alvin, died of a stomach ailment at 11 months of age in 1905. [74]

Credit: Dale K. Myers
U.G. and Ara Della Tippit grave site, Red Oak Cemetery, Red River County, Texas

U.G. Tippit died on April 10, 1962 at the age of 93, and was buried at the Red Oak Cemetery. His wife Ara Della, who died on April 19, 1971, at the age of 99, was buried alongside him. They had been married 70 years. [75]


Credit: Tippit Family Collection
Edgar Lee Tippit, age 15


1902 - Edgar Lee Tippit is Born

J.D.'s father, Edgar Lee Tippit (8), was born on January 26, 1902. [76] While schooling was limited, Edgar Lee learned farming from his father. Cotton was the principle crop and it took a considerable effort to produce.

The land was bedded with a two-horse plow. Then a drag, made from a big log with a chain attached, was pulled over the rows, two at a time, to flatten them out. Planting was usually done with a one-horse planter. In two or three weeks the cotton was up and had to be chopped in a thinning process that left the plants a hoe's width apart. Then the real work began.

The cotton had to be hoed to get rid of crabgrass, poor-joe gimpson weeds, cockle burrs and sassafras and persimmon sprouts. This usually had to be performed twice before "laying it by" 'til harvest time. Then, the entire family would be in the field by daybreak, bending over, picking cotton, and stuffing it into a six foot long sack. Smaller kids would pick about 25 pounds of cotton, older ones 50 to 60 pounds a day. A good cotton picker could pick anywhere from 200 to 400 pounds a day, depending on the yield. [77]

Courtships were carried on, marriages performed, and homes started, all in connection with the local church. During the week, boys would climb trees with girls, run races with them, and play baseball with them. But on Sunday, gentlemen were expected to assist young ladies up the church steps by holding an arm.
Credit: Tippit Family Collection
Edgar Lee, "May Bug," and friends (ca.1923)
Courting started at an early age. Boys would start dating at 14 and 15 years old and many were married in their late teens. [78]

In due time, Edgar Lee Tippit (8) met Lizzie Mae Rush, a Tennessee native who he affectionately called "May Bug." Her mother, Margaret "Mammy" Rush, moved from Jackson County, Tennessee to Red River County, Texas, in 1913 following the death of
her husband, Alford. Their daughter attended Lanes Chapel Elementary school there, completing the 6th grade.

On June 3, 1923, Edgar Lee, age 21, married "May Bug", age 18, at Prairie Grove in Red River County. [79]

Edgar Lee Tippit (8) and his young bride lived with Edgar's parents for a few months. Then, in the fall of 1923, Edgar and "May Bug" moved to a Batesville Community farm owned by Roy Garland. Edgar Lee worked the 45 acre parcel the following spring and in September of 1924, "May Bug" gave birth to the first of five children. It was a son they named, J.D. (9). [80]


Next: Biography of J.D. Tippit


Footnotes

[NOTE: Tracing genealogical roots is a time consuming and often frustrating process. Many of the earliest records have been lost to fire and others were poorly documented. While the Internet has made it easier to search data bases, Internet genealogy sources often contain many errors. Even this account, while well documented from original sources, may contain errors of fact. Readers wishing to use the information provided here for their own family trees are encouraged to check all footnoted sources.]

