Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Birth29 January 1760, Longswamp Twp, Berks Co, PA36
Memo(baptism record)
FatherJohn Jacob Mertz (N1) (~1738->1810)
MotherMagdalena Emmerich
Birth, Parent-Proof, Designation notes for Conrad Marts (N1a)
On 29 Jan 1760, Conrad Mertz sponsored the baptism of Conrad Mertz son of Jacob and Magdalena. Conrad, the sponsor was the uncle of Conrad, the child.
Then on 17 Apr 1784, Conrad Mertz sponsored the baptism of Maria Catharina Welsch daughter of Jacob and Catrina. It was Jacob Mertz, Conrad Mertz and Jacob Welch who were pioneer settlers of Steuben County, NY after they moved first to Northumberland County, PA. I believe Conrad born 1760 was the sponsor in 1784, the child was his niece and he was the Conrad who moved, with his father, to Northumberland then on to NY State.
Conrad is designated N1a.
Then on 17 Apr 1784, Conrad Mertz sponsored the baptism of Maria Catharina Welsch daughter of Jacob and Catrina. It was Jacob Mertz, Conrad Mertz and Jacob Welch who were pioneer settlers of Steuben County, NY after they moved first to Northumberland County, PA. I believe Conrad born 1760 was the sponsor in 1784, the child was his niece and he was the Conrad who moved, with his father, to Northumberland then on to NY State.
Conrad is designated N1a.
Relocated and Census Tracking notes for Conrad Marts (N1a)
1790. Conrad Mertz, Northumberland, PA
1800. Lived in Canisteo Township, Steuben County, NY indexed by the name "Cunrod Martin". It does look like Martin as written but according to Mary Lou Kueker, people closely associated with Conrad like George Shirey, Frederick Barnhart and Jacob Welch were in the same place and Conrad is otherwise unaccounted for. Jacob Welch, in fact, lived right next door.
1810. Lived in Caledonia Township, Genesee County. A neighbor was David Marts.
But then I lost track of Conrad. I could no longer find him in western New York State nor in Erie County, PA where the families of his two brothers had gone. I had noticed a Konrad Marts in Indiana but did not connect the dots until Gerard Karcher contacted me.
Gerard wrote “Conrad Mertz, born 1760, to Jacob and Magdelana, disappeared after the 1810 census. However, I believe I found him in Henry County, Indiana, on the 1830 census, age 60-69. His neighbor was George Marts age 30-39. Other neighbors are the Kizers (Kiger, Kiser etc.).
George Martz is written up in a Henry County history as an early settler of Knightstown, his wife giving birth to their first child in Knightstown and him building the third house in town.
So, interestingly, then in 1840, there was a Joseph Marts in Knightstown, age 20-29 and a female 70-79 (has Conrad likely died and this was his widow living with Joseph?). I traced this Joseph through further Censuses and he seems to have been born in Ohio around 1816.
In Ohio, Joseph Marts married Elizabeth Voorhees on April 16, 1837, in Butler County and George S Marts married Margaret Kizer on January 2, 1823, in Clark County. Clark County is not too far from the Indiana/Ohio state line, Butler County is on the line and Henry County Indiana not too far on the other side of the state line.
There were several Martz marriages in Henry County Indiana. Margaret Marts married William Kizer on 2 Mar 1830, and I followed her through later Censuses and the 1850 Census states that she was born 1807 in New York State, a very important clue. John Martz married Nancy Piatt 21 Jul 1831. I can’t seem to locate them.
To sum it all up, Conrad Marts/Martz/Mertz left New York State after 1810, went to Ohio, his son Joseph was born there in about 1816 and they were probably there in 1820, in or near Clark County (there was several Kizer families there too), and by 1830, the Marts and Kizers were in Henry County Indiana.
I know Conrad had about 6 sons and about 2-3 daughters. Hopefully more will show up.”
Gerard had not yet found one final very important piece of this puzzle but it emerged in our follow-up discussions. In 1820, there was a Conrad Marks and a younger Christian Marks in Madison Township, Butler County, OH. That spelling — Marks — was also the way the last name of Abraham Martz (P2c) was spelled in 1820 in that very same township.
So everything here paints a compete and consistent picture and thanks to Gerard’s analysis my coverage of Conrad and his sons is much more complete than it would have been.
1800. Lived in Canisteo Township, Steuben County, NY indexed by the name "Cunrod Martin". It does look like Martin as written but according to Mary Lou Kueker, people closely associated with Conrad like George Shirey, Frederick Barnhart and Jacob Welch were in the same place and Conrad is otherwise unaccounted for. Jacob Welch, in fact, lived right next door.
1810. Lived in Caledonia Township, Genesee County. A neighbor was David Marts.
But then I lost track of Conrad. I could no longer find him in western New York State nor in Erie County, PA where the families of his two brothers had gone. I had noticed a Konrad Marts in Indiana but did not connect the dots until Gerard Karcher contacted me.
