See the discussion about daughter Gertraut in my profile of on Johannes about his known daughters. Gertraut’s find-grave memorial says she was the daughter of Johannes Mertz and Catherine Drescher. I think that memorial is wrong as to John’s wife’s given name — it was Margaret for sure — but may very well be right about Margaret’s maiden name, Drescher. (Johannes, the son of Johannes and Margaretha did marry a Catharina and that could be the source of some confusion as to her name.)

Here’s why:

In 1776, Johannes and wife Margaretha baptized son Johannes with Conrad Drescher and Elizabeth Mertz (single) as sponsors. Elizabeth, I believe, was Johannes’ sister and she would soon marry Conrad Drescher. I have observed the pattern many times at Longswamp baptisms that the sponsor was typically a sibling of one or the other parents and if single, it was possibly a “dating” situation and the single couple may well end up married to each other in the near future. So that only makes Conrad possibly Elizabeth’s “date” and doesn’t necessarily indicate he was Margaretha’s bother — but wouldn’t it be special if the sponsors were in fact a sibling of each parent?

In 1777, Johannes and Margaretha were the sponsors when Conrad and Elizabetha Drescher baptized daughter Susanna.

In 1782, John Mertz and unnamed wife baptized an unnamed daughter and the sponsors were Conrad Drescher and Gertraut Sassaman.

To be sure, both couples here, Conrad and Elisabeth and Johannes and Margaret, baptized other children with had other siblings as sponsor or were sponsors for the baptisms of the children of other siblings — throughout the 1770’s and 1780’s.

But it is the fact that there were three baptisms when Margaretha Mertz and Conrad Drescher were involved that I think is convincing as well the fact that Conrad was present in 1782, without Elizabeth.

I can imagine a scenario where Johannes and Margaretha wanted to have Conrad and Elisabetha as sponsors and maybe Elisabetha couldn’t make it (she was four months pregnant at the time). Or maybe Gertraut Sassaman was Conrad’s and Margaretha’s sister for whom the child (who I think was Gertraut, in part because Gertraut Sassaman was a sponsor) and so Elisabetha got the day off. I cannot imagine any other scenario that would explain why Johannes and Margaretha would have Conrad as sponsor without Elizabetha.

So I don’t consider it totally proven, it would be nice to find more evidence, but I suspect that Gertaut’s find-a-grave memorial is wrong about her mother’s given name but right about her maiden name. Clearly the given name was Margaret as early as 1776 and then in 1786 when Johannes died. (Johannes, the son of Johannes and Margaretha did marry a Catharina and that could be the source of some confusion as to her name.)

And one other thing: when Margaret was appointed Administrator of her husband’s estate in 1786, her sureties were Philip Drescher also of Longswamp and and Frederick Gossler of Reading. Yet another Drescher connection.

Johannes (John) has the distinction, like Peter Mertz Jr., of being a known son of Peter. Berks County records show a Johannes Mertz of Longswamp who died in about 1786 and Peter's will referred to his deceased son John. He died before the rest of his family removed to Northumberland County.

It is by observing the close relationship that many other Mertzes of his generation had with he and Peter Jr. -- and knowing that they weren’t the children of Nicholas -- that we can identify Peter’s other children.

I don’t know exact birth dates for any of Peter’s sons, nor their exact birth order, but I do have small clues for some of them. Johannes, for example, was a single man on a 1767 tax list indicating, I believe, a birth prior to or about 1746. He sponsored a baptism in 1759 which may suggest a somewhat earlier birth than that. I have been told that someone could be a sponsor so long as they had been confirmed into the church and that usually happened at about age 13-15. So maybe he was born in the 1744-1746 period.

But going with 1746, and understand I don’t have real facts for his other brothers either, I am designating Johannes as P3, that he was Peter’s third son.

1779. Pennsylvania Septennial Census. John Mertz, Longswamp Township.

On September 29, 1786, his widow Margaret posted bond as administrator of his estate. On 30 Sep 1786, she petitioned the Orphans Court on behalf of her five children, all minors. These records establish Johannes’ approximate date of death.

As of autumn 2015, Johannes is not on find-a-grave.