HOWARD EUGENE AND LASSIE A. TOWNS PIPER FAMILY
grandchildren of Howard and Lassie Piper. Brenda Knight Edwards also provided some marriage date information.
Pictured in 1911 is the Howard Piper family. A full view of this picture including their house is shown below.
Front row, l-r: Joe, Bessie, Mary Nixon Piper, mother of Howard, Wirt, Lassie Towns Piper, wife of Howard,
Flippen and Mary Piper. Back row: Bob and Howard Piper.
Howard was born Aug 24, 1874 and died Dec 14, 1952. He was the son of William and Mary Nixon Piper and had three
full siblings: Samuel, Claude and Gertie Piper. Samuel, Howard and Claude are pictured below. Howard also had a
number of half siblings from the previous marriage of his father to Nancy Oldham Piper. William Piper was the son
of James and Miranda Chambers Piper. William gave the land for Piper's School and it was named in his honor.
It was located on Nickojack Branch about three miles southwest of Pleasant Shade and is pictured on this website.
There are many pictures of the Piper School on this website on the schools page this one appeared in the Tennessean:
Lassie was born Nov 23, 1878 and died Mar 21, 1914. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Gregory Towns.
Their family picture (along with Howard and Lassie) may be viewed on this website.
After the above picture was taken, Howard and Lassie's last child, Woodrow, was born. Howard and
Lassie were married Nov 2, 1894. Lassie was buried in the Earps Cemetery located at the
intersection of Nickojack Branch and Frog Branch Roads, her gravestone is shown below.
Mary Susan Nixon Piper was born Aug 1, 1841 and died in 1920. She was the daughter of Joseph H. and Sarah Nixon.
Howard and Lassie's earliest known child, Effie, was born Sep 2, 1896 and died Jun 8, 1897.
She is pictured in the Ben Towns family picture. They also lost another child before 1897.
More information on all of Howard Piper's children is included with a later picture.
The Old Home Place
of the Graveltown Community on Highway 80 just north of the William Nixon Hollow. Their house in the background was
pretty fancy for the area. It was built in about 1890 by Richard Russell, grandson of John and Martha Grinade Russell,
ancestors of many of the Russells in the area. Howard sold the house and farm in 1930 and moved to near Gallatin in
Sumner County. James and Opal Green, parents of the late Dr. Hugh E. Green (longtime Carthage physician) bought the
farm. The house still stands and remains (as of 2004) in Dr. Green's family.
HOWARD PIPER, BELLE AND CHILDREN
as he was sick at this time. He had a lingering illness but his condition improved after this time
and in 1951 was able to sit in a chair for another family get-together.
Row 1, l-r: Woodrow, Mary, Bessie, Gene, wife, Ada Belle, Flippen and Wirt.
Row 2: Joe, Bob and Billy Sam.
Woodrow Wilson Piper, who was born May 18, 1912 and died Dec 24, 1971, was married to Carolyn Ford and became the
father of two children. He was a Carthage businessman and Superintendent of Smith County Schools in the early 1950s.
Mary Piper was born Jun 29, 1902 and died Aug 6, 1976. She was married to Albert Jenkins and became the mother
of two children. They lived in Evansville, IN.
Bessie Irene Piper was born April 21, 1905 and died May 24, 1996. She was married to Joseph Herod (Joe) Russell
and became the mother of six children. Bessie and Joe lived in the Russell Hollow off Big Peyton's Creek Road
about two miles north of Pleasant Shade.
Harold Eugene (Gene) Piper, born in 1924 and died in 1983. He had a twin brother that did not survive.
Gene was married to Pearl Burton and became the father of one child. They lived in Sumner County, TN.
After Lassie's death, Howard married Ada Belle Williams on April 14, 1915. Belle, born in 1885 and died in 1973,
was the daughter of George W. and Ora Owen Williams of Macon County, TN. From this marriage, Howard became the
father of two additional sons, Gene and William Samuel (Billy Sam) Piper that lived to be adults. Howard and
Belle were also the parents of an infant daughter that was born and died in 1920. Gene and Billy Sam were Belle's
children while the mother of all the other children was Lassie Towns Piper, Howard's first wife.
Bud Flippen Piper, born Aug 7, 1907 and died Mar 25, 1966. He was married to Mamie Cornwell and became the
father of one child. Flippen and family lived in Sumner County, TN.
Wirt Lee Piper, born Aug 4, 1909 and died Oct 7, 1977 was first married to Margie Ballard and became the father
of three children. After Margie's death, he married Ruby Ross (who still survives) and became the father of
another child. They lived in Sumner County, TN.
Joseph (Joe)Piper was born Dec 1, 1899 and died Dec 31, 1969. He was married to Bessie Gregory.
They had four children and lived in Portland, TN.
Robert E. (Bob)Piper, born Sep 4, 1897 and died Mar 19, 1979. He was married to Bessie Sloan
and became the father of two children that lived to adults. They resided in Pleasant Shade.
Billy Sam Piper, born May 19, 1926 and still survives. He is married to Anita Maynard Piper
and they are the parents of two children. They have homes in Ocala, FL and Lawrenceburg, TN.
After leaving the Graveltown Community in 1930, Howard, Belle and family moved to the Cages Bend
Community of Sumner County, TN where he bought another farm and lived there until his death in
1952. He and Belle are buried in the Dixon Springs Cemetery and their gravestone is shown below.
HOWARD PIPER AND FULL SIBLINGS
with his full brother and sister. The occasion was his 74th birthday.
L-r: Sam Piper, born about 1871 and father of longtime Riddleton postmaster, Gordon Piper,
Howard Piper and Claude Piper Kittrell, born about 1877. Claude lived in Nashville.
Howard also had another sister, Gertie, born in 1881. In addition, Howard had a
number of half siblings from his father's (William) previous marriage to Nancy
Oldham Piper who died in 1870.
HOWARD PIPER FAMILY AND KIN
On Howard Piper's 74th birthday celebration in 1948, approximately 100 of his descendants, siblings, in-laws and kin
met at his home near Gallatin, TN to honor him on this occasion. I will not try to name all these people but the
pretty little dark haired girl on the second row, second, left to right, is my wife, Faye Russell Dickerson.
BELLE AND HOWARD PIPER
had gathered in celebration of Fathers Day, Jun 17, 1951.
HOWARD PIPER AND GRANDCHILDREN
This gathering was in celebration of Fathers Day, Jun 17, 1951.
Row 1, L-r: Howard holding Tommy Piper, Patsy Piper, Edward (Eddie) Russell, Ray and Claude Piper.
Row 2: Alberta Piper Downs, Evelyn Piper holding Wirt Piper, Jr., Clyde Russell, Woody Piper,
Focian Russell, Elizabeth Piper, Flippen Piper, Jr., and Earl Jenkins.
Row 3: Webb Allen Russell, Lucy Belle Jenkins McClarney, Carrie Nell Russell Hackett,
Kittie Mai Russell Davis and Billy Mann Piper.
LASSIE A. TOWNS PIPER TOMBSTONE
She is buried in the Earps Cemetery located at the intersection of Nickojack
Branch and Frog Branch Roads about three miles southwest of Pleasant Shade.
HOWARD AND BELLE PIPER TOMBSTONE
They are buried in the Dixon Springs Cemetery.