John Jay and Margaret Elida House Tomlinson arrived in Montana Territory in August 1864 shortly after their marriage in Iowa. John J. Tomlinson was born near Ft. Cumberland, Maryland, to Jesse and Hannah Tomlinson on March 1, 1812. Tomlinson farmed and operated a mill with his father. He studied surveying and civil engineering until he was twenty when he opened his own mill. Tomlinson quickly sold his mill and moved around until he settled in Iowa. He became a county surveyor and worked in several mills there. He met his wife, Margaret House, in Canton, Iowa. She was born in Theresa, New York, on Aug. 12, 1834.
After moving by wagon train to the Emigrant Gulch area of Montana Territory, the couple had their first child, Philo House Tomlinson, on April 20,1865. The couple had three more children as they moved throughout the area. Harry Comily Tomlinson was born June 5, 1867, in Yellowstone Mills, Montana. John Jay Tomlinson Jr. was born on Oct. 9, 1869, in Salesville, Montana, which is just southwest of Bozeman, where the city of Gallatin Gateway is located today. Amy Anna was also born in Salesville on April 20, 1872.
By March 1868, the Tomlinson family was settled into Salesville, which was known as the Upper West Gallatin. John Tomlinson purchased a right of occupation from J.W. Sales for $500 and built a lath and shingle mill there. The family sold the mill in 1874 in exchange for 250,000 feet of lumber. After selling the mill, Tomlinson built what became Gallatin Valley's flouring mill. When the boat carrying the machinery for the flouring mill was wrecked, he purchased more equipment with borrowed money. The mill was sold to Nelson Story in 1879. John J. Tomlinson died in Salesville on March 26, 1888. Margaret House Tomlinson died in College Place, Washington, on January 4, 1917.
Philo House Tomlinson, who is also included in this collection, married Ida M. Thomas Tomlinson of Joplin, Missouri, on February 12, 1893, while living in Salesville. He was appointed postmaster in Salesville and operated a general store there. In 1903 the Philo H. Tomlinson family left Salesville by wagon to move to College Place, Washington. The couple also lived in Stateline, Oregon, and in their later years they lived in Walla Walla, Washington. The couple had eight children. Ida M. Thomas Tomlinson died Dec. 29, 1946. Philo H. Tomlinson died Jan. 11, 1951.
This collection includes ten photocopied books of information compiled by Margaret Strickland, one of the granddaughters of Philo H. and Ida M. Thomas Tomlinson, about her family's early days in the West. She organized them by dates from 1852 to 1975. Each book has family photos and a short history or genealogy of the family written by Margaret Strickland. All of the books contain daily logs from the Tomlinson family's early days traveling to and living in Montana. The logs are all different and describe anything from daily duties of various family members and the weather to business accounts.
At the beginning of each book there are notes compiled by Margaret Strickland, including an index of items in the book and a list of important events recorded in the log. She listed her contact information so that copies of her books could be ordered. Also listed are the dates of family documents she planned on photocopying and making available to the public.
The collection is divided into two series:
Series I: John J. and Margaret Tomlinson Family, 0.5 linear feet, 1852-1896
Series II: Philo H. and Ida M. Tomlinson Family, 1 folder, 1832-1975
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.
[Name of document], Tomlinson Family Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.
Materials in this collection remained with the Tomlinson Family until donation to the K. Ross Toole Archives.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Tomlinson and George and Margaret Strickland, 1979
This collection was originally processed by Margaret Strickland beginning in 1977. In 2002 the collection was re-described.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
There are nine photocopied books included in this series, which are numbered and kept in the order the original processor arranged them. Each book contains a log kept by the family in addition to copies of documents important to the family's history, including family photos. Margaret Strickland, the original processor, created family trees and compiled histories of John J. and Margaret Tomlinson's ancestors. Log 2 contains copies of John J. Tomlinson's patent on an improvement for a millstone-driver and instructions on how to combine certain metals. Logs 3 through 9 contain copies of business records kept by the family. Logs 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 are records of the family's daily duties and the weather.
This series contains one photocopied book of information compiled about the Philo H. Tomlinson family. The book appears to have been created following Philo and Ida Tomlinson's 50th wedding anniversary and a family reunion in 1975. There are several photos of the Philo Tomlinson family's home and business in Salesville, MT, and a copy of Philo Tomlinson's postmaster appointment there in 1901. There are also pictures and articles from the couple's wedding anniversary and the family reunion.
This book also includes information about the John J. Tomlinson family that wasn't included in the preceding series. There is a deed for property near Ft. Cumberland, MD, owned by John J. Tomlinson's parents around 1832. There are several documents related to John J. Tomlinson's work and experiences in Indiana and Iowa dating from 1837 to 1846, including a copy of his postmaster appointment in Canton, IA, in 1846. Also included is a map of John and Margaret Tomlinson's wagon trip to Montana in 1864 and logs written by the two during this time. There are also several histories written about John Tomlinson. Also included is a copy of the Tomlinson coat of arms.