Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Birth7 October 17392514
Memo(Mertz Church)
Death1803
BurialComp Cemetery, Somerset Co, PA
FatherJohn Henry (Johan Heinrich) Mertz (H) (1709-1788)
MotherAnna Maria Rosemann (~1715->1780)
Birth, Parent-Proof, Designation notes for Johan Wilhelm Mertz (H2)
John Henry and Anna Maria Mertz baptized a son Johan Wilhelm at Mertz Church, Rockland Township, Berks County, PA. I have seen two transcriptions that give his birth date as 7 Oct 1739, which is what I believe, and one which says 7 Oct 1729. He was listed on the Mertz Church monument that honors John Henry and his family (which says Wilhelm was born 1739) and also named in his father’s will. He is designated H2 -- the second son of John Henry (H), the immigrant.
Some of the sons of John Henry are easy to track.
• For example, John Philip (H1), oldest son of John Henry. He married Catharina at Mertz Church. He lived as an adult in Maxatawny Township, Berks County, never far from Mertz Church. He baptized several children of his own at Mertz Church (with Catharina) and was named as a sponsor at the baptisms of many grandchildren at Mertz Church also with Catharina — as late as 1812. There can be no question he was John Philip born 1738, son of John Henry.
• Or, John Jacob (H3), the third son of John Henry. He also married a woman named Catharina. He lived his adult life in Rockland Township. He baptized his children at Mertz Church. He said he was of Rockland Township in his will and was buried at Mertz Church. Easy.
But Wilhelm is not so easy. There is no clear record of him as an adult that we can point to and say: that most certainly is Wilhelm born 1739 son of John Henry.
There was a William Mertz who died in Somerset County in 1803 with a large family including several adult males. It is said by descendants that William came to Somerset County from Berks County with other people including Jacob Hahn. And descendants also say that William’s wife was Christina Hahn. I have no reason to dispute any of those assertions. In fact, the DNA of several of William’s descendants closely matches the DNA of known descendants of the Mertz Church immigrants.
Of the several published family history books covering William of Somerset County and his descendants, one of them says, as if it is proven fact, that William who died in Somerset was none other than 1739 Wilhelm son of John Henry. But I never regarded that as proven. The other books, in fact, offered different suggestions.
I have seen many mistakes made by genealogists who just assumed, based only on someone‘s name, that a person in one place is, of course, the person of some other place with the same name. But often they turn out to have been two different people — who just shared a name. So, I always try hard to find something in particular to connect the two.
In Wilhelm’s case, compounding the problem was that for a long time I thought there was a record of the death of Wilhelm Mertz in 1791 in the Berks County area. Wilhelm (H2) was an obvious candidate to be that person. But I eventually learned that record actually was of the marriage of a different Wilhelm.
And so I have come around to believing that William Martz of Somerset County who died there in 1803 was, in fact, Wilhelm, born 1739, son of John Henry. What finally convinced me of this supposition is that I found birth/baptism records for three children by William and Christina at the Jerusalem Church in Salisbury, (now) Lehigh County. Jacob Hahn was a sponsor at one of those baptisms, Catherine Hahn at another. The names of two of the children match known names of the children of William of Somerset and I believe the partial name given for the third child is also a match.
Jerusalem Church is not far at all from Rockland. Moreover, William’s brother, George Henry, was also named in records of that church. So there is reason to think it may have been Wilhelm (H2) and also reason to think this was William and Christina who would soon move to Somerset County.
Something that gave me pause, though, was that a man who had his own children starting in 1775 was born you would think maybe 1750 or so, maybe even a little later. For that reason, I felt I had to at least consider that maybe William of Somerset was the son of one of the other two immigrants who had come early to Mertz Church.
I felt I could rule out Johannes. He married Rosina in 1756 and had son John just a little more than a year later, so if we wanted to posit William was Johannes’ son, the earliest he could have been born was 1758 so then he would have had had his first child at age 17. Pretty unlikely plus there is no evidence Johannes had a son William.
The brings me to Jost Mertz. He and wife Anna Maria had a daughter in 1757, how could it be known they didn’t have a son a little earlier?
It was when I finally was able to answer that question — that Jost absolutely did not have a son named William — that I came to what then seemed the inescapable conclusion -- that William of Somerset was none other than 1739 Willhelm (H2), son of John Henry. Yes, he had his children a little later than most men of that era, but not impossibly so.
Some of the sons of John Henry are easy to track.
