Eliza Clayland (Tomlinson) Foster (1788 - 1855)

Born 21 Jan 1788 in Wilmington, Delaware

Wife of William Barclay Foster — married 14 Nov 1807 in Chambersburg, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 18 Jan 1855 at age 66 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: John Schalcosky [send private message]

Biography

Eliza (Tomlinson) Foster is Notable.

Eliza (Tomlinson) Foster was born in Appalachia, in Pennsylvania.

During a business trip to Philadelphia, William Barclay Foster (1779-1855) met Eliza Clayland Tomlinson (1788-1855) while she was visiting family, and they went on to get married on November 14, 1807, in Chambersburg, PA. From there, the Fosters traveled by horseback to Pittsburgh, where they settled for the remainder of their lives. In 1814, William bought a tract of land on a hillside overlooking the Allegheny River, laying out the plans two years later for the town of Lawrenceville, which he named after Naval Captain James Lawrence who died heroically during the War of 1812. William is identified as the founding father of Lawrenceville.

The Fosters had ten children, the youngest being Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864), who went on to become the preeminent songwriter of the 19th century in the United States and is acknowledged as the "father of American music." William & Eliza Foster both died in 1855, Eliza passing within a few months after her husband.

Sources

• Marriage: "Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S., Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014"
  Genealogical Card File. Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 60592 #341685 (accessed 26 September 2022)
  Eliza Clayland Tomlinson marriage to undefined on 14 Nov 1807.
• 1850 Census: "United States Census, 1850"
  citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
  FamilySearch Record: M44C-QV9 (accessed 26 September 2022)
  FamilySearch Image: S3HT-DRRQ-PCN Image number 00373
  Eliza B Foster (53) in Allegheny Township, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States. Born in Maryland.
• Find A Grave:Find A Grave: Memorial #7910290, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 15 May 2018), memorial page for Eliza Clayland Tomlinson Foster (21 janv, 1788–18 janv, 1855), citing Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Dottie Kunselman (contributor 47205661).

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Eliza Clayland Tomlinson Foster
• Wikidata: Item Q21482838, en:Wikipedia
• HOWARD, John Tasker (1890-1964). Stephen Foster, America's Troubadour. New York: Tudor Publishing Company, 1940. (https://www.cowanauctions.com/lot/composer-stephen-foster-s-parents-eliza-william-barclay-foster-half-plate-daguerreotype-plus-4029668)
• Stephen Foster's chronology [1]
• Family Search Profile

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Steven Marsden for starting this profile.

Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Steven and others.