| Notes |
- Baptised at St. Marks Lutheran Butler PA, Godparents Gottlieb and Mary Seif.
As a small child he received a penknife as a gift and promptly carved his initials on each side of the front door to the house in Hannahstown, Butler County PA. According to my father, he was soundly spanked for this act. I saw these initials still on either side of the door in 1970. When the house was being torn down, my father had a piece of the board saved and it is in the celler in Slippery Rock. Adolph ran away to join the Army during the civil war. According to the stories in the family, he ran off three times. the first two times his mother was successful in bringing him back to the farm. He claimed to be 18 but in reality was only 16 at the time. He enlisted in Capt. Cooper's Battery Independent. Battalion (later named Battery A PA Light Artillery) Pennsylvania Artillery (100 days 1864) serving 19 May 1864 to 29 August 1864. Physical description 5 foot 9 1/2 inches tall, had brown hair and hazel eyes. Although his service record is slim it is a safe bet that he served in the fortifications erected around the Pittsburgh area to protect the steel industry and the Allegheny Arsenal. Some of those Forts were named and are familiar to native Pittsburghers. Forts Brunot, McKever, Fulton, Black, Smalls, McKinley, McKnight, Mechanic were the names that came down in an article in the now extinct Pittsburgh Press by George Swetnam. There were some 20 redoubts and 13 Batteries on a Corps of Engineers map made by a Captain Craighill. There is a frustrating one liner that teases. A Camp Brooks is mentioned but no location is given. " Battery A was mentioned as being stationed there."
Civil War Fortifications in Allegheny (1863)
In an effort to defend the city and its war efforts from invasion, Major General Brooks oversaw the construction of thirty-seven forts and redoubts surrounding Pittsburgh in June of 1863. Five of these fortifications were planned and built within Allegheny City, and were the only fortifications to be numbered.
Fort #1 was called Fort McKee? It was located on Colfax Street near Island Avenue in the vicinity of Mount Union Cemetery (today, this is Division 1 of Union Dale Cemetery). It is believed that this fortification was constructed for the defense of the railroad yards in Manchester. This site is no longer visible due to 20th Century buildings.
Fort # 2 was originally called Fort Brunot, although it is most often referred to as Fort McKeever. It was built on the McKeever farm on what was known as Black Lane (now Marshall Avenue) on the hill rising above Fort #1. The shape of this fort was unique because it was a square. Today, residences of this neighborhood believe that you can still see remains of the forts earthen works on the grounds of the Pressley Ridge School. This fort was one of the only structures that were completed during the Civil War.
The name Brunot was in honor of Allegheny Resident, Felix R. Brunot a prominent lawyer, who was also the honorary chairmen of the Sanitary Fair that was held in Allegheny in 1864.
Fort #3 was unnamed and was located near today's intersection of Marshall Avenue and Perrysville Avenue.
Fort # 4 was called Fort Fulton and renamed Fort Childs? It was located east of the other Allegheny fortifications and was adjacent to today's Northview Heights housing development. This fortification guarded the Butchers Run Valley and the Plank Road. As late as 1991, remnants of the fort were still visible.
Fort #5 was called Fort Kirkwood? It was located on land owned by Judge Lowrie and is most likely the site of today's St. Nicholas Cemetery in Reserve Township (just outside the border of Allegheny City). The fort overlooked Girty's Run, the borough of Millvale and had a commanding view of the Allegheny River. Of special note, this fort was completed by labor from Allegheny's African-American citizens. This is the only known site that utilized the labor of the African-American community. Nothing is known to remain of this fortification.
After the war he enlisted 4 Feb 1867 in K Company 11th Infantry Regiment and served until Expiration Term of Service. He was discharged 4 Feb 1870 at Granada MS. According to his pension file he was married at the English Evangelical Lutheran Church in Allegheny City (since 1906 the north side of PGH) by the Rev J(ohn) G. Goettman ( the 2nd Pastor there). This church became Trinity Lutheran and was located at Stockton and Arch Streets. It was torn down for redevelopment in the late 1960s. The church is now located at 616 W. North Ave. The early records are at Thiel College Greenville PA. The church was an off shoot of the English Evangelical Lutheran on Grant Street which is one of the oldest churches in the city.
Family tradition from my uncle Chick has it that he was a very strong man and could lift a barrel of whiskey to drink from. Resided 504 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh PA. He worked at various trades and was killed by falling off a ladder on Neville Island. Resided 174 Ohio Street, Allegheny City in 1890 veteran's census.
According to my father he was not a very nice chap at all. He would beat his daughter in law to get money to drink with and never paid his rent. The owner of the house being the aunt of his wife. Supposedly he wouldn't go to work unless he had 2 half pints of whiskey. One for breakfast and one for lunch?
1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Adolphus W Drollinger
Age: 2
Birth Year: abt 1848
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Home in 1850: Clearfield, Butler, Pennsylvania, USA
Gender: Male
Family Number: 333
1860 United States Federal Census
Name: Adolphus Drollinger
Age: 12
Birth Year: abt 1848
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Pennsylvania
Home in 1860: Jefferson, Butler, Pennsylvania
Post Office: Butler
Family Number: 262
1882 1883 City Directory was a tanner 132 Chestnut St
Census of 1890 residing 174 Ohio St Allegheny City PA
Home in 1900: Pike St. Allegheny Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Household Members:
Name Age
Adolph W Drollinger 52 engineer
Josephine Drollinger 46
Clarie Drollinger 19 tabulator
Adolph W Drollinger 6
|
1848 - 1906 (58 years)
[1] 
