Abraham had a son Jacob. According to his baptism record at Longswamp Reformed, he was born 21 Jun 1799.

In the estate papers of Leonard Griesemer, Jacob’s maternal grandfather, Jacob was listed second on the list of Catharina’s six surviving children. However, based on Census tick mark analysis in his father’s household, and the fact that I know when Jacob was born, I believe he may have been the youngest son.

He is designated P7c.

The question is what happened to him?

There is a Jacob Mertz documented in the History of Montour County. It says that “he was a native of Pennsylvania, where he passed all his life, dying in 1851, when fifty-two years old. Bringing his wife (they had no children then) to Montour county, he located first in Anthony Township, later moving to Strawberry Ridge, in Derry township, where he passed the remainder of his days engaged in farming. He married Elizabeth Schuck, of Turbotville, Northumberland County.”

Jacob was listed in the 1850 Census in Derry Township, Montour County with sons John 10, Henry 10, Jacob 7 and Philip 2.

Jacob and his wife Elizabeth are on find-a-grave.

His memorial on find-a-grave says he was born 23 Sep 1800 and died 19 Dec 1852. There is a photo of his tombstone which is basically unreadable to me but I think it gives only his date of death and age. There is comment there on why they have posted the 1852 date of death even though the county history says 1851: “actual death date is 1852 from tombstone and the annuals have been known to be wrong.”

So there is no disagreement as to his age, 52, the argument is whether he died in 1852 or 1851. If it was 1851, that would be quite consistent with a 1799 birth date. If this memorial is not Jacob P7c, I have no better idea who it is and I have no idea whatever happened to Jacob P7c. It is all so close, I think it is him and I note that neither the county history nor the memorial on find-a-grave is of any help as to the names of Jacob’s parents.

I should say, though, that the death certificate of his daughter Frances said her parents were both born in Union County. In addition, there was also a Reuben Martz born about 1805 in Montour County, too, could he have been related? I don’t know where this could lead, the possibilities are pretty slim for anyone I know to have had those two sons in Union County but I will keep an open mind.

From Census and/or find-a-grave, I can identify five daughters:

Margaret (1835-1907) married Charles Bird. She was not present in Jacob’s household in 1850 but her death certificate identifies her parents.

Sarah was age 19 in 1850 in her father’s household. I don’t know what happened to her after that.

Elizabeth (1846-1925) married Jacob St Clair. She was present in her parents’ household 1850-1870. I found a marriage notice for her in newspapers.com, a clip dated 16 July 1870 that she had recently married Jacob H St. Clair. When her brother Henry died in 1919, a newspaper notice said he was survived by one sister, Eliza St Clair of West Point, Nebraska.

Mary Catherine (1850-1908) married James Frazier. She was present in her parents household in 1860 and 1870.

Frances (1839-1906) was sometimes spelled Frances (the actual female spelling) but often spelled Francis (the male spelling) so I was confused about whether there was also a son named Francis. For example, in 1880, we find the remnants of Jacob and Elizabeth’s household. It is headed by Francis and also present her brothers Henry and Philip and Henry’s son “Sebastin” named Sylvester in 1870. And her death certificate, clearly stating she was female, spelled her name Francis.

Three sons are linked to him on find-a-grave: William H, John and Jacob. All three stayed locally, a biography for each is on their find-a-grave memorial, their wives and children linked to them there. All are designated as is Henry, a fourth son. There was a fifth son, Philip, but at least by 1880, when he was living with his sister Frances, and his brother Henry, does not appear to have married nor lived on his own, so he is not designated.

Northumberland Deed MM553 dated 15 Jul 1854 records that the heirs of John Shook release his Executor. The heirs include Elizabeth Martz of Montour County.