Her father’s name was spelled Blatner in both the petition of her son Joseph and in the estate file of John Blatner himself. But I have seen it also spelled Klattner in the 1790 Census and then Plattner in 1880.

Heinrich Mertz, son of Conrath and Margaret, was baptized at Oley Reformed Church 29 Sep 1765 with Heinrich Mertz and Cath Hetman as sponsors. The infant had been born 5 Sep 1765. The sponsor Heinrich was his uncle. Heinrich (the infant) is designated N3a. The question is where does he end up as an adult.

I have studied all the Heinrich Mertz of Berks County, here in birth order:

The oldest one was born I think in about 1745 or 1746, son of Nicholas (N) and known as one of the older of Nicholas’s minor children when Nicholas died in 1760. I believe he is the Henry in Longswamp in the 1790 Census and the Henry “of Longswamp Township” who died in 1822. (I am unable to find him in 1800 or 1810, probably due to a corrupted spelling of his name).

Another Henry was born in 1749 and baptized at Mertz Church, son of John Henry Mertz (H). I believe he was the Henry of Allen Township, Northampton County, age 45+ in 1800. His wife died in 1826 and the church record reporting her death said she was born in 1752 which fits quite well with the idea her husband was born in 1749.

Jost (Y) had a son Heinrich, born sometime between 1755 and 1763. We know this Henry as he was involved in the handling of his brother, Richard’s, estate. I know he was in Salisbury Township, Northampton County in 1800 because his brother Richard was in that same place and then we find them both in 1810 in Whitehall Township and Henry and wife Mara Elizabeth sponsored a baptism at a Salisbury church in 1790 and again in 1818.

So now we come to this Henry, born 1765. He’s the youngest of the four, but still could well have been reported as age 45+ in 1800. But I actually believe he was the one reported as age 26-45 in Manheim Township (still Berks County) in 1800, then age 45+ in the same place in 1810 and finally the Henry Mertz age 45+ in Manheim Township in 1820 which by then had become part of the newly formed Schuylkill County.

And he is also the Henry Mertz known as the husband of John Blatner’s daughter when John died in Manheim Township in 1808. Knowing of this connection, I was able to find Henry in 1790, I believe, as the Henry Marx (as transcribed by Ancestry.com) in what was then called Branswick (sic) and Manheim Township, Berks County.

There were five or six other Heinrichs born between 1781 and 1795, too young to be confused with any of the above.

I believe his last mention was the 1820 Census and that he died not too long after that. The Schuylkill County petition of his son Joseph dated 1 Jan 1822 said both his mother Maria and father Henry were now deceased.