• For example, John Philip (H1), oldest son of John Henry. He married Catharina at Mertz Church. He lived as an adult in Maxatawny Township, Berks County, never far from Mertz Church. He baptized several children of his own at Mertz Church (with Catharina) and was named as a sponsor at the baptisms of many grandchildren at Mertz Church also with Catharina — as late as 1812. There can be no question he was John Philip born 1738, son of John Henry.
• Or, John Jacob (H3), the third son of John Henry. He also married a woman named Catharina. He lived his adult life in Rockland Township. He baptized his children at Mertz Church. He said he was of Rockland Township in his will and was buried at Mertz Church. Easy.
But Wilhelm is not so easy. There is no clear record of him as an adult that we can point to and say: that most certainly is Wilhelm born 1739 son of John Henry.
There was a William Mertz who died in Somerset County in 1803 with a large family including several adult males. It is said by descendants that William came to Somerset County from Berks County with other people including Jacob Hahn. And descendants also say that William’s wife was Christina Hahn. I have no reason to dispute any of those assertions. In fact, the DNA of several of William’s descendants closely matches the DNA of known descendants of the Mertz Church immigrants.
Of the several published family history books covering William of Somerset County and his descendants, one of them says, as if it is proven fact, that William who died in Somerset was none other than 1739 Wilhelm son of John Henry. But I never regarded that as proven. The other books, in fact, offered different suggestions.
I have seen many mistakes made by genealogists who just assumed, based only on someone‘s name, that a person in one place is, of course, the person of some other place with the same name. But often they turn out to have been two different people — who just shared a name. So, I always try hard to find something in particular to connect the two.
In Wilhelm’s case, compounding the problem was that for a long time I thought there was a record of the death of Wilhelm Mertz in 1791 in the Berks County area. Wilhelm (H2) was an obvious candidate to be that person. But I eventually learned that record actually was of the marriage of a different Wilhelm.
And so I have come around to believing that William Martz of Somerset County who died there in 1803 was, in fact, Wilhelm, born 1739, son of John Henry. What finally convinced me of this supposition is that I found birth/baptism records for three children by William and Christina at the Jerusalem Church in Salisbury, (now) Lehigh County. Jacob Hahn was a sponsor at one of those baptisms, Catherine Hahn at another. The names of two of the children match known names of the children of William of Somerset and I believe the partial name given for the third child is also a match.
Jerusalem Church is not far at all from Rockland. Moreover, William’s brother, George Henry, was also named in records of that church. So there is reason to think it may have been Wilhelm (H2) and also reason to think this was William and Christina who would soon move to Somerset County.
Something that gave me pause, though, was that a man who had his own children starting in 1775 was born you would think maybe 1750 or so, maybe even a little later. For that reason, I felt I had to at least consider that maybe William of Somerset was the son of one of the other two immigrants who had come early to Mertz Church.
I felt I could rule out Johannes. He married Rosina in 1756 and had son John just a little more than a year later, so if we wanted to posit William was Johannes’ son, the earliest he could have been born was 1758 so then he would have had had his first child at age 17. Pretty unlikely plus there is no evidence Johannes had a son William.
The brings me to Jost Mertz. He and wife Anna Maria had a daughter in 1757, how could it be known they didn’t have a son a little earlier?
It was when I finally was able to answer that question — that Jost absolutely did not have a son named William — that I came to what then seemed the inescapable conclusion -- that William of Somerset was none other than 1739 Willhelm (H2), son of John Henry. Yes, he had his children a little later than most men of that era, but not impossibly so.
Relocated and Census Tracking notes for Johan Wilhelm Mertz (H2)
1779. Pennsylvania Septennial Census. Wm Mertz, Greenwich Township.
1790. William March, Bedford Co, PA.
1800. William and Jacob Mertz (his son) both listed in Somerset County.
1790. William March, Bedford Co, PA.
1800. William and Jacob Mertz (his son) both listed in Somerset County.
Death and Find-a-Grave notes for Johan Wilhelm Mertz (H2)
Justin Martz tells me there is a marker with WM 1803 written on it in Somerset. And a Revolutionary War marker as well. Family tradition is that he died while building a barn.
Discrepancies notes for Johan Wilhelm Mertz (H2)
Birth Date. A have a summary transcription of Mertz Church records which gives his birth date as 7 Oct 1729, baptized 25 Oct. His brother, John Philip, was baptized 25 Oct 1738 so with no year given for William’s baptism, just the date, it could be that John Henry was “catching-up” by baptizing William finally then too, 9 years later. But I don’t think so. That would mean Wilhelm was born before John Henry left Germany, when he was just 20 years old.
