Re: Henry Jacob Trollinger
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Thisis not My Line.
I found this interesting while searching about the BRownFamily in Montgomery and Pulaski County Virginia, near Belspring.
In a Bookabout Hercules ~ the Making of a Company, it gives a short referance to thelocation of the Army's Ammunition Plant being chosen on the New River inVirginia and Dublin around the same local that Powder for the RevolutionaryStores was first manufactured.. I found that interesting but never knew wherethey were talking about until yesterday...
I found this excert from a bookentitled
"The Land That is Pulaski County"
I don't remember the Author butI print here the excerpt..
Chapter 24
Henry Jacob Trolinger, PowderManufacturer
Radford Arsenal not the Area's first Powder Plant.
Thoseliving in Pulaski County before World War II will remember the excitement causedby the building (by Hercules) of the Radford Arsenol ~the "bullet-factory", asit was called by some.
The huge powder plant,Straddling New River at theLower Horseshoe, is the largest Plant ever built in this area. Most PulaskiCounty folks thought Powder making was something new in these parts. This wasnot so. A Powder plant, near present Dublin, was producing Powder during theRevolution. But instead of employing thousands, it was a two~man operation.
AGerman Powder Maker of the Revolution
At the beginning of the Revolution aGerman powder maker came into the New River Valley. Henry Jacob Trolinger, bornin Germany in the early 1700's, came here from North Carolina. He acuired landnear present Dublin, where a "saltpetre" (postassium Nitrite) cave lay beneath alimestone ledge on a hillside. Saltpetre, the main ingrediant (oxidizer) ofgunpowder, was what the old powder maker sought. (He found it in a naturaloccuring state instead of having to Produce it.)
Here Henry Jacob Trolingersettled, and assisted by his older son Henry, Mined "saltpetre" and made Powder.( It is not clear if he acutally made the "black" powder mix or if he just madethe main ingrediant mix of Postassium Nitrites in powder form and packaged thatfor transport.)
Trolinger's product was much in demand during theRevolution. he prospered and aquired much land in the area ( which was thenMontgomery County).
After the Revolution Henry Jacob Trolinger's older son,moved back to North CArolina. The old Powder maker taught the craft to JohnTrolinger, his youngest son. John following his father's footsteps, continued tomanufacture gunpowder at the old saltpetre cave for some years after theRevolution.
Many descendants of Henry Jacob Trolinger are among the citizensof today's Pulaski County.
(**Also The Trolinger Family can and should beable to quilify for SAR and DAR status based on the fact that Henry gave aid tothe American Revolution cause as a Patriot.**)
The Old SaltpetreCave
The Old Saltpetre cave lies among the rolling hills northeast of thetown of Dublin. In times past an ancient oak has fallen in front of the cave'sentrance. It's skeleton limbs, whitened by wind and rain, reach high over thelomestone ledge above the cave's mouth. Scramblingover the skeletons oak, onecan walk upright into the silent darkness of the mine - and peer into the past.Two centuries ago the Old Saltpetre Cave was not always dark and silent. Thescrape of shoves sounded through the cave as the old powder maker and his sonworked by candlelight collecting saltpetre from the cave's floor.
BlackPowder
The gunpowder of Revolutionary days ( and for Black powder Re-Loadersof today) was/is Black Powder ~ made from Saltpetre, Charcoal, and sulphur.Smoke from this Powder billowed up on the firing of a flintlock. This may havehad its advantages. After firing a volley militiamen were temporarily hiddenbehind smoke screen.
Henry Jacb Trolinger's black Powder played its part inthe Revolution. But it was a far cry from the high powered rocket Propellentbeing manufatured today by Alliant Techsystems at the nearby RadfordAsenal.
www.atk.com
I hope this proves interesting .. Itsenjoyable to me to know that I live in an area that has been doing relativelythe same thing for nearly over 200 years...i was glad to share this with theTrolinger Family.
I you have not done so. you should apply for Sonsof theAmerican Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution status, based onthe facts presented here and the research that will undoubtedly turn upfruitful...
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