Merten
This page is devoted to my MERTEN ancestry, in Müsen and Ferndorf, Germany. After a few maps showing the geography of the region, I will work backward in time, starting with the immigrant, Johann Jost MERTEN, and proceed with his ancestors, following the MERTEN line, back 6 more generations, more than 200 years. It was a time of plagues and religious wars. I include pictures and biographical information about some of the men who ruled the region, and hopefully this will help to convey a sense of what life was like in this period.
Müsen, Ferndorf, and Surrounding Region
Müsen was, and still is, a small village in west central Germany. The population was about 500 in 1627, and still only 641 in 1818.
Müsen in the mid 1800s
This region contains some of the oldest mining sites in Europe, including an iron smelting operation that dates back to 600 BCE. The first mention of mining in Müsen was in a deed from the year 1313. Müsen is about 80 km (50 miles) east of Cologne.
This current map of the Sieg River basin shows the city of Kreuztal, which annexed Ferndorf in 1969. The small village of Müsen (not shown) is 2 km northeast of Kreuztal. For reference, the major cities of Köln (Cologne) and Bonn are on the left, along the Rhein (Rhine) River. [source]
The place names and political boundaries in this region have changed many times, over the centuries. The small village of Müsen is about 2 km northeast of the larger village of Ferndorf. In 1969 the city of Kreuztal was formed from the amalgamation of several villages, including Ferndorf. Müsen then became part of Hilchenbach, next to Kreuztal.
Current map of the municipalities in the Siegen-Wittgenstein District.
Ferndorf is now part of Kreuztal, and Müsen is part of Hilchenbach. [source]
Present day map showing Müsen and Ferndorf (red balloons) relative to the cities of Siegen and Cologne.
Locations of the larger mines near Müsen. [source]
Germany has been hard to define geographically, and may be better characterized by culture or language. The area now called Germany had a population of about 14 million in 1500, and rose to 18 million by 1600. In the 1600s, the population dropped dramatically, by about 1/3 overall, and as much as 3/4 in some areas, due to religious wars, plague outbreaks, and the resulting famine and emigration.
Johann Jost MERTEN (1691 - 1758)
Johann Jost MERTEN was born 24 May 1691 in Müsen (Muesen, Muessen), Nassau-Siegen (now part of Siegen-Wittgenstein), Germany, the son of Hans Jacob MERTEN and Anna Barbara WURMBACH. Based on DNA evidence, it seems that he was my 6g-grandfather. This page will follow the MERTEN line back several generations. The primary source is the book by Holtsclaw [H]. Skip to the chart at the bottom of the page if you want a summary.
Johann, still a bachelor, joined a group of 12 families of miners from the Nassau-Siegen region, who emigrated in 1714 to the Germanna colony of Virginia, to establish one of the first mining operations in America. Germanna was at one time the most westward European settlement on the east coast.
Johann Jost MERTEN became known as John Joseph MARTIN in America. John was the only MARTIN in the original colony.
In 1718, John married Maria Katherina OTTERBACH (1699-1734), another member of the Germanna Colony. Another page for the OTTERBACH (UTTERBACH) ancestry is planned. The family and descendants of John and Maria are described on the Martins in America page.
John Joseph MARTIN died about 1758-9, in Virginia. See the John J MARTIN page for more information about his family.
Hans Jacob MERTEN (1660 - 1693)
Hans Jacob MERTEN was born in Müsen in 1660, and christened on 23 Sep 1660, the son of Jacob MERTEN and Margarethe EICHEN. He married Anna Barbara WURMBACH, daughter of Friedrich WURMBACH and Margarete RODE, on 22 or 27 Oct 1687.
Hans died 26 Aug 1693, before his 33rd birthday. Hans and Anna were married less than 6 years, and had 4 children, the first one dying after one day. After Hans' death, Anna married Johann Georg BROMBACH, on 26 Sep 1694, and they had 9 more children.
1 Anna Barbara WURMBACH b: 1667, d: 10 Mar 1741 in Muesen
+ Hans Jacob MERTEN b: 23 Sep 1660 in Muesen, m: 22 Oct 1687, d: 26 Aug 1693 in Muesen
...2 Eustachius MERTEN b: 14 Aug 1688 in, d: 15 Aug 1688
...2 Johanna Margarete MERTEN b: 1689
...2 Johann Jost MERTEN (John Joseph MARTIN) b: 24 May 1691 in Muesen, d: 1758 in Germanna, Essex, VA
...2 Anna Margarete MERTEN b: 14 May 1693
+ Johann Georg BROMBACH b: 1667 in Siegen, m: 26 Sep 1694 in Muesen, d: 13 Apr 1714 in Siegen
...2 Melchior BROMBACH b: 02 Sep 1695, d: 09 Dec 1697
...2 Maria Elisabeth BROMBACH b: 01 Dec 1696, d: 11 Nov 1697
...2 Anna Magdalena BROMBACH b: 17 Apr 1698
...2 Johann Eberhard BROMBACH b: 20 Oct 1699
...2 Anna Catharina BROMBACH b: 15 Oct 1701, d: 18 Sep 1719
...2 Anna Maria BROMBACH b: 25 Dec 1702
...2 Johann Henrich BROMBACH chr: 24 Feb 1704, d: 25 Jul 1706
...2 Johann Melchior BROMBACH chr: the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, 1705, d: 08 Aug 1708
...2 Andreas BROMBACH b: 29 May 1707, d: 18 Aug 1708
Johann Jost MARTIN was only 2 years old when his father died. He had a 4-year-old sister (if she lived that long), and another sister was born a month later. Then Johann was the oldest boy in a large family of step-siblings. Very few of these children lived to adulthood.
