Posted by Janice A. Williams on August 28, 19100 at 02:10:45:
The Mertes and Kraemer families originated in Germany on the Rhine, in Regierungs Bezirk, Coblenz, Kreis Daun. Anton Mertes (my ggg grandfather), was born March 12, 1804 and died April 6, 1889. He married Anna M. Weber. She was born January 14, 1806 and died March 3, 1865. They had several children, but I only know of Jacob Mertes (my gg grandfather), born January 6, 1837, and died October 11, 1922. He married Anna Maria Kraemer. She was the daughter of Henry Kraemer born February 18, 1814, and died April 17, 1886, and Barbara Kaspar, born September 10, 1823 and died April 5, 1899. Jacob and Anna Maria Mertes had the following children: baby daughter Mertes 1861(death at birth), Anton J. Mertes 1862 (my g grandfather), Mary Anna Mertes 1864, Henry Mertes 1866 (death age 8 years), Catherine Mertes 1868, Joseph Mertes 1870 (death age 4 years), baby daughter Mertes 1872 (born dead), Johann Mertes (death at age 21 months), Anna Gertrude Mertes 1875, Henry Mertes 1877, Anna Barbara Mertes 1880 (death at 19 years), Marie Rosa Mertes 1882, baby son Mertes 1887 (death at birth). Some of the sibling stayed in Wisconsin, Anton J. Mertes was my great grandfather. He married Mary Anna Kolb May 1, 1888 in Fon du Lac County, Wisconsin and died in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 7, 1925. They had three girls in Fond du Lac County; Mary Elizabeth 'Lizzy' 1889 (died 1908 at age 19 years), Anne Marie 'Emma' 1890 (died in 1960 at age 70 years), and Anna Rose 'Rose' Mertes (my grandmother), 1893,(died 1967 at age 74). She married John Henry 'Harry' Bates Jr. 1888, on January 10, 1910 in Holy Sacrament of Matrimony Church of Immaculate Conception, Denver, Colorado. He was the son of John Henry Bates Sr. 1858 and Mary Anne Rottmeister 1858. 'Harry' was born in St. Joseph, Missouri and died in 1956 in Spokane, Washington at age 68 years of a Coronary thrombosis. They had three children. Dorothy Mary Aquinas Bates 1910 (still living), Lucille Bates 1914 (died 1940 at age 36 years of Lupus Erythematosis Discoid SLE), Henry Arthur 'Harry Jr.' Bates 1916 (died at age 77 of Esophageal Cancer), my father. He married Geneva 'Joann' Comistaci 1916 in Reno, Nevada in 1941, (died at age 59 of Lung Cancer). They had twin girls Janice and Jeanne Bates and Harry adopted Joann's daughter Joan Patricia Bates. He resided in Lakewood, California for 40 years until his death.