Per Ron Mertz, my DNA cousin, Hans Heinrich was definitely the son of Peter (1662-1725). I also know that Anna Margaretha was the daughter of Peter -- but perhaps a different one. And I have surmised, based on them being of about the same age and traveling with their spouse and children to America together, that John David was the brother of Anna Margaretha.

There is nothing, though, to tie Hans Heinrich to either Anna Margaretha or John David, only the common link that their father was named Peter. In fact, there was some geographic separation of Hans Heinrich from his supposed father and siblings, which may also be evidence that I am wrong to suppose there was but one man named Peter Mertz of Alsace.

Per Ron Mertz, my DNA cousin, Hans Heinrich’s great-grandson Gottfried (born 1812) came to the St. Louis area in the 1840’s. Gottfried was Ron’s great-grandfather. Ron also says that Gottfried’s nephew also named Gottfried (born 1816) came to the same area at about the same time.

Hans Heinrich’s great-grandson Gottfried (born 1812) came to the St. Louis area in the 1840’s. Gottfried was Ron’s great-grandfather. Ron also says that Gottfried’s nephew also named Gottfried (born 1816) came to the same area at about the same time.

Then I found this: from “The Daily Picayune” of New Orleans in an article dated 29 Apr 1895 on Prominent Alabamians. One of the persons covered was Godfried Mertz of Mobile, born in Alsace [about 1858], at age 19, in 1877, he landed in New York City. He married Miss Grotz of Mobile.

This is yet another Gottfried Mertz, immigrant from Alsace, one of three I know of who came to America at some point and all, I assume, cousins of ours of some distant kind.