The Brothers Martz - Frederick and William

Who are they?  William John Martz was my great-great grandfather.  He was the son of Nicholas Martz and the father of Nicholas D. Martz, who was the father of William Robert Martz.  Frederick John Martz was the brother of William John Martz.

Early Life

Nicholas Martz and Sophia (Kebler) Martz had three children after immigrating from Germany to New York.  Their first child, Louise, was born August 3, 1870 in Manhattan, New York, New York.

The couple then welcomed two sons: Fritz (later Frederick or Fred) on July 8, 1872 and William John on January 1, 1876.

Just after the birth of William, the family moved from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland.

Life in Baltimore

In 1896, William J. Martz married Johanna Frederka Caroline Addicks.  They were both 20 years old.  Johanna was the daughter of Johann Deatrich Addicks.  One year later, in 1897, Frederick J. Martz married Johanna's sister, Dora (also called Annie or Anna).

Here is the wedding notice of Frederick J. Martz and Dora Addicks from The Baltimore Sun which was printed June 21, 1897:

Note: The name of the bride's father was Johann Addicks (who also went by John or Deatrich).  The groom's father was Nicholas Martz.  The newspaper story appears to have combined the fathers names by mistake.  Johann Addicks lived at 802 Bouldin Street during this time.

In 1900, shortly after the Martz brothers married the Addicks sisters, both couples were living next door to one another at 815 and 817 Robinson in Baltimore (1900 United States Federal Census).  Using Google Maps, I was able to find the houses that the brothers lived in during this time.

The house to the left, with the red door is 815 (the home of Frederick and Dora Martz).  The red brick home with the white door, just to the right of 815 is 817 (the home of William John and Johanna Martz).

The Martz Brothers in the Working World

Frederick, possibly following in the footsteps of his father (a brewmaster), owned a saloon for a time.  However, Frederick ran into some trouble with this.  The owners of the property were trying to stop the saloon from serving liquor.  The situation must have been remedied, as Frederick's occupation is listed as "saloon" in the Baltimore City Directory just after this.

Here is an excerpt from The Baltimore Sun, dated July 29, 1903:

Either Frederick decided to get out of the saloon business or the business failed, because by 1907, he had a different job.  In fact, both brothers had a variety of jobs during their lifetimes.

The jobs of William John Martz include:
Brakeman for the railroad - 1900
Laborer - 1904
Conductor - 1905 - 1907
Iron worker - 1908
Laborer - 1909
Conductor - 1912 - 1913
Steelworker - 1914
Conductor - 1915
Chauffeur (Deliveryman) - 1917 - 1923
(From the R.L. Polk & Co.'s Baltimore City Directories 1904-1923)

The jobs of Frederick J. Martz include:
Saloon - 1904-1906
Laborer - 1907
Driver - 1908 - 1909
Chauffeur/Driver - 1908 - 1923
(From the R.L. Polk & Co.'s Baltimore City Directories 1904-1923)

William John Martz

The Children of William and Frederick

William and Frederick both had children.  However, only one son was born between the two of them.  It was the son of William John Martz that carried down the Martz family name to the present day ancestors.

The children of William John and Johanna (Addicks) Martz:
Nicholas Dietrich Martz - b. July 8, 1899
Louise Martz - b. 1903

The children of Frederick J. and Dora (also seen as Annie) (Addicks) Martz:
Margarite Martz - b. April 1898
Amelia Martz - b. 1900
Anna M.C. - b. 1907

The Deaths of the Martz Brothers

On August 31, 1943, Frederick Martz passed away at the age of 71.

Two years later, on the anniversary of Frederick's death, his little brother William died of a heart attack.

The Martz brothers were the sons of German immigrants who left New York City with their family to make a new home in Baltimore.

The brothers worked in the same industries and live close to one another their entire lives. They even married sisters.  I believe that siblings can understand one another in ways that nobody else ever could.  I believe that was true for the Martz brothers, William and Frederick.

Nicholas Martz: A Brewmaster of Baltimore

Who is this?  Nicholas Martz is my 3rd great-grandfather.  He was the father of William John Martz, who was the father of Nicholas Dietrich Martz, who was the father of William Robert Martz.

Early Life

Nicholas Martz was born in June of 1844 in Bavaria.  He immigrated to the United States around 1859, when he was 15 years old.  He settled in New York for a while, where he married Sophia Kebler and began a family.  The couple had at least the following children while living in New York:

Louise Martz (b. August 3, 1870 in Manhattan, New York)
Frederick John Martz (b. July 8, 1872 in Manhattan, New York)
William John Martz (b. January 1, 1876 in New York)

While Nicholas Martz was present in the United States during the Civil War (1861-1865), I have not found any evidence that he actually fought in the war.

New York and Baltimore

Nicholas Martz has proven difficult to track.  I have been unable to locate the Martz family in either the 1870 or the 1880 US Federal Census.  However, I have been able to use other sources to track the family.

In 1871, Nicholas Martz, brewer, 103 E. 50th Street, is found in the New York City Directory.  As he was living in New York, he would have heard all about Susan B. Anthony's arrest for daring to vote in the Presidential Election on November 18, 1872 in New York.  She was, of course, arrested because she was a woman and not allowed to vote.

On September 23, 1875, Nicholas Martz was naturalized by the Superior Court of the City of New York when he was 31 years old, and had been in the country for about 16 years.  Click on the image below to view the naturalization record, which includes the signature of Nicholas Martz.

So, we know that Nicholas Martz was living in New York City until at least September of 1875.

Nicholas moved from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland sometime between 1875 and 1877.  He can be found in Woods' Baltimore City Directory of 1877.  His occupation is "brew master" and he is residing at "Lancaster and Clinton".

Nicholas and his family moved to Baltimore just in time for the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.  While the strike began in Martinsburg, West Virginia, it soon spread to Cumberland, Maryland.  The strike stopped freight and passenger cars, which at the time, had a major impact on commerce.

The railroad workers had suffered 10% wage cuts and poor working conditions for years.  An economic depression also affected the attitudes of the workers.

Maryland's Governor instructed the National Guard to stop the strike.  However, Baltimore citizens attacked them as they marched towards Baltimore & Ohio's Camden Station.  This caused a battle in the streets of Baltimore, resulting in 10 dead and 25 wounded Baltimore locals.

"Sixth Regiment Fighting its way through Baltimore," an engraving on front cover of "Harper's Weekly, Journal of Civilization," Vol XXL, No. 1076, New York, Saturday, August 11, 1877.

Despite the unrest, Nicholas Martz and his family remained in Baltimore.  He can be found with the same occupation and at the same location in the 1882, 1883, and 1884 Woods' Baltimore City Directories.  Nicholas worked as a Brewer or Brewmaster for most of his life.

On July 26, 1899, Nicholas' life was cut short when he was only 55.  He died suddenly of "apoplexy" (a stroke) at his home.