Subject: Re: Merrill family Sidney Merrill
Date: Fri, Aug 26, 2005 1:22 am

Question: Cheryl Wisner- Gardner wrote:

I.m looking for Sidney Merrill married Mary D. Calkins He was born 12-22-1807 listed one of his daughters daughter was Hannah Ann Merrill 8-11-1838. who was my gggreatgrandmother.Can you help me.

Answer: Cheryl:

Your Sidney (7) Merrill was the son of Truman (6) [b. 1766 Sep 26 in West Hartford CT, d. 1856 Aug 24 in Augusta, Oneida, NY] and 2nd wife Anna Clark. Sidney was listed in Cohocton, Steuben Co, NY in 1830; Dansville, Steuben, NY in 1840; and Naples, Ontario, NY in 1850 and 60. [All within 20 miles of each other]. They had 10 children. Your Hannah Ann [1838 Aug 28 - 1888 May 7] m. 1862 Sep 3, John Eldridge.  Sidney (7)'s lineage is Truman (6), Nathaniel (5) Gideon (4), Wilterton (3), John (2), Nathaniel (1). More details are available.

Do you have a death date for Sidney?

 Hope this helps,

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family Charles Ruben Merrill
Date: Fri, Aug 26, 2005 1:22 am

Question: James Merrill wrote:

I'm looking for information on my great grandfather ,Charles Ruben Merrill who was born in the Boston area around 1870's and died around 1922-1924 in FL .My grandfather was Maurice Edward Merrill and he was born in 1895 in Boston and died in 1954 in SC . My great grandmother was Ann Hart ! who died Nov. 1949 at Boston City Hospital .I think that she was divorced from Charles Ruben since I'm told that he had another wife while in FL.I'm also told that my grandfather had a sister named Rose . I know little else since my grandfather apparently did not talk much about his life . My father ,John D Merrill was born Aug. 20th 1921 1n SC and died in Dec. 1986 and he knew little about our family . I realize I have little information but I would greatly appreaciate any information that you may be aware of. James merrill

Answer: James:

We don't have any info on your Charles Reuben. We could not find any record of his b. or that of  Maurice Edward in the MA vital records. That is very unusual for MA has required all b. m. and d. be reported to the state since 1850.  Neither did we find a m. of Charles and Ann Hart.  The only info we found that might be pertinent is that Charles R and Annie L [b. Nova scotia] had a daughter, Roseanna, b. Boston, 1888 Dec 16, and an unnamed son, b. Somerville MA [a Boston suburb], 1893 Feb 8.  How firm is your grandfather's b. date?  Could this unnamed son be him?
Where was your great grandmother b.?  Both these birth records indicate that the father was b. ME, not MA, although they differ as to where in ME. One says Portland, the other says Somerville, Lincoln Co, ME.  We doubt this is the correct Charles R, because one of the records gives her name as Annie L Gardner.

We looked in the 1900 and 1910 census for Charles in all of Suffolk Co [Boston], but could not find him.

As a last resort we looked in FL for Charles since that is where he d. We finally hit pay dirt! In Lyn Haven, Bay, FL [near Panama City] we found Charles R, 71, b. ME, parents b. ME; Madeline T, 65, b. MA; and the clincher, Maurice E, 27, single, b. MA, Father b. ME, Mother b. MA.  Charles was a lather and Maurice a house carpenter.  What is really interesting is that Maurice is 27, therefore b. ca 1893, and in the MA vital records Charles' occupation was lather. We assume this is one who puts up the thin wood strips that used to be covered with plaster [before the advent of sheetrock].

Now that we had an firm age for Charles, we looked for him in 1910 and found him in Pittston, Kennebec ME,  Charles R, 61, b. ME, 2nd m.-15 yr; Madeline T, 55, MA, 2nd m.-15 yr; 2 children, 2 living; Maurice, 17, b. MA; also daughter Rosine V Taylor, 20, MA, m. 3 yr, 1 child,
1 living; granddaughter, Grace M Taylor, 1-9/12, ME. Charles was a lather and Maurice a tacker (?).

We still haven't been able to find him in 1900. But it certainly looks like Maurice is probably the son of Charles R and Annie L Gardner and was the son b. 1893 Feb 8 in Somerville, Middlesex, MA. Annie and Charles must have divorced soon after Maurice was b. for Charles m. Madeline ca 1895. Did Ann remarry or was she still Merrill when she d.?  We wonder if she may have m, a Hart and that is where the Ann Hart came from?

