THE TOLLNER FAMILY

WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER: Father of Captain William Michael Tollner

CAPTAIN WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER: Father of Georgina Tollner

1917 MARRIAGE OF HUGH DONALD BROWN and GEORGINA TOLLNER

THREE GENERATIONS OF THE TOLLNER FAMILY

William Michael Tollner (b. 1802) was a property owner in London, Surrey and Ireland.
Captain William Michael Tollner (b. 1838) - Royal Artillery - served in the Crimea and S. Africa.
Georgina Tollner (b. 1887) was the youngest daughter of William Michael Tollner and second wife, Mary Agnes Gifford.

Please note: As father and son both had the same name - to avoid confusion - the younger one is referred to as 'Captain' Tollner.

TOLLNER History
In the family many 'WILD TALES' were told regarding earlier Tollners! These ranged from Hapsburg to Spain, Brazil and Hungary/Austria to Ireland, Italy and the Papal Guard. One Tollner was said to have joined the Karuthi rebellion against Austria. Another Tollner executed for political reasons in Europe. There was mention of one of the Tollner sons being brought to Ireland and made a Ward of the Court after his father's execution. [Stories spanning wide periods of time were on occasion made to fit one individual. This was a case for checking all documentation to sift fact from fiction!]
Please note: Among documents available:
WILLS and COURT PROCEEDINGS appear to be in connection with the legacy of William Michael Tollner whose benefactor Michael Barrett - was possibly his great uncle. His parents (John Tollner and Maria Ronie) were alive at the time of these proceedings.
WM Tollner was said to be in the Papal Guard (unconfirmed). However there is a letter written in 1836 to his first wife, Georgina, by a clergyman in Rome. She was a devout Catholic.

TOMBSTONE
Captain WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER 1838-1931

OBITUARY: Natal Mercury 24.3.1931
Notable Figure Dead, Nest of Cannon, Crimea Veteran's Career, Line of Aristocrat Soldiers
Captain WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER, the last survivor in Africa of the Crimean War and the man who placed the first primitive muzzle-loaders on the Durban Bluff, died at Port Shepstone during the week-end at the age of 93. He was a worthy descendant of a remarkable line of soldier aristocrats and was associated with S. African history. It is stated also that he was related to Field-Marshall Lord French.
Nest of Cannon: It was in 1860 that Captain Tollner came out to S. Africa to re-organise this country's coast defences for the British Government. In doing this he came to Durban and installed a nest of cannon of his day on the Bluff. Incidentally, he Captained a side in the first representative Rugby match in this country in 1860, when the Cape Garrison played the Gentlemen of the Peninsula.
Captain Tollner was born at Sutton Hall, Surrey, in 1838, and following the tradition of his family, became a soldier. He want to Woolwich and was commissioned to the Royal Engineers and then served with the Royal Horse Artillery at Sebastopol. When he came out to this country he recruited in Durban for the Zulu War, and while on his way to join the forces, was recalled owing to the Isandhlawana disaster. Two of this veteran's 10 children live in Durban. One is Mr William Michael Tollner, and the other is Mrs Groom. Two daughters live in Germany and one in England, while the rest of the family is scattered throughout the Union.
Traditions Part
Tradition seems to be a tremendous part in the family's history, which can be traced back 200 years. The first known Tollner was an Austrian Count, followed by another who is stated to have been an aide-de-camp of William the Fourth. Then came the Captain Tollner. Hanging in Mrs Groom's flat is a portrait of Captain Tollner's father, reproduced from an oil painting, which shows a dashing aristocrat in the handsome Military dress of a hundred years ago, and wearing the Cross of St. Gregory, which he received from the Pope. The family were staunch Roman Catholics. One of the strange customs of the family has been its marriages. All the ancestors mentioned above, including Captain Tollner, married twice, while Mr William Tollner, at present living in Durban has done likewise. Captain Tollner who is stated to have been a very wealthy man, was a recluse for the last few years of his life. The funeral takes place at Essiena, Lower Tugela.

