🌿 Matilda Jane Amelia Gay Wherrett Tomlinson (1826–1901)
“Remember me in the family tree—
My name, my days, my strife;
Then I'll ride upon the wings of time
And live an endless life.”
—GoetschIt’s time to place Matilda Jane Amelia Gay in her rightful place—with the correct name—in our family tree.
📜 A Marriage With Our True Biological Name
On Monday, 16 February 1846, in the Registrar’s Office of Bath, Somerset, England, Matilda Jane Amelia Gay married Edward Aaron Wherrett Sr. He was 21; she was 19, just three months shy of her 20th birthday.
Their marriage certificate is a treasured document, not just for the fact of the union, but because it holds something deeply personal: their original signatures.
Unlike many 19th-century documents marked with an "X" in place of a signature, both Edward and Matilda signed their names in their own hand, suggesting they were literate—able to read and write. For me, this is the only tangible, personal piece of them I possess. It has even helped me verify Edward’s identity in other documents through handwriting comparison.
Wouldn’t a photograph of Edward or Matilda be a miracle? I believe in miracles. Maybe one day.
👣 Tracing a Name—and Untangling a Truth
Matilda is my father’s great-grandmother. My dad, Vern Wherrett Tomlinson, often told me that his middle name, Wherrett, came from his great-grandmother’s maiden name on his father’s side.
Dads know these things… right?
After Dad passed away in 1991, I found a Tomlinson family group sheet tucked away in one of his drawers. As a new family history researcher, I took this sheet—and Dad’s story—as fact.
But it wasn’t.
It took me two full years of digging, cross-checking, and slowly unraveling the pieces to realize the truth: Dad’s story and the group sheet were both incorrect. My persistence clung to what I thought was a verified family tradition, only to find that our family’s origin was more complex—and more fascinating—than we ever imagined.
👤 The Men in Matilda’s Life
Dad’s father, George Wherrett Tomlinson, was named after George Tomlinson, born in 1822 in England—Matilda’s second husband.
But here’s the twist: George Tomlinson was not his biological grandfather. That title belongs to Edward Aaron Wherrett, Matilda’s first husband, and the father of her two children, including our direct ancestor.
Did my grandfather, George W. Tomlinson, know this?
Was it a family secret, unspoken for generations?
I wonder.What I do know now is that family stories must be researched carefully—not just accepted as fact—because sometimes the lore hides the real story.
🔍 From Tomlinson to Wherrett: A Journey of Discovery
I began researching in 1997, and it’s been a rewarding journey. One of the most profound discoveries was learning that Tomlinson is not our true surname. We are biologically Wherretts.
That said, Tomlinson is part of our family line, too. It appears on my father's maternal side, going back to his great-great-grandmother, Maria Tomlinson Cashmore. That story will come much later.