While we have been able to add a little data, we still don't know who Charles R's parent were. And we have added a lot more questions.  Sorry we couldn't be more definitive.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family Jeremiah Merrill
Date: Tue, Aug 23, 2005 9:40 pm

Question: david nickel wrote:

hi, can you tell me anything about Jeremiah MERRILL, who once live in Orangville, Wyoming County, NY? He was the son (b 1785, CT) of Noah MERRILL and Hepsey PETTIBONE. I'm trying to determine if Jeremiah MERRILL is the father of Eliza MERRILL (b 1812), who is my gggGrandMother. cheers, and thanks for your website! dn.

Answer: David:

Your Jeremiah (7) Merrill was b. 1785 May 30 in New Hartford, Litchfield, CT and d. 1863 Feb 19 in Orangeville, Center, Wyoming, NY, son of Noah and Hepsey Pettibone.  He m. 1st, 1807 Oct _, Alta  Blackmer [ 1790 Feb 22 - 1838 Dec _]. They did have, among others, your Eliza b. 1812 Sep 12, who m. 1834 Oct 23, Price Morse.  Jeremiah (7)'s lineage is Noah (6), Ephriam (5), Nathaniel (4), John (3,2), Nathaniel (1). More details are available.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family Sherburne Merrill
Date: Tue, Aug 23, 2005 11:56 am

Question: Bud Jay wrote:

Am looking for parents of Sherburn(e) Merrill, my ggg-grandfather, who married Deborah Goodhue Collins, dau. of Samuel Collins and Deborah Goodhue, on March 26, 1817, in Deerfield, Rockingham Co., NH. Sherburn born in 1790's in Deerfield(?), died August 11, 1856 in Gilmanton, Belknap CO.,! NH. Wife born in Deerfield on January 16, 1795, in Deerfield and died in Gilmanton on May 18, 1854. Both buried in Old Center Cemetery, Deerfield, Rockingham Co. Have had several wrong leads but currently think his father may have been Rev.Eliphalet Merrill who married Martha Prescott. Your help or recommendation would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Bud:

Our proposed parents for your Sherburne are Robert (5) and Mary Jane Rowe, but we can only say "proposed".  The basis for this proposal is that Robert is the only one in the 1800 Deerfield census who has an unidentified son under 10.  Robert was also in Deerfield in 1790.

When we look at Eliphalet (5) 1746-1824 and Martha Prescott as possible parents for Sherburne, we come to the conclusion that, they cannot be his parents, based on what we know of their children and the census.  We have their children as Caleb, 1780 Dec 16; Eliphalet Jr, 1783 Feb 20; Elizabeth, 1786 Oct 2; Polly, 1789 June 9; Nathaniel, 1793 Sep 12.  In the 1800 Deerfield census, Eliphalet [45+] and wife [Martha] [26-45] have 1 male [under 10], 2 f [10-16], 2 m [16-26]. This is consistent with the known children of Eliphalet and Martha and leaves no room for another son [Sherburne, ca 1791].  Since we know that Nathaniel (6), 1793, survived [He was living with brother Eliphalet Jr (6) in both 1850 and 60 in Deerfield] he has to be the son [under 10] in 1800.

Since Eliphalet and Robert are the only Merrills in Deerfield in 1800 with sons [under ten] we conclude that the most likely parents for Sherburne are Robert (5) and Mary Jane Rowe. His lineage would then be Sherburne (6), Robert (5), Daniel (4), Stephen (3), Daniel (2), 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 Sherburne Merrill down to the present.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Proposed Merrill DNA Study
Date: Mon, Aug 22, 2005 3:51 pm

Question: Gary Merrill wrote:

"We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows."  (Robert Frost)

As you may know, I'm the list administrator for the RootsWeb Merrill and Merrell mailing lists --which is a no-brainer, since there's almost no traffic on either one -- but it's a way of getting the word out. I'm thinking of proposing a Merrill DNA surname project, and trying to get people interested in participating.  Before going "public", however, I'm asking for your reactions and comments. 

Each of you are in a unique position to spread the word, if this sounds like something worth doing.  This doesn't have to be "my" thing exclusively, in fact, I prefer it if it wasn't.