I think the 7 Oct 1739 date, which is in two different transcriptions I have seen is the better date.
Death Date. Another discrepant fact is a long ago message board post by ”RMR” — who went and found and transcribed every citation mentioning anyone of the Mertz name in any records of Eastern Pennsylvania. Her post said that Rev. Helfrich cited that Wilh. Mertz died in 1791. Helfrich served the Berks/Lehigh County area, fairly widespread. But I have gone and found the Hellfrich records and he had a list of marriages and burials and this entry was clearly in the list of marriages. What was confusing is that in the very earliest years, Helfrich only stated the groom’s name and that was the case here. (RMR then double checked and agrees with my interpretation — I should add that she really made a major contribution to Mertz research with the work she did and I certainly do not fault her for one tiny mistaken interpretation, it was ambiguous unless you scrolled back a few pages.)
Rather than being the death of Wilhelm born 1739, I am quite certain it was the marriage record of his nephew, I think, William born 1767.
Children’s Birth Dates. In all three family histories I have reviewed written about William of Somerset, it is said that the four oldest children of William and Christina were: Jacob born 3 Oct 1777, Catharina born 4 May 1779, Susannah born 10 Jun 1788 and Barbara born about 1790, no specific date given.
Those dates for William’s children seem to be “etched in stone” in the sense that I can find them also in a Somerset County newsletter article on the family and numerous Internet Family Trees. But I have long since learned not to trust anything regarding alleged facts about early people named Mertz. The original source I believe for all those dates was the work of Hannibal L Mertz and everyone else has simply taken his work as gospel. But in the book credited to him, written post-humously, no real source is stated.
So there are obvious discrepancies between those dates and the birth/baptism records I found in the records of the Jerusalem Lutheran Church in West Salisbury, (now) Lehigh (formerly) Northampton County:
• Barbara, daughter of William Mertz and Christina born 4 Jul 1775 baptized 20 Jul 1775 sponsors Jacob Haan and wife Maria. I believe this was Barbara whose birth date no one else had ever discovered. Note the mention of Jacob Hahn.
• Johan J son of William Mertz and Christina born 4 Aug 1776 baptized 22 Sep 1776 sponsors Jacob Seip and wife Rosina. I believe this was Johan Jacob, the one said to have been born in 1777 (based on his tombstone). My reasoning is that most German males of that era were given a Christian name -- often Johan -- and then their given name that they would go by all their life. Also, one or the other of the baptism sponsors were often the namesake of the infant being baptized.
• Catherine daughter of William Mertz and Christina born 10 Dec 1777 baptized 15 Feb 1778 sponsors George Mertz and Catherine Haanin. I believe the infant was Catharina, the one said to be born in 1779. Note that her Dec 1777 birth date precludes any notion that Johan J died quite young and another son Jacob was born 3 Oct 1777.
In these various baptisms, I note not only the Hahn connection but also the Seip connection. Jost Mertz, William’s uncle, married Anna Maria Seip. I note too that George Mertz was a sponsor at one. Wilhelm had a brother George who, I believe, moved west with him, though in George’s case settled in Frederick County, Maryland.
So considering all the evidence, I believe that this William of Jerusalem Lutheran was Wilhelm born 1739 and one and the same as William Martz who died in Somerset County in 1803. If it was not Wilhelm, I have no idea otherwise whatever happened to Wilhelm. There was one other William mentioned in Berks County records but he was much younger than Wilhelm and in any event lived his adult life in Columbia County and died there.
I think the 7 Oct 1739 date, which is in two different transcriptions I have seen is the better date.
Death Date. Another discrepant fact is a long ago message board post by ”RMR” — who went and found and transcribed every citation mentioning anyone of the Mertz name in any records of Eastern Pennsylvania. Her post said that Rev. Helfrich cited that Wilh. Mertz died in 1791. Helfrich served the Berks/Lehigh County area, fairly widespread. But I have gone and found the Hellfrich records and he had a list of marriages and burials and this entry was clearly in the list of marriages. What was confusing is that in the very earliest years, Helfrich only stated the groom’s name and that was the case here. (RMR then double checked and agrees with my interpretation — I should add that she really made a major contribution to Mertz research with the work she did and I certainly do not fault her for one tiny mistaken interpretation, it was ambiguous unless you scrolled back a few pages.)
