Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Name10G GF Friedrich (Fridli) Merz 
Death1602, Menziken, Switzerland
My Comments notes for 10G GF Friedrich (Fridli) Merz
I believe I can document that my ancestor David Mertz, who emigrated to America in 1733 from Hangviller, Alsace, was the son of Peter. I always had suspected his name was Peter but there seemed to be conflicting information about Peter or else it seemed maybe there were several men named Peter Mertz in that time and place. But research by Robert Mertz of Sarreguemines, Lorraine, France (a distant cousin of mine) uncovered the key documents that solved the puzzle.
Robert has further told me that my Peter was the son of Jacob, he the son of Peter Gerber and Peter Gerber the son of Friederich (Fridli) Mertz. So that makes Fridli my 10-great-grandfather.
What fun it is to think that I can trace my ancestry that far back. But I have largely taken Robert’s word for everything from Jacob to Fridl. I have no reason to doubt it, I just haven’t followed the documentation of those relationships step-by-step. In fact, I think Jacob can be easily identified as the person who moved from Menziken, Switzerland to Alsace and I think perhaps because of the uniqueness of the name, Peter Gerber Mertz, Jacob’s father and grandfather could also be identified and the fact that they belong in my family tree can be documented. But I am just taking Robert’s word for all of this and am trusting his thoroughness but I am willing to do so since the key document he uncovered for me to link David to Peter I think was not easy to find. I think only a real through researcher could have found it.
I do know from Robert’s work that apparently the Merz name in Switzerland in the late 1600’s was maybe even more popular than the Mertz name in Berks County 100 years later.
Robert has identified 14 different Jacob Merz born in Beinwell, Reinach or Menziken Switzerland in the years 1680-1795. So he has had to try to learn enough to be able to tell them all apart one from the other. I have identified three Jacob Mertz born in Berks County in 1735-1755 and then seven more of that exact name born in the 1770’s in Berks County. And in my work I have had to to be able to tell them all apart one from the other. In my case, I also have Census and, in many cases, tombstones and I can use the names of the wives and children to track the different Jacobs, in addition to church records and wills. I am sure Robert had plenty of church records to draw from but I’m not sure additional resources are as readily available for him as for me.
Robert has further told me that my Peter was the son of Jacob, he the son of Peter Gerber and Peter Gerber the son of Friederich (Fridli) Mertz. So that makes Fridli my 10-great-grandfather.
What fun it is to think that I can trace my ancestry that far back. But I have largely taken Robert’s word for everything from Jacob to Fridl. I have no reason to doubt it, I just haven’t followed the documentation of those relationships step-by-step. In fact, I think Jacob can be easily identified as the person who moved from Menziken, Switzerland to Alsace and I think perhaps because of the uniqueness of the name, Peter Gerber Mertz, Jacob’s father and grandfather could also be identified and the fact that they belong in my family tree can be documented. But I am just taking Robert’s word for all of this and am trusting his thoroughness but I am willing to do so since the key document he uncovered for me to link David to Peter I think was not easy to find. I think only a real through researcher could have found it.
I do know from Robert’s work that apparently the Merz name in Switzerland in the late 1600’s was maybe even more popular than the Mertz name in Berks County 100 years later.
Robert has identified 14 different Jacob Merz born in Beinwell, Reinach or Menziken Switzerland in the years 1680-1795. So he has had to try to learn enough to be able to tell them all apart one from the other. I have identified three Jacob Mertz born in Berks County in 1735-1755 and then seven more of that exact name born in the 1770’s in Berks County. And in my work I have had to to be able to tell them all apart one from the other. In my case, I also have Census and, in many cases, tombstones and I can use the names of the wives and children to track the different Jacobs, in addition to church records and wills. I am sure Robert had plenty of church records to draw from but I’m not sure additional resources are as readily available for him as for me.