Thomas Marlin Aistrope (1828 - 1916)

Born 11 Dec 1828 in Garthrope, Lincolnshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Whatt) Aistrope — married 31 Mar 1850 in Goole, Yorkshire, England

Descendants

Died 12 Jan 1916 at age 87 in Malvern, Mills County, Iowa, USA

Biography

"Thomas Marlin Aistrope was one of Mills County's early pioneers, whose life story details many of the obstacles that early settlers confronted in their quest to make new homes in the promised land. Thomas M. Aistrope Thomas, son of George and Mary (Mason) Aistrope was born in Garthrope, Lincolnshire, England, December 11, 1828 ^[1] & baptised 18 December 1828 Luddington, Lincolnshire. ^[2] He was the eighth of ten children. His father died when Thomas was about 10 years, and he was hired out to farmers and neigh-bors where he worked for 12 cents a day. He later leased a flour mill and became a miller by trade. In 1851 he married Jane Whatt ^[3] and after a few years they, with their two daughters, decided to try their luck in the new land. They sailed from Liverpool May 5, 1855 on the vessel Guy Mannering. It was a 6-week journey. Their only possession coming with them was a feather mattress. Upon arrival at New York, they were required to pay tax on the mattress, leaving them without funds to continue their journey. A widow lady who had sailed with them befriended the family and financed their trip to Chicago where they planned to stop. In Chicago they worked to repay the loan and then started west stopping in Van Buren County, Iowa and later in Clark County, Missouri. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1862, they moved north into Iowa and headed for White Cloud in Mills County. It was a difficult journey, having to ford streams and sleep with settlers on the way. Upon their arrival at White Cloud, they stayed with relatives until they were able to become established for themselves. Mr. Aistrope began acquiring small parcels of land, until at one time he owned over three thou-sand acres. Each of his 11 children was deeded 160 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Aistrope were parents of Elizabeth (Mrs. Samuel Kilpatrick), Margaret (Mrs. Michael Cunningham), Mary Jane (Mrs. Marion Davis), Sarah Ann (Mrs. Francis LeBaron Good-win), Walter, Thomas Marlin II, Alice Mae (Mrs. Willis Reed), William Whatt, Anna Edith (Mulholland), Nellie (Mrs. Ira Fritz), and Henry. Jane Whatt Aistrope died in 1898. In 1908, Thomas built a home on Marion Avenue in Malvern, where Newell Crinks now live, and he and his youngest daughter Nellie retired to this home. They were members of the Malvern Baptist Church where their generosity helped establish the present church. Because of his kindness to so many he was affectionately known as "Uncle Tommy." Thomas died January 12, 1916. ^[4] Mr. and Mrs. Aistrope and all of their children, with the exception of Thomas II, are buried in the Malvern Cemetery. Thomas is buried in the old Fairview Cemetery near Tabor."

Sources

1. ↑ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
2. ↑ England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
3. ↑ GRO Marriage Index, Goole, Vol. 23, page 295 q March 1851
4. ↑ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90991986/thomas-marlin-aistrope)

• History of Mills County, Iowa 1985