Biography of John William Mertz, pages 54 / 55.  History of Northeast 
Indiana; LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, and DeKalb Counties, Vol. II, under the 
editorial supervision of Ira Ford, Orville Stevens, William H. McEwen, and 
William H. McIntosh.  The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago and New York, 1920.

   John William Mertz.  The wonderful changes that have been brought about 
by science and the ingenuity of man, even within the ordinary lifetime of 
an individual, seem so marvelous that intelligent and thoughtful earth 
dwellers of today hesitate about placing a limit to future  achievement. 
In these changes agricultural industries have had place, and a modern 
American farm, in method of cultivation and its machinery equipments, 
illustrates unbelievable progress. Such a farm is the property of John 
William Mertz, a highly respected and substantial citizen of DeKalb 
County, Indiana, who is proprietor of the Lone Pine Farm in Fairfield 
Township.  He was born in Indiana, as were his parents, Benjamin and 
Johanna (Auman) Mertz.
   The founder of the Indiana branch of the Mertz family was John G. 
Mertz, who came to the United States before the Civil war. His wife, Mary 
Anna (Sauer) Mertz, was also of German birth. They lived at first in Ohio 
but before the birth of their son, Benjamin, came to DeKalb County, 
Indiana.  The latter was a farmer like his father, and when he grew to 
manhood was married to Johanna Auman, who was one of a family of six 
children born to William and Miss (Bruns) Auman.  To Benjamin and Johanna 
Mertz then children were born, as follows: John W., Otto E., Walter B, 
Edward J, Henry A., Theodore A., Daniel B., Metha M., and two who died of 
diphtheria in early life.  The father of this family died June 6, 1898, 
and the mother died on the 25th of July, 1919, at Kendallville, Ind.
   The pioneer Mertz family, were charter members of Zion Evangelical 
Church located in Fairfield Township near their farm, as early as 1852.  
There is a parochial school in connection with Zion Church, and it was in 
that school that John W. Mertz secured his first educational training.  
Later he was graduated from the Kendallville High School and for three 
years pursued a literary course of study in the University of Michigan, 
and in more recent years has attended short courses on special subjects at 
Purdue University.  Since reaching manhood he has been a farmer in 
Fairfield Township, DeKalb County, and has taken great interest in his 
work and through his progressive policy has brought the Lone Pine Farm 
into great prominence.  As indicative of the approval of his methods by 
his fellow agriculturists, it may be mentioned that he is president of the 
DeKalb County Better Farming Association, which is county wide in its 
scope, and is also president of DeKalb County Breeders & Feeders 
Association, and of the county branch of the Indiana Federation of 
Farmers.  He is a member also of the Indiana Commercial Growers 
Associations.
   On February 25, 1906, John W. Mertz was united in marriage to Emma M. 
Krehl, who died January 11, 1914.  She was a daughter of William and Anna 
(Carl) Krehl, a well known DeKalb County family.  She was the mother of 
three children, namely: Selma Anna, Margaret Ethel and Arthur Benjamin.  
On January 16, 1917, Mr. Mertz was married a second time, Mrs. Louise 
(Schneider ) Bluhm becoming his wife.  Mrs. Mertz has one son born to her 
former marriage, Erich Bluhm.  Mr. Mertz has sent his children to the same 
parochial school in which he began his education many years ago.
   In Politics Mr. Mertz like the older member of his family, has always 
supported the democratic party from principle and in other ways is worthy 
of ancestors who during long and useful lives were deserving of the 
general esteem in which they were held.  As a man of progressive thought 
Mr. Mertz studies agricultural questions intelligently and is ready, in 
the light of the past, to believe still more wonderful developments in the 
future.  He keeps abreast of the times in farm equipment, carries on a 
general farming line and specializes in registered livestock. He can 
remember the day of the ox-team and the gradual development of horse 
transportation, the coming of the automobile and the farm tractor, and on 
occasion as he is working in his fields an unusual noise above him tells 
him that the aerial aeroplane is speeding as a bird with mail and messages 
from one frontier of his country to the other.  He is proud of his 
country's achievements, and is proud of the part his own family had taken in the development of DeKalb County.

Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com