The Parents of the Tomlinson Focus Generation: John and Catherine Tomlinson

The Parents of the Tomlinson Focus Generation: John and Catherine Tomlinson

John Tomlinson 

Corroborated vital documents for John are scarce. Circumstantial evidence indicates a birth in 1797, marriage prior to 1824, and death in 1859. No birth or marriage record has been located. There is an obituary dated 31 January 1859[1].  John was likely a Quaker, certainly Catherine his wife was a practicing Quaker as documented in many records.

Shown is a cropped photo from a metallic plate as described to me by his granddaughter, Margaret Tomlinson, as John Tomlinson lying in state. 

John was a common name for Pennsylvania Tomlinsons, whether or not Quakers. A John thought to be the person of interest here, comes up in many Quaker records but always described as the husband of Catherine, as if she was the devout Quaker and his role in the faith was questionable. Quaker minutes[2] and indexes for the Radnor, PA meeting house for 1833 and subsequent years refer to John only as "the husband of Catherine". However a letter[3] dated 3 August 1849, from the Radnor Monthly meeting of Friends introduces Catherine and John to the Philadelphia Meeting. However, John was not listed in the family group in the 1860 Census[4], nor is the family group found in the 1850 Census. The 1870 Census refers to Catherine as a widow.[6]

John is presumed  deceased by 1860, and there are 3 John Tomlinson deaths recorded in 1858 and 1859. A Find-a-Grave member has added a Memorial[5], based on the 1859 obituary. There is some corroborating evidence that it is the right John. An 1850 Philadelphia Quaker meeting record lists Catherine with Reuben and Jesse (sons) at corner of 15^th and Barclay Street. The obituary for John Tomlinson who died on 27 Jan 1859, age 63 years, also states his late residence as “corner of 15^th and Barclay”. 

So was John a seaman, hence not available for Quaker meetings, as he was not recorded in minutes reviewed so far? Nor was he in residence on Barclay Street in the 1850 listing with Catherine, Reuben and Jesse. There is a Seaman’s Oath for service[7] taken by a John Tomlinson 7 May 1818 at 21 years of age and witnessed by his brother Jesse. There is also an earlier oath taken in 1815. He is described as 5’7” tall, dark hair, hazel eyes, stout nose, round chin, smooth face and dark complexion. The document states that John was born in the County of Chester, which included the township of Radnor, or did up to 1789, when Delaware County was split from Chester.[8] That Jesse’s name as a brother is interesting. The name Jesse also appears on the 1843 Quaker marriage record explained below.

Thus Jumping ahead to 1877, there is a Quaker death notice[9] for Lydia Tomlinson in Minneapolis, age 78. She was buried adjacent to William and Reuben Tomlinson, known to be sons of Catherine and John Tomlinson. The plots were purchased by William’s widow, Emma Sower Tomlinson Secombe when he died in 1873. Lydia’s obituary states that she was a sister of the late Eliza T. (Tomlinson) Wayne. The Quaker Philadelphia (Cherry Street) marriage record[10] of Eliza Tomlinson to William Wayne 6 March 1834 states Eliza as the daughter of John and Lydia Tomlinson, ‘both deceased’. In attendance at the wedding were Jesse and Lydia Tomlinson presumed siblings of Eliza, and perhaps siblings of John who did not attend. 

Origins of John Tomlinson

Presume there is a sibling group of John, Eliza, Lydia and Jesse. There may be more siblings, but not yet found. Their parents could have been John and Lydia Bailey as recorded in Eliza’s marriage record of 1834, but predeceased her. There is a marriage record out of unity where a Lydia Baily is disowned 2 October 1784[11], but no confirmation as married to whom. There is also a Lydia Tomlinson, “wife of John” whose death is recorded as 7 November 1807[12].  The extensive obituary for Harry Ashton Tomlinson, a grandson of John and Catherine Tomlinson, states that he was descended from Irish Quakers who landed in Lewes, Delaware about 1759 and later located to Philadelphia[13]. In fact large numbers of Quakers from Ireland emigrated to Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the late 17^th and early 18^th Centuries. The author of this blog tested Y-111 DNA and was matched with several others who have recorded descent from Irish Quakers. However, direct ties to their trees have not been substantiated.

Catherine Tomlinson's history will be described in another blog posting.

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[1] Press (Philadelphia, PA). Monday, January 31, 1859. Page 4]

[2] Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1827-1851; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 539

[3] Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Record of Certificates; Collection: Quaker Meeting Records; Call Number: RG2/Ph/R31 3.5

[4] Year: 1860; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 1 Precincts 6, 7, and 9, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1151; Page: 604; Image: 610; Family History Library Film: 805151

[5] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172149538

[6] Year: 1870; Census Place: Minneapolis Ward 3, Hennepin, Minnesota; Roll: T132_5; Page: 484; Image: 569; Family History Library Film: 830425

[7] National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Proofs of Citizenship Used to Apply for Seamen's Certificates for the Port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1792-1881, Publ. Ancestry.com

[8] Wikipedia, County history, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_County,_Pennsylvania

[9] Quaker Periodicals, Haverford College; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Journal; Volumes: 1877 Jan - 1881 Jan (Vol 5 - 8)

[10] Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Certificates of Marriage, 1828; Collection: Quaker Meeting Records; Call Number: MR Ph:366

[11] U.S., Hinshaw Index to Selected Quaker Records, 1680-1940

[12] Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Certificate of Removal, 1681-1758; Collection: Quaker Meeting Records; Call Number: MR Ph:396

[13] Library of Congress. Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910. [database on-line] Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1999. Shutter, Marion Daniel. Progressive Men of Minnesota. Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis Journal, 1897.