Please note:
The French family were related to the first wife of William Michael Tollner, Georgina Mazzinghi.
Captain WM Tollner was the son of the second wife, Mary Hilliar.
He was posted to the Cape of Good Hope. This posting was reported in THE TIMES on 18 May 1861.
At the time of the 1861 UK Census Captain WM Tollner was at Woolwich. [See below.]
If John Tollner married a second time, the evidence has not yet emerged!
Portrait - this can be seen at top of page.

1861 CENSUS

Captain William Michael Tollner at Woolwich - in 1861 he was still a Lieutenant.

Two Certificates in connection with the career of Captain Tollner are as follows:
3.8.1853 Gentleman Cadet, Royal Regiment of Artillery (entered in the Office of Ordnance) under command of Baron Raglan - Captain WM Tollner;
Appointed Second Captain of a Battery - Royal Regiment of Artillery 9.11.1866 - Captain WM Tollner.

Captain Tollner had one brother, Colonel Barrett Lennard Tollner (b. 1840), who also served in the Royal Artillery. He was Assistant Inspector of Remounts. The brothers were born in Surrey and educated at Woolwich. When he died BL Tollner was resident at 42 Half Moon Street, London.

The parents of Captain Tollner were WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER and MARY HILLIAR who married in 1837 at Bloomsbury in London. The fathers of both were described as 'Gentlemen'. At the time of this marriage, WM Tollner was a widower, living at Alfred Place. His first wife, Georgina was the daughter of Count Mazzinghi, a well-known musician at the time of George lll and George lV.

HENRY HILLIAR was the father of Mary Hilliar. He married MARY ELIZA PEDDER in 1808 in London. He was possibly an umbrella manufacturer.

The father of William Michael Tollner was JOHN TOLLNER who married MARIA RONIE (or Rooney) in London in 1801. Maria had Irish connections. Both Maria and her son, WM Tollner, were left legacies by Michael Barrett. It is possible that M Barrett was the brother of Maria's mother.

John Tollner's property 'Sutton Hall' was half a mile along Cheam Road, at the corner of St James Road. It was a large stone-built mansion with pleasant gardens, and grounds. 13 acres of land. In 1873 this property was sold to JB Wanklyn, of Cheam, for £10,000.

MARIA (Ronie) TOLLNER was buried in a Catholic Cemetery in London in 1830.
JOHN TOLLNER had been baptised in 1772 at Westminster, parents: John and Mary Tollner.
In 1841 he was living at 19 Caroline Street in London. He was an organ builder by profession. When he died in 1844, he left a Will.

In 1851 William Michael Tollner and wife, Mary Hilliar, were living in Sutton, Surrey.
He being described as a 'Landed Proprietor' in the CENSUS.

WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER died in 1867 in London. He was at 11 Maddox Street, Regent Street, at the time. He left a Will.
Captain Tollner resigned from the British Army shortly before he travelled to England in 1867. Presumably he went there to see his father before he died.

1867 (August 14) Arrival of Umgeni - Return of TOLLNER FAMILY to Natal from England

Please note: Incorrect spelling of Tollner.

In 1869 Mary Tollner's address was: The Cottage, Sutton, Hall, Cheam Road. According to the CENSUS in 1871 Mary Tollner, was deriving her income from property. She was living at Cheam Road, Sutton, Surrey. In 1895 MARY (Hilliar) TOLLNER died in Dresden, Germany.

In researching TOLLNER history sorting fact from fiction meant starting with the recent Tollners and working back to the first record to be found(so far) of the Tollner family in England. This appeared to be in 1728 in London. George l became the King of England in 1714 and brought a large number of people from Germany with him - his own soldiers, tradesmen etc. As Captain Tollner's Obituary mentions the Tollners descending from a 'remarkable line of soldier aristocrats' - possibly the arrival of the Tollner family in England dates back to a soldier in this King's entourage.
THIS IS ONLY SUPPOSITION AND NOT FACT!

The search for the TOLLNER origins goes on ...

DEATH NOTICE - Captain WILLIAM MICHAEL TOLLNER (1838-1931)
This Death Notice appeared in an article written by Rosemary Dixon-Smith in the FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE (October 2005 issue) published in England.

Please note: The first wife of the above WM Tollner was Jessie Milne, her married name was Robertson.