Samuel Merrill, 1928, reprint 1983

English Origins of the Merrill Family - Chapter III, pp28-31

   It does not appear by Rev. Samuel-H. Merrill’s papers that in his researches of fifty years ago he paid much attention to the question of the English origin of the family. “As to the European origin of the Merrill family I have no certain information,” he wrote, in a letter to Gyles Merrill of Haverhill, dated 12 April, 1869. To this he added: “Your information is correct that the two brothers, John and Nathaniel, came from Salisbury, England. That they were of French descent is highly probable.”

    But the reasons which Rev. Mr. Merrill assigned for belief in the theory of French descent are very unconvincing. The family temperament, he argued, is generally mercurial, and this is a French characteristic. The ending -lle, furthermore, is very common in French proper names, but not in English names, he said. Finally, “there were none of the name in England in 1520, but there were Merrills in France at that date.” If these reasons were based on accurate statements of fact they would be entitled to considerable weight, but Mr. Merrill (See page 100.) is not in accord with General Merrill with respect to family temperament, and in the previous chapter it has appeared that similar family names were known in England at a much earlier date than 1520.

Salisbury, in Wilts

   Gyles⁷ Merrill, like Rev. Samuel-H. Merrill, felt a strong conviction that the Merrill s of Newbury came from Salisbury, in Wiltshire, in the South of England.

   This belief was based solely on tradition. Nathaniel¹ Merrill was presumably more than 50 years of age at his death in 1655. His son Daniel² lived in Salisbury, Mass., six or eight miles from his father’s homestead, and died at the age of 74. Daniel’s son Moses³ spent his life in Salisbury, and died at the age of 72. Moses⁴, of the next generation, spent most of his life in Salisbury, and in Haverhill, less than fifteen miles away, and died at the age of 87. Rev. Gyles⁵ Merrill lived in Haverhill, within a quarter of a mile of the homestead occupied in his later years by his father, Moses⁴, and died at 62. Moses⁶ Merrill lived in the house which had been the parsonage of his father, and died when 88 years of age. Here were six generations, with no long migrations to distant parts, and without the consequent interruption of frequent communication, the grandsons in most cases presumably hearing reminiscences and stories of olden time from the lips of their grandfathers. Under such circumstances a tradition is entitled to a maximum of credence. In this line of the family tradition pointed strongly to Salisbury as the English home of the Newbury Merrills.

   But traditions at best are uncertain. Other settlers in the neighborhood had come from Salisbury and Amesbury in Wiltshire, and had given the names to the towns of Salisbury and Amesbury in Massachusetts. It is quite possible that, a generation or two after the death of Nathaniel¹ and his brother, the impression may have been created that Nathaniel too was from the Wiltshire city, and this impression may easily in later years have crystallized into an assertion of fact. A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, however, and a chain of tradition is no stronger than the memory of that one in the chain of those who have handed down the tradition whose memory is least to be depended on. Nevertheless, if no records or other evidence pointing in some other direction had been found, the Salisbury tradition might still carry considerable weight.

   A somewhat superficial search of the church records of Salisbury, England, yielded negative results. No reference to Nathaniel¹ Merrill or his brother was found, but the records of many churches in that vicinity have not been examined.*

Other Theories

   Among other places which have been considered the possible English home of the Newbury Merrills are Cheshire, Grafton Flyford in Worcestershire, and Somersetshire, but each theory has lacked the necessary evidence to substantiate it. A correspondent in New Hampshire wrote me some years ago, quoting his father as saying that the family name was originally McMerrill, and that he was a descendant of Robert McMerrill, a soldier in the army of Robert Bruce. Inasmuch as my correspondent was not sure of his grandfather’s christian name, I made no effort to trace, with his assistance, the connection with the Scottish soldier of six hundred years ago.

The Merrells of Suffolk

   Evidence stronger than tradition, bearing on the question of the English origin of the family, is to be found in Hartford, Conn., and in English records brought to light in following the clue furnished by the records in Hartford.

   John² Merrill, a son of the emigrant, left Newbury soon after the death of his father, and is supposed to have been adopted by Gregory Wolterton of Hartford. In his will, dated 17 July, 1674, Gregory Wolterton named John Merrill (See pages 82-3) as residuary legatee, and also gave “unto James wolterton the son of mathew wolterton that liue in Ipsage in sufolke in owld Ingland ten pound if he be liuing if not to his Childeren eaquelly deuided.”

   In Gregory Wolterton’s will few words were wasted. He did not tell the relationship that may have existed between James Wolterton and himself; and he did not refer to any relationship as the reason why he made John² Merrill the chief beneficiary of his will. But following the clue furnished by this will the records of Ipswich, England, and some of the neighboring parishes were searched, and they seem to have yielded evidence that the English home of the Merrills was in southern Suffolk, rather than in Wiltshire.

   The Calendar of Wills at Ipswich between 1444 and 1600 shows twenty-three entries under the various spellings Merrell, Morrell, Murrell, Murell, Meryell, Morriell and Moriell. Whether these individuals were representatives of different branches of the same family it is not necessary to discuss at this time: it is sufficient to note that certain of them may have been in the direct family line of Nathaniel Merrill of Newbury. In the same Calendar there are also references, in the fifteenth century, to the wills of Thomas Woolverston of Freston and John Waterden of Bramford, and in the early sixteenth century to the wills of John Watterden of Needham Market and John Waterden of Needham. Whether these latter names are variants of Wolterton I am unable to say, but, in view of the wide latitude which recording officers in those days permitted themselves in writing family names, it may easily be that some of these men were lineal forbears of the prosperous tanner of Hartford.

   Before we make up our minds, however, that the English home of the family was in southern Suffolk, it will of course be necessary to find more direct and positive evidence than is contained in the will of Gregory Wolterton, or in the Calendar of Wills just quoted.

   To this subject I shall devote the following chapter.

* In the register of St. Edmund's Church, Salisbury, between 1596 and 1617, twenty-six baptism of children named Myrhell or Mirhell were recorded. They seem to represent seven family groups.

Chapter IV

   If you have further information on the book, "A Merrill Memorial" and would like to share it with others, please contact me.