Rather than being the death of Wilhelm born 1739, I am quite certain it was the marriage record of his nephew, I think, William born 1767.
Children’s Birth Dates. In all three family histories I have reviewed written about William of Somerset, it is said that the four oldest children of William and Christina were: Jacob born 3 Oct 1777, Catharina born 4 May 1779, Susannah born 10 Jun 1788 and Barbara born about 1790, no specific date given.
Those dates for William’s children seem to be “etched in stone” in the sense that I can find them also in a Somerset County newsletter article on the family and numerous Internet Family Trees. But I have long since learned not to trust anything regarding alleged facts about early people named Mertz. The original source I believe for all those dates was the work of Hannibal L Mertz and everyone else has simply taken his work as gospel. But in the book credited to him, written post-humously, no real source is stated.
So there are obvious discrepancies between those dates and the birth/baptism records I found in the records of the Jerusalem Lutheran Church in West Salisbury, (now) Lehigh (formerly) Northampton County:
• Barbara, daughter of William Mertz and Christina born 4 Jul 1775 baptized 20 Jul 1775 sponsors Jacob Haan and wife Maria. I believe this was Barbara whose birth date no one else had ever discovered. Note the mention of Jacob Hahn.
• Johan J son of William Mertz and Christina born 4 Aug 1776 baptized 22 Sep 1776 sponsors Jacob Seip and wife Rosina. I believe this was Johan Jacob, the one said to have been born in 1777 (based on his tombstone). My reasoning is that most German males of that era were given a Christian name -- often Johan -- and then their given name that they would go by all their life. Also, one or the other of the baptism sponsors were often the namesake of the infant being baptized.
• Catherine daughter of William Mertz and Christina born 10 Dec 1777 baptized 15 Feb 1778 sponsors George Mertz and Catherine Haanin. I believe the infant was Catharina, the one said to be born in 1779. Note that her Dec 1777 birth date precludes any notion that Johan J died quite young and another son Jacob was born 3 Oct 1777.
In these various baptisms, I note not only the Hahn connection but also the Seip connection. Jost Mertz, William’s uncle, married Anna Maria Seip. I note too that George Mertz was a sponsor at one. Wilhelm had a brother George who, I believe, moved west with him, though in George’s case settled in Frederick County, Maryland.
So considering all the evidence, I believe that this William of Jerusalem Lutheran was Wilhelm born 1739 and one and the same as William Martz who died in Somerset County in 1803. If it was not Wilhelm, I have no idea otherwise whatever happened to Wilhelm. There was one other William mentioned in Berks County records but he was much younger than Wilhelm and in any event lived his adult life in Columbia County and died there.
Known Daughters notes for Johan Wilhelm Mertz (H2)
Catherine and Barbara were both baptized at Jerusalem Church. Barbara married Abraham Sturtz and apparently led quite a life for a woman of her times.
Plus there were two more daughters: Susanna and Mary. Edna B Shepard found court property records wherein, separately, William’s daughters sold the 125 acres (each) they had inherited from their father to their brother Jacob. The deeds were all recorded in 1816 and signed by Henry and Susanna Cannel, Barbara Martz, Peter and Catharine Shumaker and Philip and Mary Shroyer.
Plus there were two more daughters: Susanna and Mary. Edna B Shepard found court property records wherein, separately, William’s daughters sold the 125 acres (each) they had inherited from their father to their brother Jacob. The deeds were all recorded in 1816 and signed by Henry and Susanna Cannel, Barbara Martz, Peter and Catharine Shumaker and Philip and Mary Shroyer.
Known Sons notes for Johan Wilhelm Mertz (H2)
By all accounts, William had two sons:
H2a Jacob born 1776 (or 1777)
H2b Henry born 1791
I know of no reason to dispute that they were indeed his sons, nor do I have any reason to think there were others.
The family name came to spelled Martz once they moved to Somerset County.
H2a Jacob born 1776 (or 1777)
H2b Henry born 1791
I know of no reason to dispute that they were indeed his sons, nor do I have any reason to think there were others.
The family name came to spelled Martz once they moved to Somerset County.
Birth, Parent-Proof, Designation notes for Christina (Spouse 1)
All their descendants believe her name was Christina Hahn. There is some evidence of this from the presence of Jacob Hahn and wife Maria as sponsors at the baptism of one of Christina’s children. It is said that Jacob Hahn was among the party of people who moved together from Berks County to Somerset County.