This map of western Germany was published some time between 1681 and 1702. The Rhine River runs across the southwest corner. On the Rhine can be seen the cities of Bonn, Coln (Cologne), and Dufseldorf (Duseldorf). The city of Sigen (Siegen) is east of Bonn. [cropped from this source]
Johann Georg BROMBACH was an elder at the church in Muesen, so the births and deaths listed above probably too place in Muesen. He died 27 Oct 1739. I don't have any other information on the siblings and half-siblings of Johann Jost MERTEN.
Another page is planned for the WURMBACH ancestry.
Jacob MERTEN (1634 - 1669)
Jacob MERTEN was born about 1634, the son of Johannes MERTEN and Sophia, surname unknown. Jacob was an Associate Justice of the Court of Mines.
On 1 Jan 1654, Jacob married Margrethe EICHEN, daughter of Johannes EICHEN, of Ernsdorf. They had 7 children.
1 Jacob MERTEN b: 1634, d: 19 Oct 1669
+ Margrethe EICHEN b: 1638, m: 01 Jan 1653/54 in Muesen, d: 01 Sep 1693 in Muesen
...2 Elisabeth MERTEN chr: 29 Jan 1654 in Muesen
...2 Barbara MERTEN chr: 17 Aug 1656 in Muesen
...2 Christoper MERTEN chr: 11 Oct 1657 in Muesen, d: 16 Dec 1714 in Ferndorf
...2 Hans Jacob MERTEN b: 23 Sep 1660 in Muesen, d: 26 Aug 1693 in Muesen
...2 Eustachius MERTEN chr: 31 Jan 1664, d: 03 Jun 1699
...2 Jost MERTEN chr: 19 Jan 1667 in Muesen
...2 Anna Catharina MERTEN chr: 05 Dec 1669 in Muesen
Birth dates are not known for these children, but christening dates have been found in the church records. Christening was usually done within a month or two after birth, but we can't be sure.
Jacob MERTEN died at age 43, leaving behind 6 children and a pregnant wife. Hans Jacob was only 9 years old.
Johannes MERTEN (1606 - before 1650)
Johannes MERTEN was born around 1606 at the Wuestenhof, which was a "Wilderness Farm" near Ferndorf, another town about 3 km (2 miles) southwest of Müsen. He wife was Sophia, probably Sophia VIOELER, who died in 1668. There is some doubt about this - see [H], pages 410-1. Johannes may have had a brother named Jost MERTEN.
The Black Death plague hit Ferndorf and Müsen hard during the period 1597-1636, and Johannes may have been one of the hundreds of victims. We only know that his son Jacob was born around 1634, so he lived at least until 1633, and he probably died before 1650, when the church began keeping records, and certainly before 1 Jan 1654, when his son Jacob was married.
Johannes was the son of Henrich MERTEN and Demuth BAUM, both of Müsen.
The Thirty Years' War raged in Europe in the period 1618-1648. The war and the plague left the area of Westphalia in chaos, including Müsen and Ferndorf. Everyone was affected, whether or not they were combatants.
Henrich MARTIN (1575-1580 - after 1627)
Henrich MARTIN was born about 1575-80, in Müsen, the son of Martins HEINTZ. He was frequently called Henrich ZOLNER. The German word Zoellner or Zolleinnehmer means receiver of customs.
In 1603 in Ferndorf, Henrich married Demuth BAUM, daughter of Heilmann and Grete BAUM, of Müsen. Heilmann had died before 1587, and Grete died in 1607, both in Müsen.
Heinrich and Demuth had a daughter, Sophia, in 1604 at Müsen, and a son, Johannes (above) in 1606 at the Wuestenhof. Henrich is mentioned in a lawsuit on 25 Aug 1627, so he lived at least until then.
I don't know why the name was MARTIN instead of MERTEN. I also don't know the name of Henrich's mother.
The plague, or Black Death, which killed about 25 million people in Europe during the terrible years of 1347 to 1352, returned in 1597. In Ferndorf, 125 people died in the period from 12 July to 31 December 1599. It subsided for a time, but came back in 1621, and again in 1633-6. Some entire families were wiped out, and many of the dead were buried without record.
