Tomlinson Family
First GenerationThe Quaker Josiah Tomlinson, son of Stephen Tomlinson, married Elizabeth Watson in County Kildare, Ireland, in 1744. In 1751 they received permission to emigrate to America and departed that spring together with their four children in the company of several other families. They apparently intended to settle in North Carolina, but were delivered to Charleston SC instead by a ship captain who was not well acquainted with the local geography. This led to their settlement on the West Wateree River in South Carolina, near present-day Camden.The other Quakers on this voyage were Robert Milhouse, Samuel Wyly, Timothy Kelly, Samuel Russell, Samuel Kelly, and John Furnass. At least some of these came with wives and children. Sally Ryan Tomlinson's 1999 post to the Tomlinson Family Genealogy Forum at Genealogy.com provides the documentation and much more detail for the facts I have summarized here. She suggests that Elizabeth Watson died before October 1751, perhaps on the voyage over, based on the fact that Josiah asked for a grant of 450 acres, but would have been entitled to 50 acres more if he had a livng wife. This speculation appears without attribution on several different web sites. So far as I can tell, it was Sally Ryan Tomlinson's idea. The same sites contain verbatim uncredited quotes of text that previously appeared on my page. Josiah married Olive Russell sometime during the next few years. Olive is named as "daughter Olive Tomlinson" in the will of Samuel Russell, writted in September 1756, and Josiah was one of his executors. The exact date of Josiah and Olive's marriage has not been found, but note that daughter Sarah was born 12th month 1755, which would move the latest possible date for their marriage back to early in that year. Some histories of this family give Olive's maiden name as Unthank. I have found no support for this, and am convinced based on Sally Ryan Tomlinson's work that she was the daughter of Samuel and Sarah Russell. I know nothing else about the Russells, however. If anyone is researching this family and can fill me in on their ancestry further back, I'll be most grateful. Josiah's will was dated 15 Dec 1760 and probated 16 Feb 1761. It names sons William, Samuel and Josiah; daughters Mary, Ann, Sarah and Rebeckah, but does not mention a wife, suggesting Olive had already died. Hinshaw's records give youngest son Josiah's birth as 3rd month 15, 1760, so perhaps she died soon afterwards. The three sons and Sarah survived to adulthood; the other daughters are thought to have died young. Previously I suggested that the three oldest daughters died about 1760 along with Olive. Although no further record of them has been found, they do seem to have been alive when Josiah wrote his will.
Second GenerationChildren of Josiah Tomlinson and Elizabeth WatsonRebecca Tomlinson Anne Tomlinson Mary Tomlinson William Tomlinson (1749-1813) m. Martha Coppock (1755-1844)
Children of Josiah Tomlinson and Olive Russell
Third GenerationChildren of William Tomlinson and Martha CoppockJoseph Tomlinson (1772-1820) m. Jemima Bray (1778-1851) Josiah Tomlinson (1776-1779) William Tomlinson (b. & d. 1778) Josiah Tomlinson (1781-1843) m. Martha Blair (1787-1873) Moses Tomlinson (1783-?) m. Tabitha ? Elizabeth Tomlinson (1785-?) m. Samuel Hunt William Tomlinson (1788-1808) Martha Tomlinson (1790-1843) Robert Tomlinson (1793-?) m. Lydia Kellum Zachariah Tomlinson (1795-1833) m. Martha Johnson Allen Unthank Tomlinson (1802-1879) m. Rachel English (1809-1876) Martha Coppock was the daughter of Moses Coppock and Martha Lester. For a critical evaluation of family traditions and documentation concerning this family, see Linda Coate's Coate/Dudick "Ancestrees" page. ----------
Children of Samuel Tomlinson and Ann English ----------
Children of Josiah Tomlinson and Charity Mendenhall Charity Mendenhall was the daughter of Moses Mendenhall and Dinah Rudduck. For more information on the Mendenhall family, see the Mendenhall Family Association page.
Fourth GenerationChildren of Joseph Tomlinson and Jemima BrayKeziah Tomlinson (1798-?) m. Henry Bland James Copic (Coppock?) Tomlinson (1799-1892) m. Ann Doan John Tomlinson (1801-?) m. Martha Pearson Hiram Tomlinson (1802-1839) m. Cristina Coble Moses Tomlinson (1804-1852 m. Sabra DeMoss Martha Tomlinson (1806-?) m. David Fox William Tomlinson (1808-1899) m. Sarah Philips Henry Bray Tomlinson (1810-ca. 1892) m. Sarah Chamness Jemima Tomlinson (1812-?) m. Alexander Bryant Joseph Tomlinson (1814-1902) m. Elizabeth A. Jones Phineas Tomlinson (1816-1888) m. Jincy Hendricks Edward Bray Tomlinson (1819-1853) m. Sarah Ann Osborn ----------
Children of Josiah Tomlinson and Martha Blair Thanks to John Carr for the definitive list of children for this couple! ----------
Children of Robert Tomlinson and Lydia Kellum ----------
Children of Allen Unthank Tomlinson and Rachel English
SourcesI am very grateful to Keith Tomlinson for information on the families of Joseph Tomlinson and Jemima Bray, and Robert Tomlinson and Lydia Kellum, and for making me aware of Sally Ryan Tomlinson's work.Since beginning work on this family in the early 1990s, I have discovered that some of my original sources have significant errors, but I list them here nonetheless: Dean Martin Tomlinson, The Tomlinson Family, LDS film 1034757/8 Tomlinson records from Iowa State Historical Society, LDS film 1020760/7, from Iowa State Historical Society; several separate records on Tomlinsons of Iowa. Some of these are apparently accurate, others are clearly incorrect. In particular, "William and Martha Tomlinson of Kentucky, 1749-1844", by George L. Tomlinson, 1932, is a fanciful account of William Tomlinson and Martha Coppock that is full of inaccuracies. Diller, Corinne Hanna, Coate/Coppock Family, LDS film 1697552/1-4 Quaker Families. Earlham College Library, seen as LDS film 1572058 Hinshaw, Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, volume 1 Randolph County, 1779-1979, published by Randolph County Historical Society and the Randolph Arts Guild, Hunter Publishing Co., Winston-Salem NC 1980 Ragan, Elizabeth H. (1976). The Lineage of the Amos Ragan Family, Quaker Collection of Guilford College, Greensboro. Randolph County NC 1850 census Springfield Friends Cemetery 1780-1991, Guilford County, High Point NC, prepared for Springfield Memorial Association by Brenda Gray Haworth, Historian and Editor Abstracts of Wills and Estates Records of Rowan County, North Carolina 1753-1805 and Tax Lists of 1759 and 1778, copyright Jo White Linn 1980 Webster, Irene B., compiler (1979), Guilford County, North Carolina Will Abstracts 1771-1841. South Carolina Will Abstracts, will of Samuel Russell 1757 This page was revised on July 4, 2005
Other ResourcesFamily Tree DNA lists a Tomlinson DNA project, but as of February 10, 2008, no web site is given.
|