Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameMaria Brandli 
Spouses
Marriage8 April 1667, Menziken, Switzerland
Marr Memo(acutal marriage record documented by Robert Mertz)
ChildrenHans Heinrich (1697-1763)
Parent-Proof notes for Peter (Spouse 1)
I am quite sure Peter who married Maria Brandli, ancestor of my DNA cousin Ron Mertz, was not the son of Peter Gerber Merz and Barbara Blueler -- but my hunch is he may have been a grandson of Friedli. So I have placed him here only to keep him in my database closely associated with the Menziken Merz family.
Robert Mertz has listed all the Menizken area births of persons named Peter Merz in the right timeframe, he is probably one of these. The list shows birth date, place, father’s name and mother’s name.
Merz Peter 1651-09-21 Reinach Hans, Ludimoderator Meyer Salome
Merz Peter 1653-10-02 Menziken Melchior Lüscher Anna
Merz Peter 1654-06-04 Beinwil Ulrich [Huldrich] Härdi Elisabeth
Merz Peter 1657-11-05 Menziken Fridli Ryser Anna
Merz Peter 1659-05-08 Beinwil Fridli Frey Magdalena [Madlena]
Merz Peter 1663-01-11 Beinwil Rudolf
Merz Peter 1644-10-06 Menziken Heinrich Isenschmid Barbara
Merz Peter 1646-02-08 Kaspar Brunner Katharina
Robert Mertz has listed all the Menizken area births of persons named Peter Merz in the right timeframe, he is probably one of these. The list shows birth date, place, father’s name and mother’s name.
Merz Peter 1651-09-21 Reinach Hans, Ludimoderator Meyer Salome
Merz Peter 1653-10-02 Menziken Melchior Lüscher Anna
Merz Peter 1654-06-04 Beinwil Ulrich [Huldrich] Härdi Elisabeth
Merz Peter 1657-11-05 Menziken Fridli Ryser Anna
Merz Peter 1659-05-08 Beinwil Fridli Frey Magdalena [Madlena]
Merz Peter 1663-01-11 Beinwil Rudolf
Merz Peter 1644-10-06 Menziken Heinrich Isenschmid Barbara
Merz Peter 1646-02-08 Kaspar Brunner Katharina
My Comments notes for Peter (Spouse 1)
Ron Mertz, my DNA cousin, has travelled to Alsace in search of his ancestry and this is what he wrote me (in 2006):
"According to information from some third cousins in Alsace which I obtained about 15 years ago, my earliest known Mertz ancestor was Jacob Mertz (one reference spelled it Merz) born in Menziken, Switzerland. I do not have his birth date, but he married Anna Fuchs on March 16, 1658. They had 10 children including a son, Peter, who was born August 10, 1662 in Menziken and died in 1725. He married Maria Brandli on April 8, 1687. They had 12 children. One son, Hans Heinrich (my direct ancestor), was born April 4, 1697 in Menziken and died on March 3, 1763 in Alsace.
Hans Heinrich had two wives. His first was Anna Catharina Pfenner. They had 6 children before she died and he then married Ursula Weiss and had 5 more children, but I believe only two or three lived to adulthood. I see in my notes that one, Anna Marie Mertz, b.24 Dec 1737 married a Philipp Jacob Dufene and at some point went to America.
One son of Hans Heinrich and Ursula Weiss was Hans Heinrich Herman Mertz, who was born May 2, 1746 in Mitschdorf, Alsace and died April 28, 1795 in Alsace. He was my direct ancestor. Hans Heinrich Herman married Maria Dorothea Fettig on August 14, 1769 in Alsace. They had five children. Heinrich (Henri) Hermann, born April 25, 1786, in Preutschdorf, Alsace was my father's father's father's father (my great-great grandfather) and another son Johann George Mertz was my father's mother's mother's father's father (my great-great-great grandfather).
When we first visited Alsace, one of my third cousins (same great-great grandfather) took me to some of the old family homes. Apparently when Hans Heinrich came to Preuschdorf, Alsace he was a weaver and had a loom in his home.
My father's father's father (Gottfried) was born in 1812 and came to St. Louis County, Missouri in the late 1840's along with a brother and sister. At about the same time, four first cousins (all males) came to the same area. One of these first cousins (also Gottfried, born in 1816) was my father's mother's grandfather. Therefore, I have a double line going back."
I “met” (via email) Ron as a result of the fact that my DNA is stored at Family Tree DNA and they continuously compare it to new DNA that is submitted to them for testing. And it turns out that my 12-marker DNA test matches his exactly. This exact match means that there is a 100% chance that Ron and I share a direct ancestor in the not too distant past.
My French cousins, Fredy and Robert Mertz, have basically confirmed all of the above with the very important exception that Ron’s ancestore Peter who married Maria Brandli was NOT the son of Jacob who married Anna Fuchs. Ron’s Peter did truly exist and is documented but his father was most likely Jacob’s brother or someone else cloely related. Clearly, Ron’s cousins also, by misidentifying Peter, have given him an erroneous birth date for him as well.
"According to information from some third cousins in Alsace which I obtained about 15 years ago, my earliest known Mertz ancestor was Jacob Mertz (one reference spelled it Merz) born in Menziken, Switzerland. I do not have his birth date, but he married Anna Fuchs on March 16, 1658. They had 10 children including a son, Peter, who was born August 10, 1662 in Menziken and died in 1725. He married Maria Brandli on April 8, 1687. They had 12 children. One son, Hans Heinrich (my direct ancestor), was born April 4, 1697 in Menziken and died on March 3, 1763 in Alsace.
Hans Heinrich had two wives. His first was Anna Catharina Pfenner. They had 6 children before she died and he then married Ursula Weiss and had 5 more children, but I believe only two or three lived to adulthood. I see in my notes that one, Anna Marie Mertz, b.24 Dec 1737 married a Philipp Jacob Dufene and at some point went to America.
One son of Hans Heinrich and Ursula Weiss was Hans Heinrich Herman Mertz, who was born May 2, 1746 in Mitschdorf, Alsace and died April 28, 1795 in Alsace. He was my direct ancestor. Hans Heinrich Herman married Maria Dorothea Fettig on August 14, 1769 in Alsace. They had five children. Heinrich (Henri) Hermann, born April 25, 1786, in Preutschdorf, Alsace was my father's father's father's father (my great-great grandfather) and another son Johann George Mertz was my father's mother's mother's father's father (my great-great-great grandfather).
When we first visited Alsace, one of my third cousins (same great-great grandfather) took me to some of the old family homes. Apparently when Hans Heinrich came to Preuschdorf, Alsace he was a weaver and had a loom in his home.
My father's father's father (Gottfried) was born in 1812 and came to St. Louis County, Missouri in the late 1840's along with a brother and sister. At about the same time, four first cousins (all males) came to the same area. One of these first cousins (also Gottfried, born in 1816) was my father's mother's grandfather. Therefore, I have a double line going back."
I “met” (via email) Ron as a result of the fact that my DNA is stored at Family Tree DNA and they continuously compare it to new DNA that is submitted to them for testing. And it turns out that my 12-marker DNA test matches his exactly. This exact match means that there is a 100% chance that Ron and I share a direct ancestor in the not too distant past.
My French cousins, Fredy and Robert Mertz, have basically confirmed all of the above with the very important exception that Ron’s ancestore Peter who married Maria Brandli was NOT the son of Jacob who married Anna Fuchs. Ron’s Peter did truly exist and is documented but his father was most likely Jacob’s brother or someone else cloely related. Clearly, Ron’s cousins also, by misidentifying Peter, have given him an erroneous birth date for him as well.