The Tipton Family, for whom Tiptonville was named, came from England and first settled in Maryland. They migrated down into East Tennessee where William Tipton was born, then into Franklin County, on down into Tipton County and then to Texas. William enlisted as a soldier in Texas and received a patent to a tract of land. He returned to Tennessee where he married Eliza Gallaher from St. Louis, Missouri, and they settled in what was later to become Lake County, where they lived the remainder of their lives. They had six children: Joseph G., Alcesta, Watt, Billy, Frank and Nimmie.

William Tipton died in 1860, his wife died in 1870. All of his sons died unmarried except Joseph. Joseph Tipton was born 10 Nov. 1842 in Lake County. In 1866 he graduated from Jones Commercial College in St. Louis, Md. He was active in the organization of Lake County, serving four years as Chancery Court Clerk and as Trustee of the County for many years. In 1873 he married Harriet W. Meriweather (she was born 9 Aug. 1849) and they had one child, a daughter named Hattie.

Hattie Tipton married Joe Gwaltney, a bank cashier in Tiptonville for many years. They had three children: Hattie who married John Wray, an attorney in Knoxville, Tenn.; Elizabeth, who married and lives in North Carolina; a son, Joe Gwaltney, who died without issue. Thus the Tipton name became extinct. But there are descendants of William Tipton living in Tiptonville at the present time.

William's daughter, Alcesta Tipton, married Richard Owens from England. They had a son, John Owens, who moved to Louisville, Ky. After the death of his wife, Richard Owens married her younger sister, Nimmie Tipton. Jack Haynes, a descendar of Richard and Nimmie Tipton Owens, has followed in his great uncle's foot-steps and is presently serving as Trustee of Lake County, an office he has held since 1954.

Joshua H. Tipton, altho not related to William Tipton, was also a pioneer of Lake County, coming into the area in 1845. He reared a large family and one of his sons, James W. Tipton, was the first sheriff of Lake County. There are many Tiptons, descendants of Joshua, living in Lake County at the present time.

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