In about 2007, a man named Douglas Martz joined my Mertz/Martz DNA project and his results showed him as an exact match to me (and others) in the group I call the Alsace/Longswamp group, meaning their ancestry traces, like mine, to the Merz family of Switzerland, some of whom came to Alsace in the late 1600’s. My ancestor, John David Mertz, then came from Alsace to Longswamp Township, Berks County, PA in 1733 and many of us who have matching DNA descend from David. Another of our members descends from a different ancestor who came later from Alsace, in his case to St. Louis in the 1840’s.

Douglas had traced his ancestry to Jacob Martz, born 1779, who showed up in Catawissa Township, Columbia County by 1820. My initial theory was that Jacob of Catawissa just had to be a descendant of John David but the question was how? Obviously Jacob was a very popular name among David’s descendants in fact that was part of the problem, the ones I knew about could be accounted for and had not gone to Columbia County.

I have worked on this problem over the years since and have piece by piece compiled enough evidence to state, with some conviction, that Jacob of Catawissa was the son of Jacob Martz whose wife was Margaretha Miller.

He is designated P6b.

Jacob Mertz, the one who died in 1803, like his father Peter before him, wrote a will but failed to actually name and list all of his children. So I don’t know if he had a son named Jacob or not. But the truth is there were two Jacob Mertzes that I am aware of -- one born in 1777 and this one born in 1779 -- for whom there is no easy way to determine the name of their father. The Jacob born in 1777 ended up in Dauphin County and may well not even be part of John David’s line -- he may be of one of the other Berks County lines. (Remember too there was another Jacob of NY State also born in 1777, he was the son of John Jacob, son of Nicholas.)

In any event, it seemed a reasonable guess that Jacob who died in 1803 did in fact have a son named Jacob but then the question was which of the two mystery Jacobs (1777 or 1779) was that son?

But as I say, as the pieces of evidence have come together, I have concluded that 1779 Jacob, the Jacob of Catawissa, was the son of Jacob. Here are the bits of evidence I have compiled that make the case.

Jacob’s wife was Elizabeth Shissler from Augusta Township. In the records of St Johns Evangelical Lutheran, Catawissa Township, Columbia County 1796-1926, I found the baptism of Catharina born Dec 1812 baptized 17 Jan 1813 daughter of Jacob Mertz and Elisabeth nee Shusler. From that, I concluded her name was Shissler, the same name as the wife of David Martz who was the brother, I believe, of this Jacob.

In fact, Northumberland County Deed EE-511 recorded that the heirs of Christian Shissler sold a tract of land in Augusta Township that belonged to John Adam Shissler. The heirs included David Mertz and Magdalena Shissler and Jacob Mertz and Elizabeth Shissler and it was not stated who but someone in the deal was from Columbia County.

So that clearly establishes that Jacob’s wife, Elizabeth, was from Augusta Township and while it doesn’t prove it, I think one can draw an inference that David and Jacob, brothers, married Magdalena and Elizabeth, sisters.

Charity Martz, daughter of David, of Augusta Township married a Catawissa man. Two Pennsylvania death certificates list Peter Helwig and Charity Martz as the parents. Analiza Brobst died at Catawissa and David Helwig died at Locust, Columbia County.

Charity Martz is in my database, I even knew the fact that her husband was Peter Helwig. But the fact that they lived in or near Catawissa -- I didn't know. Charity is said to have been the daughter of David Martz and Magdalena Shissler.

Now I have a lot of "theories" or "general rules of thumb" that I use to track people and try to assemble them into families. None of them are absolutes, there are always exceptions to every rule.

One of my rules is that a man, back then, married a girl within, say, typically at most a five mile radius. The marriage of Peter Helwig of Catawissa and Charity Martz of Augusta Township clearly violates my rule -- so how did he come to meet her? That made me quite curious.

And, of course, another rule is -- it was not uncommon for intermarriages within the same two families. Brothers married sisters, that kind of thing. So it is also interesting that Jacob’s son Joseph married Sarah Helwig. My theory is that perhaps Jacob’s niece Charity was a visitor from time to time to her uncle's house in Catawissa where she met Peter Helwig whose sister Sarah would marry Joseph.

David Martz, husband of Magdalena Shissler, had Jacob and Joseph witness his will. This piece of evidence has been part of my record for David for a long time. David wrote his will in 1842 and two of the witnesses were Jacob and Joseph Martz. I even had a statement in my narrative that I didn’t know who Jacob and Joseph were since there was no Joseph Martz in Northumberland County records. And then it occurred to me, I really didn't know who Jacob was either.  David had a son Jacob but he died in 1838 and besides I don't think you get your son, an heir, to witness a will.

And then the light bulb went off.  I absolutely do know who both Jacob and Joseph are. They are David’s brother Jacob and his nephew Joseph. This helps demonstrate there truly was visitation back and forth between the Columbia County family of Jacob and the Augusta Township family of David — and remember the wives of those two were sisters, making it even more obvious that it would happen.

Mary Elizabeth, Joseph’s daughter, married at the home of Solomon Martz. This last piece of evidence comes from a newspaper clipping documenting the marriage of Joseph’s daughter Mary Elizabeth. She married Henry Gellinger who died soon after their marriage. The article specifically said they married at the home of Solomon Martz. Henry is buried in the same cemetery as Solomon. Solomon and Mary Elizabeth were second cousins, once removed. Solomon lived in Shamokin Township.

Before I was as certain as I now am that Jacob of Columbia County was indeed the son of Jacob of Augusta Township, I pondered the problem of identifying Jacob Martz in the 1810 Census age 26-45 in Augusta Township. His neighbors were Margaret, David and David Jr. David Sr. did not have a son Jacob -- we known that from the will of his son David Jr. who named all his brothers and sisters.

There was no other possible Jacob it could be, moreover he had a son 0-9 (Joseph I believe) I now strongly believe it was Jacob Jr. who will move to Catawissa by the time of the next Census.

In 1820, there were three Martzes in Catawssa Township. Jacob age 45+, Jacob age 26-45 and Abraham 26-45. I believe the younger Jacob is a typo and that it was Jacob’s son Joseph.

Jacob stayed in Catawissa through the 1840 Census when there was also a George Martz, age 40-50, present there too. I’m not sure who George was.

By 1850, Jacob had moved to Franklin Township, Montour County. He and Elizabeth lived several Varner children and a Mary Martz age 18. They may all have been grandchildren, perhaps.

Jacob did not leave a will. There is record of the full administration of his estate. All I know is that on 5 Aug 1864 letters were issued to John Sharpless on the estate of Jacob Martz with sureties John Ritter and Joseph Martz.