I found this biography in The History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois. I had googled the phrase: “Abraham Martz shoemaker“. (I was actually looking for information on Abraham S, son of Abraham Martz, the progenitor of the Milton Martz family.) It is a biography of Daniel Martz, farmer.

“Daniel is the oldest son of Abraham Martz, who was a shoemaker by trade and died about 1856. Daniel was born in 1811, in Pennsylvania. When 16, he began mining, and, at the age of 24, he was selected as “boss” of the company. He opened several important mines in Pennsylvania and was very successful in his management, not even losing a single man under his orders. He continued this business until 1861, when he came to Mason County and settled on the present farm of 120 acres. He was married, in 1833, in Columbia County, PA, to Elizabeth Henninger, daughter of Frederick. They had eleven children, five living, six dead. Surviving are: Sarah, Lavina married John Allen of Fulton County, Emma E married R B Leonard of Mason County, Ellen, Charles (living in Topeka).”

Unfortunately, that biography is a little vague on the details I would have liked to know — where in Pennsylvania was he born and raised, what was his mother’s name and what else is known about Abraham so as to indicate which of several men of that name might have been Daniel’s father?

So the relevant clues here are (assuming the county history had all its facts right):
• He was born in 1811 and married in 1833 in Columbia County, was he living there then?
• In the 1850 and 1860 Census, he lived in Schuylkill County, for sure a county in which mining was a major activity.
• His father was Abraham, a shoemaker, who died in about 1856.
I know six different men named Abraham Martz or Mertz who lived in Pennsylvania and were born before 1791 and I think it is this group of men who are the candidates to be Daniel’s father. Let’s consider them in turn, with their designation:
1. Abraham Mertz (P7). He died in 1816 and we know the names of his surviving sons from estate papers of his father-in-law, his sons were Peter, Jacob, Charles and Abraham. The younger Abraham is not one of the six candidates as he was born in about 1796.
2. Abraham Mertz (J2a). He died in 1882 having lived his entire life in Berks County and was buried in Fleetwood, Berks County. He actually had a son Daniel who I am quite sure is the Daniel (1820-1892) also buried in Fleetwood who lived his life in the same area of Berks County as did his father before him.
3. Abraham Martz (P5b). He was born in Berks County, moved to Ohio by 1820 and we know the names of all his surviving sons, there was no Daniel.
4. Abraham Martz (P2c). He was raised in Northumberland County, PA and he also moved to Ohio, in his case probably no later than 1815. We learn the names of Abraham’s children from records associated with the estate settlement of his unmarried brother and in one document it says Abraham had a son Daniel. I have never been able to find that Daniel but there was a David who lived in the same place as Abraham and was 30 years younger than Abraham. I have seen the names Daniel and David mis-transcribed as the other one several mites and it is my belief that Abraham had a son named David and no son named Daniel.
5. Abraham Martz (1786-1830) who died in Milton. I won’t identify him by his designation as I’m not sure enough who his father was. For a long time, I thought Abraham of Milton may well have been Daniel’s father but two things have swayed me away from that theory.
I know that he had two sons who were shoemakers suggesting that perhaps he was too, but then I found on the Milton tax lists of 1812 and 183 and his occupation was listed as carpenter.
His wife baptized all his younger children in 1838 and listed their birth dates. She listed their son John as born 11 Dec 1811. She listed no son Daniel, the next in order was Abraham born in 1814. Daniel is said to have died 13 Nov 1888 at age 77 years and 13 days implying a birth date of 31 Oct 1811. Those two birth dates cannot both be correct for a person’s two sons. It could be argued that Daniel was already living away as a miner so wasn’t available to be baptized with his siblings and it could also be argued that the church record of John’s death implies a birth date of 15 Dec 1810, so maybe he did have a brother born in 1811.
For now, I am choosing to not want to worry about what “could be argued” and I believe there are several contrary facts that rule Abraham of Milton out as Daniel’s father.
6. Abraham Mertz (1783-1859) who is buried in Numidia, Columbia County, PA, currently designated P4c. But he too is someone I’m not sure about who his father was and might well change my mind at some future date. There are several things that make me think he is the best candidate to be Daniel’s father.
He died in 1859. We know that from his tombstone erected by his grandson, so that may in fact not be totally accurate (maybe it was 1856!). He lived in Columbia County, where Daniel married. He had five sons under the age of 10 in 1820.
So, it is a guess, but Daniel is designated P4c1, son of Abraham of Numidia. If I ever were to learn he was a shoemaker, that would basically clinch it, but I don’t as of now know any particular occupation for him.

Consistent with his biography, he lived in various places in Schuylkill County in 1850 and 1860 and then can be found in Mason County, IL in 1870.

Daniel is listed on find-a-grave with wife Elizabeth and son William H (1849-1870) linked to him.