Tomlinson "Tommy" Wellburn was a soldier from Sparta, Tennesse, who Scarlett O'Hara nursed during the Civil War. He later married her childhood friend Fanny Elsing in an elaborate wedding.
Biography[]
His mother, Ms. Tomlinson, went to LaGrange Academy with Pittypat Hamilton. Originally from Tennessee, Tommy Wellburn fought in the Civil War. He originally planned on becoming a doctor or physician, like Dr. Meade, but the arrival of the War meant that he had to fight and be a soldier. After being injured, he was brought to an Atlanta hospital, where he was cared for by Melanie Hamilton and Scarlett O'Hara.
Later, in 1866, he married Fanny Elsing. At the wedding, he announced that they would name their first son Robert Lee Wellburn after General Lee. They later do, in fact, name their son that. He is born only months before Tommy's death.
Later, he joins the Ku Klux Klan with his brother-in-law Hugh Elsing. After they attack Shantytown, Tommy and Frank Kennedy are killed, leaving their wives Fanny and Scarlett as widows.
Trivia[]
- Tommy appears in the film Gone With the Wind (1939), though much earlier in the story. He is seen dancing and flirting with Fanny Elsing at the Atlanta Bazaar (1861), while at this point she was still engaged to Dallas McLure. It is only after his death two years later, that Fanny meets Tommy.
- Tommy's full name is "Tomlinson", which is his mother's name. During the 19th century, there was a brief trend of mothers naming their sons after their maiden name to keep the family line going.
- He is scared of his mother-in-law, Mrs Elsing.