Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameElizabeth Fegely 
Birth10 March 1775, Longswamp Twp, Berks Co, PA
Death23 February 1810, Lehigh Co, PA
Memo(Zion Lutheran, Macungie records)
FatherHenry Fegely
MotherBarbara Mertz (~1749-<1787)
Parent-Proof notes for Elizabeth Fegely
She is named in the petition of Henry Fegely as his daughter with wife Barbara, deceased, d/o Peter Mertz, deceased to share in Peter's estate.
Research notes for Elizabeth Fegely
16 Apr 1775. Elisabeth Voegele d/o Heinrich and Barbara baptized. Sponsors: Elisabeth Mertz and Peter Voegele. The mother is Barbara, Peter’s daughter who predeceases him. The sponsor is most likely her cousin once removed Elizabeth, daughter of her cousin John Jacob.
My Comments notes for Elizabeth Fegely
The death record of Elisabeth (Vogele) Klein at the Zion Lutheran Church in (now) Lehigh County states that she was the wife of Johan Jacob Klein, that her birth date as calculated from age at death was 22 Mar 1775, that her parents were Peter Vogele & Elisabeth Marz and finally that Elizabeth (Marz) Vogele was deceased at the time of Elizabeth (Vogele) Klein's death.
Now what could be better than that? The problem is that all sorts of other evidence suggests that Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry Fegely and his wife Barbara Mertz. For one thing, at Longswamp, there was a child named Elisabeth Voegele born 10 Mar 1775, baptized 16 Apr 1775. Her parents were Heinrich and Barbara Voegele and the sponsors at her baptism were Peter Voegele and Elisabeth Mertz, both single. So, yes, the birth date is apparently twelve days off but the important detail in this citation is that Peter Fegely and his Elizabeth were single on that date -- ruling out that they then had a daughter they named Elizabeth two weeks later.
So I concluded that, for reasons we could find all sorts of ways to explain away, the minister simply wrote Peter when he meant Henry.
But now I think my case has been strengthened. Justin Houser went further in the records of Zion Lutheran and found the actual German original version of this event and while that version indeed said Peter, it turns out the transcription of the dates was wrong and indeed Elizabeth was 34 years, 11 months, 1 week and 5 days old indicating a brith of 11 Mar 1775.
Justin also went and dug out the estate file of Henry Fegely clealy stating he had a daughter Elizabeth married to Jacob Klein.
Case closed as far as I’m concerned.
Now what could be better than that? The problem is that all sorts of other evidence suggests that Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry Fegely and his wife Barbara Mertz. For one thing, at Longswamp, there was a child named Elisabeth Voegele born 10 Mar 1775, baptized 16 Apr 1775. Her parents were Heinrich and Barbara Voegele and the sponsors at her baptism were Peter Voegele and Elisabeth Mertz, both single. So, yes, the birth date is apparently twelve days off but the important detail in this citation is that Peter Fegely and his Elizabeth were single on that date -- ruling out that they then had a daughter they named Elizabeth two weeks later.
So I concluded that, for reasons we could find all sorts of ways to explain away, the minister simply wrote Peter when he meant Henry.
But now I think my case has been strengthened. Justin Houser went further in the records of Zion Lutheran and found the actual German original version of this event and while that version indeed said Peter, it turns out the transcription of the dates was wrong and indeed Elizabeth was 34 years, 11 months, 1 week and 5 days old indicating a brith of 11 Mar 1775.
Justin also went and dug out the estate file of Henry Fegely clealy stating he had a daughter Elizabeth married to Jacob Klein.
Case closed as far as I’m concerned.