Subject: Re: Merrill family William Loomer
Date: Wed, March 23, 2005 12:03 am

Question: William Loomer wrote:

I need help with the genealogy for my Father. He was born a Merrill But Asumed the Name Loomer. as Far as I know he was born in boston Massacusetts (sorry I do not spell well) He married Alice Jean Cole (from New York). If you can help me, Please do. I have no Idea where to go with this. Thank you William Loomer

Answer: William:

What was your father's name and when was he b. and when and where did he d.?  If  he was b. before 1920 we may be able to find him in Boston in the 1920 census with his parents. When did he take the Loomer name? As an adult? or did his parents also take that name?  Do you know what his parents names were? Is your mother still living?  Most of our data is pre 1880, but we do have access to the 1900-1920 census on line. Unfortunately, they are listed by "head of household", so to find children you have to download the census image for each Merrill family, very time consuming, so the given name of the father is very important. What is the story of the name change?

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family Eleazer Merrill
Date: Thu, March 17, 2005 8:06 pm

Question: Leslie Merrill Behm wrote:

I am a descent as best I can find of Nathaniel, my great-great-great grandfather being Eleazer Merrill (some times Elezer Merrell). Does anyone know his wife Elmina (sometimes Emma) maiden name. I can only find an initial S.

Answer: Leslie:

We assume you are asking about Eleazer Elery (8) Merrill, b. 1836 May 30 in Litchfield, Bradford, PA. We do not have his wife's maiden name. We think found them in 1870 in Elmira, Chemung, NY, but we read it as Aliza, 32; Levi, 4, all b. NY. In 1880, in Elmira, we found Eleazer E, 44, b. PA, Fa b. PA, Mo b. CT; Emma S, 43, b. PA, Leorn A (m), 14, b. NY; Bertie M, 5, b. NY.  In 1900, still in Elmira, Eleazor E, 64, b. May 1836, PA, m. 39 y; Ella S, 63, b. Mar 1837, 3 children, 2 living; adopted daughter, Agnes E, 9, b. Sep 1890.

Eleazer (8)'s lineage is Thomas B (7), Eleazer (6,5), Abraham (4,3), John (2), immigrant Nathaniel (1).  More details are available.

We are trying to database the Merrill/Merrell surname nationwide from the original immigrants right down to the present day for all the immigrant lines. So far we have over 60,000 Merrill males, plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate that there are well over 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and we need and appreciate all the help we can get, particularly with the later generations. We use this database strictly to try and help folks trace their Merrill roots. Be assured that no info on living individuals will become internet accessible. We would be interested in any info you have on the Merrill surname descendants of Eleazer (8) down to the present.  From which of Eleazer's sons are you descended, Levi/Leorn or Bertie M?

We write the query column for the MERRILL NEWSLETTER published by Lil Hall Welch. Check out the Newsletter homepage at <www.merrill.org/genealogy/tmn>

Sorry we couldn't help with Eleazer's wife's maiden name. We would assume she is probably also from Bradford Co and  got m. after 1860 [he was still with his folks in 1860]. I Suppose you could
do a page by page search of the Bradford Co 1860 census for a girl of the right age with the right name, but that would be a lot of work, and you still could not be sure you had the right one.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family Mary A Merrill
Date: Wed, March 16, 2005 7:41 pm

Question: Carla Rigby wrote:

I have a Mary A. Merrill, the daughter of Enoch Merrll of Lincoln County, Maine, born 1804, married Joseph Barstow in 1825. They were the parents of Joseph; Enoch, Sarah, Warren, Perciville, Georgianna,and Charles. I would like further information pertaining to Joseph, Percivlle, and Ch! arles. Did Charles live in Wakefield, Massachsuetts. I found his first wife's tombstone in the Merrill Cemetery on the Enoch Merrill Farm.

Answer: Carla:

We are sorry, but we don't follow the Merrill daughters after we get them m. [our own daughters excepted, of course].  With info on over 60,000 Merrill males, plus wifes and daughters, we have neither time, space nor energy to try and follow all the associated surnames. It is almost a full time job just trying to keep track of the Merrills.  Enoch (6)'s lineage is Thomas (5), Enoch (4), Joseph (3), Abel (2), immigrant Nathaniel (1).  More details are available.

Sorry we couldn't help,

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family Susannah Merrill
Date: Thu, March 10, 2005 9:42 pm

Question: Susan Wellington wrote:

I am a descendent of William Conrad Merrill--I've found another Merrill connection and I'm wondering if Susannah Peabody or Wolerton or Jordan m. 1633 to Nathaniel Merril are the same person. I have different birth dates, all in ENgland and the same death of 25 Jan 1673 in Newbury, Essex! , Massachusetts. She is my 9great grandmother. Thank-you.

Answer: Susan:

We are very interested in your reference to Susannah's name as Peabody.  Immigrant Nathaniel (1)'s wife is often referred to as Wolterton, and there is a Wolterton connection, but we are convinced that was not her birth name. There is convincing evidence that Susannah was the daughter of Susan Wolterton, wife of Gregory Wolterton, proprietor of Hartford CT, by a PRIOR m., but we do not know the name of Susan's first husband, so we do not know Susannah's maiden name. That is why we are so interested in your reference to Peabody - that could be the surname of Susan's first husband.  We would like to document that if possible.  Nathaniel and Susannah were m. in England, had to be ca 1633.  Their first four children were baptized in Lawford, Essex, England:  Nathaniel 1634 May 25; John, 1635 Mar 13; Abraham, 1637 Apr 9;  Susanna, 1638 Dec 12.

