Mary Elizabeth Trollinger and Trollinger Family

Mary Elizabeth Trollinger was the wife of our great-great-great-grandfather, Jonathan Kerr Gant.
She was born in December 1791 in Orange County, North Carolina. Mary's parents were Jacob Henry Trollinger and Mary (Polly) Thomas. She was the couples' first daughter and second child.

The Trollinger ancestors came to America from Germany. The one who immigrated first was Mary's great-grandfather Adam Drollinger born on 4 April 1708 in Ellmendingen, Baden, Germany (he is/was our 6 times great-grandfather).

Vines, Ellmendingen, Baden, Germany

Adam left Germany when he was 30 years old. He traveled on the same ship together with his wife Margaretha Valencia Beck (b.1710) and their children. They were accompanied by Adam's cousin Johann Eberhard Drollinger (b. 1706) and cousin's wife Anna Maria Fuess (b. 1708). In 1738 they all arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Nancy and Friendship".

Later, Adam Drollinger moved with his family to North Carolina. In 1743, Adam's father Hans Michael Drollinger emigrated to North Carolina as well. He arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Rosanna".

Mary Elizabeth Trollinger Gant died on 24 June 1883 in Graham, Alamance County, North Carolina.

Mary's husband and our ancestor Jonathan Kerr Gant departed on 8 September 1858. The couple found their eternal resting place at Providence Cemetery in Graham, Alamance, NC.

In America, the surname Drollinger got changed into Trollinger (and Trolinger). An interesting thing is that Trollinger is the name of the wine vine variety. That particular type of dark grapes was originally grown in South Tyrol but these days it is mostly cultivated in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.

Why I have chosen to tell you about Mary Elizabeth Trollinger and her (and our) ancestors, I will explain later, in one of my May posts.

Credits:

• Photo - Vines in Ellmendingen: Von Augenstein, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46589064
• Photos of gravestones by Jason & Mitzie