When Fenton Andrew Tomlinson was born on 4 March 1820, in Nova Scotia, Canada, his father, Abel Arthur Tomlinson, was 34 and his mother, Rebeckah Andrews, was 36. He married Mary Jane McRobert in 1842, in Nova Scotia, British Colonial America. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Eureka Township, Humboldt, California, United States in 1860. He died on 26 October 1894, in Eureka, Humboldt, California, United States, at the age of 74, and was buried in Eureka, Humboldt, California, United States.