A very interesting baptism record exists at Longswamp Reformed Church. On 2 Oct 1774, David Mertz son of Jacob and wife was baptized, sponsored by David Mertz and Barbara Muller.

Things would have been clearer had the mother been named. On earlier records, when Jacob Mertz was the father, Magdalena was the mother. Starting in 1776, when Jacob was the father, the mother was Margaretha. So, were the baptisms before 1774 and after 1776 the same Jacob, just with two different wives? Did Magdalena die and Margaretha become his second wife? The answer to those questions, after all the analysis I have done, is clearly no. There were two different Jacobs of Longswamp -- but the proposition that it was just one with two different wives had to be at least considered.

So, which Jacob was the father of David baptized 1774? The answer to that too is clear. There is a David Martz buried in Sunbury, PA with birth date from his tombstone 13 Sep 1774. The other Jacob who was older also had a son David but that David was born more like 1765 or so. So, it is my conclusion that the parents on this record were Jacob and Margaretha (Miller) Mertz. The sponsors were Jacob’s brother David and Margaretha’s sister (I believe) Barbara and David and Barbara will soon marry. These four people will stay closely connected the remainder of their lives.

One more thing is known for sure. The older Jacob, the one whose wife was Magdalena, was the son of Nicholas. So, by the simple process of elimination, the younger Jacob was the son of Hans Peter.

So the remaining question is when was he born? Some of his brothers were listed on the 1767 tax list as single. Single or married doesn’t matter but the point is they were old enough to be listed and I assume 21 was the threshold age. So I date them to the mid-1740’s. Jacob, as best I can find, was never named on any Longswamp tax list, assuming the mention of just one Jacob on each list was his older cousin of the same name.

We get a possible clue from the 1800 Census when Jacob was reported as 26-45, meaning born after 1755. But he had his first child in 1774, was he really only 19 on that occasion? His brother Nicholas was born in 1748 and his brother Abraham, I believe, was the youngest and born maybe 1758. Jacob seems clearly to fit in between. So I have gone with a 1755 birth (though it could have been a year or two earlier) and he is designated P6.

THE OTHER AUGUSTA TOWNSHIP MERTZES. J L Floyd and Joseph A Meiser both document that Jacob Mertz bought farm number three in the Manor Pomfret (the land near Sunbury set aside by the Penns for their benefit when Northumberland County began to be settled) from the Penn family, deed recorded 18 Jul 1793. It was this particular Jacob who did so, the one married to Margaretha. He was the brother of David Mertz who bought farm number two.
However, both Floyd and Meiser totally missed the fact that there were several different Jacobs first in Berks County and then in Northumberland County and have simplified things by merging the different Jacobs into one man. Anything any of them did became events in the life of just this one “composite” man.

In the 1790 Census and tax records of Northumberland County, there was mention of two men named Jacob Mertz. Yet a third still lived in Rockland Township, Berks County -- he being the son of John Henry Mertz. One of the two in Northumberland County was referred to as Jacob Sr., the other curiously was NOT referred to as Jr. The two Jacobs were cousins. The older of the two was the son of Nicholas and at times called John Jacob, the younger was the son of Hans Peter and almost always only called Jacob.

It is difficult to prove absolutely which of the two 1790 Census listings -- Jacob Sr. and Jacob -- was which:

• Both of them, by 1790, had a son named Jacob, not yet an adult. So either might have been considered Jacob Sr.
• Jacob Sr. was listed on the same Census page (no township identified) — in fact immediately adjacent to — David, Conrad and Peter Mertz. On the one hand, that argues for Jacob Sr. being the older Jacob as his son Conrad moved with him to Northumberland County. On the other hand, it could instead be argued that Jacob Sr. was really the younger Jacob in this case since we know he and David ended up buying farms number two and three in Pomfret Manor — but the deed date of 1793 suggests that was a later event.
• I cannot distinguish one from the other using the counts of other people in the household. Jacob Sr., in addition to himself, had two younger males and four females. Not Jacob Jr. had, in addition to himself, 6 younger males and 6 females.

I’m not aware of that many sons for either of the Jacobs but that last point may still slightly tilt the scale in favor of concluding that Jacob Sr. was the older one as I only know of two sons (in addition to Conrad) of his: Jacob Jr. and David. And I am less sure of just how many sons the younger Jacob may have had. But the younger Jacob had, in fact, baptized six daughters in the years 1776-1783 at Longswamp Reformed.

But I think two more points make me somewhat confident in concluding that Jacob Sr. was indeed the older one.

