Tomlinson Hill is a small unincorporated community in Falls County, Texas, United States.Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl, TOMLINSON HILL, TX, The Handbook of Texas Online It lies approximately 7½ miles west of Marlin on State Highway 320 and approximately 1½ miles west-southwest of the junction of 320 and State Highway 7.
History It was named for James K. Tomlinson, a native of Georgia who settled in the area with his family in the 1850s.Lee Jenkins, Links to Slavery and N.F.L. Star on a Hill in Texas, The New York Times, January 7, 2007Lee Jenkins, 'A Heritage on a Hill, San Diego Magazine, February 2007, pp. 103-105 After emancipation, many of Tomlinson's former slaves took his last name. Most of the Tomlinsons have since moved from the area, but some remain, and one notable resident returned – the late Oliver Tomlinson, the father of former National Football League (NFL) player LaDainian Tomlinson. The school had fifty-one students in 1933. In the 1940s, there were four businesses, a school, and several houses. By the 1980s, there was only a church and one business. It was also the site of the annual meeting of the Old Settlers and Veterans Association of Falls County. The population was sixty-four in 2000.
In 2012, a documentary featuring a white descendant, Chris Tomlinson, and a black descendant, Loreane Tomlinson, was directed by Lisa Kaselak.Documentary website
References
External links After Words interview with Chris Tomlinson on Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families who Share the Tomlinson Name - One White, One Black, conducted by Lavar Tomlinson, June 23, 2014, C-SPAN