I see this as a 3-part process (not a 3-step process, since all 3 can be going on at once):

1) We should try to enlist people with good, well-documented lines, from the sons of the 2nd generation.  This would establish a "haplotype" (pattern of markers) for Nathaniel of Newbury.  For statistical purposes, we should have at least two individuals from the same line.

2) We should also try to get descendants of the other Merrill/Merrell families -- Thomas of Saybrook CT, Richard of Staten Island, William of Hopewell NJ, William of Maryland, etc as well as some English Merrills, French "Merles", etc, etc.  This would finally answer the age-old question whether there is a relationship, or none. The person must be male, with the surname Merrill, or some variation.
A daughter of a Merrill would need to get her father, brother, uncle, grandfather, etc to be tested.

EXAMPLE.  So far, I have found just two people whose data is on the internet.  One is a Steven W. Merrill, in Paradise TX,  a descendant of William of Maryland, the other is a Bill Merrill, who lives in Warwickshire, England.  However, their haplotypes indicate that they have no recent common ancestor.  In other words, "recent" meaning no Merrill relationship, as such. (Of course, all of us males are descended from "the Patriarch", who lived in Africa some 80,000 years ago. We all carry his Y-chromosome, with variations.)

3)  Once some patterns begin to emerge, other people (like me) who don't have a documented line, would then be in a position to know where they fit in.  Again, the only qualification is that the person be male, with the surname Merrill, or some variation of the name.

EXAMPLE.  My earliest Merrill is Reuben, born about 1785, presumably in CT. The two best scenarios I've come up with involve descent from Nathaniel of Newbury, and Thomas of Saybrook, respectively.
(Of course, if they were cousins, it probably won't help me. But, the study should show whether, in fact, they were cousins.)

4)  Eventually, we might be able to distinguish between different lines, and then things could get really interesting, as a supplement to the historical record, which can sometimes be a problem.

The downside is, it isn't cheap.  Somewhere between $150-200, depending on the testing company you go with, and what markers are tested.  I suspect there are some people who will be sufficiently fired up by the idea than they won't bat an eye.  Others may be persuaded, if we can "sell" the benefits as providing information that can't be obtained any other way.  Some of the testing outfits offer a discount to participants in a "surname project".  I'm in the process of surveying the various options, and looking for the best deal.  There are other considerations besides costs, which I won't go into here.

Something of an aside:  There is a very rapidly evolving field of "deep genealogy", tracing early human history and migration patterns, which will eventually be able to determine where --somewhere in Europe presumably -- our earliest male ancestor lived, many thousands of years ago, long before there were surnames. This is getting to the point that it may be possible to say where your male ancestor sat out the ice age, for example. That kind of precision involves testing for markers that are usually not included in the standard battery of tests -- and more expense.  However, in general terms, just with the kind of thing I'm talking about, we should be able to say where the earliest Merrill was living, say, in 1300-1400 AD, which is probably when the surname originated.

There is a possibility that the deep ancestry angle might intrigue someone who was less interested in the surname project per se.  But all of use would benefit from his participation.

I'm contacting Steve, Howard and Jean, and Lillian for their input.  Howard and Jean, your database will ould be invaluable in sorting out and verifying the documented lines. If you can think of others who could/should be contacted, please let me know.

Gary

Answer: Gary et al:

I have been very interested in this approach ever since David W [not Steven W] of Paradise TX first proposed it a couple of years ago, and had his tested. Cost is the big inhibition, I think. What we really need is to get someone with deep pockets that is interested in Merrill Genealogy to fund the project, or at least partially subsidize it, so the cost is not so high to the individual. One thinks offhand of the Merrills of  Merrill Lynch, C E Merrill Publishing, Skidmore, Owens, & Merrill Architects, Merrell Footware, and I'm sure there are many others for whom a few thousand dollars would be a drop in the bucket.  The question is how do you get to them?

In rereading David's letters, it seems that the 37 marker YDNA test is the most discriminating [also most expensive, ca $250], and gives the most info about possible recent generation similarities. For the lines in the US today , we are talking about 12-14 generations, a few more at least in England.

I don't think the privacy issue would be much of a problem. For a few maybe. Certainly a few shady characters wouldn't want their DNA on file anywhere, but that wouldn't be a problem for most of us.

