Author: COL William Forrest Crain Ph.D.
Peter Phillip Wertz/Virtzs (abt 13 April 1738 - 22 May 1798)[1]
Peter Phillip Wertz/Virtzs was born about 13 April 1738 and died 22 May 1798,[2] a son of Wilhelm Wurtz and Anna Catharina. The family left their home at Tauberbischhofsheim, Baden, Germany and sailed for the American Colonies when Phillip Peter was about 15 years old.[3]
They sailed from Rotterdam via Cowes, England, aboard the ship Neptune, Master John Mason, and arrived at the port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 23 September 1753. Both Wertz’s father, Welholm Wertz, and Peter are listed in the ship’s manifest.[4]
Many of those who arrived on the ship Neptune in September 1753 were from Tauberbischhofsheim, Baden, Germany. They are reported to have settled at Lehigh, Pennsylvania, and to be of Lutheran faith.[5]
Peter Wertz was reportedly naturalized at New Jersey in 1755. He married Christina, thought to be a daughter of an Eberhart/Everhart, at Frederick, Maryland in 1758. They were the parents of at least eight children: Michael, John, Christina, Wilhelm, Jacob, Anna Mary/Marie, George Peter and Catharina.[6]
Wertz initially settled at Frederick County, Maryland for a period of time, where he provided Patriotic Service by providing supplies to the Continental Troops in 1782, in the form of ten bushels of wheat.[7]
Following the American Revolution, the family moved to Virginia. Peter Wertz first appeared at Loudoun County, Virginia, in Virginia Census. He was recorded in the Personal Property Tax List for the Year 1787 at Loudoun County, Virginia. He resided on a 136 acre tract of land near Lovettsville, Virginia, “…five miles from Harper’s Ferry, and six from Waterford in Loudoun County, Virginia.”[8]
Peter Wertz died in 1798. He was buried at the New Jerusalem Lutheran Cemetery at Lovettsville, Virginia, where his parents were buried. Christina Eberhart Wertz died 20 June 1813, and was laid to rest near him. Several of their children would also be interred in the same cemetery, including Michael, Jacob, Anna Mary/Marie, John and Christina.
[1] There are several variations of the spelling of the surname for Peter Pillip depending on the source. The Sons of the American Revolution’s Patriot Research System records it as Virtzs/Wertz. The Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System records it as Wertz. The receipt for supplies provided to Continental Troops records his surname as Werts. The original headstone records it as Virtzs. The Veterans Administration marker at the grave site records it as Wirtz. The patriot’s Last Will and Testament records it as Wirts.
[2] The inscription on the tombstone of Peter Philip Virtzs reads, “Peter Virtzs d. 22 May 1798, at 60y 1m 9d.” From this inscription, his date of birth is calculated as 13 April 1738. The tombstone is located at the New Jerusalem Lutheran Cemetery, Lovettsville, Virginia, Row KK stone 3.
[3] Hall, Charles M., compiler, The Palatine Pamphlet, Heratige International publisher, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1985, Pg. 27.
[4] Strassburger Ralph Burger and, William John Hinke: Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Vol. 1, 1727- 1775, Second Edition, Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., Baltimore (1980), Pg. 539.
[5] Hall, Charles M., compiler, The Palatine Pamphlet, Heratige International publisher, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1985, Pg. 27.
[6] Last Will and Testament of Peter Wirts, Loudoun County, Virginia, written 6 January 1798, probated 10 September 1798, Charles Binn, clerk.
[7] Receipt from Commissary Thomas Price Frederick County to Peter Werts dated May 17, 1782, for the sale of ten bushels of wheat to the Continental Troops. The original document is at the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland. MSA S 1004-57-14490 MdHR 6636-42-34/1 Location 1/7/3/52.
[8] Frederick-Herald, Notice of Sale of Peter Wirtz Property, 12 March 1812.