Gerard wrote “Conrad Mertz, born 1760, to Jacob and Magdelana, disappeared after the 1810 census. However, I believe I found him in Henry County, Indiana, on the 1830 census, age 60-69. His neighbor was George Marts age 30-39. Other neighbors are the Kizers (Kiger, Kiser etc.).
George Martz is written up in a Henry County history as an early settler of Knightstown, his wife giving birth to their first child in Knightstown and him building the third house in town.
So, interestingly, then in 1840, there was a Joseph Marts in Knightstown, age 20-29 and a female 70-79 (has Conrad likely died and this was his widow living with Joseph?). I traced this Joseph through further Censuses and he seems to have been born in Ohio around 1816.
In Ohio, Joseph Marts married Elizabeth Voorhees on April 16, 1837, in Butler County and George S Marts married Margaret Kizer on January 2, 1823, in Clark County. Clark County is not too far from the Indiana/Ohio state line, Butler County is on the line and Henry County Indiana not too far on the other side of the state line.
There were several Martz marriages in Henry County Indiana. Margaret Marts married William Kizer on 2 Mar 1830, and I followed her through later Censuses and the 1850 Census states that she was born 1807 in New York State, a very important clue. John Martz married Nancy Piatt 21 Jul 1831. I can’t seem to locate them.
To sum it all up, Conrad Marts/Martz/Mertz left New York State after 1810, went to Ohio, his son Joseph was born there in about 1816 and they were probably there in 1820, in or near Clark County (there was several Kizer families there too), and by 1830, the Marts and Kizers were in Henry County Indiana.
I know Conrad had about 6 sons and about 2-3 daughters. Hopefully more will show up.”
Gerard had not yet found one final very important piece of this puzzle but it emerged in our follow-up discussions. In 1820, there was a Conrad Marks and a younger Christian Marks in Madison Township, Butler County, OH. That spelling — Marks — was also the way the last name of Abraham Martz (P2c) was spelled in 1820 in that very same township.
So everything here paints a compete and consistent picture and thanks to Gerard’s analysis my coverage of Conrad and his sons is much more complete than it would have been.
Death and Find-a-Grave notes for Conrad Marts (N1a)
We don’t know when Conrad died, probably between the 1830 and 1840 Census. He is not on find-a-grave.
Known Daughters notes for Conrad Marts (N1a)
Subsequently, Gerard informed me that he could identify three daughters of Conrad’s:
“Betsey born around 1795, married Moses Cunningham in Clinton Co. Ohio in 1819, neighbor to Conrad Marts in 1830, her husband died by 1840, she lived out her life in Indiana with her children.
Margaret born around 1807, married March 2, 1830 to William Kiger, in Henry Co. IN, died in 1880 in Illinois.
Elizabeth? born around 1811. I never saw her on the census for 1820 or 1830, but she married John Kyger on August 15, 1830, in Rush County, near Henry County (so she could have missed the 1830 census). They had 3 children, husband died before 1840 and she married George Levic. (His son Andrew married a Sarah Jane Marts, born 1830, father born NY, so Sarah is possibly a daughter of George S). John Levic, son of George, married Elizabeth Kiger, stepsister. (There was also a Levic-Cunningham marriage).”
“Betsey born around 1795, married Moses Cunningham in Clinton Co. Ohio in 1819, neighbor to Conrad Marts in 1830, her husband died by 1840, she lived out her life in Indiana with her children.
Margaret born around 1807, married March 2, 1830 to William Kiger, in Henry Co. IN, died in 1880 in Illinois.
Elizabeth? born around 1811. I never saw her on the census for 1820 or 1830, but she married John Kyger on August 15, 1830, in Rush County, near Henry County (so she could have missed the 1830 census). They had 3 children, husband died before 1840 and she married George Levic. (His son Andrew married a Sarah Jane Marts, born 1830, father born NY, so Sarah is possibly a daughter of George S). John Levic, son of George, married Elizabeth Kiger, stepsister. (There was also a Levic-Cunningham marriage).”
Known Sons notes for Conrad Marts (N1a)
So, from the information Gerard Karcher has compiled, Conrad’s sons include Christian (or Christopher?) (N1a1), George (N1a2) and Joseph (N1a3).
And there was one more identified by Gerard: “John born around 1805. John married on July 16, 1831, to Nancy Piatt, in Henry County. I can't find them after that except he was in the estate papers for his brother George Marts. John wasn't on the census for 1830.” Since John never appeared on Census and we know nothing more about him, he is not given a designation code.
And there was one more identified by Gerard: “John born around 1805. John married on July 16, 1831, to Nancy Piatt, in Henry County. I can't find them after that except he was in the estate papers for his brother George Marts. John wasn't on the census for 1830.” Since John never appeared on Census and we know nothing more about him, he is not given a designation code.