• Jacob Welsh (Welch) was also listed on the same page as Jacob Sr. Welch was the son-in-law of the older Jacob.
• Jacob —i.e. NOT Jacob Jr. — was listed on a different page, apart somewhat from all the other Northumberland Mertzes. A neighbor was Christian Shissler, the father I think of three children who would marry three of Jacob’s children.

In a way it doesn’t matter which was which, the key point is that there were two of them. That strongly suggests that these were the two we know from Longswamp Township, now both in Northumberland County, along with other members of their families. Most other sources purporting to identify the early Pioneer Mertzes of Northumberland County never understood they were all Longswamp Mertzes. Most other sources don’t even acknowledge there were two separate Jacobs. They may refer to Jacob in the Northumberland 1790 Census but wouldn’t place him as coming from the Longswamp clan, or if they did would suggest he was the man known as John Jacob, son of Nicholas, ignoring totally the other Jacob. (The reader is referred to a white paper on my website Jacob Mærtz Disambiguation that, in addition to profiling the three older Jacobs of the 1790 Census — including the one that stayed in Rockland Township, Berks County — also covers the other eight or so Jacob Mertz born in the 1770’s in Berks County and any number of additional non-Berks Jacobs.)

Jacob, son of Nicholas, was only “passing through” Northumberland County in 1790 and he would move before 1800 to western NY State, taking Conrad and Jacob Welch with him. The younger Jacob stayed in Northumberland County and died there in 1803 leaving a widow Margaretha.

In 1800, Jacob Martz lived in Augusta Township, a neighbor was David, his brother I believe. Even though his son David was living on his own, Jacob’s household still included six younger males — 2 sons in each age bracket 0-9, 10-15, 16-24 -- more sons than I can account for. (It’s possible a married child was still living at home and some of the youngest persons actually Jacob’s grandchildren). Jacob died in 1803. In 1810, we find Margaret Martz and two David Martz in Augusta Township — her brother-in-law and her son. Two males 16-25 lived with her.

This line of the family came almost exclusively to have their name spelled Martz once they had moved to Northumberland County.

Jacob wrote his will 30 Jan 1803. He was a resident of Augusta Township. His wife was Margaret. He described his land as adjoining the land of David Mertz, his brother I assume who also witnessed his will. He named his wife Margaret and son David as his Executors. He did not name any other children, but said they were to share and share alike when his land was eventually sold after Margaret’s death. His will was witnessed by two men, Andrious Heyn and David Mertz. There is one place in the witnessing statement where their names appear Andrious Heyn David Mertz and this is the erroneous basis by which Allen Donald Tallman asserts that David was Heyn David or Heinrich David. That assertion is pure fiction.

There was a Northumberland County Orphans Court record from the July 1804 session wherein John Geist administrator of Jacob Mertz petitioned the court to appoint guardians for Jacob's eight children: Thomas, John, Catharine, Maria, Nancy, Peggy, Elizabeth and Susannah -- all minors.

From the timing, it would seem obvious this must have been Jacob (P6) who died in 1803 but the names of the children never made sense to me nor that he had that many minor children when he died. A follow-up petition in January 1806 to dismiss John Geist as guardian for John and Rebecca spelled the last name March. And indeed, in the 1800 Census in Penns Township, Northumberland County, we find Jacob March. I don’t know who he was but I’m not sure I need to know.

There was an extra John Martz in Census in Augusta Township in 1820-1840 that I also can’t identify. I’m guessing he was the son of Jacob March.

Since the name Mertz (Martz) was derived from the German word for the third month of the year (März), the surname was sometimes was spelled March in America. I don’t think that’s the case here, this was a family unrelated to any of the early immigrants named Mertz.

I know a little more about two of Jacob’s daughters: Catharina who married Christian Shissler Jr. and Magdalena who married Samuel Lantz.

Some people believe there was a third daughter, Maria Eva, because a Maria Eva Mertz, daughter of Jacob and unnamed wife, was baptized on 2 Jun 1782 at Longswamp. But I believe that Maria Eva baptized on that day was the daughter of the other Jacob. She moved, I believe, with her father eventually to upper New York State and with others of her family still later to Erie County, PA and is buried in Erie County as Maria Eva (Marts) Fritts, wife of Christian.

Of the two known daughters, Magdalena is of most interest to me. Her granddaughter Susan M Hummel married Frank P Waldron. Susan was the granddaughter too of John Hummel from Freeburg whose wife was Susan Hilbish. John’s son Henry, Susan’s father, married Sarah Lantz, daughter of Samuel and Magdalena (Martz) Lantz.