I think your idea of having at least two descendants from each of Nathaniel's sons would provide a good data base, the two from Thomas of Saybrook, two each from Richard of Staten Island and William of Staten Island and Hopewell NJ, and two from William of MD.  Then there are those of unproven lineage who have the most to gain by comparison with this database. These include Marriner Wood of UT [prob. Nathaniel], John and Jemima Batton of WV [prob. Richard], Jacob of Covington Co AL, [ prob. William of MD]. Plus some lines in England and maybe France.

So we are talking about the order of some twenty five or thirty samples. Perhaps a group rate would be available. David indicated a group rate was possible, but didn't indicate how much the price would come down or how many were necessary to get a reduction.

In correspondence we know of two who have expressed a interest, Stan Merrill of MN [William of MD] and Dr John of Liechestershire England. Both have been urged by David.

I just looked through our correspondence file and have about 130 Merrill/Merrell males [plus a lot of Merrill females] who have corresponded with us regarding their Merrill line.  I don't know how many of those have proven Merrill lines or how many would be interested in taking part in such a project, but we know these are interested in their genealogy.

Count us in on the project, and we will do what we can to promote it.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Proposed Merrill DNA Study
Date: Mon, Aug 22, 2005 9:14 pm

Question: Gary Merrill wrote:

Thanks for the encouragement.

At 03:51 PM 8/22/2005, howard merrill wrote:

proposed it a couple of years ago, and had his tested. Cost is the big inhibition, I think. What we really need is to get someone with deep pockets that is interested in Merrill Genealogy to fund the

In rereading David's letters, it seems that the 37 marker YDNA test is the most discriminating [also most expensive, ca $250], and gives the most info about possible recent generation similarities. For the lines in the US today , we are talking about 12-14 generations, a few more at least in England.

I think your idea of having at least two descendants from each of Nathaniel's sons would provide a

Count us in on the project, and we will do what we can to promote it.
Howard and Jean Merrill

Gary Merrill wrote:

"We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows."  (Robert Frost)

As you may know, I'm the list administrator for the RootsWeb Merrill and Merrell mailing lists --which is a no-brainer, since there's almost no traffic on either one -- but it's a way of getting the word out. I'm thinking of proposing a Merrill DNA surname project, and trying to get people interested in participating.  Before going "public", however, I'm asking for your reactions and comments. 

Each of you are in a unique position to spread the word, if this sounds like something worth doing.  This doesn't have to be "my" thing exclusively, in fact, I prefer it if it wasn't.

I see this as a 3-part process (not a 3-step process, since all 3 can be going on at once):

1) We should try to enlist people with good, well-documented lines, from the sons of the 2nd generation.  This would establish a "haplotype" (pattern of markers) for Nathaniel of Newbury.  For statistical purposes, we should have at least two individuals from the same line.

2) We should also try to get descendants of the other Merrill/Merrell families -- Thomas of Saybrook CT, Richard of Staten Island, William of Hopewell NJ, William of Maryland, etc as well as some English Merrills, French "Merles", etc, etc.  This would finally answer the age-old question whether there is a relationship, or none. The person must be male, with the surname Merrill, or some variation.  A daughter of a Merrill would need to get her father, brother, uncle, grandfather, etc to be tested.

EXAMPLE.  So far, I have found just two people whose data is on the internet.  One is a David W. Merrill, in Paradise TX,  a descendant of William of Maryland, the other is a Bill Merrill, who lives in Warwickshire, England.  However, their haplotypes indicate that they have no recent common ancestor.  In other words, "recent" meaning no Merrill relationship, as such. (Of course, all of us males are descended from "the Patriarch", who lived in Africa some 80,000 years ago. We all carry his Y-chromosome, with variations.)

3)  Once some patterns begin to emerge, other people (like me) who don't have a documented line, would then be in a position to know where they fit in.  Again, the only qualification is that the person be male, with the surname Merrill, or some variation of the name.

EXAMPLE.  My earliest Merrill is Reuben, born about 1785, presumably in CT. The two best scenarios I've come up with involve descent from Nathaniel of Newbury, and Thomas of Saybrook, respectively.
(Of course, if they were cousins, it probably won't help me. But, the study should show whether, in fact, they were cousins.)

