Abraham is known as the son of Nicholas and Catharina from his 26 Mar 1780 baptism at Longswamp Reformed which said he was born 3 Feb 1780. He was mentioned too in Orphans Court records after his father’s death.

But then for awhile I couldn’t account for him. There was an Abraham in early Census listings in the Snyder County area but I always assumed that was Philip's son of the same name.

But then, while doing research on Abraham’s brother, Peter, who I had begun to suspect had ended up in Indiana, I learned there was evidence of an Abraham Martz living in Pickaway County, Ohio in 1830, the very place that Indiana Peter was said to have married. Could it be that both Abraham and Peter went to Pickaway, Peter moved on and Abraham stayed? My conclusion was, indeed, that is what happened -- Abraham, son of Nicholas, must have moved to Ohio.

And then my conclusion was confirmed when I met an email cousin, Mary Lou Clegg, who tipped me off that there is a cemetery transcription of Pickaway County which gives Abraham's birth date exactly matching the known birth date for Abraham of Longswamp, son of Nicholas.

Abraham is designated P5b.

THE PICKAWAY COUNTY MERTZES. Even though I knew him as a son of Nicholas, he never showed up in Census in or near Middleburg.

I first found Abraham in Census in 1830 in Salt Creek Township, Pickaway County. He was age 50-60. An immediate neighbor was John Martz age 20-30, his son.

Hannah Marts, wife of Eric, a descendent of Peter of Indiana, though, brought to my attention that Abraham was in the same place in 1820, indexed as Abraham March. She has examined the names of some of his neighbors and finds a commonality between them from 1820 to 1830.

Peter married in Pickaway County in 1809 so my strong suspicion is both Abraham and Peter were listed in the 1810 Census in Pickaway County -- but most of Ohio has been lost for 1810.

On LDS film 1859782 there are several Pickaway County cemetery transcriptions. The tombstones for Abraham Merts and wife Catharina are listed twice in this collection. In one place it is transcribed born Feb 3, 1780 died May 31, 1838 age 58-3-10. In a different place, it is transcribed born Feb 1780 died May 31, 1838 age 58-3-10. The problem is that the arithmetic using the date of death and age indicates a birth date of 21 Feb 1780. The best solution in my mind, given that I believe we can confirm 3 Feb 1780 as his birth date (from church records) is to think the date of death was transcribed in error and was in fact 13 May 1838. I have gone with that.

Abraham is on find-a-grave — 3 Feb 1780 - 31 May (no year given).

Hannah Marts sent me this record from Partition Record I (1836-1845) located in the Common Pleas Court (Clerk of the Courts Office) at the court house at Circleville, OH.

4-18-1840 - Charles SHOEMAKER and others vs. Catharine MARTZ and others. Petition for Partition. Filed 1-5-1839. Land, NE1/2 Section 5, Township 11, Range 20 (M.S.), also 102 acres and 491 poles NWP same Section, Twp. and Range.

Abraham MARTZ, dec'd, died intestate. Widow, Catharine Martz, entitled to dower. Children: John Martz of Indiana; Polly wife of Samuel Spangler of Fairfield Co., Ohio; Samuel Martz of Pickaway Co.; Susannah Martz of Pickaway Co.; Catharine, dec'd, late wife of Abraham Casner, her children—Leah, Elizabeth and Catharine Casner all of Indiana;——(first name not given) Shoemaker, dec'd, her children—Charles, Sophia, Joseph, Jacob and Holly Shoemaker, minors of Pickaway Co. by Daniel Shoemaker their guardian.

I found record of the marriage of Sophia Martz to David Shoemaker 14 Mar 1818 in Pickaway, so I assume she was Abraham’s (first name not given) daughter.

The partition petition named two sons: John Martz of Indiana and Samuel Martz of Pickaway County, P5b1 and P5b2 respectively.

I found a biography of Daniel R Shoemaker in Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and Van Wert Counties, OH.

It says his wife Sophia was the daughter of Abraham (of Pickaway County) and wife Kate (Harmon) Martz. Kate was the daughter of John who lived to 104.

Her birth and death dates are known from a cemetery transcription of Pickaway County cemeteries. As of winter 2016, she is not on find-a-grave.