Subject: Re: Merrill family - Oliver Babson Merrill
Date: Mon, April 4, 2011 10:14p

Question: David wrote:

Thanks for providing this sight! My father was Oliver Babson Merrill JR b 9/22/39 Amesbury Ma son of Oliver Babson Merrill Amesbury b 1909 and Margaret Oneil b 4/5/1910 d 4/3/2011. My grandfather had siblings Anne (Bailey), Caroline, and Keniston. I believe their Dad was George and his Dad was O

Answer:David:

Thank you for writing.  Our regrets at the very recent loss of your grandmother. If she had lived just two more days she would have made 101. What a wonderfully long life. My wife's mother lacked 18 days from making 101.  We hope you got loads of interesting Merrill stories from her.

Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill.   For thirty years we have been trying to database the Merrill/Merrell family nationwide from the original immigrants down to the present day for all immigrant lines.  So far we have info on over 60,000 Merrill males plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate there have been well over a 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and 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 from us.  While our database is not internet searchable, we will be glad to search it for anybody and share what we find at no cost.  All we ask is that folks share their Merrill data with us so that we can expand our database and do a better job of helping solve Merrill lineage problems.

The lineage you have is correct as far back as you gave us. We have your dad and his lineage back to immigrant, Nathaniel in our database.  It goes back Oliver Babson (11, 10), George Albert (9), Oliver Brown (8), Robert M (7), William (6), Daniel (5,4), Stephen (3), Daniel (2), immigrant Nathaniel (1). Nathaniel (1) [1601 - 1655] came to Newbury, MA, ca 1639 From Wherstead, Suffolk, England.  More details are available.

We have your dad in our database as a child, but know nothing about his family or descendants. We would very much appreciate your providing the details to bring this Merrill line down to the present day. We do not publish or give out info on living individuals, but refer anyone asking back to the person who gave us the data.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Jemima Merrell
Date: Sun, April 10, 2011 2:16p

Question: Carol Walsh wrote:

I would like to know if you have any information on the Merrells from Georgia, and if they are descendants of Captain Benjamin Merrell. My lineage is as follows: My mother was Doris Anita Coffee (1923-2006), daughter of Alva Charles Harris and Sandy Garnett Coffee; Alva Charles Harris (1883-1944) was the daughter of Sadie C. Morrissey and Charles Harvie Harris. Charles Harvie Harris (1858-1888) was the son of Rebecca Ann Dense and Albinus P. G. Harris. Rebecca Ann Dense (Born 1837-Hancock County, Georgia-died ?)was the daughter of Ann B. Mershon (1810-1883) and Benjamin F. Dense (1806-1872). Ann B. Mershon was the daughter of Jemima Merrell (1775-1872) and Enos Mershon (1766-1814). We have always heard that Jemima Merrell was the daughter of Mary Catherine Wiseman and John Merrell (who was the son of Captain Benjamin Merrell), but I don't have any proof yet. Thank you for your time.

Answer:Dear Carol Walsh:

The best source for info on the Captain Benjamin Merrill is William Ernest Merrill's booklet "Captain Benjamin Merrill and the Merrill family of NC", originally published in 1935 with a supplement in 1951. Although he does not cite all his sources, we have found few errors. In this booklet he states that Jemima Merrill, daughter of John (4) and Mary Wiseman, and granddaughter of Captain Benjamin (3) [William (2,1)], m. Enos Mershon as you have indicated. If you do not have a copy of this 109 page booklet, we can make a copy for you for $15 copying and mailing costs. Do not be concerned about the different surname spellings - merrill and Merrell have been used interchangeably in different documents.

Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill. For thirty years we have been trying to database the Merrill/Merrell family nationwide from the original immigrants down to the present day for all immigrant lines. So far we have info on over 60,000 Merrill males plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate there have been well over a 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and 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 from us. While our database is not internet searchable, we will be glad to search it for anybody and share what we find at no cost. All we ask is that folks share their Merrill data with us so that we can expand our database and do a better job of helping solve Merrill lineage problems.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Samuel Pearce (8) Merrill
Date: Wed, April 13, 2011 9:41p

Question: Ronald Baines wrote:

My name is Ron Baines and I am a PhD student at the University of Maine researching early Maine and Maritime Canada Baptist Preachers. One extremely important and prominent one is Daniel Merrill of Sedgwick, ME. Your web site seems to point me to this email to submit enquiries. If this is not the right place please forgive the intrusion. Samuel Pearce Merrill indicates that he had access to over 800 sermons of Daniel Merrill when he wrote the memorial for Daniel at the Centennial Celebration of the Sedgwick Baptist Church in 1905. I know Samuel was a graduate of Rochester University and that he was born in July 1835 and died in 1916. I am trying to find out what may have become of his papers, letters and the manuscript sermons. Would you know anything about these items? Also would you know where Samuel was living when he passed away? Any help you might be able to provide would be most appreciated.

Blessings, Ronald Baines

Answer:Ronald:

According to a LDS family group sheets, Samuel Pearce Merrill d. in Los Angeles, CA 1916 Apr 16, but was buried in N. Sedgewick ME. We found him in Adams, Jefferson, NY in 1870 and in Biddeford ME in 1880. We have been unable to locate him anywhere in 1900 or 1910, but we did find his wife Amamda H (Wentworth) Merrill, still listed as married, in Kendall Co TX in 1900 and 1910, In 1900, she and two children, are with her mother and brother. In 1910 she is Head of Household, has daughter Mary with her and brother,Edward, is next door. Samuel Pearse (8)'s lineage is Moses (7), Daniel (6), Thomas (5,4), Abel (3,2), immigrant Nathaniel (1). His grandfather Daniel (6), !765 - 1833, was the renowned minister of the Sedgewick Baptist Church.

We don't have any knowledge of Daniel's papers or sermons. I would try first at the church, or maybe the Baptist Church main Conference office. The ME State Library or ME State Archives, or ME Historical Society are other possibilities. Since it looks like Samuel and Amanda were possibly estranged, it seems unlikely that he would have passed his grandfathers papers to his son John, 1880 - 1967, who was with his mother in 1900, or his grandson Samuel 1917 - 1985. We don't have this line any further.

Sorry we don't have any info on the papers. Even if that info was available in one of the records we've seen, we probably would not have recorded it. Since we have data on over 60,000 Merrill males plus their wives and daughters, we don't have time or storage space to keep everything about everybody. We don't even keep pictures except our own direct family. If you have any other questions about the Merrill family, we'll be glad to try and answer them. Good Luck on finding the sermons!

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Sherman William Merrill
Date: Tue, April 19, 2011 9:41p

Question: Jessie Merrill Zimmerman wrote:

My original search of my Merrill ancestors had me starting with Nathaniel Born 1601. Was thrown off the trail because I did not know there was a Paul Sr. and a Paul Jr. My research tells me that Paul Sr. emigrated before the Revolutionary War but the Merrill family history tells me that Nathaniel was in America before that date. My ggfather was Cyrus King who married Clarissa Dygert who gave birth to my grandfather Sherman William. My father Charles Cyrus was the only child of that union. Help!

Jessie Merrill Zimmerman

Answer:Jessie:

Your original search was correct. Your line does go back to immigrant Nathaniel, 1601-1655. He came to Newbury MA ca 1639 from Wherstead, Suffolk, England.  Your line goes back Charles Cyrus (9), Sherman William (8), Cyrus King (7), Paul (6,5), Enoch (4), Joseph (3), Abel (2), immigrant Nathaniel (1). More details are available. 

We did not have Clarissa's surname. Thank you for that. You said that Charles Cyrus was an only child. Who was his mother? We have that Sherman William's first wife was Ida Mae Preston [ca  1875-ca 1897] and she had Lucy, ca 1893, Lora M, 1894 Sep 22, and Charles Cyrus, 1895 Oct 3. Is this not correct? Or was there an earlier wife who had the two girls? Sherman m. next Flora Louisa (__?__).  Is your brother, Charles Sherman, still living? Does he have children? Grandchildren?  We would like to bring this Merrill line down to the present.

Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill.   For thirty years we have been trying to database the Merrill/Merrell family nationwide from the original immigrants down to the present day for all immigrant lines.  So far we have info on over 60,000 Merrill males plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate there have been well over a 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and 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 from us.

While our database is not internet searchable, we will be glad to search it for anybody and share what we find at no cost.  All we ask is that folks share their Merrill data with us so that we can expand our database and do a better job of helping solve Merrill lineage problems.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Byron Beach Merrill
Date: Tue, April 19, 2011 7:16p

Question: Michael G. Merrill wrote:

Dear Howard and Jean,

My name is Michael G. Merrill. My father was Francis Harold(Frank) Merrill. (1910-1995) His father was Byron Beach Merrill (1870-1921). My question is about my Grandmother, Byron's wife. Her name was Gertrude Blanch Merrill. I think her maiden name was Hansen or Hanson. They were married in 1897 but I'm not sure if it was in New York or Mass. That info was given to me by my father when he was getting along in years so I'm not sure. Both of them show up in the 1910 and 1920 census and Gertrude shows up in the 1930 census having remarried to a man by the name of George Hill, a Scottish emigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1875.I have been unable to find Gertrude prior to her marriage to Byron under either Hansen or Hanson spelling so I cannot find out her parents names. I would appreciate any info you might have.

Thanks, Mike Merrill

Answer: Mike:

Thank you for writing. Byron Beach Merrill was in our "lineage Unknown" file based on an IA cemetery record [b. and d. years only].  Do you know who his parents and grandparents were?  We did not even know who his wife was. We did find them in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census.  In the 1900 census it gives Gertrude b. as 1874 Aug.  In 1920 it states her father b. NH, mother b. Nova Scotia.  We looked for her in the 1880 census. Of the 408 Gertrudes b. in MA 1874+/- 1, we only looked at those starting with H.  As you found out, no Gertrude Hansen or Hanson.  But we did find a Gertrude Herens in Natick, and a Gertrude Homans in Lawrence, both b. ca 1875, and both the fathers were b. NH, but neither of the mothers were b. Canada.  Addison Herens's wife Emma was b. MA, and Arthur Homans wife, Mary was b.ME.  What make us think That Arthur and Mary Homans may be your Gertrude's parents is that Gertrude Homans had a twin sister named Grace and Gertrude Blanch Merrill named her first daughter Grace.  We realize that this is grasping at straws, but sometimes straws is all we have to go on.

Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill.   For thirty years we have been trying to database the Merrill/Merrell family nationwide from the original immigrants down to the present day for all immigrant lines.  So far we have info on over 60,000 Merrill males plus their wives and daughters in our database, but we estimate there have been well over a 100,000 so we have a long way to go, and 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 from us.

While our database is not internet searchable, we will be glad to search it for anybody and share what we find at no cost.  All we ask is that folks share their Merrill data with us so that we can expand our database and do a better job of helping solve Merrill lineage problems.

We would very much like to add Byron Beach's Merrill surname descendants down to the present day to our database.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Byron Beach Merrill (more)
Date: Wed, April 20, 2011 9:11p

Question: Michael G. Merrill wrote:

Howard and Jean, thanks for answering my message.

To give you a little more background on Byron. His father was William R. Merrill and mother Amelia , maiden name of Beach. Amelia was married to a man named Bradley before marrying William. William was born in Pennsylvania and Amelia was born in New York. Byron was born in Illinois but spent most of his life in New York, mostly in Syracuse. I found an application from Amelia for William's civil war military pension. It was filed in 1897, the year William died, but I can't make out what unit he served in or what years. Byron Beach Merrill had four children. Grace, Florance, George and my father Francis. William was the editor of the Utica Saturday Globe newspaper from Utica, N.Y. and Byron followed his dad into the newspaper business. Byron was a printer, proofreader and typesetter for the Syracuse Post Standard Newspaper in Syracuse N.Y. from about 1900 until his death in 1921.

