Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families Who Share the Tomlinson Name - One White, One Black. By Chris Tomlinson. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2014. Pictures, foreword, introduction, endnotes, index. $26.99 hard back).
How does a suburban middle-class white boy have a familial connection with an at-risk black kid? Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families Who Share the Tomlinson Name - One White, One Black is Associated Press journalist Chris Tomlinson’s personal journey of discovering his white family’s slaveholding past while also uncovering NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson’s lineage as a descendant of one of those slaves. Chris Tomlinson aims “to examine America’s history of race and bigotry through the paternal lines of” the two Tomlinson families.
Tomlinson Hill begins with an introduction into the white Tomlinson family. The author clearly shows an enthusiasm for his Tomlinson ancestry. However, as the author delves into the story of his Tomlinson family, a crucial piece of information comes to light: Chris Tomlinson’s father was adopted into the Tomlinson pedigree. Other than stating this fact, Chris Tomlinson does not explore his true paternal lineage or mention the adoption again. An obvious first step into exploring this lost parentage would be a DNA test, something Chris Tomlinson never seems to consider, but something that would have added an extra dimension to his genealogy.
Given the lack of written documentation of slaves and former slaves, Chris Tomlinson does an excellent job of piecing together the black Tomlinson family. While the black Tomlinson family from The Hill on is not as large as the corresponding white family, their backgrounds and stories are organized in a clear manner. The author creates a perfect blend between stories passed down by the family and the actual memories of those still living.
Chris Tomlinson included family pictures of the two Tomlinson families who originated from Tomlinson Hill. Along with these pictures are the direct family trees of Chris Tomlinson and LaDainian Tomlinson. As helpful as these family trees are, more complete and detailed family trees would aid readers in keeping track of the many Tomlinsons. For each Tomlinson family, there are cousins, aunts, uncles, and in-laws that become muddled with the sheer size of the families of Tomlinson Hill. In fact, while reading several of the chapters it is nearly impossible to keep track of who is a cousin and who is a cousin’s cousin. It may be appropriate to note that even the author at times displays trouble in keeping the names straight.
Not many people living today can claim rich plantation owners as their ancestors. The white Tomlinson family of Tomlinson Hill were not only rich, but they left vast documentation of their antebellum lives. Chris Tomlinson wisely lets the Tomlinson family speak for themselves in the form of letters and plantation paperwork. The author organizes this information in a cogent and captivating way. Also, rather than defending his white Tomlinson family’s racist lifestyle, Chris Tomlinson condemns it. He is especially critical of his great-grandfather’s probable association in the Ku Klux Klan. It is admirable that the author is able to separate himself from his history and see the bigger race picture.
After detailing both white and black Tomlinson families and their individual family histories, Chris Tomlinson delves into a parallel look at the two Tomlinson families as he examines America’s history of race and bigotry. This split from a detailed genealogy brings up several questions: Is Chris Tomlinson writing about family history? Or about racism in Texas? Racial discrimination? Without a clear focus on family history or racism, Tomlinson Hill leaves genealogists and those interested in black/white racism expecting more. Furthermore, Chris Tomlinson sheds no new light on slavery in Texas or Texan racism, but merely regurgitates information researched and compiled by others. Many people, some Texans included, are not aware of the Lone Star state’s role as a slave state. Chris Tomlinson is able to bring this this information together, and he does so with unflinching honesty, even when his Tomlinson family members were the slave holders.
Tomlinson Hill is not just a biography of a nonpareil antebellum family. Chris Tomlinson weaves together his white slave holding family with that of their slaves. The ironic twist with these Tomlinsons is that a black son went on to earn the greatest success, upending the social strata of the Tomlinsons in the nineteenth century. Tomlinson Hill challenges the parallel histories of two families who could not have begun more differently, but whose lineages diverged during Emancipation, Reconstruction and segregation, only to reemerge with a sincere bond between Chris Tomlinson and LaDainian Tomlinson.