4)  Eventually, we might be able to distinguish between different lines, and then things could get really interesting, as a supplement to the historical record, which can sometimes be a problem.

The downside is, it isn't cheap.  Somewhere between $150-200, depending on the testing company you go with, and what markers are tested.  I suspect there are some people who will be sufficiently fired up by the idea than they won't bat an eye.  Others may be persuaded, if we can "sell" the benefits as providing information that can't be obtained any other way.  Some of the testing outfits offer a discount to participants in a "surname project".  I'm in the process of surveying the various options, and looking for the best deal.  There are other considerations besides costs, which I won't go into here.

Something of an aside:  There is a very rapidly evolving field of "deep genealogy", tracing early human history and migration patterns, which will eventually be able to determine where --somewhere in Europe presumably -- our earliest male ancestor lived, many thousands of years ago, long before there were surnames. This is getting to the point that it may be possible to say where your male ancestor sat out the ice age, for example. That kind of precision involves testing for markers that are usually not included in the standard battery of tests -- and more expense.  However, in general terms, just with the kind of thing I'm talking about, we should be able to say where the earliest Merrill was living, say, in 1300-1400 AD, which is probably when the surname originated.

There is a possibility that the deep ancestry angle might intrigue someone who was less interested in the surname project per se.  But all of use would benefit from his participation.

I'm contacting Steve, Howard and Jean, and Lillian for their input.  Howard and Jean, your database will ould be invaluable in sorting out and verifying the documented lines. If you can think of others who could/should be contacted, please let me know.

Gary

Subject: Re: Merrill family Gen Lewis Merrill
Date: Fri, Aug 19, 2005 2:04 pm

Question: Thomas Nester wrote:

Hello. My name is Tom Nester and I am a doctoral student at Texas A&M University. My dissertation concerns the Seventh U.S. Cavalry's activities in the southern states during Reconstruction. As part of my research, I am paying special attention to Lewis M. Merrill (major at time of dep! loyment) and his command of the detachments in South Carolina and Louisiana during the 1870s. I have found that Major Merrill was probably the most active and effective army officer to have served in the South during Reconstruction, which often placed him in opposition to his commanding officer, "General" George A. Custer. I have been searching for collections of Major Merrill's personal papers or reminiscences, but have failed to locate any. Do you know of any such collections that may still be in the hands of family members? If so, I would be very interested in contacting them and asking for permission to examine whatever is available. I cannot stress enough how interested I am in reading any materials that would give me insights into Major Merrill's outlook on Reconstruction, his military service, and serving in the Seventh U.S. Cavalry. Please feel free to contact me at: Thomas Nester, A.B.D. Texas A&M University Department of History Room 101, Melbern G. Glasscock Building College Station, TX 77843 (979) 845-7151 tgngradhist@yahoo.com Thank you, in advance, for any assistance that you can provide me! I have found your website to be very helpful in finding out how Lewis M. Merrill spent his last years, outside of the army. Regards, Tom Nester

Answer: Tom:

We do not know the location of Gen. Lewis Merrill's papers, if they still exist.  His son, John Houston, b. 1859 Oct 31, was supposedly a lawyer in Philadelphia, according to MM.  We know nothing about his son, other than what is in MM [pg 14], but we were unable to find him in Philadelphia or surrounding counties in 1900, 1910, or 1920 census.  He presumably had an interest in genealogy, for he wrote "Memorandum relating to the Mifflin family" in 1890, [his wife's family?], so we would assume he would have had his fathers papers.

Sorry we could not help,

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family MERRILL crest
Date: Sat, Aug 13, 2005 8:01 pm

Question: Melvin Merrill wrote:

Was wondering if anyone had a picture or drawing of the Merrill Family crest. It seems to me i read somewhere that it was a blackbird. Just hoping somebody could steer me in the right direction. thank you very much. sincerly Melvin Merrill

Answer: Melvin:

On the site that you posted this query, <merrill.org> Look for MERRILL MEMORIAL which Steve is posting online. Look at the Table of Contents and scroll down to Chapter IX "A Few Questions of Heraldry". Here you find a good discussion of  several Merrill crests along with illustrations.

Have Fun.

Any thing new on your line?  I don't think you ever sent your line down from James Myron. We would appreciate details down to the present. Be assured that our database in not internet accessable, for security reasons.

Howard and Jean