Rachel Tomlin Rankin and Tomlin family papers

This collection contains notes, correspondence, and genealogical research conducted by Rachel Tomlin Rankin. The material primarily relates to the Tomlin family, and was used to compile Rankin's publication, The Tomlin Family. The publication covers, "a story beginning in 1685 and covering a period of two hundred and forty-three years to 1928, including many incidents in the life of the Almarin Tomlin family in New Jersey, of their settlement at Pleasant Plains, Sangamon County, Illinois, as well as something of the pioneer life of that period," according to the subtitle of the book. Matthew Tomlin (1685-1781) and his wife, Elizabeth, lived in Gloucester County, New Jersey after 1732, and possibly before. William Tomlin I (d.1804), a grandson of Matthew and Elizabeth, was a Revolutionary War veteran. Almarin Tomlin (1800-1869), grandson of William I and father of the author, married Rhoda Smith in 1821, and in 1837 moved to land just west of Springfield, Illinois. Descendants and relatives lived in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and elsewhere.

The bulk of the collection is handwritten notes detailing the names, birth, and death dates of various members of the Tomlin family line, as well as notes on the locations of family branches. There are several folders containing correspondence sent to Rankin from nieces, nephews, cousins, and others with recollections and summaries of family lore and history. Also contained within the records are several early copies of The Tomlin Family, including handwritten copies, typewritten copies, and copies with and without corrections, as well as one copy of the final published version. One box within this collection contains family tree information that has been handwritten onto sheets of paper which are then glued or taped together and extend well over four feet in length.