Sara Anna Kline and Reuben C Mertz had a son Edgar Garfield Mertz born 1881.

Edgar Garfield Mertz had a son Edgar Theodore Mertz. Edgar Theodore Mertz and his wife Patty Mertz grew up in Berks County. Patty is an email friend of mine who I worked with to help establish that Edgar and I are not Mertz cousins since he is descended from the John Henry line of Mertzes.

But much to our surprise, she determined that Edgar is a cousin of mine because his grandmother was Sara Klein (or Kline) and she descends from Christina (Mertz) Klein, daughter of John David Mertz. We are both named Mertz, we are cousins, we actually share an immigrant Mertz ancestor — but you cannot learn that from our y-chromosone DNA.

His death certificate gives his birth and death dates and says he was buried at New Jersusalem Cemetery. The informant was Edgar G Mertz and he did not know the name of Reuben’s father or mother. Edgar was living in Hyde Park and Reuben in Muhlenberg, Berks County.

But I know his parents from Reuben’s presence with his parents in the 1850 and 1860 Census. He is designated H1b1b.

Reuben is on find-a-grave, though his tombstone says 1839-1911.