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Two American books describing the Garling genealogy:

1. Abraham Crider: Genealogy of the Garling Family

        It is written:
   Michel Garling, when a youth, fled in 1765 from his mother country as a result of being poor and oppressed by a tyrant, and arrived the New England coast. He was born somewhere in Germany; at least he emigrated from Germany and was of German descent. He found a settlement of a few Pilgrim families in Schuyskill, Penn.
    
        Who was Michel Garling (by J. C. Garling)?
   Dieser Michel Gerling war wahrscheinlich ein Mennonite und auch und Pfälzer, und zwar weil:
   Nach dem 30jährigen Krieg war auch die Pfalz verwüstet und der damalige Kurfürst lud Mennoniten ein (besonders aus dem Oberrhein), um die verminderte Bevölkerungsanzahl zu ersetzen. Lange Zeit lebten sie mit Begünstigungen aber als der herrschende Kurfürst ihnen gelegentlich die Militärpflicht aufsetzte, zogen sie infolge ihrer Abneigung gegen Gewalt geschlossen erst nach Holland und dann nach Amerika.
   Aus diesem Grund gibt Crider 'oppressed by a tyrant' als Grund der Auswanderung an, denn abgesehen von diesem waren die Pfalzgrafen gar nicht so tyrannisch.
   Ihr Ziel war Pennsylvania, wo William Penn Land erworben hatte und Verfolgte verschiedener Glaubenbekenntnisse in Toleranz und Frieden zusammenleben konnten.
   Er findet Unterkunft bei einer 'pilgrim' Familie, wahrscheinlich bei gleichgesinnten Mennoniten, was wiederum auf seine religiöse Herkunft deutet.
   Zu beachten ist, dass einige Personen anderer Bekentnisse sich den Mennoniten bei der Auswanderung sozusagen als Mitläufer anschlossen. Auch ist zu beachten, dass viele eingewanderte Mennoniten mit der Zeit von der Gemeinde austraten und sich in andere Reformkirchen eingliederten.
    

2. Paul E. Garling: The Garling Family from 1751 to 1953

        It is written:
   The Gerling resided in the 1700's in a small town near Speyer (Bavaria). Johann Jacobus Gerling arrived 16.9.1751 on ship 'Brothers' to Philadelphia, Pa.
    
   "History of Pennsylvania German Pioneers"
   Jacob Gerling * 3.4.1766 + 1851
   Buried as Garling in Old Reformed Cementery in Greencastle, Penn.
    
        Who was Jacob Garling (by J. C. Garling)?
   Genau wie bei Criders Michel Garling, glaube ich, dass es sich hier um einen Mennoniten aus dem Mittelrhein handelt und zwar weil:
   Im 19. Jht., besonders ab 1850, wanderten abertausende Deutsche, darunter die vielen Mecklenburger, nach die USA und zwar ausschliesslich infolge der ungünstigen wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Umstände in der Heimat und weil USA schon als Land sagenhafter Arbeitsmöglichkeiten bekannt war.
   Im 18. Jdt. dagegen gab es noch keinen besonderen Anreiz um nach Amerika ins Ungewisse auszuwandern, es sei denn aus besonderen Gründen, und ein solcher war ausgesprochen Intoleranz zu gewissen Glaubensbekenntnisse zurückzuführen.
   Hugenotten waren in Frankreich verfolgt worden aber wurden in anderen mitteleuropaeischen Laendern gut aufgenommen. Mennoniten dagegen wurden durch Katholiken, Lutheraner und Kalvinisten verachtet, besonders wegen Unterschiede in dem Glaubensbekenntnis (sie erkennen nicht die Dreieinigkeit). Obwohl nicht mit Gewalt angegriffen oder ausgewiesen, wurden ihre Rechte zur Selbstbestimmung verschiedentlich eingeschränkt. Dieses zusammen mit der Ablehnung der Militärpflicht führte zu ihrer freiwilligen Auswanderung (Holland, dann USA; Danzig, Westpreussen, dann Polen und Russland; später viele nach Canada und Südamerika). Einige der Gerling-Garling die im 18. Jahrhundert ausgewandert sind und wir heute in Pennsylvania und Ohio (einige auch nach Illinois, Indiana und Maryland ausgestrahlt) antreffen, passen bestimmt in dieses Bild.

