Thomas B. Asten

Although J.E. Ingraham mentions meeting "Mr. Aster", it is likely that this is really Thomas B. Asten. Commodore Thomas B. Asten of New York visited Florida regularly for decades, and there are references to Asten and his wife, Elizabeth Asten, in Cocoanut Grove and other areas of Dade County in the 1880s and 1890s. Thomas B. Asten was associated with Biscayne Bay Yacht Club in 1889, and Ingraham references meeting "Mr. Aster" at the same time that he met Commodore Ralph W. Munroe, also of the Yacht Club.

Note about confidence of this information:

Unable to locate sources definitively identifying Thomas B. Asten as the Mr. Aster encountered by J.E. Ingraham. However, given that "Mr. Aster" is mentioned in relation to Commodore Munroe, and that Thomas B. Asten was a member of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and frequent visitor to Cocoanut Grove, confidence is high.

Name Variations:

• Mr. Aster
• T.B. Asten
• Commodore Asten

Credits:

• Photo, T.B. Asten and group at boat house, 1990?, Ralph M. Munroe Family Papers, University of Miami Libraries Special Collections (Asten is probably the man standing, and the seated man may be Alfred Munroe)

Sources:

• Where, When, and How to Catch Fish on the East Coast of Florida, by William H. Gregg, 1902
• Obituary, The Tropical Sun, March 14, 1903
• Forest and Stream, February 28, 1889

References in the Texts:

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• April 8, Friday

For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015