He and his family came to El Paso, Illinois in 1860. They started from England and encountered such a severe storm that the ship was damaged and they had to put into Cork Ireland, and wait for another ship. It was six weeks from the time they left England until they reached El Paso.
Uncle Joseph Whorrall lived there with his wife Debbie and family in a log cabin, and that was where they stopped. Debbie had a big family and was not a very tidy housekeeper. William was 14 and Thomas was 7 years old when they arrived there in El Paso. William remembered about their drying corn on the roof for winter and even had some tobacco drying.
Grandma had brought sponge cake and crackers from England and of course tea and tea pot. Aunt Debbie said after Sally got there she make a pot of that English tea and served the dry sponge cake and crackers which Sally called biscuit. Aunt Debbie said, "Grace, that was the best food I ever tasted." Papa said there was lots of wild game and Grandma nearly had a fit because Aunt Debbie let the children throw meat bones to the dogs and they ate them on the hearth- which drew flies since the window had no screens.
The first work dad (William) did was to help get in a load of hay. They put him on the wagon, but he didn't know how to spread it. Dad and the hay slipped off and they surely scolded him, then showed him how to spread it. The hay was wild slough hay. They also were drying wild plums for winter, had mosquito bar over them, and flies so thick. They dried berries too.
Thomas and Sarah settled on a farm near the present location of Roberts, Illinois, but that was several years before the coming of the railway and therefore before Roberts had been brought into existence. It was such a change from life in England. Grandma Wakelin brought copper kettles and dishes and silver from England. The copper kettles had to be scoured, and as soon as the food was cooked in them the food had to be poured out. Grandpa had brought a lot of goods, coats, etc., from England which he sold at a profit.
Sarah was taller and real slender. Thomas was short and stout and he always wore a plug hat and carried a walking stick. One morning he got up early and went down town. The banker, Mr. Anderson, asked him, "Thomas, what have you got on your neck?" He said a handkerchief. It was dark, in the room and he had picked up Sarah's white cotton stocking-and did they joke him. Sarah got up and hunted everywhere for the other stocking. She could not understand what had happened to it. Sarah wore a bonnet with the strings tied in a bow. She didn't wear glasses but used a reading glass. She would carry her Bible to church and follow when the minister read the lesson, also the songs.
[Also contributed by J Lossing] Thomas WAKELIN was born January 1, 1816, when the bells were ringing the old year out and the new year in.
--Photo and story from James Lossing. Find A Grave.
Thomas and Sarah (Whorrall) Wakelin buried: Lyman Township Cemetery. Roberts, Illinois.
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