My father told me a story that Gertrude, Byron's wife, was a contributor to a newspaper in Lowell Mass. Byron read one of her articals and went to Mass to meet her. They ended up getting married and stayed in New York state. I have learned through census records that my aunt Grace was married when she was 16, but in the 1920 census, she is listed back home with Byron and Gertrude in Syracuse, as single. My father told me that my aunt Florance died young in Syracuse. She is listed in the 1920 census, at 15 years old but she is not listed as one of Byron's children in the Davenport IA. burial records after Byron died in 1921.

Do you have any idea how I could find out when Florance died? Also, can you tell me what line of Merrill William is decended from?

That's all for now, thanks again for answering my questions.

Mike Merrill

Answer: Mike:

Thanks for the info on Byron's parents, William R and Amelia Beach. We found them in 1870 in Decatur, Macon, IL:  William, 33, PA, printer; and  Amelia, 38, NY; also Nellie Bailey, 17, NY [Amelia's child from her 1st m.?]. So it looks like Amelia's first husband was Bailey, not Bradley.  This is clinched by the 1860 census where in Watson, Lewis, NY we found Amelia Bailey, 29, NY, and Nellie Bailey, 7, with Nelson G Beach 59, CT, Emily Beach, 53, CT and 5 Beach children.  We haven't yet found William R in 1860, but in 1850 we found in Carbondale, Luzerne, PA, William R, 15, PA and Louisa, 10, PA with William and Ada Root.  We had from a correspondent that William Root Merrill was the son of John and Rebecca Root, so in 1850 William R and Louisa are with their maternal grandparents. Also with William and Ada Root was John Mckillip, 28, printer, so this is probably where William R learned his printer trade.  We haven't found a John in 1840 or 1830 in Luzerne Co PA and don't know who his parents were. William and Ada Root were still in Carbondale in 1840.

We Googled Michael G Merrill and found the obit for a Michael George Jr early this year in Schenectady.  Was this your son?  We hope not for I can't imagine the loss of a son at such an early age. If so, our deepest condolences.

We would be interested in your mother's name, your siblings, spouse, children, grandchildren, etc to add to our database.  Be assured that we do not give out info on living individuals, but refer anyone asking back to the one who gave us the data.  Please answer to our email since queries and answers to "Ask the Experts" get posted to that internet site.

While we don't know who John's parents were, there is a way to possibly determine what Merrill line he comes from and that is the relatively new tool of Y-DNA testing. The  DNA associated with the male Y-chromosome is passed from father to son, essentially unchanged, over many, many generations [tens or hundreds].  Thus, barring an adoption or other non-parental event, it should follow the surname.  About 100 living Merrill males have been tested and distinctive DNA patterns have emerged for each of the early Merrill immigrants. Most of the early Merrills in upper NY were descended from Nathaniel, 1601-1655, immigrant to Newbury, MA ca 1639, but some were descended from Richard or William, immigrant brothers?, to Staten Island NY ca 1680. The DNA patterns of their descendants are distinctly different..  The test is run on a simple saliva swab abd runs ca $139, although discounts are occasionally available.  If interested we can give you directions to get Merrill Surname Project discounts.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Morris Pomeroy Merrill
Date: Mon, April 25, 2011 6:20p

Question: Lisa Merrill wrote:

Hi Howard and Jean,

Do you happen to know who the parents were of Morris Pomeroy Merrill b.1779 in Stephenstown, Rensselear NY?

Many thanks, Lisa Merrill

Answer: Lisa :

We do not know who Morris Pomeroy's parents were, but we are pretty sure he descends from William (1) of Staten Island, NY and Hopewell, NJ. A descendant of Morris's son, Henry Dewitt, has been DNA tested and his pattern matches that of other descendants of immigrant William. How do you descend from Morris?

Howrad and Jean Merrill