“RMR”, the wonderful lady who went and found every Mertz and Martz citation that could be found and posted them all on the old Mertz message board in 2002, had this: “Marriages by John Hutchinson recorded Presbyterian Congregation Mifflintown and Lost Creek: Amos Martz married Sarah Ort 22 Sept. 1842.” I never paid much attention to that as I didn’t know who Amos was. For that matter, I didn’t know anyone named Martz who ever lived in Mifflintown or Juniata County.

The History of Juniata County, in a biography of the Prettyleaf family, says about Martha Martz, daughter of Amos who married John Calvin Prettyleaf, that “Jacob Martz, grandfather of Martha (Martz) Prettyleaf, came from Germany and located in Pennsylvania where there were many of his countrymen. He was the father of several children, among them being Amos. Amos Martz, son of Jacob Martz, was born in 1818, in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Ort, who was also of German descent. Amos was a carriage maker, and later moved to Lewistown where he established himself in that business in the fifties, conducting it until his death in 1881. His wife, Sarah, died in 1906. Children : Alonzo, Eliphas, Cloyd, Robert, Joseph deceased, James and Martha (who married John Calvin Prettyleaf in 1878).”

I don’t know who that Jacob Martz was. Some people believe it refers to Jacob Martz of Dauphin County who is designated U1. That Jacob did have a son Amos but I am certain Amos stayed in Dauphin County (as did his father Jacob).

But there is another man I have done some research on — Jacob Moritz or Morets. He had some association with Juniata County. One of his sons later had his name spelled Mirts and another later was spelled Mertz. Jacob himself, I believe, was listed in Mifflintown in the 1840 Census as Jacob Martz.

From his will and a death certificate, I know that Jacob had sons named Isaac and John and also one named David — and I don’t think any others. I am able to track Isaac and John but lose track of David. I doubt David and Amos were the same person, so I’m left with trying to reconcile all this and my conclusion is that Amos is connected to this family but that his father was not named Jacob — his uncle and his grandfather were.

Amos went through life, as did his children, carrying the Martz name — though I think they were all originally Moritz.

The key to telling the two different Amos Martz apart is the 1850 Census. This Amos was in Lewistown with wife Sarah and three sons. The other Amos was in Dauphin County — though soon to move to Ohio— with wife Nancy and two daughters.

Part of the reason for the confusion is the statement in the county history book that Amos was the son of Jacob. The other Amos was indeed the son of Jacob Martz of Dauphin County and his wife Sarah Jury. This Amos, I think, was closely associated with two different Jacobs — of Juniata County.

Every mention of him I can find places him in Mifflintown, Juniata County or Lewistown, Mifflin County. There was another Mertz (at times spelled Martz) who lived in Lewistown — Philip Mertz (P4a1) (1806-1883), present in Mifflin County by 1840 — but I do not believe Amos was related to Philip. I know the names of all of Philip’s siblings and there was no Amos, and Philip’s children were born in the late 1830’s to the early 1850’s — Amos was much older. So in Lewistown, there was what I call “mixed blood” — persons from different Martz lines. Amos’ line though is alone in Juniata County.

Amos is on find-a-grave. His tombstone gives his date of death and age — 67y — indicating an 1815 birth, a little earlier than his age in Census.