Vintage Voices Blog

On the maternal line of my grandmother, Hilma Catherine Dohrman-Jolly, I can confidently say that all of our immigrant ancestors came from what is now Germany. Intrigued by this family history, I decided to delve into researching and crafting a blog post about these forbearers. Initially expecting this to be a brief endeavor, further investigation revealed a remarkable count of 12 direct line ancestors who were born in Germany and made the journey to the United States. Due to the shared occupation of farming among these ancestors, I initially believed this blog post would be brief. Despite the shared aspects in many of their stories, my research uncovered a wealth of noteworthy details that I feel compelled to share. Additionally, immersing myself in their experiences deepened my appreciation for the courageous journeys all immigrants undertake when leaving their homeland for an entirely new life. GERMANY Let’s start with a bit of geography. The region we now identify as Germany h

Origins of the Surname  It’s speculated that the surname Jolly may have its roots in the Old Norse “jól”, which is a midwinter festival celebrating the gradual lengthening of days.  Jól is also referred to as Jul, joulu, or yule.  The Jól festival was later incorporated into the Christian Church for celebration of the birth of Christ...or Christmas! The surname Jolly has many variations…Jolli, Jollie, French Joli, Old English Jollif, and Jolliffe.   The name is translated to jolly, gay, happy, merry, trim, fine, gallant, neat, handsome, etc.   My Jolly lineage can be traced back to the early 1500’s, connecting to the Jolliffe family of England. Jolliffe Settlement in England During the 11th century, England became the target of The Norman Conquest, which was the invasion and subsequent occupation of the country by a formidable army composed of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French soldiers.  The mastermind behind this conquest was the Duke of Normandy, also known as William