The TROGUS Saga
in 8 acts,  by Wolfgang Trogus

I. Nature
Within biology, one tribe of ichneumon wasps, which live as parasites, is called Trogini, and one species is Trogus pennator.

II. History
One of Roman historians was called Pompeius Trogus, a Gallian from the Dauphiné, living around the year 100. His works on universal history are mostly lost, only known in excerpts.

III. Fiction
1) Within Germanic literature, there is a saga of heroes, the “Waltharilied” (= song of Walthari), written by the monk Ekkehard in St. Gallen, Switzerland, around the year 930. The once famous author J.V.v. Scheffel translated it from the Latin original into German. One of the ten warriors, which accompany king Gunther and Hagen - they are known from the “Nibelungenlied” -  is Trogus.
He stems from Strassburg (Argentina) - coincidentially not far from Burkheim! - and is ill-fated like his companions: as the last one, already wounded, he shows the courage of a hero by insulting Walthari, who comes and strangles him with his golden necklace, saying “die now and go to Hell, telling thine mates how thou did avenge them”.
In latin:
...
1009Argentina quidem decimum dant oppida Trogum
...
1039Corde tamen habitum patefecit et ore virilem.
...
1054Quo recidente preces contempsit promere Trogus
     Conviciisque sui victorem incendit amaris,
     Seu virtute animi, seu desperaverat. Exin
     Alpharides:’morere’ inquit ‘et haec sub Tartara transfer
       Enarrans sociis, qod tu sis ultus eosdem.’
1060His dictis torquem collo circumdedit aureum.

But, what is important, the story gives us a hint to the origin and meaning of the name Trogus.
Most of the Germanic names consist of 2 parts: Ger-hard, Wolf-gang, Hilde-gard.
Now, “drog-”  means “fighting” and “-walt, -alt, -old”: leading, reigning,
which gives the sense of the name: Fighter and Ruler. Names of Germanic origin are often found in France (cf. Albert Dauzat: Dictionnaire des noms et prénoms de France, 1975).
However, there are other explanations, referring to the form Tricaud/ Tricot, as well as hints to other names with Tre- from Brittany (= Bretagne).
At the times of Karl dem Großen (Charlemagne) Drogo was a common name, in French “Dreux”.

2) In the novel “Lord of the Rings”, Drogo is the father of Frodo.

3) There is an obscure police story, in German, entitled: “Rätsel um Trogus” (= Riddle around Trogus), dealing with a murderer called Anatol Trogus.

4) In the Internet, a notice says, that Mark Moran developed a game prototype “Trogus Adventures”; and another person speaks of the fictitious Island of Trogusta.

5) Last, we note a printing error “Already Trogus says in his book of herbs, 1539, ...”, which is a missprint for Hieronymus Tragus (= in Latin: the German word Bock; buck, ram, in English).
6) And there is an illustrator Kaspar Trogus, who worked with Georg Braun (1542-1622), author of descriptions of cities; I could not find more information.

IV. The French Connection
The proven origin of the family Tregault is the village of Oysonville (Département Eure-et-Loire, France), where the name emerges for the first time on 16. October 1620 in the parish registers:
Le 16 octobre 1620 fut baptisé Michel fils d’Abraham TREGAULT et de Magdeleine PETIT. Le parrain Paul fils de Jean PETIT, La marraine Michelle LHOSTE.
[which means: Michel son of Abraham T. and Magdeleine P. was baptised. The godfather was Paul son of Jean P., the godmother Michelle L.]
1633, Abraham is manouvrier, day-labourer, he dies in Sept. 1664, 75 years old. So, he is born in 1589. A few times, the name is written Trigaut, Trigaux.
When I visited the village 1988, I could find ten of his children, born between 1620, or before, and 1639, and 15 grand-children till 1671. There is no mention of the name before 1620; the registers begin 1599, and there is a typewritten transcripton of the early years!
The family then moved to - or stems from? - the neighbouring village Mérobert (Département Essonne, but only 4 km of Oysonville), where I have not yet consulted the registers - they begin 1640. This is an urgent work to be done. The name, now written  Tregaux is still alive there.
Both villages are situated about 50 km south of Paris, in the fertile area called La Beauce.

