| Notes |
- Elias is identified as "Eli" in his uncle William Drollinger's deed correction. Ref William's record for copy of document.
Matthias and his family was living near his parents at the time of the 1860 Census. Matthias was dwelling number 489 and his father was dwelling number 490.
Elias Drollinger was born 15 July 1802 in Guilford County, North Carolina and baptized 15 August 1802 in Friedens Church, Guilford County, North Carolina. The sponsors for Elias's baptism were his parents Friedrich and Maria Barbara Trollinger. He married Annie T. Izor 14 September 1823 in Preble County, Ohio. Elias died 2 January 1871 in Wabash County, Indiana. Annie, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Izor, was born 16 December 1800 in Pennsylvania, and died 2 August 1874 in Wabash County, Indiana.
The illness and subsequent death of Elias's father Frederick thrust him into early responsibility and decision making. Although young men of his time and social status could be expected to start working at an early age, they were not usually the family spokesperson as Elias was. This seems to have influenced his penchant for seeking redress through the legal system. Elias appeared often in extant court records borrowing money, buying and selling land, seeking judgments, and generally, making sure he was heard. He married neighbor girl, Annie Izor, soon after his 21st birthday. Annie was born to Peter and Elizabeth Izor on 16 December 1800 in Pennsylvania. Like the Drollingers, the Izors were part of the German-speaking community that settled in the Miami Valley counties of Ohio. Where the Drollingers lived during their early marriage is unknown, but presumably they rented a farm somewhere in Preble County. They had four children before he purchased 80 acres near Eaton in Preble County described as bordering on the road between Eaton and Richmond, Indiana, on 22 June 1832.
In 1835 Elias took out a mortgage of $300 on this parcel. He paid it off, releasing the mortgage on 13 May 1837 only after the mortgager James Kilkenney took him to court, asking that the property be sold to pay him the mortgaged amount plus interest for two years. The suit was filed in March 1837 and discontinued in August 1837. On the same day the mortgage record was annotated as "released," Elias entered into an agreement with the State of Ohio to mortgage the property for $600. It is hard to understand how Elias had time to tend to his farm with all his court appearances because it was at this time he was in court regarding his Uncle William's property.
A clear picture of a feisty personality emerges in Elias's testimony regarding his Uncle William's estate. William died unmarried, without issue and without a will in 1824. William's siblings and their children were the heirs-at-law. Frederick had been dead 7 years, so Elias as the oldest child, a male who had reached his majority, took care of his immediate family's interests. Furthermore, because none of William's siblings lived in Preble County, Elias became the de facto spokesman for the extended family. He was embroiled in a dispute with Thomas Gilmore who purchased William's land from John L. Morkert, the estate administrator. The estate appraisers erred in the description of the property and the mistake went unnoticed for some time. Gilmore gave a lengthy description of what happened from his perspective, claiming to have purchased the land at auction for $520.50, which was $70.50 more than its appraised value. Since then, he had lived on the land, improved it, and paid the taxes. Now he said that William's "brothers and sisters and their children pretend to set up some claim to said premises and give it out in speeches that your orator has no title thereto and threaten to dispossess your orator " He also implied that the heirs were besmirching the administrator which was "contrary to equity and good conscience" He defended Morkert, saying he left Ohio totally insolvent and although he did not know where he went, Gilmore believed he was now dead.
In his deposition Elias agreed that Gilmore bought the property in question which was incorrectly described in the deed. He agreed that Gilmore purchased the property for the amount he said he did and that he had ever since lived on the land and made some improvements, "but not within a gunshot of the amount mentioned in his said bill of complaint." He tempers his obvious skepticism regarding Morkert, by saying he "is ignorant as to the manner of disposing of and applying the money received but is somewhat doubtful from the amount of property which he has been informed his uncle owned at his death whether the said Morkert faithfully applied the same to the payment of the said William's debts." Elias then spent some time explaining the family relations which are part of the earlier discussion in this paper establishing the identity of Elias's grandfather, John Drollinger.
It is after this that the crux of Elias's problem becomes clear. Except for the colorful remark about Gilmore not coming within a gunshot of spending what he claimed he did on improvements, Elias came across as calm and polite in his deposition. The rhetoric heated up when he returned to his accusation that Morkert mismanaged the estate. He said "William at the time of his death left sufficient property to pay all his debts that he justly owes and that his said personal property was so improvidently managed and wasted by the said Morkert that his said just debts are not all yet paid." The debt not paid is to Elias. Elias claimed that he had a "pact" with William to rent a piece of woodland within the 80 acres with the agreement that he would clear and fence it. He took possession, clearing about 14 acres before William died. Elias accused Morkert of turning him out long before the pact's termination time. Elias's deposition now worked up a full head of steam: "?and when this respondent presented to him his proven account for $60.00 his just claim against said William's estate, the said Morkert refused to pay to him any part of said account and instead of paying this respondent one cent for all his work, fraudulently as this respondent supposed squandered the money belonging to his uncle William's estate. This respondent denies that complainant has or ever had a good title to said premises." These remarks were made 4 November 1836. Subpoenas were issued to Elias's brothers Henry and Aaron Drollinger 24 March 1837 ordering them to appear in court or face a penalty of $1,000. The Sheriff reported that he served Aaron on 3 April, but Henry was not in his jurisdiction. The court ruled for the plaintiff on 9 August 1837 noting that the other defendants in the case had failed to appear.
