Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameBarbara Mertz 
Birthabout 1749, Longswamp Twp, Berks Co, PA
Deathbefore 1787, Longswamp Twp, Berks Co, PA
Memo(pre-deceased her father)
Father5G GF Hans Peter Mertz (P) (~1717-<1787)
Mother5G GM
Parent-Proof notes for Barbara Mertz
We know that Peter had a daughter Barbara who married Henry Fegely and pre-deceased her father because after Peter died, Henry petitioned the Orphan’s Court for a share of Peter's estate on behalf of his children -- Philip and Elizabeth
There are three AWT that show Henry Fegele and his wife Barbara Mertz and various children including Philip, Elizabeth, Abraham, Sarah and others.
All three say Barbara was born in 1751 and died in 1824 in Orwigsburg. Only one of those trees seems to have a source for the birth year but is citing a record for the birth of Maria Barbara in 1751, baptized at “Nordkill” by her father Johannes. Clearly not Peter’s daughter of the same name. I don’t think there is any way of knowing when Barbara was born, it may well have been 1751, a reasonable estimate, but not using that as the source.
In any event, the idea she died in 1824 is absolutely wrong.
Heinrich and Barbara Voegele baptized several children at the Longswamp Reformed Church: Elizabeth in 1775, Abraham in 1776, Maria Catherine 1779, and an unnamed child in 1780.
In 1788, Heinrich Fegely filed a petition with the Berks County Orphans Court: (paraphrasing) “that he had been intermarried with Barbara one of the daughters of Peter Mertz late of Longswamp Township deceased — that Barbara lately died leaving two children Philip and Elisabeth under the age of 14 and they are entitled to a share of their grandfather’s estate”.
After Heinrich died, a petition was filed by George Christman for partition of Henry’s lands. He stated that Henry Fegely died intestate on or about the 26th day of March AD 1829, leaving a widow, and issue ten children viz. Philip, Abraham, Henry, John, Elizabeth intermarried with Jacob Kline, Catherine intermarried with George Wetzel, Margaret intermarried with Samuel Snyder, Susanna intermarried with Jacob Christman, Mary intermarried with Henry Wetzel, and Sarah intermarried with George Christman.
But then on 8 Jun 1829, a petition was filed by Heinrich’s "two eldest sons" Philip and Abraham, stating that the widow had renounced her right to administer the estate and asking for letters of administration to do so. In the petition, they recognize that letters were already granted to George Christman "who is married to Sarah the youngest daughter," but they feel that they have more of a right to administer the estate than he does. They state that Henry left only nine surviving children. They also state that their father was married twice and that George Christman's wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Henry’s second wife, Margaret. They also mention that their father did have another daughter Elizabeth to his first wife, who married Jacob Kline, "that the said Elizabeth is dead and left issue ten children." The court ruled in favor of the brothers, revoked the grant of letters to George, and granted letters to the brothers.
So there is a little mystery here it seems to me but not any mystery about Heinrich’s two wives. Barbara died at least before 1788 and Margaret survived her husband. Neither died in 1824.
The mystery, though, is why Abraham and Maria Catherine weren’t also named as Barbara’s children in his 1788 petition?
I think I can explain the situation regarding Abraham. In one of the three AWT trees, the “Watson” tree, I found a link to a death record for Abraham Fegely, son of Henry and unnamed wife, that says he was born 3 Mar 1786. Assuming that is correct and since he died in 1874, it seems more likely than that this was the Abraham born in 1776, it would seem that the older Abraham had died before 1786, that Barbara too must have died before 1786 and that Abraham was the son of Heinrich and Margaret.
I would guess Maria Catherine born in 1779 also died young and the Catherine married to George Wetzel was Margaret’s daughter.
So we can bracket Barbara’s death to sometime between Nov 1780 (when that unnamed child — perhaps Philip?) was baptized and, say, 1785, when perhaps Heinrich married Margaret.
.
There are three AWT that show Henry Fegele and his wife Barbara Mertz and various children including Philip, Elizabeth, Abraham, Sarah and others.
All three say Barbara was born in 1751 and died in 1824 in Orwigsburg. Only one of those trees seems to have a source for the birth year but is citing a record for the birth of Maria Barbara in 1751, baptized at “Nordkill” by her father Johannes. Clearly not Peter’s daughter of the same name. I don’t think there is any way of knowing when Barbara was born, it may well have been 1751, a reasonable estimate, but not using that as the source.