This is a very interesting family. Susan M (Hummel) Waldron and her siblings and all of their descendants are related to me in any number of ways. They share my ancestors Hans Peter Mertz the immigrant and his wife, John Jacob Hummel and Eva Marie deTurk and Peter Hilbish and Susanna Schell. I am related to them in three different ways, not unlike the Amermans who also share my Hummel, Hilbish and Mertz ancestors.

Jacob and Margaretha baptized two sons at Longswamp Reformed, David in 1774 and John Henry in 1775.

David for sure survived and lived out his years in Northumberland County. He married Magdalena Shissler and they had many children and many descendants. He is designated P6a.

I know nothing more about John Henry, I suspect he died young. But based on the 1790, 1800 and 1810 Census tick marks, there may have been other sons.

I strongly believe there was a son Jacob. I actually have two good candidates who may have been that son. One of them was born in 1779 and ended up in Columba County. The other was born in 1777 and ended up in Dauphin County.

The Jacob who ended up in Dauphin County was believed by early Northumberland County genealogists to have originated in Northumberland County and Jacob is the best candidate to be his father. But I think the evidence is more compelling that the one who ended up in Columbia County was in fact the older Jacob’s son. Columbia Jacob is designated P6b and for now, Dauphin Jacob is designated U1 (U meaning father unidentified).

Which brings me to John. I think there was a John Martz who lived in Augusta Township and since David had a son John whose life I can account for, and I don’t otherwise know who this John was, I am guessing he was Jacob’s son. John is designated P6c.

David Mertz and Jacob Mertz were brothers, grandsons of David Mertz, the 1733 immigrant who settled in Longswamp Township, Berks County. The whole family worshiped at the Longswamp Reformed Church until the late 1780's when many of them, including David and Jacob, moved to Northumberland County, PA where their last name came to be spelled Martz forevermore.

Early genealogical sources say that David and Jacob married sisters, Barbara and Margaretha Miller. We do know from church records, wills and Census listings for each widow after her husband had died that David's wife was most definitely Barbara and Jacob's wife was Margaretha. And I think it is quite clear they were both maiden name Miller.

But like many things we encounter in genealogy, the source of the supposed fact that they were sisters is elusive and it is hard to find any documents available to us today that give us any hard evidence of it.

Here is what we can prove from existing documents:

1. We do know there were two baptisms at Longswamp Reformed where the named sponsors were Barbara Miller (single) and David Mertz (single) in 1774 and 1776. A pattern I have noticed in many cases is that such a record sometimes is a precursor to a later marriage.

2. I have seen a formal baptism record for Magdalena Martz, daughter of Jacob and Margaretha, which says (edited by me): "To this husband and wife, Jacob Martz and his wedded wife Makretha born Miller, there is born a daughter being Magdalena in the year 1782 on the 10th day of October....Sponsors are Jacob Miller and his wife Magdalena.”

3. There are several baptisms at Longswamp Reformed where two single people, one named Mertz, one Miller, were named sponsors. Plus there were baptisms of a child of Jacob or David where the sponsors were someone named Miller and their wife. For example, Christian Miller and wife Barbara sponsored the baptism of David's son David in 1784 and Jacob Miller and wife Magdalena sponsored the baptism of Jacob's son Jacob in 1783. Clearly, the two families were quite close.

4. David and Jacob Martz were perhaps up to 10 years apart in age and yet they too were very close. They bought side-by-side farms in Northumberland County from the Penns.

It is the fact that Jacob Miller and wife Magdalena were the sponsors for both Jacob and Margaretha's son Jacob and daughter Magdalena that has given me the idea that perhaps Jacob and Magdalena were Margaretha's parents. It's possible too that perhaps Jacob Miller was Margaretha's brother, but then Magdalena Martz was named for the wife of her mother's brother, it seems more likely she was named for her grandmother. [See also Barbara Miller, wife of David Martz (P2)]

1810. Margaret Mertz lived in Augusta Township. This was a key record when I was trying to sort out which Jacob moved on to NY State and which stayed in Northumberland County. Clearly the Jacob who died in Augusta Township in 1803 was the one married to Margaretha.

Margaret had two males age 16-25 living with her, it was neither David who was living on his own nor Jacob for the same reason. So one possibility worthy of mention would be William Martz who was born in 1792. There was such a man and I don’t know for sure who his father was but my best guess is William was Jacob’s grandson, son of David.