Population in 1563 in Upper Ferndorftal: Ahr 36, Dahlbruch 36, Ernsdorf 143 (Kreuztal did not exist then), Ferndorf 195, Merklinghausen 66 and Müsen 152 people. [PF]
Count John VIII of Nassau-Siegen (1583-1638) [source]
Count William of Nassau-Hilchenbach (1592-1642) [source]
At age 30 in 1613, John VIII converted to Catholicism, and joined the Catholic army commanded by the Duke of Savoy, against the wishes of his father, John VII. When his older brother died in 1617, John VIII claimed his rights, but John VII chose another successor. When John VII died in 1623, John VIII occupied Nassau-Siegen at the head of a Catholic Army and started the Contra-Reformation.
Martins HEINTZ (1535-40 - 1583)
The birth date of Martins HEINTZ of Ferndorf is very uncertain, and 1535-40 is a rough guess. He was probably born in Ferndorf, as his father was Martin or Mertin of Ferndorf. He appeared on the special tax list in 1566 and 1572. His occupation is listed as Gerichtskneht, which means court messenger, and like his father, he was connected with the customs service. In 1566 he rented a farm from the Ferndorf church.
Martin married Gela (surname unknown), and they had 6 children, in Ferndorf. All 6 were married between 1580 and 1609.
Martins died in 1583, and was buried 1 Mar 1583, in Ferndorf. His wife Gela outlived him, as she is listed as a widow, later in 1583. In 1599, Gela was living with her son, Hans MARTIN, still on the farm rented from the church. Hans had married in 1595.
The given names and surnames in this period are confusing. Martins HEINTZ means Heintz or Heinrich, son of Martin.
The Count of Nassau-Dillenberg was John VI, who ruled from the death of his father, William the Rich (below), in 1559, until his own death in 1606. John VI had 3 wives and 24 children, many of whom became Counts and Countesses.
After John VI died in 1606, his property of Nassau-Dillenburg was divided among his 5 surviving sons:
William Louis received a rather reduced Nassau-Dillenburg.
George received Nassau-Beilstein.
John VII received Nassau-Siegen, which contained Ferndorf and the smaller village of Müsen.
Ernest Casimir received Nassau-Dietz.
John Louis received Nassau-Hadamar.
Count John VII had 2 wives and 25 children. He ruled Nassau-Siegen until his death in 1623, when his son, John VIII, took over.
Mertin of Ferndorf (1500-10 - before 1563)
Mertin, or Martin, or Zu Pherendorf MERTEN, was probably born around 1500-10, in Ferndorf. This is a guess, based on his appearance in the lists of those owing feudal dues, in Ferndorf, from 1531 to 1549. He was an official connected with the customs service, as shown by business transacted in 1553-4. He died before 1563, when his son Martins took his place in the tax list. He had at least 2 sons, Martins HEINTZ (above) and Schrub HENN of Ernsdorf. See [H, p. 409] or [M, pp. 53-4].
The year 1500 is sometimes cited as the end of the Middle Ages, and the beginning of the Modern Era, although there is not universal agreement. For reference, the Gutenberg Bible first appeared in Mainz, some 140 km south of Ferndorf and Müsen, about 1455, and printed books were still very rare in 1500.
In 1517, Martin Luther publicized his 95 Theses, in Wittenberg, eastern Germany, initiating the Protestant Reformation. This set the stage for a series of religious wars, which tore Europe apart and put it back together again many times in the next few centuries.
Mertin was probably old enough to have taken part in the German Peasants’ War of 1524-5, which was fought mostly to the south and east of Ferndorf. This popular uprising of some 300,000 peasants and farmers, against the aristocracy, was suppressed as about 100,000 were killed.
Mertin was living in Ferndorf during the Schmalkaldic War of 1546-7, which took place to the east of Ferndorf. This revolt against Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, by the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League, ultimately failed.
Count William the Rich (1487-1559)
The town of Ferndorf, and the smaller village of Müsen, were part of the region owned by William the Rich, a Count of the House of Nassau. William (10 April 1487 – 6 October 1559) was owner of the counties of Nassau-Dillenburg, Nassau-Siegen, Nassau-Dietz and Vianden. He was called William the Rich because he had many children: 2 from his first wife, and 12 from his second.
Sources
[DW] Historical Map of the Duchy of Westphalia, 1789
[EWR] European wars of religion
[FSM] The first schoolmaster in the parish Müsen
[H] Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, by B.C. Holtsclaw, 1964
[HF] History of Ferndorf
[HO] Peter Hitt & Elizabeth Otterbach Family
[HON] The Houses of Orange and Nassau
[M] A Martin Genealogy/Tied to the History of Germanna, Virginia, by William A. Martin, 1995
[NS] Nassau-Siegen on Wikipedia
[PBG] Life in Germany During the 16th and 17th Centuries, from Photographic Book Germany
[PF] The plague raged in the upper Ferndorftal
[RM] Collection of reports on topics from Müsen
[TW] Treaty of Westphalia
[W] Müsen on German Wikipedia
Last updated 9 Sep 2020 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.