When we were bicycling in England several years ago, we saw those records, they had been reported, but we wanted to see them ourselves. What we were really looking for was the record of Nathaniel and Susannah's m., but we didn't find it.   But only a few of the church  records have been recorded in the county records.  And there are so many village churches.  From one church you can see two or three other steeples. We took pictures of the churches in Lawford [where the kids were baptized] , Wherstead [where Nathaniel was baptized], and Belstead [where his parents were baptized].

After Nathaniel's death in 1655, their second son, John, while still a minor, went from Newbury MA to Hartford CT and lived with Gregory Wolterton and his wife Susan, learned Gregory's tanning trade, and eventually inherited the bulk of childless Gregory's considerable estate.  If the above relationship between Gregory's wife, Susan, and Nathaniel's wife, Susannna is correct, mother and daughter,  then John (2) went to live with his grandmother.   Some references suggest that Gregory adopted John (2), but we have found no evidence for that, nor the need for it if  John was his step grandson.  It is also probable that in England, Susanna grew up in her stepfather Gregory's household.

After Nathaniel's death Susannah m. 2nd, Stephen Jordan.  He d. 1670 Feb. 8.  Susannah (__?__) Merrill Jordan d. 1673 Jan 25.  So we are talking about the same person.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family John J Loomer
Date: Mon, March 07, 2005 8:20 pm

Question: dorothy hyde wrote:

I have been working on this for about 2 yrs. and this is all I can find. John Merrill b 1814 in Massachusetts. He married Lucinda (I think) She was born in 1820. Children John Jacob Merrill b Oct 30 1849 Mass. d Apr 25 1876 This is who I am trying to find. Another child was Edwin. John ! Jacob married Alice Rackliff Any information would be greatly appreciated. Your work is wonderful. Sincerely, Dorothy Merrill Hyde

Answer: Dorothy:

We located the John to which you refer with the data given, in Boston in the 1850 census:  John, 36, MA, RR conductor; Lucinda, 30, NH; Edwin, 3; NH;  John , 2 mo., NH.  We have not identified this John.  But all is not lost, because this is not the John you are looking for.

 The one you want is in Melrose, Middlesex, MA in 1850.  It is no wonder you didn't find him: John, 30, Minister; M A, 30, (f); M R, 7, (f); M S, 5, (f); J J, 2, (m), all b. MA.  This is John Milton (8), b. 1819 Nov 2 in Salem NH, d. 1881 Mar 17 in Boston, age 61-4-15. He m. 1842 Feb 27, Mrs Mary Bassett Partridge Hills, daughter of Asa and Sally (Bassett) Partridge.  In 1860, They are in Weston, Middlesex, MA: John M, 40; Mary A, 40; M Rosalie, 17; Mary S, 15; John J, 11; Rufus B, 8; Alva M, 6; Nathaniel C, 5.  In 1870, and 80 they are in Boston, where he is Superintendent of an oil factory [Downer Kerosine Co]. Son, John J, 21 is still with his folks in 1870 working in the oil works.  John Milton (8)'s lineage is Abraham Dow (7), Joshua (6), James (5), Nathaniel (4), John (3), Nathaniel (2,1). More details are available.

His son John J (9) was b. 1848 Nov 30, d. 1876 Apr 25. He m. 1875 Nov 30, Alice Ratcliff of Belmont NY. We didn't have his second name, Jacob, only the initial J.  Their son John Joshua was b. 1876 Sep 1, some five months after his father's death.

We assume you are descended from John Joshua (10). All that we have on him is his birth date. We tried to find him and his mother, Alice, in the 1880 census, but so far have not been successful. We assume she probably remarried.

We are trying to database the Merrill/Merrell surname nationwide from the original immigrants right down to the present day for all the immigrant lines. So far we have over 60,000 Merrill males, plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate that there are well over 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and we need and appreciate all the help we can get, particularly with the later generations. We use this database strictly to try and help folks trace their Merrill roots. Be assured that no info on living individuals will become internet accessible. We would be interested in any info you have on the Merrill surname descendants of John Jacob (9) down to the present.

We write the query column for the MERRILL NEWSLETTER published by Lil Hall Welch. Check out the Newsletter homepage at <www.merrill.org/genealogy/tmn>

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family John Harold Loomer
Date: Fri, March 04, 2005 10:30 pm

Question: Janet Stucki wrote:

The Web link for John Harold Merrill does not work.... I am a cousin from this line and just discovered this website..... ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!!!!!

Answer: Janet:

We don't have anything to do with the Merrill.org  site other than to try and answer queries. Send your question re: the link to <Steve@Merrill.org>.

That being said, we do have info on two John Harold Merrills. One 1896-1974, son of Hiram (10), and one b. 1947 in Lodi, CA, son of Harold LaVerne (10).  Is either one of these the John Harold that you have intrest in? We do have lineages of both of these back to the original immigrant, Nathaniel (1).

We are trying to database the Merrill/Merrell surname nationwide from the original immigrants right down to the present day for all the immigrant lines. So far we have over 60,000 Merrill males, plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate that there are well over 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and we need and appreciate all the help we can get, particularly with the later generations. We use this database strictly to try and help folks trace their Merrill roots. Be assured that no info on living individuals will become internet accessible. We would be interested in any info you have on the Merrill surname descendants of your John Harold down to the present.

We write the query column for the MERRILL NEWSLETTER published by Lil Hall Welch. Check out the Newsletter homepage at <www.merrill.org/genealogy/tmn>

Howard and Jean Merrill