Person:Philip Mertz (1)

We can learn a lot about the life of Philip Mertz who moved from Berks County, PA to Northumberland County, PA (the part that later became Union and then still later Snyder County) in about 1785. He was mentioned several times in the records of the Longswamp Reformed Church of Longswamp Township, Berks County first as a single man as a sponsor at the baptism of a family member's child and then starting in 1776 as the father, with wife Eva (or Anna Eva or Eve) when they baptized their own children. Typically, the sponsors at those baptisms were a brother or sister of Philip's and their spouse.

It is this consistent pattern of a brother (or sister) standing for each other at the baptisms of their children that helps establish and distinguish between the two family units of Longswamp. John David Mertz had come to America in 1733 with his two sons, Nicholas and Peter and daughter Christina. The baptisms of Peter's and Nicholas' children occurred before church records were being kept but we know the names of those children because they then baptized their own children or stood as a sponsor when a brother or sister did.

When Nicholas died, all of his children were named in Orphans Court records and so they are known that way and the remaining children of that third generation (David being Generation I) have to be Peter's children. We don't know exactly when Philip was born but from when he was first listed as a single man in tax records, we can make an educated guess that it was about 1746. He died in Northumberland County sometime between the date he wrote his will, 19 Dec 1803, and when it proved, 14 Jan 1804.

Philip Mertz has been confused with a different Philip (in his case John Philip) Mertz by many genealogists over the years. The life of the other Philip Mertz is documented in the records of Mertz Church of Rockland Township, Berks County, PA. His full life biography played out in those records. The baptism of John Philip Mertz is documented in the Mertz Church records, he was the son of Johann Heinrich and Anna Maria Mertz. He was born 14 Oct 1738. His 29 May 1764 marriage to Catharina Quierin is also documented in those same church records. This couple then baptized quite a few children at that church in the period 1766-1783. His last mention in those church records was as a sponsor at the 1812 baptism of a grandson.

The other Philip was listed in the 1790, 1800 and 1810 Census as a resident of Maxatawny Township, Berks County, part of which is a stone's throw from Mertz Church. He basically never ventured far from his Mertz Church family, the large family of Mertzes who descend from Johann Heinrich Mertz, founder of Mertz Church, a 1737 immigrant. Let's call that whole family the Mertz Church Mertzes or the Rockland Township Mertzes. They were Lutherans.

The confusion between the two Philips came about because when descendants of Philip Mertz of Northumberland County set out to determine his ancestry, the first (and then only) place they looked was the records of Mertz Church. When they found that 1738 birth record, they thought they had found their man and looked no further. They knew nothing about any Mertz family of Longswamp so did not check there. They were so certain John Philip was their man they didn't thoroughly examine the full church record book of Mertz Church or they might have pondered how a man could be in two places at the same time?

The result is that many family histories and family trees tracing descendants of Philip Mertz of Northumberland County show that he was born in 1738, the son of John Henry Mertz. They are wrong. Philip of Longswamp/Northumberland was a 1st Lieutenant in a Berks County Revolutionary War Militia unit and his DAR record even erroneously says he was born in 1738, he wasn't.

Philip was clearly a member the Longswamp Mertz family. They were Reformed.

y-chromosone DNA of descendants of the two Philips proves that there was no relationship between the two different Mertz families of Berks County whatsoever.

I write this in the hopes that I can keep more people in the future from propagating this error. More detail can be found on my website: mertzgenealogy.com

Oakey Mertz [email protected]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Philip Mertz, in Find A Grave.

   See notes for the distinction between this Philip Mertz and John Philip Mertz of Maxatawny Township, Berks County.