  1. McManus, Jane Parker, The Tippit Family of Louisiana and the related families of Bass, O'Bryant, Sellars/Smith, Groves/Nash,1972, LCCN 72-88095, p.7 [RETURN]
  2. Skordas, Gust, The Early Settlers of Maryland: An Index to Names of Immigrants Compiled from Records of Land Patents, 1633-1680, in the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland, 1968, Genealogical Publishing Co., p.465; Tippit Family Records, Catherine Edwards Collection, Washington, D.C. [NOTE: There were land transactions between the Tippetts and the Suttles in St. Mary's County in 1742. (Coppage, A. Maxim, Virginia Settlers Volume II, McDowell Publications: Kentucky, 1980, p.156)] [RETURN]
  3. Encyclopedia Britannica, The Annals of America: Volume 1, 1493-1754, Discovering a New World, Sec. 54, Opportunities for Settlers in Carolina, p.241 [RETURN]
  4. Tippit Family Records, Catherine Edwards Collection, Washington, D.C. [RETURN]
  5. Fresco, Margaret K., Marriages and Deaths, St. Mary's County, Maryland, 1634-1900, 1982, p.469; Coppage, A. Maxim, Virginia Settlers Volume II, McDowell Publications: Kentucky, 1980, p.153 [RETURN]
  6. Ibid.; Tippit Family Records, Joan Best Collection [RETURN]
  7. Hooper, Debbie, Abstracts of Chancery Court Records of Maryland, 1669-1782, 1996, Family Line Publications, p.39 [RETURN]
  8. Skinner, Jr., V.L., Abstracts of the Inventories of the Perogative Court, Libers 18-23, 1733-1738, 1990, p.47; Coppage, A. Maxim, Virginia Settlers Volume II, McDowell Publications: Kentucky, 1980, pp.153-55 [RETURN]
  9. Descendancy Chart for Phillip Tippett, Born 1729 in St. Mary's County, MD.,1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [RETURN]
  10. St. Mary's County, Maryland, Records [RETURN]
  11. Ibid [RETURN]
  12. Maryland Calendar of Wills, 1759-1764, Vol.12, 1992, Family Line Publications, p.99; Descendancy Chart for Phillip Tippett, Born 1729 in St. Mary's County, MD.,1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Coppage, A. Maxim, Virginia Settlers Volume II, McDowell Publications: Kentucky, 1980, p.153 [RETURN]
  13. Alexander, Irene McBane and Gresham, Carrie Hardwick, At Rest: Cemetery Records of Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1968, p.445; Descendancy Chart for Phillip Tippett, Born 1729 in St. Mary's County, MD.,1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [RETURN]
  14. Hofmann, Margaret M., Genealogical Abstracts of Wills, 1758 through 1824, Halifax County, North Carolina, 1970, The Roanoke News Co., p.36, Will #185 [RETURN]
  15. Maryland Calendar of Wills, 1759-1764, Vol.12, 1992, Family Line Publications, p.99; Coppage, A. Maxim, Virginia Settlers Volume II, McDowell Publications: Kentucky, 1980, p.153 [RETURN]
  16. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1758-1771, 1989, Deed Book 11, p.99, #1553-(115) [RETURN]
  17. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1771-1786, 1989, Deed Book 12, p.4, #53-(81) [RETURN]
  18. Hofmann, Margaret M., Genealogical Abstracts of Wills, 1758 through 1824, Halifax County, North Carolina, 1970, The Roanoke News Co., p.36, Will #185 [Note: Jane (Lee) Tippett married Matthew Cartwright three years (abt.1775) after the death of Philip Tippett (3). They had three children: Thomas, Jesse, and James.] [RETURN]
  19. Donnelly, Mary Louise, Colonial Settlers, St. Clement's Bay, 1634-1780, St. Mary's County, Maryland, 1996, p.180, Elizabeth Mills(72); Maryland Calendar of Wills, 1772-1774, Vol.15, 1994, Family Line Publications, p.90; Magruder's Maryland Colonial Abstracts, Wills, Accounts and Inventories, 1772-1777, Vol.15, 1968, Genealogical Publishing Co., p.38; Skinner, Jr., V.L., Abstracts of the Inventories of the Perogative Court of Maryland, 1772-1774, Volumes 110-118, p.80 [RETURN]
  20. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1771-1786, 1989, Deed Book 13, p.31, #479-(443) [NOTE: The lineage of Phillip Tippett's wife, Lucy, is conflicting. Morman Church records show her maiden name as Bierling. Other records list her maiden name as Forman. The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, Deed Books 13 and 14, clearly show Lucy's parents as Matthew and Jane Cartwright. It may be that she had married young (to either Bierling or Forman) and that her husband was killed in the Revolutionary War.] [RETURN]
  21. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1771-1786, 1989, Deed Book 14, p.45, #693-(108) [RETURN]
  22. Descendancy Chart for Phillip Tippett, Born 1729 in St. Mary's County, MD.,1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [RETURN]
  23. Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated January 4, 1819, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee; Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated July 3, 1821, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee [RETURN]
  24. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1771-1786, 1989, Deed Book 14, p.45, #693-(108) [RETURN]