In any event, the idea she died in 1824 is absolutely wrong.
Heinrich and Barbara Voegele baptized several children at the Longswamp Reformed Church: Elizabeth in 1775, Abraham in 1776, Maria Catherine 1779, and an unnamed child in 1780.
In 1788, Heinrich Fegely filed a petition with the Berks County Orphans Court: (paraphrasing) “that he had been intermarried with Barbara one of the daughters of Peter Mertz late of Longswamp Township deceased — that Barbara lately died leaving two children Philip and Elisabeth under the age of 14 and they are entitled to a share of their grandfather’s estate”.
After Heinrich died, a petition was filed by George Christman for partition of Henry’s lands. He stated that Henry Fegely died intestate on or about the 26th day of March AD 1829, leaving a widow, and issue ten children viz. Philip, Abraham, Henry, John, Elizabeth intermarried with Jacob Kline, Catherine intermarried with George Wetzel, Margaret intermarried with Samuel Snyder, Susanna intermarried with Jacob Christman, Mary intermarried with Henry Wetzel, and Sarah intermarried with George Christman.
But then on 8 Jun 1829, a petition was filed by Heinrich’s "two eldest sons" Philip and Abraham, stating that the widow had renounced her right to administer the estate and asking for letters of administration to do so. In the petition, they recognize that letters were already granted to George Christman "who is married to Sarah the youngest daughter," but they feel that they have more of a right to administer the estate than he does. They state that Henry left only nine surviving children. They also state that their father was married twice and that George Christman's wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Henry’s second wife, Margaret. They also mention that their father did have another daughter Elizabeth to his first wife, who married Jacob Kline, "that the said Elizabeth is dead and left issue ten children." The court ruled in favor of the brothers, revoked the grant of letters to George, and granted letters to the brothers.
So there is a little mystery here it seems to me but not any mystery about Heinrich’s two wives. Barbara died at least before 1788 and Margaret survived her husband. Neither died in 1824.
The mystery, though, is why Abraham and Maria Catherine weren’t also named as Barbara’s children in his 1788 petition?
I think I can explain the situation regarding Abraham. In one of the three AWT trees, the “Watson” tree, I found a link to a death record for Abraham Fegely, son of Henry and unnamed wife, that says he was born 3 Mar 1786. Assuming that is correct and since he died in 1874, it seems more likely than that this was the Abraham born in 1776, it would seem that the older Abraham had died before 1786, that Barbara too must have died before 1786 and that Abraham was the son of Heinrich and Margaret.
I would guess Maria Catherine born in 1779 also died young and the Catherine married to George Wetzel was Margaret’s daughter.
So we can bracket Barbara’s death to sometime between Nov 1780 (when that unnamed child — perhaps Philip?) was baptized and, say, 1785, when perhaps Heinrich married Margaret.
.
Children Names notes for Henry (Spouse 1)
Soon after Peter Mertz died, in 1788, Henry Fegely filed a petition on behalf of his “minor children” Philip and Elizabeth who were also the children of his deceased wife, Barbara, daughter of Peter Mertz, to establish that they were rightful heirs of Peter’s.
The curious thing is from the records of Longswamp, Henry and Barbara had additional children who would have also been minors and there is evidence that others were well alive at the time of Henry’s petition, so why didn’t Henry mention them?
To try to get to the bottom of all this, Justin Houser dug out and analyzed Henry Fegely’s estate file:
A petition filed by George Christman for partition of Henry’s lands states that Henry Fegely died intestate on or about the 26th day of March AD 1829, leaving a widow, and issue ten children viz. Philip, Abraham, Henry, John, Elizabeth intermarried with Jacob Kline, Catherine intermarried with George Wetzel, Margaret intermarried with Samuel Snyder, Susanna intermarried with Jacob Christman, Mary intermarried with Henry Wetzel, and Sarah intermarried with George Christman. Henry left a tract of 205 acres, mostly in Longswamp Twp., but part over the line in Macungie Twp., but with the buildings all in Longswamp Twp., and bounded by John Kieffer, Henry Mitzler, Simon Wentlinger, and others.