A. Trego Shertzer, 1884, and Robert W. Barrow compiled the descendants of Peter Trego, born ca. 1655, who lived in Maryland. See the Internet, too. There might be a connection.

Similar names found are: ROGUS, and: TROGOLO. In Italy, the name TROGU is in the telephone books, from Sardinia ? Of course, there is no connection.

V. The Nest in Burkheim
The little town of Burkheim am Kaiserstuhl, now part of D-79235 Vogtsburg, is the home of  the family since 1647.
The progenitor is Michael Trogus, born in Oysonville 16.Oct. 1620, as shown above. In Breisach (8 km south of Burkheim) he is mentioned first in the parish registers:
    “ Michell Trego, von Oyssonwille uß Franckhreich, Herrn Baron d’Oyssonwille Diener”
[which means: of Oysonville in France, a servant of the Baron d' Oysonville]
marries “Apollonia Schmältzin aus Schwäbisch Gmünd”, on 14.Nov. 1644. Their first child, a daughter Maria Magdalena, was born 11. Aug. 1645 in Breisach.
He therefore was a servant of Paul Le Prevost, baron of Oysonville, who was since 1639 king's governor (lieutenant du roi) of the German town of Breisach, which had been conquered for the French crown in 1638. In 1645, Oysonville took his leave and, as a french general, devastated southern Germany till the lake of Constance in the 30-years war.
In the meantime, Michel had found this Swabian girl, who induced him to marry her and to stay. They moved to Burkheim, which was badly damaged. The records of the town council start again in 1647; they report that he bought a ruined house 1647, for 27 florins (guilders) payable in 3 instalments, he bought farmland and vineyards and kept the village’s boar. His wife Apollonia Schmältzin dies there on 5.Oct.1654 - this proves the identity with the M.T. mentioned in Breisach. He marries again 1655 and 1686, becomes “Zunftmeister” (president of the farmers guild) and councillor of the town, till his death in 1692.

In 1658, for the first time, the form TROGUS of the name is encountered in the documents.

All the TROGUS in the world stem from Michael and his 13 children. They are
 20 persons born in Burkheim 1645 to 1699
 70 persons born in Burkheim 1700 to 1799
 78 persons born in Burkheim 1800 to 1899
 76 persons born in Burkheim 1900 to 1967,
in total 244 persons christened. Two of his sons, Pankraz (1661-1733) and Michael (1663-1702) are the originators of the two major lines in the family tree.
The list of the Trogus born after 1967 in Germany is still incomplete.

VII. Emigrants
Of course, always people have left Burkheim. We know of
- Johann Martin * 1748, emigrated to Hungary 1770
- Franz Josef * 1819, emigrated to USA 1852 with his sons Ferdinand and Anton *1848 and
  1849
- Josef * 1840, emigrated to USA 1863
- Franz * 1866, emigrated to USA 1866
- Sophie * 1870, emigrated to the USA
as well as moves to the neighbouring villages (Oberrotweil), to Karlsruhe etc., especially in the last decades.
In the USA, more than 40 descendants are known, at least by name. Details are to be compiled.

 VII. Publications
Except for numerous publications and quotations of Pompeius Trogus, not much is found in the Internet.
I know of the following authors:
Heinz Trogus *1943, publishes in oenology.
Hubert Trogus *1932
Frank J. Trogus  *1947
For our father, Dr. Carl Trogus (1901-1945), chemist, the list of publications covers 76 items.
My brother, Dr. Hannes Trogus (1945-1999), chemist too, has published, in addition to his dissertation, 3 papers in physical chemistry.
I myself, Wolfgang Trogus, * 1940, have written texts in genealogy (about 32), local history (about 68), space technology (about 46).

VIII. Coat of Arms
Years ago, I have designed  a coat of arms for the TROGUS and possess a drawing which I would give to anyone who is interested.
The arms show:
In blue two golden lilies over a golden natural sitting frog with a red crown. On the helmet a blue cushion, whereon four black spadices (typha) are pinned, amid them the golden frog with the red crown. Note the T mirrored on the helmet.
You might not like the frog as a “totem” animal. But: the lilies point to the origin, France; frog and typha recall the marshes of the river Rhine, at the banks of which Burkheim is situated, and also refer to our ancestors, some of which were fishermen.

(Comments and additions are appreciated).   Trogussaga.rtf, 14.Oct..2000