George Peter Mertz was my G-G-grandfather. He lived as an adult in Northumberland and was buried in Riverview Cemetery. His wife was from Hummels Wharf. All researchers agree on the fact that he was the son George named in the 1844 will of Peter Mertz of Freeburg. He was named, possibly, after his mother's father who was George Peter Motz.

George Peter's second marriage -- to Melissa Kleckner who married first Thomas Wolfe and was buried with their sons in New Berlin -- makes an interesting story from several aspects. First, there is the matter of her being Kleckner. My grandmother (Radie Diehl wife of John Oakley Mertz) was the granddaughter of Rachel Kleckner; Rachel and Melissa were second cousins.

Second, there is the matter of the pre-nup and its various codicils that Melissa and George Peter made prior to their marriage. The first version gave her only a minimal inheritance if he died first -- she got the use of their house unless and until she remarried and she got $1000. In the second version, she got the house regardless but only $500. And then in the final version, she got the house and $1600.

Third, there is the matter of her first husband Thomas Newton Wolfe. He apparently had two wives subsequent to his marriage to Melissa, the implication being that she was a divorcee in 1882 when she married George Peter.

George Peter was Peter’s youngest son and designated P4a4.

THE NORTHUMBERLAND MERTZES. Jack Mertz (the family genealogist before I came along) wrote this about him. "George Peter was a wheelwright but after marriage went into the mercantile and hotel business in Freeburg. Amelia's people owned Hummel's Wharf and were in the hotel business. He later moved to Point Township and farmed. After Amelia died, he married Melissa Kleckner Wolfe about 1882 and they moved to Queen Street. George P and Amelia had 14 children including 3 sets of twins. The house that George built for his family in the 1870's and inherited by Hoggy (Wm H) was left to Mabel Mertz Dixon who moved it from along the Old Milton Road to its present location up the hill where it is now the VFW and the lands around it went to the PA RR Yards."

Jack may not have known that within four years of his marriage, George had already moved to Point Township. In any event, George did not spend a lot of years pursuing the Hummel family businesses. Benjamin Hummel (Amelia's father), though, may have played a central role as to why George left his family in Freeburg to move to Northumberland. In 1853, Benjamin sold 20 acres of land to the trustees of what would become Riverview Cemetery, land he had purchased in 1852 at public auction -- but he possibly was active in land speculation in Northumberland County earlier than that.

In, Census, he can be accounted for in his father’s household in 1820-1840 and then he moved to Northumberland.

By 1850, Union County (including what would become Snyder County) had been split off from Northumberland County. The spelling of the name had become Martz for all of Hans Peter’s sons who settled in what then (in 1850) was Northumberland County. The Mertz spelling had only been retained in what then (in 1850) was Union County. So, by relocating from Union County to Northumberland County, George Peter introduced the Mertz spelling to Northumberland County.

George Peter’s will is quite a document, what with the pre-nup and codicils relating to his second marriage. Jack Mertz gave me a copy of the actual instrument. It was written 24 Dec 1885 and proved 22 Sep 1887. It refers to wife Melissa. In the will she gets use of his house so long as she is his widow, she gets $1000 and she gets all the household furniture except the “old Secretary which formerly belonged to the Hummel family”. Son William Henry gets the homestead farm in Point Township for which he owes cash to the estate and has the obligation to provide certain provisions for the younger daughters. Sons George Albert and Amos Allen get the Chillisquaque Farm. Son John Phillip gets the farm in Tuckahoe Valley. The wife and children of son Benjamin Franklin are included. Sons William Henry and Benjamin Franklin were named Executors.

According to Riverview burial records, he died of apoplexy.

George Peter is on find-a-grave. I put his memorial there.

Jack Mertz used to organize and was President of the George Peter Mertz Family Reunion held each summer at Lithia Springs and his list of his eight daughters must be authoritative. The list in Floyd is basically the same. And the list in Martz/Mertz is also the same but adds the information that the latter two daughters both lived their married lives in Oil City, PA. Finally, I have verified the names of all his daughters from his will and from Census listings -- tracing them from the years they lived with their parents and then as adults living on their own.