The day before that decision came down was the day Elias paid his debt to Kilkenney and that suit was dismissed. Elias was taxed on his personal property in Preble County from 1828 through 1837. In 1838 the notation "moved" appears next to his name. Maybe after all these court appearances he decided to make a fresh start or maybe he remained in Preble because he was hoping to get some kind of settlement from his Uncle William's estate. Whatever the reason, he settled in Wabash County, Indiana, with his wife and six children. But he did not escape more legal wrangling. The Eaton Register reported December 3, 1840 the Drollingers (Elias and Anna) were non-residents of the state and were defendants in the case of the State of Ohio vs. Elias Drollinger, Anna Drollinger, and Henry Bishop regarding the foreclosure of a mortgage on the S 1/2 of the NW 1/4 of section 17 township 8, range 2 in Preble County. This time Elias let the land go. The sheriff auctioned it off for $1,067, $500 of which went to pay the mortgage.
Although his family is enumerated on the 1840 census in Wabash, he doesn't seem to have purchased land until 1842 when he bought just under 203 acres. He paid $600 and true to form, within two months he had borrowed against the farm. Ironically, T. B. Helm in his opus provided a list of 13 people who were in the well-to-do class of the small town of Roann because of their 1841 assessments. Elias Drollinger at $1,204 is among them. Roann is described as "a bright thriving town. Being mostly newly built it lacks the sad and uncouth signs of dilapidated buildings." Elias and Annie did receive an infusion of cash in 1851 when they sold Annie's 1/5 share of her deceased father's farm in Preble County.
Certainly Elias was primarily occupied with his farm. He raised corn and wheat, crops typical in that time and place, as well as keeping enough animals to be useful on the farm for food and work. In 1843 he acquired animals when a judgment went against Joseph Clark for whom Elias had been a security. Clark described the animals as "a brown mare with a large blazed face (her mane is fly) and 1 yoke of oxen, one red, one a brindle color; one I call by the name of Bill, one John." Elias's 1871estate inventory lists a 2 horses and one of the accounts his administrator collected was for stud fees from a horse in Illinois. There was corn in the crib and wheat in the field, plus his share of the "rent wheat." The list of possessions in the inventory is modest but he did have an escapement watch (a pocket watch) and an 8-day clock. Annie selected a number of items including the rifle, much of the furniture, such as 3 beds and bedding, 6 chairs, and the bureaus, as well as the crops on hand, the chickens and pigs, two heifers and the geese. She did not want the farm implements, nor the spinning wheel. At 71 she had probably experienced all the hard labor she wanted to and spun enough wool to gnarl her fingers.
Not surprisingly, Elias's probate records show that he died owing many small debts. Martin, the youngest child of Annie and Elias, was appointed administrator and he spent the next four years settling his father and mother's affairs. There was not enough cash to pay the debts and give his mother her dower in the property. His father had sold off half the farm in 1858, but at least there was no mortgage pending on the rest. Martin reported to the court that Annie offered to take out a mortgage on her dower to pay off the debts. She no doubt knew that Elias had solved cash flow problems that way. In the end, the land had to be sold to pay the debts and to give the Annie her share. By the time Elias's estate was settled in 1875, Annie had been gone for a year, having died on 2 August 1874 and her share of the estate, $203.70, was divided among the heirs named in her will.
One supposes that Martin had insisted Annie make a will having been mired for months in his father's estate problems. In December 1872 she did, leaving everything to be divided among her three children Mathias Drollinger, Diannah Coorl, and Martin V. Drollinger. There was also an intriguing bequest: "that Franklin Brittin if he should remain in my family until he is 21 years old to have a horse, saddle and bridle." Who was Frank Brittin and what was his relation to this family? (notes on this chap in Kay's 2003 disertation)
Elias and Annie rest in Roann's Reed Cemetery along with many others of their extended family. The cemetery borders the Eel River adjacent to the charming covered bridge that spans the river. The bridge was constructed in 1872, after Elias's death, but 2 years before Annie's. Fire twice destroyed the bridge in 1877, but it was rebuilt and carried traffic continuously until it was badly damaged by the next fire in 1992. This time the rebuild included a sprinkler system. Because the main crossing of the Eel for this area moved, the ambiance of the quiet cemetery with the historical bridge has been restored to an earlier era. Kay Germain Ingalls 2003
1873 Dec 15th
State of Indiana In the Wabash Circuit Court
Wabash Court 1873
Martin V Drollinger, Administrator of the Estate of Elias Drollinger, dec'd, would represent into the court, that there has come into his hands of personally of said deceased the sum of $814.70. That the claims against said Estate including account to be taken by the widow amounts as near as can be ascertained the sun of $1,400.00 for which there is no means to pay. Said administrator would further show that said deceased died owner of 103.94 acres of land as follows, the North part of the forth East Qt of Section No. 1 in the Township No. 28 of Range 5 in Wabash County Indiana worth about $5,000.00. That said deceased left as his heirs and only heirs his widow, Anna T Drollinger; Matthias Drollinger; Delirah Hartman; Diana Courll; Elvina dec'd leaving Thomas, Anna M & Jacob Frogarty; Levina Carver dec'd leaving Mary Carver and Jacob Carver, her father and Martin V. Drollinger, your petitioner, making six heirs or six shares besides the third owned by the widow. Your petitioner would ask your honor to allow an Order to Sell the widows 2/3 of said Real Estate or so much there of as may be necessary to pay said indebtedness upon such terms as may to your honors appear right and proper and for all other proper relief. Signed by Martin Drollinger
Submitted and sworn to before me this 15th day of Dec 1873
Elias is 49 in 1850 census, Anna 45, Mattias 26, Lavina 16, Martin 13.
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1802 - 1871 (68 years)
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