Conrad was baptized at Mertz Church 5 Oct 1760 by Jost and Anna Maria. He was the only known Conrad of that era of the Mertz Church families.

However, there were two additional Conrad’s of the Longswamp Mertz family. Conrad, son of Nicholas, was born about 1746 and, I believe, was one of the few Mertzes who did not move west (to Northumberland County) when the bulk of the Longswamp family did so in the mid-1780’s.

And 1746 Conrad had a brother John Jacob who named a son Conrad. This additional Conrad was born, believe it or not, 29 Jan 1760. He potentially could have caused a lot of confusion except I am certain he moved with his father first to Northumberland County in the 1780’s and then on to New York State before 1800.

This Conrad, son of Jost, is designated Y2.

Three Conrad Mertz were listed in the 1790 Census. The question is who’s who? Conrad, son of John Jacob, was clearly the one in Northumberland County nearby many other Longswamp Mertzes including his father. (The name had become Martz after their move.) Then there was a Conrad living in Windsor Township, Berks County and one living in Rockland Township, Berks County. There are so few clues as to ages of any family members in the 1790 Census that I really can’t use “tick marks” to distinguish the latter two. But it just seems likely that Conrad of Rockland was the son of Jost. (It doesn’t really matter which was which in 1790.)

By 1800, we can distinguish the Conrad’s from each other. Conrad in NY State, age 26-45, was clearly Conrad, son of John Jacob. I’ll not mention him again in this analysis — he is gone and can’t be confused with the Conrad of interest here. A second Conrad lived in what Census calls an unincorporated area of Berks County. He was age 45+ so I believe was the Conrad born in 1745, son of Nicholas. He thereafter disappeared from the record after 1800 so he also will not be mentioned again.

That leaves only the Conrad Mertz, age 26-45, living in Macungie Township, Northampton County in 1800. I believe, no question, it was Conrad, son of Jost. He had three sons, two under age 10 and one age 10-15.

Also living in Northampton County in 1800, we find George H (in Whitehall Township) and Heinrich (in Allen Township). George H was a son of John Henry and I think Heinrich of Allen Township was too (though the jury is still out). But we also find in Whitehall Township, a man listed as Reinhardt Henry Martz. I believe this one entry was the two other sons of Jost, named Richard and Henry. (Richard, whose name was listed as Rygert, was already in Salisbury Township, Northampton County even in 1790.)

Finally we find in Heydelberg Township, Philip and William Mertz who I cover as sons of Philip Mertz (X), unrelated to the other Berks County lines.

Conrad’s mother Anna Maria and brother Richard were buried at Dryland Cemetery in Lower Nazareth Township in Northampton County in 1809 and 1810 respectively. I believe, like John Henry and several of his sons, Jost’s family, including Conrad, moved to Northampton County in perhaps the 1790’s.

To summarize, it is clear that by 1800, all of Jost’s sons and several of John Henry’s had found their way to Northampton County, and that Conrad was living in Macungie.

In 1810, Conrad was still in Macungie, now with one son under age 10-15 and two 16-25. So not only can we be reasonably certain Conrad had settled in Macungie Township, he seemed consistently to claim three sons.

Thereafter, we continue to find Mertzes in Macungie Township, which by 1812 was no longer part of Northampton County but had been carved off into Lehigh County. Conrad was still there in 1820, but with no sons still living with him.

Until taking up my quest to try to figure out the ancestry of a man named Dennis Martz, I knew nothing more about Conrad, other than tracking him in Census to Macungie Township.

But then in trying to find out more, I looked at a few Ancestry Family Trees (as usual maintaining my skepticism as to anything they might say unless an actual source was cited) and I found a tree which referred to a book titled The Ancestors of Margery Ruth Howe, which LDS has very kindly scanned.

A published family history book, of course, can never be taken as a definitive source either but sometimes I come across one that seems well researched and gives real sources for their findings. That was the case with this book and one of the sources it cited was an 1822 Lehigh County Orphans Court petition by Henry, eldest son of Conrad after his decease.

In that wonderful petition heard by the December 1822 court, Henry Mertz said Conrad died intestate in February 1822 leaving no widow and six children. The six: Henry, John, George, Marecha (?) intermarried Herman Mohr, Catherine, and Rebecca intermarried Jacob Nagle.

Conrad owned three tracts and the petition requested they be divided if possible among the heirs or given an estate valuation if not. The three tracts: 80 acres in Macungie, 15 acres in Upper Milford and 4 acres in Upper Milford, the latter bounded by lands of Henry, George and John Mertz. It’s a little confusing but I think Henry bought one of the small tracts but none of the heirs wanted either of the others and they were finally, in 1824, sold.

Conrad is not on find-a-grave.

From the petition, we know of three daughters: Marecha (intermarried Herman Mohr), Catherine and Rebecca (intermarried Jacob Nagle).

Marecha. In 1789, Conrad and Magdalena (?) baptized Anna Maria at Mertz Church. Now we know Conrad’s wife was Margaretha at both the baptism of son Henry in 1786 and son John in 1790. So, was this a different Conrad, a typo for Margaretha or a second marriage? I think Magdalena was a typo for Margaretha but whether Anna Maria died or whether she was Marecha, I don’t now. Let’s assume she was Marecha.

Catharina. Conrad and Margaret also baptized daughter Catharina at Mertz Church, born 4 Jul 1787.

Now, according to the Margery Howe book, in addition to the children baptized at Mertz Church before 1790, Conrad and Margaret baptized several daughters in (now) Lehigh County churches: Salome born 14 Jan 1792, Catharina born 22 Jun 1795, and Margaretha 8 May 1796. The book acknowledges the birth of Catharina in 1787 and calls Catharina born 1796, Catharina 2nd.

In any event, there was a Catharina who survived at least until the 1822 petition.

Rebecca. Which leaves Rebecca, wife of Jacob Nagle. On find-a-grave, at Solomon’s where others of Jost’s family are buried, we find Margaretha Mertz Nagel, wife of Jacob. Margaretha, per her find-a-grave memorial, was born 8 May 1797 and died 16 Apr 1860. So Rebecca from the petition must be one and the same as Margaretha on find-a-grave.

But did the Margery Howe book pick up (erroneously) her birth date from her tombstone and just say she was baptized in Lehigh County or is the tombstone wrong by a year and the book got one right? I don’t know.

From the petition, we know the names of Conrad’s three surviving sons, two of them confirmed by their Mertz Church baptisms, the third known from his Zion Lutheran baptism.

Y2a Henry born 1786
Y2b John born 1790
Y2c George born 1793

The Margery Howe book also lists a Conrad baptized in Lehigh County in 1800. So he was either made up or died young.

As to the other three, I think it is no coincidence that in 1820, not only do we find Conrad in Macungie but we also find John and Henry, both 26-45. George, age 16-25, was in nearby Upper Milford Township.

In 1830, John and Henry were still in Upper Milford, George had disappeared from there and interestingly in fact surfaced in Seneca County, NY.