Another document in the file was a petition from the "two eldest sons" of the deceased, Philip and Abraham, stating that the widow had renounced her right to administer the estate and asking for letters of administration to do so. In the petition, dated 8 Jun 1829, they recognize that letters were already granted to George Christman "who is married to Sarah the youngest daughter," but they feel that they have more of a right to administer the estate than he does. They also stated that George Christman lives in Millerstown, Lehigh County. They state that Henry left nine surviving children, not ten. In their appeal, they clarify that their father was married twice; George Christman's wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Henry’s second wife, Margaret. They also mention that their father had another daughter Elizabeth to his first wife, who married Jacob Kline, "that the said Elizabeth is dead and left issue ten children." The court ruled in favor of the brothers, revoked the grant of letters to George, and granted letters to the brothers.
This didn’t fully address the question of why Henry only mentioned Philip and Elizabeth in his petition and not any other children. Is the key word in his petition “minor children”? Maybe but wouldn’t any children in their majority then also have filed a petition in their now right? I think the answer may be that at the time of Peter Mertz’ death, only Philip and Elizabeth were surviving, any other of Barbara’s children had died.
For example, Abraham. Henry and Barbara baptized their son Abraham in 1776. Henry did not name him as an heir though he would only have been age 12. And yet from the later petitions after Henry’s death, his son Abraham was still alive.
I think there is an explanation for all of this. In the records of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Orwigsburg, Schuykill County, there is a death record for Abraham Fegely. It says he was born 3 Mar 1786 and died 27 Feb 1874 and was the son of Henry Fegely and unnamed wife. I think Barbara’s son Abraham had died by 1786, as had Barbara, Henry had remarried and used the name Abraham for a later son by wife Margaret.
The curious thing is from the records of Longswamp, Henry and Barbara had additional children who would have also been minors and there is evidence that others were well alive at the time of Henry’s petition, so why didn’t Henry mention them?
To try to get to the bottom of all this, Justin Houser dug out and analyzed Henry Fegely’s estate file:
A petition filed by George Christman for partition of Henry’s lands states that Henry Fegely died intestate on or about the 26th day of March AD 1829, leaving a widow, and issue ten children viz. Philip, Abraham, Henry, John, Elizabeth intermarried with Jacob Kline, Catherine intermarried with George Wetzel, Margaret intermarried with Samuel Snyder, Susanna intermarried with Jacob Christman, Mary intermarried with Henry Wetzel, and Sarah intermarried with George Christman. Henry left a tract of 205 acres, mostly in Longswamp Twp., but part over the line in Macungie Twp., but with the buildings all in Longswamp Twp., and bounded by John Kieffer, Henry Mitzler, Simon Wentlinger, and others.
Another document in the file was a petition from the "two eldest sons" of the deceased, Philip and Abraham, stating that the widow had renounced her right to administer the estate and asking for letters of administration to do so. In the petition, dated 8 Jun 1829, they recognize that letters were already granted to George Christman "who is married to Sarah the youngest daughter," but they feel that they have more of a right to administer the estate than he does. They also stated that George Christman lives in Millerstown, Lehigh County. They state that Henry left nine surviving children, not ten. In their appeal, they clarify that their father was married twice; George Christman's wife, Sarah, was a daughter of Henry’s second wife, Margaret. They also mention that their father had another daughter Elizabeth to his first wife, who married Jacob Kline, "that the said Elizabeth is dead and left issue ten children." The court ruled in favor of the brothers, revoked the grant of letters to George, and granted letters to the brothers.
This didn’t fully address the question of why Henry only mentioned Philip and Elizabeth in his petition and not any other children. Is the key word in his petition “minor children”? Maybe but wouldn’t any children in their majority then also have filed a petition in their now right? I think the answer may be that at the time of Peter Mertz’ death, only Philip and Elizabeth were surviving, any other of Barbara’s children had died.
For example, Abraham. Henry and Barbara baptized their son Abraham in 1776. Henry did not name him as an heir though he would only have been age 12. And yet from the later petitions after Henry’s death, his son Abraham was still alive.
I think there is an explanation for all of this. In the records of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Orwigsburg, Schuykill County, there is a death record for Abraham Fegely. It says he was born 3 Mar 1786 and died 27 Feb 1874 and was the son of Henry Fegely and unnamed wife. I think Barbara’s son Abraham had died by 1786, as had Barbara, Henry had remarried and used the name Abraham for a later son by wife Margaret.