The pre-1850 Garling emigration to USA (by Juan Carlos Garling)

A short review regarding opinions that Garling may have come to USA (then British Colony) from England or Australia:

All Garling who came about or after 1850 are from Mecklenburg, Germany. It was then when emigration permits were being granted by the Mecklenburgian authorities for young people who expected better living conditions beyond the ocean.

Those who came to the Colonies in the 18 century, as are the ones in the Crider and in the Paul Garling books are also from Germany, but presumedly from the Rhine Palatinate. In the particular case of the Paul Garling family who settled in Maryland, it was a Gerling from Speyer (then Bavaria) whose name was acklnowgedly transcribed into Garling by the inmigration officer.

These Garling (or sometimes Gerling) were most likely Mennonites who, persecuted in Switzeland or elsewhere, were invited by the Rhine Palatinate Priince Elector to settle in his land to replace the rural population that had been diminished during the 30 Years War. After a period of benefits, they were eventually again discriminated by Catholics and Protestants alike and deprived of their civil and worshipping rights. Problem was that Mennonites do not believe in the Holy Trinity as other Christian confession do. as wellas their refusal to perform military obligations due to their abhorrence of violence and war. They first accepted refuge in Holland and then, invited by Queen Anne who considered them as a good stock to populate the American Colonies, came to England, where they lived transitorily in refuge camps. They came by the thousands and as the British had overestimated their capacity for sheltering and transport, many were shipped to Ireland to counterbalance the Catholic majority, whereas others managed to be shipped to America. Main attraction was of course for them to join William Penn's project in Pennsilvania, other drifted to the just opened territory of Ohio. Also Lutherans, Presbyterians etc. had joined these Mennonites groups. Some Mennonites, not being strong believers, joined later Lutheran, Presbyterian and other churches. The Amish are today descendants from these first Mennonite inmigrations, as well as the Pennsylvania Dutch (known as Dutch because of misspelling of 'Deutsch').

So some of these Mennonites groups coming from the Rhine Palatinate lived for some tiime in Holland, where some married and had children, later moved to England, where again some married and had children before coming to America. This is why some people may say that Garling came from England or Holland (which in fact they did because they were temporarily living there), but certainly their origin is German.

The Australian Garling are well documented to descent all from Frederick Garling arriving 1815 and only one moved to Canada, but none to USA.

Juan Carlos Garling (acomed@entelchile.net) submitted 
Ellis Island records for Garling (and similar)from US

L. H. Garlinghouse (lhghouse@suddenlink.net) submitted 
from Heber Springs Arkansas

My last name is Garlinghouse, so I guess that qualifies as part of the Garling-tribe.

"My" family is in the U.S. and has been here since before the American War of Independence. A Benjamin Garlinghouse and a John Garlinghouse are encountered frequently in web searches as being veterans of that war. I found pictures of their grave stones in a Google image search tonight.

Family oral tradition has it that we were on the first boatload of Dutch Quakers to make it to New Amsterdam. Suspicions are that in fact "we" were English Quakers who sailed from Holland. One surname book that I ran accross years ago said that "Garling" means "from the green hills of Kent" which is different from what I was able to find in a quick review of your site. So Garling-house could be a sensible name, if in fact the book is correct.

Although Garlinghouse does not seem to be a common name, i.e. I very rarely run accross someone with the name that is not kin, searching the net I have come up with an amazing number of people with my surname and at least one street named Garlinghouse [Garlinghouse Lane in Dallas TX] and a Garlinghouse Lake in Oregon state.

I of course have more to tell, should it be of interest and my sister has done a very good job with our U.S. family tree. As a final note, it seems that most Garlinghouses are concentrated in New York state and Michigan. My branch continued to move west, my grandfather was born in Colorado, I was born in California as were 2 of my children with the final child being born in Arkansas where I live along with my brother. So we started on the east coast, moved west, bounced off of the west coast and are moving east again. My nephew lives in upstate New York and my grand-nephew was born there.

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