The family of John Mentzer 1767-1821

 John Mentzer is often seen as Joh. or as Johan Michael Mentzer, with, of course, various ways to spell the last name, because why not?  Certainly family historians 250 years later would have fun trying to think of and search for all the different name possibilities.  And while we're at it, let's not tell anyone the maiden name of his wife.  Let them guess!  (Her first name is Margaret or Margreth and years of research and sleuthing by husband's distant cousin Anne Caston strongly suggest that her last name is Sherb or Sharp, but there's no smoking gun at this point.)  Oh, and let's have several children who leave no clues as to whatever might have happened to them. Let's give most of the children the same names that have been used in the family for generations, too.  Good plan, John and Margaret!  It's worked, fairly well. But we have found records of some of your children and some of their spouses, and of some of your grandchildren, and we may yet find more.  I apologize for the sarcasm, a little bit...But surely someone who reads this will understand the feeling!  

We are confident that John is the son of Conrad and Catherine Elizabeth Hibshman Mentzer, born November 23, 1767 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  He died November 29, 1821 also in Lancaster County.  Most of his children lived and died in Lancaster County, which makes me a little suspicious about one who died in Lebanon County, but somehow some of the grandchildren made it to Stark County, Ohio, so Lebanon County is as good a place as any to rest for a few years, I suppose.  

John and Margaret seem to have had at least eleven children, perhaps more.  There are four of whom I know nothing except a birth/baptism date, and a couple of others with very negligible information.  Perhaps someone reading this post will know something about some of these mysterious Mentzers.  

The first child was Conrad, born in 1788.  He was likely their first child.  He was also the first child to disappear completely from any records that I have been able to locate.  I think it's possible that he died young, because another child (see below) was also named Conrad.

Elizabeth was born in 1790.  Again, I have located nothing further about her.  She died young, or she married in a church for which I've not found records, or she didn't marry but was a common law wife to someone (not likely,; this seems to be a fairly strict Lutheran family).  She is mystery number three, after the wife of John and the life of Conrad.

Susanna is the first daughter who left traces in records.  She was born in 1793 and died at the young age of roughly 25, in 1818.  She married Christophel Scherb/Sherb/Sharp, the son of Jacob and Maria Catherine Glassmeyer.  This couple had at least three children before Susanna's early death-Susanna, Jacob, and Elizabeth.  It is possible that Susanna's death was related to childbirth, but we can only guess at this time.

Catherine was born in 1797, and is mystery #4.  Nothing further is known of her.

Conrad, the second one, was born in 1798.  He married Elizabeth Tulipan/Dulibon, the dauther of Henry and Catherine Laber Tulipan/Dulibon.  Their known children are Leah, Caroline, Joel, Susan, and Catherine.  Conrad died in 1880 in Stark County, Ohio, and I will try to follow this family in my next blog post.  

Samuel was born in 1800 and died in 1865.  The only name I could locate for his wife is "Maria Susanna", with no maiden name.  They had at least two children, William and Anna, and perhaps an Eliza.  

Christine or Christina was born in 1804, and earns the designation of mystery number five.  I know nothing more of her.  

Jacob was born in 1808 and died in 1865 in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.  He may have been the first child to leave his home county.  The death certificates for several of his children give their mother's name as Mary Wise, but that is all that I know of her. Their children are Mary, Jacob, Henry, William, Sarah, and possibly Caroline.  

George was born in 1810 and died in 1876.  He married Catherine Dissinger, the daughter of John and Eva Dissinger.  I have located just one child for this couple, George Washington.  There may well be more.  There are a lot of Civil War records for George Mentzer in Pennsylvania, and it is possible that some may apply to either the father or the son.  

Joseph is the last born child, born in 1813.  He does not seem to be the Joseph who married Maria Hollenback, so he is major mystery number 6.  

As Anne Caston reminded me, Margaret Mentzer's 1830 census shows three other people living in her home in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County.  The ages shown correspond to the ages of Christine, George, and Joseph, but this is the last glimpse we have of them, if indeed these are her children.  Additional minor mysteries are the spouses whose parents we don't know, the question of the Civil War George, and whether or not we really have identified all the children of these children of John and Margaret.  There's enough here to keep a family digging for a while!