Family:Robert Tomlinson and Lydia Kellum (5)

Notes

• States names of children as Milton, Martha, Noah, Allen, Jessie (deceased), Asenath, Jane, Levi, and Esther.
• Left NC and moved to Hendricks Co., IN about 1820 where they purchased 160 acres from the government.
• They then moved to Hamilton Co., IN where they purchased 200 acres of land

1. ↑ Haines, John F. History of Hamilton County, Indiana: her people, industries and institutions. (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1915)
   775.

   "... twenty-six years of age, when he married Lydia Kellum ..."

2.   Portrait and Biographical Record of Madison and Hamilton Counties, Indiana
   595, 751.

   p 595 - "Robert Tomlinson remained with his mother until about twenty-six years of age, when he married Lydia Kellum. Unto this union.. were born nine children. Milton... was the eldest; then follow Martha, Noah, Allen, Jessie (deceased), Asenath, Jane, Levi and Esther."
   
   p 751 - "The parents remained a twelvemonth in their early home subsequent to their marriage, and then emigrated to Indiana. Journeying to Hendricks County, they settled on a one hundred and sixty acre tract, which the father had purchased from the government."

3. ↑ United States. 1840 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M704)
   Hamilton, Indiana; Roll: 82; Page: 152.
4. ↑ United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432)
   Washington, Hamilton, Indiana; Roll: M432_148; Page: 7; Image: 336. .

   Robert Tomlinson, 57 yr old male
   Farmer
   Born in North Carolina
   
   Lydia Kellum Tomlinson, 51 yr old Female
   Born in North Carolina

5. ↑ United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M653)
   Washington, Hamilton, Indiana; Roll: M653_263; Page: 330; Image: 331.

   Robert Tomlinson, 66 yrs old - male - Farmer
   Real estate value: $2400 == Personal estate: $690
   Birthplace: NC
   
   Lydia, 60 yr old female - born in NC

6. ↑ United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publications M593 and T132)
   Washington, Hamilton, Indiana; Roll: M593_319; Page: 213; Image: 426.

   Robert, 77 yr old White Male
   Ret Farmer
   Real estate value $3000 == Personal estate: $300
   Born in NC
   
   Lydia, 72 yr old white female
   Occupation: Keeping house
   Born in NC

7.   Noblesville Daily Ledger
   3, Friday, 9 Sep 1927.

   PAGENT TO DEPICT EARLY HISTORY OF HAMILTON COUNTY
   Activities of Underground Railroad Are to be Shown
   CAST MADE UP OF TOMLINSON FAMILY
   Will Be Given on Tomlinson Homestead Near Westfield
   
   A most unique pageant of ante-bellum days in Hamilton county will be staged Saturday evening at the home of Esther Tomlinson, a couple of miles north of Westfield and a half mile west of Chester church. It will be a story of John Rhodes, a slave and the underground railroad activities in Hamilton county during the middle of the forties. The scenes depicted in this pageant were arranged by Asher Tomlinson and will represent actual incidents in Hamilton county which occurred in 1844.
   
   There will be a bi-annual reunion at the Esther Tomlinson home, Saturday
   
   For the members of the family and friends who may happen in and the usual big dinner at the noon hour will ???? and the affair will be continued until Evening when the occasion will be featured by the pageant, which will start at 7 o'clock.
   
   The public is invited. No admission will be charged. The entire cast will be composed of relatives of the Tomlinson family; This will be unusual in view of the fact that the members of the pioneer Tomlinson family in this county were very prominent in underground railroad activities.
   
   The story of John Rhodes is interesting and occurred in the western part of the county in 1844. Rhodes was originally a slave in Missouri; escaped from his master, worked for a while in Illinois and finally reached Hamilton county, locating in a log cabin southeast of Baker's Corner. After his master learned of his location, he, with several other slave owners came to Hamilton county for the purpose of claiming Rhodes as their property and taking him back with them. He refused to go and the people of his community stood behind him. The slave hunters came to Noblesville to file a case in court claiming their property and wanted Rhodes brought here, their principal object at that time being to get him out of the neighborhood where he seemed to have so many friends.
   
   Rhodes, his wife and children were finally loaded into a wagon and during the ride they escaped, presumably being permitted to do so purposely, and hid in a hay stack on the farm of Robert Tomlinson. Later they sought refuge on the farm of Aaron Lindley.
   
   Later, the slave owners filed a suit in the federal court at Indianapolis for the possession of Rhodes. The court held that Rhodes was a free man by virtue of having lived in Illinois, which was a free state, for the time required by law. This closed the incident and Rhodes and his family returned to Hamilton county and spent the remainder of their days here. AT the time he came to this part of the state he had only one child, but later there were three children in the family.
   
   All of these incidents as nearly true to life as possible will be depicted in this pageant
   
   The Esther Tomlinson homestead, on which this pageant will be given, was first owned, so far as the family history shows, by Robert Tomlinson, in 1837. It has been in the family ever since.

8. ↑ North Carolina, United States. North Carolina Marriage Collection, 1741-2004
   County Court Records at Asheboro, NC and FHL# 0019641, 0019658 and 0418149. .

   Robert Tomlinson
   Lydia Killum
   Marriage Date: 27 Sep 1819
   Randolph County
   North Carolina

9.   Tomlinson Family Tree.

   p 8, 9 - "Robert Tomlinson was married to Lydia Kellum ninth month, twenty-fifth, eighteen nineteen, in Ran­dolph County, North Carolina."
   "About one year after Robert and Lydia were mar­ried they started for the northwest in search of a new home. On reaching Ohio, they stopped there with Robert's uncle, Josiah Tomlinson, about one year."
   
   "Feeling that there was a better place for them, they pushed on westward until they found a place in the southeast part of Hendricks County, Indiana. Here with the other pioneers, they began to battle with the wilderness in order to make a living for themselves and family. Toiling on with many disadvantages they managed to get a farm and accumulated some property. The place that they had selected proved to them, at that time, to be an unhealthy situation. Disease was a fre­quent visitor at their home."
   
   p 15 - "Thus we find our Grandfather Robert Tomlinson moving to In­diana in the year 1821 and settling in Hendricks County."