  25. Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated January 4, 1819, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee; Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated July 3, 1821, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee [RETURN]
  26. Ibid; Alden, John R., A History of the American Revolution Knopf Publishing Co., 1969, pp.472-74 [RETURN]
  27. Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated January 4, 1819, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee; Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated July 3, 1821, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee; Berkeley County Historical Society, South Carolina [RETURN]
  28. Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, pp.130-31; Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated January 4, 1819, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee [RETURN]
  29. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1771-1786, 1989, Deed Book 15, p.70, #1142-(61) [RETURN]
  30. Bradley, Jr., Dr. Stephen E., The Deeds of Halifax County, North Carolina, 1786-1796, 1990, Deed Book 16, p.7, #81-(154) [RETURN]
  31. Ibid, pp.5-6 [RETURN]
  32. Burns, Inez E., History of Blount County, Tennessee: From War Trail to landing Strip, 1795-1955, The Tennessee Historical Commission, 1957, pp.13-34, 197 [RETURN]
  33. Ibid, p.32, 34; Tippit Family Records, Mary Gwendolyn Tippit Savant Collection [Note: Both are listed (Erastus #680; Erasmus #693) in the 1805 census for Blount Co., TN] [RETURN]
  34. Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, pp.130-31; Tippit Family Records, Mary Gwendolyn Tippit Savant Collection [RETURN]
  35. Sherrill, Charles A., The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee, 2001, Tennessee County Formation List; Gray, David, and Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Deed Books A, B, C, D, E, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1987, pp.64-65 Entry 281 (C-155)(4 Oct 1813)(Recorded 5 Jan 1814) [RETURN]
  36. Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, January 1810-April 1813, Minute Book B, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1992, p.22 (Minute Book, p.79); Gray, David, and Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Deed Books A, B, C, D, E, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1987, p.31 Entry 113 (B-141)(17 Jan 1811) (Recorded 12 Mar 1811) [RETURN]
  37. Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, January 1810-April 1813, Minute Book B, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1992, p.46, 57, 66; Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, July 1813-July 1815, Minute Docket C, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1995, p.2; Sherrill, Charles A., The Reconstructed 1810 Census of Tennessee, 2001, p.520; Hutcherson, Willis, McCluen, Marilyn, and Thornton, Mable, Tax Lists of Roane County, Tennessee, 1814-1821, p.208 [RETURN]
  38. Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, July 1813-July 1815, Minute Docket C, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1995, pp.6-7 [RETURN]
  39. Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County in Old Newspapers, 1809-1834, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1998, p.49 [RETURN]
  40. Broyles, Bettye J., Rhea County, Tennessee, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, July 1813-July 1815, Minute Docket C, Rhea County Historical and Genealogical Society: Tennessee, 1995, p.21 Case No.425 [RETURN]
  41. Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated January 4, 1819, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee; Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, pp.v,vi [RETURN]
  42. Ibid, p.101 [RETURN]
  43. Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated January 4, 1819, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, State of Tennessee; Descendancy Chart for Phillip Tippett, Born 1729 in St. Mary's County, MD.,1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Note: The Mormon records list Chloe Lee Tippett as being born in 1820 in Lawrence County, TN. This is incorrect. The death records of Philip Tippett (see footnote #18) show that Chloe Lee was born between 1860 and 1772 in Halifax Co., MD] [RETURN]
  44. Erastus Tippett, Revolutionary War Pension Certificate #13788 [RETURN]
  45. Certification of Judgment dated February 12, 1819; Envelope and letter from Judge Alfred de Harris to Secretary of War dated July 5, 1819; Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, p.101 [RETURN]
  46. 1820 Census, Lawrence County, Tennessee, #020101-10101 [RETURN]
  47. Alexander, Irene McBane and Gresham, Carrie Hardwick, At Rest: Cemetery Records of Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1968, p.445; Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, p.101-02; Application and schedule of property of Erastus Tippett dated October 5, 1820, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee; WPA Microfilm, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee, Thursday, Oct 5, 1820, #288-290, p.100 [RETURN]
