Rev. John Allen Mertz was an early family historian of the Hilbish family. He helped propagate the Mother Hollowbush story about her coming to America in 1732 with her three sons after her husband was be-headed because of his religious beliefs. I, and others, have debunked this story. The father, we think, died naturally, the mother died in Germany. Two sons did come -- in 1749.

He was instrumental in the erection of the large monument in Montgomery County honoring Mother Hollowbush and he also was an organizer of the 1890 Hilbish Family Reunion held in Freeburg. The highlight of the event was a speech by Rev. John Allen wherein he gave his account of the early family history -- an account we now know was wrong in almost all respects.

According to his obituary, he graduated from Heidelberg University in 1883 and indeed we find him in Tiffin, OH in the 1880 Census "at school". He then went on to Seminary at Ursinus College in Montgomery County, PA, class of 1887. The natural questions are: what motivated him to pursue the ministry, how did he come to choose a college in Ohio and why eventually did he focus so much as a historian on his Hilbish ancestry as opposed his Mertz ancestry?

The answer to each, I believe is, in a word -- uncles. John Allen's parents died when he was a young man; his mother when he was 18, his father when he was 21. In 1880, we find Uncle Henry Hilbish (his mother's brother) living near Youngstown, OH -- where he was a Pastor. Now Tiffin is a fair distance from Youngstown -- it is in Western, OH -- closer to Sandusky, where interestingly we find Uncle John Hilbish. [John Allen's Uncle Benjamin Hilbish had also removed to Ohio and was living near Akron.]

I believe that after his parents died, John Allen went to live with or near one of his uncles, probably Henry and Henry's influence is what motivated John Allen to pursue the ministry. There is no proof that this happened -- but it seems an obvious sequence of events.

Then, he went on to Ursinus -- which I suspect he chose for reasons having nothing to do with the fact that it was close to where his Hilbish ancestors had settled -- but once there became very interested in his Hilbish ancestry. I have never seen his name associated with any Mertz genealogy and I think these several events (his Uncle's influence, the location of his seminary) caused him to identify more closely with his Hilbish ancestors than his Mertz ancestors.

John Allen is designated P4a3a.

John Allen Mertz lived with his parents -- Peter P Mertz and Susanna Hilbish -- in the 1860 and 1870 Census. In 1880, he was a student in Ohio. As a minister, he lived in Bucks County, PA.

“Rev. John Allen Mertz, A.M., 1856-1916, Class of 1887 Theology, Son of Peter and Susanna Hilbish Mertz, born 26 May 1856 at Freeburg, Snyder Co, PA. BA Heidelberg University, Tiffin, OH 1883. Married Clara M Reber of Phila 8 Dec 1884; two sons Paul Allen and John Ernest, both Ursinus College graduates. Pastor at churches in Chester and Bucks counties during a 28-year ministry. Died at Durham, Bucks Co of nephritis with cardiac affection causing dropsy, 9 Jul 1916. Interred at Freeburg Reformed Church Cemetery.”

John Allen is on find-a-grave.

The death certificate for Rev John Allen, with his son Paul the informant listed Peter Peter Mertz and Hilbish (Susanna) as his parents.

John Allen had two sons: Paul Allen and Rev John Ernst.

The on-line family tree of Thomas Stobie who claims to have several hundred thousand people in his database has extensive information about the Reber family of Eastern PA down to Clara Reber who is supposed to have married John A Mertz. She is referred to as Clara M -- which is how she generally is named in Census listings too. A footnote on the earliest generations says Thomas's source was a family tree of someone else. So, this may or may not be accurate.