Jack Mertz listed them chronologically as follows: Mary Ella and Katherine A (twins) who married Hammond Rhodenbaugh and Cyrus Walters (respectively), Emma Jane married George A Long, Amanda Amelia married first cousin Peter H Mertz, Sarah Ida, Lillie Viola married Charles Biehl, Adda Clarissa and Flora Elizabeth (twins) married Harry Jacoby and James Benner (respectively).

Jack Mertz listed six sons, in agreement with other sources. And I have verified the names of the five that survived from his will and from Census listings -- tracing them from the years they lived with their parents and then as adults living on their own.

Jack Mertz listed them chronologically as follows: Benjamin Franklin married Olivia "Leafy" Hoffman, William Henry married Emeline Moyer, George Albert and John Peter (twins) -- George married Margaret Stamm and John Peter died as an infant, John Philip married Anna Rebecca Hopewell, Amos Allan married Tillie Vanada.

Since George Peter was my ancestor, I have tracked his sons more closely than I might have otherwise.

The fact that her father was Benjamin Hummel is clear from his will and is as stated by Jack Mertz, J L Floyd and Joseph A Meiser. The real proof though is that she and her husband have a rather large tombstone obelisk in Riverview Cemetery and it is right beside a similar one of her parents.

In Amelia’s time, women didn’t often write wills, especially if they pre-deceased their husband. If a woman died after her husband, if he had left her substantial property and not specifically stated how it was to then be divided or if perhaps she had inherited property, say from her father, after her husband died -- then a woman might leave a will.

So it is interesting that Amelia wrote a brief will 23 Apr 1880 in which she left her husband George P Mertz all her personal property and “all my right title and interest in the farm on which we now reside ..situated in [Point] Twp..consisting of 111 acres.” The will was proven 12 Jun 1880, yet more proof as to her date of death.

This strongly suggests that George and Amelia came to Point Township to farm Benjamin Hummel’s land. Ben was the land baron.

Amelia is on find-a-grave. I put her memorial there.

I have a transcription of Amelia's stone: “Here rests a good true affectionate wife and mother. A true friend and benefactor to all.  She believed fully in the Lord and mercy of her heavenly father and in the hour of death relied upon Christ as her savior & redeemer.”


http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=149804273

Her birth and death dates are as transcribed by Gearhart from her tombstone and also by Jack Mertz. Meiser’s transcription of Riverview says died 22 May 1890 but this was clearly a typo. She was not present in the 1880 Census and her husband remarried by 1882. I also have a transcription that says 1890 and her age at death was 66y.

The truth is that every face on this tombstone, except hers, is quite readable as it should be for a monument not all that old. Hers, though, is almost impossible to read and I looked at it in several different lights (daylight, clouds, dusk, etc). The month and day of her birth and death are readable, the year of her birth 1822 is readable and I think her age 56 years is also readable. So I believe the dates I have for her are accurate.

She lived with Joseph and Catherine Kleckner in the 1860 Census and in 1880 with her mother Catherine, so they were clearly her parents.

Public Press in 1890’s mention Melissa Mertz of Rapidan, Virginia visits her daughter Mrs. Benfer of New Berlin and does other traveling. She was “superintending the household affairs of her brother-in-law’s plantation in Culpepper County.

In addition to the George Kleckner family (Radie Diehl's ancestors), here is another Kleckner of interest -- Melissa.

Her father Joseph was the son of Solomon who in turn was the son of Johann Anton -- our ancestor. Melissa, therefore, was a second cousin of our ancestor Rachel E Kleckner. Of course, during their lifetimes, even if they knew each other, they had no reason to know that Rachel’s granddaughter Rachel Diehl would marry John Oakley Mertz the grandson of Melissa’s second husband -- in 1910.

Melissa Kleckner of New Berlin married first Mr. Wolfe. She then married second George Peter Mertz on 21 Sep 1882. She and George Peter had a prenup, which I have.

I found her tombstone in the New Berlin Cemetery buried with her two sons, it says: Melissa Mertz 1841-1907, Thomas O Wolfe 1863-1882, J Lee Wolfe 1868-1914. She was buried near her parents.