Metz ancestry (Lorraine, Germany, Switzerland) ca 1650-1730

Question

The oldest ancestor (so far) on side of my genealogy  is Ludwick/Lodwick/Lodowick Metz, born in 1705 near Metz (Moselle, France) and his father was Peter Van Metz  according to a family held document written by his grandson, in German.  No mother is mentioned in that document.

I understand Metz was and has under French and German influence (and control) for at least several centuries, which brings up lots of questions and things to ponder: 

1. Is "Van Metz" equivalent to "Messin" in translating as "from/of Metz"? or "de Metz"?
   • There are a number of variations on the name...von/van metz and de Metz.  Mets, Metts, etc.
2. What might be the best translation of "Peter" for searching both German and French records?
3. What might be the best translation of "Lodowik" for searching both German and French records?
   • That is, if I wanted to look for first names similar to Ludwik (German)  ca 1705 - 1725, what might I look for in Moselle and other records? 
4. We know that this ancestor Ludwik was a Mennonite. Historical sources indicate there was a migration of Swiss Mennonites to Metz/Moselle/Alsace at some point in the 1600s  due to persecution. 
5. We know other ancestors who lived in Zurich and Bern and emigrated from those locations, so I suppose it could be possible to find the family there, but I am not sure of the best form of the surname to look under. Coming up empty so far, with Metz.
6. He emigrated to America in 1726 and the is some indication he had family already in Pennsylvania, where he settled. 
   • He emigrated the year prior to ship registries being required so we have been unable to locate any record of crossing.
7. Our family is not Jewish, although Metz referred to in some sources as a Jewish surname.

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts regarding how you might now approach this puzzle around a terminal ancestor. 

NOTE: Our family have done an incredible amount if research and well established that Ludwig Christoph Metz is not the same man as our ancestor.

Comments

Searching the Register of Swiss Surnames:

https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/famn/index.php

I see Metz only in recent times, except in Romoos in Luzern and Altnau in Thurgau. But, in the Register, that just means there were citizens of those municipalities in Metz before 1800, and you have to go a long way before that to the time period you are talking about. But, I just opened the earliest baptisms available for Romoos on FamilySearch:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39K-3WFS?i=9&cc=4138674&cat=58180

and already on the second page I looked at, I found the baptism of Antoni Metz in 1718. That register seems fully indexed on FamilySearch, and searching FamilySearch doesn't turn up much: Antoni's baptism, son of Hans, and then the death of Niklaus Metz in Escholzmatt. So if the indexing is comprehensive, then it seems to have been quite a rare surname even where it is known to have been.

There are names in Bern and Zurich from before 1800 that could possibly be variants of Metz, like Metzger and Metzener.

Answer 1

The first names occur quite often in my family tree; I'm from near Alsace Lorraine so some records are in german, some in French (depending on timing). Peter in German is also Peter or Pieter, in French Pierre and in Latin (church documents) Petri. Lodowik would be Ludwig in German and Louis in French. Don't have any church records but probably Ludovicus in Latin.

Answer 2

German "Peter", French "Pierre"

Lodowick: German Ludowig, Ludwig, there is no translation

Comments

Lodowick could be Louis or Ludovic in French

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Thank you! Yes I forgot it.

Petri is the Genitive of Petrus!