Wertmans dig into family history at Carbon reunion
The Wertman family held its first reunion in Carbon County on Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Hampton Inn in Franklin Township, with genealogy being the main theme.
Family members, 12 were in attendance, shared information on how to research family records, the family’s DNA project, and to learn about some of the family relatives.
The family then met Sunday at Phifer’s Ice Dam for a picnic and social gathering.
The original Wertman Family Association was active until World War II. In July 2000, 42 family members met in Allentown to restart the association.
“This is a recreation of the original group, an homage to those who came before,” said Tom Young, visiting from North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Young’s mother was a Wertman, born in Danville.
“One of the unique things about this group is that they have the social time, they also have people who study the family history,” said Harold Merz, a member of the family visiting from Ohio. “They meet in various places where family members live and do things. For example, they went on the field at Gettysburg. One of our leaders is a re-enactor and would show where family members, with their units, went. In other places, they might visit historic sites, somewhere associated with the family.”
“And they always visit the local cemeteries,” Young said.
Young maintains a database he acquired from Russell Dannecker, past president of the group, who died last summer. Dannecker has approximately 25,000 people in the database.
“Russ was very interested in the Wertman family; his mother was a Wertman,” Young said. “He was interested in that part of the family history.”
The Wertman Family Association has a website, Wertman.info, where family members can learn more about the family. The Wertman Lines newsletter, with more than 15 years of research, can be found on the website.
Pennsylvania is the center of the Wertman family. The Wertmans came from Germany and settled in New Tripoli, Lynn Township, in 1750. Between 1790 and 1800, some eventually went to Berks County, some went to Schuylkill and Carbon counties, and others made their way to Danville. In Schuylkill County, more than 50 people from the Wertman and interrelated families are buried in the Ben Salem Cemetery, Andreas. The oldest family members buried there are George Phillip Wertman (1763-1850) and his wife.