  48. Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, p.130-31; Affidavit of Erastus Tippett dated July 3, 1821, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee; WPA Microfilm, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee, July 3, 1821, #379-381, pp.128-29 [RETURN]
  49. Whitley, Mrs. Edythe Rucker, Index of Roane County, Tennessee, Will Book A, 1801-1824, 1935, p.3 (Will Book A, settlement on p.182); Sistler, Barbara and Byron, Index to Tennessee Wills and Administrations, 1779-1861, 1990, p.362 (Will Book A, Roane County, p.149); Bailey, Robert L., Roane County, Tennessee, Estate Books A, B, C and Original Estate Papers, 1802-1842, pp.26, 27, 32, 173 [RETURN]
  50. Carpenter, Charles E., and Carter, Mrs. Claude A., Minute Book: Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Lawrence County, Tennessee, 1818-1822, No.23, P-Vine Press, p.166, 168, 171; WPA Microfilm, Lawrence County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, State of Tennessee, April 1822, pp.164-#491, 165-#494, 166-#497, 168-#501; 1830 Census, Lawrence County, Tennessee [Note: No record of Erastus Tippett.] [RETURN]
  51. Tippit Family Records, Mary Gwendolyn Tippit Savant Collection [RETURN]
  52. 1840 Census, Pulaski County, Missouri, Township L, p.221; 1850 Census, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, p.139; Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.246 [RETURN]
  53. Pulaski County, Missouri, U.S. Land sales, 1832-1903, May 1995, Mid-Missouri Genealogical Society, Inc., p.60 [RETURN]
  54. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection [RETURN]
  55. 1850 Census, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, p.139 [RETURN]
  56. Head, Wanda Volentine, Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, 1989, pp.2-3 [RETURN]
  57. Frazier, John Purnell and Head, Wanda Volentine, Cemetery Inscriptions of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, Volume 1, Rocky Springs Cemetery, p.173 [RETURN]
  58. Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.246 [RETURN]
  59. Farley, William, Index, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Marriage Records, 1849-1910, 1984, J & W Enterprises, p.149, Book 01, Folio 298; Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection [RETURN]
  60. Ibid; Murray, Nicholas Russell, Computerized Indexed Marriage Records, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, 1850-1900, Hunting for Bears, Inc., p.84; 1870 Census, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, Ward 6 [RETURN]
  61. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection [RETURN]
  62. 1870 Census, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, Ward 6 [RETURN]
  63. Ibid; Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.246 [RETURN]
  64. Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.246 [RETURN]
  65. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection; Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.247 [RETURN]
  66. Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.246 [RETURN]
  67. Frazier, John Purnell and Head, Wanda Volentine, Cemetery Inscriptions of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, Volume 1, Rocky Springs Cemetery, p.171 [RETURN]
  68. Head, Wanda Volentine, and Kerns, Gloria Lambert, Clippings from Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Newspapers, Volume 1, p.122, clipping from "Claiborne Guardian," Tuesday, December 19, 1882; Farley, William, Index, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana Marriage Records, 1849-1910, 1984, J & W Enterprises, p.63, Book 01, Folio 410 [Note: Hargrove married James A. Tippit's sister, Mary E. Tippett (b. abt 1839 in Alabama) on November 27, 1866.] [RETURN]
  69. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection; Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.247; Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection [RETURN]
  70. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection [RETURN]
  71. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection; Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., pp.221-22 [RETURN]
  72. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection; Thompson, Bill, "Fulbright Couple Observes 60th Wedding Anniversary," Paris News, August 20, 1952 [RETURN]
  73. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection; Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.248 [RETURN]
  74. Ibid [RETURN]
  75. Ibid [RETURN]
  76. Ibid; Edgar Lee Tippit died February 24, 2006 at the age of 104. [RETURN]
  77. Lee, Johnnie, It Happened in Post Oak (or thereabouts): A Slice of Lamar & Red River County History, 2000, American Literary Press, Inc., p.24 [RETURN]
  78. Ibid, pp.23-24 [RETURN]
  79. Tippit Family Records, Jack Christopher Collection [RETURN]
  80. Ibid [RETURN]