Roy E Mertz (1877-1938) and Roy Mertz (1879-1952)
Both born in Illinois

If you look at the 1880 Census record for Frank Mertz age 40 in Lisle, IL, and click on his son Roy age 4, Ancestry gives you about 24 suggested records (other supposed mentions of Roy).

The problem is, by my count, only 7 are really Roy E (1877-1938), the other 20 are for a different man entirely Roy (or LeRoy) (1879-1952). I sometimes wonder whether Ancestry does more harm than good in helping people figure out their ancestry.

So let’s track Roy E, son of Frank.

1900 Census. Lives with his parents in Paton, Iowa.
Marriage. 28 Nov 1900, married Allie M Sanderson in Greene Co, Iowa.
1905 Iowa Census. Lives is Greene Co, IA age 27 born in Illinois.
1910 Census. Lives with wife Alice M in Paton, Iowa.
1920 Census. Lives in Paton, IA with his wife and several people named Sanderson.
1930 Census. Lives in Paton, IA with his wife and presumed mother-in-law Sarah Sanderson.
Iowa Death Record. Roy E Mertz age 61 died 15 Dec 1938 in Boone, Iowa — he was son of Frank B and Annie Hertzel Mertz and his wife was Alice M.
Find-a-grave. Roy E Mertz buried Paton Cemetery. Wife Alice M shares his tombstone.

Here are some similar life events for the other Roy.

Marriage. 30 Dec 1899. Married Sarah Jane Beckett in Woodson, KS.
1900 Census. Lives in Woodson Co, KS with wife Sarah. He is age 22 born in Illinois.
1910 Census. Lives with wife Sarah J and children Howard, Gertrude and Thelma in Woodson.
1920 Census. Lives in Ponca, OK with wife, same three children + Hattie, also James Beckett.
1930 Census. Lives in Ponca with wife Sarah.
Find-a-grave. Roy Mertz (1879-1952) buried Ponca City. Wife Sarah Jane Beckett there too.

So…two men named Roy both born late 1870’s in Illinois. Roy E was living with his parents in Lisle in 1880. So where was Roy who ends up in Ponca in 1880?

In 1880, LeRoy, age 1, lives with his parents Charles A and Annie in Mattoon, Coles Co, IL. Ancestry has transcribed the name as Wertz and upon inspection, it could be argued either way — Mertz or Wertz. Poor penmanship.

So the question is how to prove that LeRoy Wertz of Mattoon is one and the same as Roy Mertz of Ponca. I can find no record where the name LeRoy was used again, nor any record that directly ties Roy of Ponca back to his parents — except for this:

In 1880, LeRoy had an older brother Charley age 3. In 1900, Charles (now Mertz) lives with his mother Anna in Mattoon. Also present is Bertha, wife of Charles. And who is she? None other than Bertha Beckett, sister of Sarah Jane. She and Charles married in Woodson, KS in May 1900 and the 1880 Census shows the relationship between Bertha, Sarah Jane and their parents.

And a final note. The DNA of a descendant of Roy of Ponca City shows that he is of the Longswamp Mertz family and I believe the links from LeRoy’s father to Longswamp are pretty solid whereas I am certain Frank B was of a different Mertz line entirely.

This story got even more interesting when I became aware of yet a third Roy (in fact another Roy E) born 1876 in, you guessed it, Illinois.

Find-a-grave has him buried in Mountainview Cemetery in Pocatello, ID 22 Sep 1876-11 Jul 1959. His wife is linked to him there and she to her parents.

His Idaho Death Index, with those exact dates, says he was the son of Daniel S and Ida (Evans) Martz.

This Daniel S was baptized at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in York Springs, PA by Daniel Sol and Elis Martz, none other than H5a2.

In 1880, Roy was living with with parents and his maternal grandparents, Edwin and Errella M Evans in Knoxville, Knox County, IL. Roy was 4, his brother Arthur 1, his father Daniel 34 and his mother Iva M 23. The surname was mis-transcribed Marks. The Evans family with 14 year old Eva was in the same place in 1870.

Daniel may have been the Daniel Martz, age 19, living with Ephran P Lehman in China, Lee, IL. wife was Lydia, age 24.