Jacob Yerian’s will named his daughter Elizabeth Mertz. He was of Penns Township when he died and in some papers dated 1815 associated with his estate she was the wife of Abraham Martz of Mohantango Township.

The problem is what then happens to Abraham (and Elizabeth).  In 1820, there are two Abraham's of the right age to be Philip's son (Nicholas' son is in Ohio where he should be).  Now there are a lot of Abraham Mertz (or Martz and other spelling variations) in the 1820 Census but again I know most of them.  The two I don't know who they are, one is in Milton and one in Columbia County.

The one in Milton disappears after 1830 and is replaced by Susan, who I believe was not only his widow but in fact his wife in 1810 when they had their son John, ruling out, in my opinion, that Abraham of Milton was the husband of Elizabeth Yerian in 1815. That leaves, by process of elimination, the one in Columbia County 

There is a memorial for Elizabeth on find-a-grave in their burial unknown category.

Abraham was the only son of Philip whose baptism was recorded: “25 May 1783, Longswamp Reformed, Abraham Mertz son of Philip and Wife baptized. Sponsors: Abraham Mertz and wife Catharina.” I believe the sponsor Abraham was another son of Peter’s not named in his will.

Abraham’s father, Philip, made note in his 1803 will of the fact that he had already taken care of him, which strikes me as a strange comment considering Abraham was only 20 years old and was Philip’s youngest son. He is designated P4c.

In 1810, I believe Abraham lived in Freeburg. Nicholas also had a son Abraham too who is unaccounted for in 1810 but who I think was already in Ohio. It is true that Jacob, another son of Nicholas, was also in Freeburg in 1810, so it could be argued Abraham was Jacob’s brother. But that is not my view.

In any event, after 1810, I don’t know for sure what happened to Abraham. He may have died for all I know but there are two Abraham’s who show up elsewhere who a.) I don’t know who else they are, and b.) their age is not inconsistent with a 1783 birth. One was reported in Milton in Northumberland County in 1820 (born 1786 per his tombstone) and the other in Catawissa, Columbia County in 1820.

I have tried to learn everything I could about Abraham of Milton (who after full consideration, I now designate P1c) and this Abraham to figure out which was the son of Philip. And there are several factors that make me comfortable with my assertion that this Abraham was the son of Philip. The most salient points are:

• While his tombstone says this Abraham was born 17 Jul 1783 and the baptism of Philip’s son Abraham says born 26 Feb 1783, his tombstone also says erected by his grandson Cornelius who was only 17 when his grandfather died. I suspect therefore it was erected some number of years later. And in any event 26 Feb 1783 is much closer to 17 Jul 1783 than 4 Sep 1786, the tombstone birth date of the other Abraham.
• The 1815 estate papers of Jacob Yerian who died in Penns Township (basically exactly where Philip Mertz lived) named his daughter Elizabeth Mertz, wife of Abraham of (nearby) Mohantango Township. I don’t know the name of the wife of Abraham of Columbia County but I do know that the name of the wife of Abraham of Milton was Susan and she was the mother of their son John born in 1811.
• So I think Abraham of Milton is ruled out as possibly the son of Philip leaving this Abraham as the only other candidate and noting also that other than Philip, I don’t know any other Mertz or Martz who had a son Abraham of about this age who is unaccounted for.

In 1820, Abraham was in Catawissa where curiously a Jacob Martz also suddenly appeared. Jacob, I believe, was P6b, so if I’m right on his identity and right on Abraham’s, they were first cousins. Whether they totally got to Catawissa independently or one had something to do with the other’s arrival, I don’t know. Jacob came there from Augusta Township so he wouldn’t have been in close contact, I wouldn’t think, with Abraham in Freeburg.

In 1830, I don’t know where Abraham was. In 1840, there was a younger Abraham in Roaring Creek, Columbia County (or else this one with a serious mistake in his age as reported) and in 1850, he was in Roaring Creek, age 65.

There is a memorial for Abraham on find-a-grave in their burial unknown category. It is there only to acknowledge that he was Elizabeth Yerian’s husband. It mistakenly says Abraham was the son of John Philip Mertz and wife Anna Maria Rosemann. I have tried to get the person who maintains that memorial to understand how totally absurd that statement is, but he won’t make the necessary edits.

There is another memorial on find-a-grave for Abraham Martz buried in Numidia, Columbia County (near Roaring Creek), grandfather of Cornelius who erected his tombstone, with dates 27 Jul 1783 - 14 Mar 1859. This is quite close to the known birth date of the Abraham I am trying to track born in Longswamp. I wish it matched exactly. But for several reasons, I believe it is him.

The graveyard where Abraham is buried is in Numidia which is in Locust Township, Columbia County which abuts Roaring Creek Township where Abraham was last seen. But Numidia apparently is served by the Catawissa post office as it has a Catawissa address, but it is not in Catawissa Township.

“Be it remembered that on the 28th day of May 1859, LOA in due and common form were granted….unto Daniel Bieber….”.