Robert Fisher Tomes was born on August 4, 1823, in Weston on Avon, Warwickshire, England.

He was an English farmer, zoologist, geologist, and author. He farmed at Welford, Gloucestershire. He served as Vice-President of the Chipping Campden School Board for many years and was appointed Alderman for the County Council of Worcester. In 1860, Tomes became a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London and published numerous articles in various scientific journals. As his interest expanded to geology, he became a Fellow of the Geological Society in 1877. He was also a specialist in bats, describing several new species. He wrote the sections on Insectivora and Chiroptera in Thomas Bell's “History of Quadrupeds” (2nd ed., 1874). Tomes wrote natural history sections for his own and neighbouring county histories. As his interest in ornithology diminished, he resigned from the British Ornithologists Union in 1866. His collections of birds and mammals testify to his taxidermic skill and knowledge of ornithology. They are found in the Natural History Museum in London and the museum in Worcester.

He died on July 10, 1904, in South Littleton, Worcestershire, England.

William Fraser Tolmie was born on February 3, 1812, in Inverness, Scotland.

He was a surgeon, fur trader, scientist, and politician. In 1832, he received a medical degree from the University of Glasgow and was a Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. When the Hudson's Bay Company was looking for medical officers for the Columbia District of the Pacific Northwest, he signed a five-year contract to serve in the dual capacity of clerk and surgeon. He arrived at Fort Nisqually, Washington in 1833 and served as the post's first surgeon. He soon was trading furs with the Native Americans and showed a marked aptitude for dealing with them. As a surgeon and trader, he arranged good relations with the Native Americans and served as chef legislator for the Hudson's Bay Company North Region (1843-1859). In 1859, the Hudson's Bay Company transferred him to British Columbia, where he served on the HBC Board of Management until his retirement in 1871. He was also active in politics, serving as a member of the House of Assembly of Vancouver Island (1860-1866) and a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (1874-1878). Tolmie State Park in Washington is named after him.

In 1850, he married Jane Work (1827–1880). He died on December 8, 1886, in Victoria, British Columbia.