The Tomlinson Family As I Know Them

I've been working diligently on the Tomlinson line since my last post. At least, I've been doing as much as I can reseaching on-line. In my opinion, much progress has been made. I just put up a page on this blog titled My Tomlinson Line and More. If you're interested, take a peek. The page is a descendants report for Lt. James Tomlinson my fifth great-grandfather and includes source citations.

Of course, there is more to find but for now I'll move on to my next family.


Sarah Ann Tomlinson, my second great-grandmother, married John Gans. I'll be working on the Gans family for a time and see where that brings me.

~ Becky

My Tomlinson Family

 My great-grandmother, Anna Maria Gans, who married Benjamin A. Stewart, was the daughter of John Gans and Sarah Ann Tomlinson. I decided to take a deeper look at the Tomlinson family and have found some interesting people. My first task has been to use the book Henry Tomlinson and his Descendants in America written by Samuel Orcutt and published by Price, Lee & Adkins Co., of Connecticut in 1891 and prove or disprove his listings. My Henry Tomlinson line from this book is one of the “miscellaneous” families not identified with the major Henry Tomlinson of the volume. Very little documentation is included.

So I began with “Lt. James Tomlinson, son of Henry of Philadelphia, or thereabouts” and tried to find documentation for each person in the line. I’m not finished yet but I must say there is more correct than not in this book. Other than some minor discrepancies in dates and a few missing children here and there, the author did an outstanding job! When one considers how many more records I have access to than those researchers in 1891, they did an awesome job.

The most interesting thing about this family from my view point is their social standing. I’m used to working with farmers but these Tomlinsons for the most part were teachers, doctors, and ministers.

I’ll tell more later; now I need to get back to work!