Johann  Philip was born in Dauphin County, the son of J. Adam Wert and Eva Elizabeth Schnug. Born in 1773, he was the tenth of their eleven children.  As per German tradition he was known by his middle name. Around 1802 he married Elizabeth Loos, from another German family. Her parents’ names are not known. She had brothers George and Jacob who lived in Middleton Township, Cumberland County. Since this was quite a distance south of where Philip lived, there is a question of how Philip and Elizabeth met.

By 1810 they had five children, three boys and two girls.1 They were farming in Mahantango Township, Northumberland County. Originally Mahantango was a sprawling township lying along the Mahantango Creek, adjoins Lykens Valley to the south. It was later divided into several townships, in several counties.2  By 1820 Philip and Elizabeth had moved their family across the Susquehanna to Mt Pleasant Mills in Perry Township, Union County.3

Philip and Elizabeth had at least six children, plus several more as counted in the census records. The record of 1820 shows them with two daughters under 10, two sons 10 to 15, and a daughter 16 to 25, plus the parents.4 They almost adjoined Philip’s brother Adam in the census listing. In 1830 they were still in Perry Township, with four children at home, two males and two females. Philip Wert Jr, their son, was listed separately.5

Elizabeth died between 1830 and 1840. In the 1840 census Philip had four people in his household.6 He died on August 5, 1841, at age 68.7 They are buried in St John’s Lutheran cemetery at Mt. Pleasant Mills, like several of their children.8

Only three of their children were known to have married. One did not marry. One died as a youth. If the census records are accurate, they had several other children who died young.

Children of J. Philip and Elizabeth:9

George, b. 1804, d. 1820, buried at St. John’s Lutheran Ch. at Mt. Pleasant Mills10

Mary Magdalene “Polly”, b. 1805, d. April 1846, m. Joseph Pannebaker, son of William & Elizabeth. They lived in Juniata County. Polly died in 1846, leaving Joseph with eight children under the age of fifteen. Joseph married Elizabeth Moist. He died in 1853 and is buried in the Messiah Lutheran Cemetery in Mifflintown with Polly. Children: Philip, Ann, Daniel, Mary, Joseph, Rebecca, Moses, John.

Philip, b. 1806, d. 1877, m. Susannah Daugherty, lived in Perry Township, both buried at St. John’s Lutheran. Children: Magdaline Martha, Catherine, Elizabeth, Fannie, Joseph.

Mary Barbara, b. 1809, d. 1895, unmarried, buried at St. John’s Lutheran.11

John, b. 1810, d. 1897, m. Catherine Womer; he is buried at Lost Creek Mennonite Church. She died in 1865 and is buried at St. John’s Lutheran. They lived in Perry Township, and had children Michael, John and Daniel. After Catherine died, John worked in the household of Napoleon Brosius, a well-to-do farmer in Perry Township.12

Eve, no further information

another daughter, b. between 1810 and 1820

another son, born between 1815 and 1820

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