Isaac Turner Tinsley (1801 - 1874)

Born 20 Dec 1801 in Sumner, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Ann (Turner) Tinsley — married 4 Jun 1832 in Sumner, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 17 Mar 1874 at age 72 in Brazoria Co TX

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Biography

Isaac was born in 1801. His mother died when he was 10 years old and his father died when he was 15. He passed away in 1874. His body was buried on the Tinsley Plantation burying grounds, near the mighty Brazos. Since no headstone can be located, this is inferred from the newspaper article below.

Tinsley Plantation

In 1839 Isaac T. Tinsley bought 1000 acres west of the Brazos River above Columbia River from William G. and Eliza M. Hill in the James E. B. Austin League tract. This acreage would become his new working plantation. In 1841 Tinsley sold the plantation in the Borden league to William B. Aldridge for $6000. They reserved a 1/4 acre plot as a cemetery which probably contained the grave of their infant daughter Josephine Tinsley (1835-1836).

More than likely the middle initial "T" is Turner, after his mother's maiden name. But without documentation, it may be lost to history.

The following is copied from The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, Texas, Thursday, March 26, 1874; Pg. 2, Column 1 ^[1]

Headstone

Colonel Isaac T. Tinsley

BIRTH: 20 Dec 1801 in Sumner County, Tennessee, USA

DEATH: 17 Mar 1874 (aged 72) in Brazoria County, Texas, USA

BURIAL Unknown, Specifically: Tinsley Plantation family burying grounds, near the mighty Brazos

MEMORIAL ID 153210973

Death of Another Old Texan

Col Isaac T. Tinsley departed this life, after a lingering illness, on the seventeenth day of March, 1874, at his residence, near Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas. Col. Isaac T. Tinsley was in his seventy third year. His parents, Moses Tinsley and Elizabeth Turner, were natives of Albemarle County, Virginia, both of whom were closely related by blood to Gen. Sumpter, of revolutionary fame. They emigrated about the beginning of the present century to Sumner County, Tennessee, when the deceased was born on the twentieth of December, 1801. His parents died when he was quite young. An orphan, he worked his way to the then territory of Alabama, where he resided for many years and participated in many of the important events which characterized the early history of Alabama.

In 1830, he came to Texas and settled in Brazoria County. In 1833, he returned to Tennessee and married Mary Turner, who came with him to Texas the same year, and now survives him, with a large family of children and grandchildren, to mourn his loss.

The deceased, together with his family, and in common with other Texan patriots of that day, shared the oppressions of the Mexican Government toward the early settlers of Texas. He took an active part in participating the Texas revolution and aiding in the success of Texas independence. He not only fought as a soldier in the Texan ranks, but he made large advances in money and supplies to support the Texan patriot army.

He was distinguished for his good judgment, pratical sense, varied information, fideltiy to duty, purity of purpose, love of truth, and his patriotic devotion to Texas under all circumstances. He was a practical Christian, and for many years a member of the Presbyterian Church. He died surrounded by his family and friends. His last words were, "I am not afraid to meet my God." His ashes repose in the family burying ground, near the mighty Brazos, on the beautiful plantation he reclaimed from the wilderness more than forty years ago. The last sad rites of sepulchre were performed by the Masonic fraternity, of which he was a member. Thus has passed away another noble old Texan.

"Why weep ye then, for him who, having run, The bound of man's appointed years, at last, Life's blessings all enjoyed, life's labors done, Serenely to his final rest has passed; While the soft memory of his virtues yet, Lingers like twilight hues when the bright sun has set?" by William Cullen Bryant

Source: The Galveston Daily News, Galveston, Texas, Thursday, March 26, 1874; Pg. 2, Column 1

A photo of Isaac T. Tinsley is located on page three.^[2]

It also contains this recollection

Andrew McCormick related his recollections of the Tinsley family

Mr. Isaac T. Tinsley was one of our neighbors in the Chance’s Prairie settlement. He was a prominent actor in public affairs in 1835 and 1836. He was a member of the Committee of Safety and Correspondence appointed by the convention that met in Columbia August 15, 1835. He was for that time and locality quite a wealthy man. He kept a family carriage, and a full supply of the best fresh flour, for his family use, and had hot biscuit on his table always twice a day. These were then and there badges of wealth. He did not have a large force of slaves. He was a good farmer, and had good land and made large crops for the force he worked, but his farming was a side issue. He had made much of his wealth in trade in Tennessee and Alabama. In a few years, when interest-bearing Texas treasury-notes were circulating as money, but had greatly depreciated in value, Mr. Tinsley sold his farm in Chance’s Prairie for a great price, payable in these notes. He locked the notes up in his safety deposit vault and let them sleep there, drawing interest; from which sleep they awoke ten years later as good as gold, as large as life and twice as natural. He opened a new farm on the Brazos, five or six miles above Columbia, on which he resided with his family. This took them further from us, but the intimacy of our families continued and increased as the children in each increased in number and grew up towards maturity. His oldest child, a son named Jack, was a few months younger than I. We were always chums in school or away from school, until after Annexation, when his father sent him off to school at Poughkeepsie, New York. He had returned home from school in Washington County, and was soon to start to Centre College in Kentucky. We had seen very little of each other during the last four years, and soon after my arrival home he came to our house and paid me a visit of several days’ duration. He wished me to go home with him and continue our reunion there, but I could not, and Jack had to go without me. His road home passed the town of Columbia, where he made a short stop, not exceeding half an hour, to see his tailor, whom he found with a fever on him. The tailor’s illness proved to be smallpox. The tailor recovered, but from this exposure Jack, who had not been vaccinated, contracted the disease and died a few days after leaving our house. One of Jack’s brothers—the oldest of those now living—was named for my father, Joseph McCormick. He now resides at his native home on the Brazos. One of Mr. Tinsley’s daughters, Miss Caledonia, married my friend, the late Hon. John T. Brady, of Houston, Texas.

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153210973/isaac-t.-tinsley
2. ↑ http://www.lifeonthebrazosriver.com/AnthonyTMorrisdocx.pdf

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXG2-VQ8 : 12 April 2016), Isaac Tinsley, Texas, United States; citing p. 189, family 1697, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,075.
• "Tennessee State Marriage Index, 1780-2002," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNZY-5QG : 4 December 2014), Isaac T Tinsley and Mary Ann Turner, 04 Jun 1832; from "Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing p. , Sumner, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.