Subject: Re: Merrill family - Claribel Merrill
Date: Thu, July 2, 2009 5:58a

Question: Tim Callahan wrote:

I am trying to track down information on my Great Grandmother which is Claribel Merrill Born December 30th 1891 in Seneca Falls, New York any info you have would be great.

thank you Tim Callahan

Answer: Tim:

The 1900 census for Seneca Falls NY lists this Merrill family:
Charles, 43, b. NY Nov 1856, m. 11 yrs, Fa b. CT, Mo b. NY
Julia A, 32, b. NY Mar 1868, m. 11 yrs, 5 children, 4 living
Charles L, 10, b. NY Oct 1889
Claribel, 8, b. NY Dec 1891
Lewis A, 2, b. NY Jul 1897
George A, 2, b. NY Jul 1897
also
Sarah Turney, 19, servant

This is surely your Claribel's family. We looked in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 NY census for your Charles, father of Claribel. We didn't find anyone that fit the 1900 census data exactly. The only one that comes close is from the 1860 census for Denmark, Lewis, NY. We found Lewis, 45, farmer, b. NY; Mary, 40, b. NY; Charles S, 3, b. NY; Fred L, 1, b. NY. This is actually Jared Lewis (8) son of Seth, and he was b. NY, not CT as your Charles stated in the 1900 census. However, his father, Seth (7) was b. in Waterbury CT. Sometimes, if someone else answers the census taker's questions [like the wife] they might not know exactly where the husband was b., but knew that his family had come from CT. Jared Lewis (8)'s lineage is Seth (7), Nathaniel (6), Caleb (5), Nathaniel (4), John (3,2), immigrant Nathaniel (1). We have no further info on Charles S (9) that would either preclude or support the hypothesis that your Charles was actually Charles S (9), son of Seth. However, it is interesting to note that your Charles and Julia named one of their twins Lewis A. and Jared Lewis (8), at least in the 1860 census, went by Lewis.

We missed this family in the 1870 when we did our original compilation, but we finally found them, still in Denmark in 1870, Lewis, 55; Mary; 50; and Charles, 13. Apparently Fred d. before 1870. Jared Lewis d. in 1877 and in 1880 Charles S [or L], 23 is still in Denmark, boarding, a harness maker like his father. Interestingly, in 1880, he said his father was b. MA.

Oops, Just to make sure, we just checked the 1900 census, for Denmark, Lewis, NY and there is Charles L, 43, harness maker, b. Sep 1856, Widower, b. NY, father b. MA with a son Fred L, 13, June 1886.

This rules out that this Charles S/L can be the father of your Claribel, so I guess that puts us back to square one.

Sorry, we just do not know who your Charles belongs to.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Judith B (Merrill) Bartlett
Date: Tue, July 21, 2009 12:18p

Question: Ian Heath wrote:

Judith B. Merrill m. Matthias Bartlett b. 07 Nov 1778 Newton, Rockingham, NH; daughter Emma Jane Bartlett b. 30 Dec 1837 Newton, d. 28 Aug 1909 Merrimac, Essex, MA. My problem is that Judith's headstone in Newton Cemetery says she d. 31 Jul 1871 "AE 91 yrs 5 mos", which suggests a birthdate of about 1780 (making her 57 or so when Emma Jane was born).

Answer: Ian Heath:

You are correct. Something is not Correct! You are missing a generation. We believe that Judith B Merrill m. Matthias Bartlett JR.

We looked in the 1850 Newton NH census and found what we think is causing the confusion. We found Matthias Bartlett, 70, and Judith Bartlett, 70. Also in the family was Judith B Bartlett, 45, and Lydia A, 17, and your Emma J, 12. Matthias Bartlett [Sr] also m. a Judith. It is this elder Judith, b. ca 1780, who d. 1871 Jul 31, aged 91-5, whose headstone you found in the Newton Cemetery. She was NOT the Judith B Bartlett, b. ca 1805, who was the mother of your Emma Jane, b. 1837.

We then went back to the 1840 census, which only gives the "head of household" by name, and other members of the family by sex and age bracket. Matthias was there, [60-70], wife [60-70], 1 m [10-15], 1 m [20-30], 1 f [15-20]. Judith B Bartlett was listed as "head of household", [30-40], 1 m [20-30], (sick husband? or hired hand?), 1 f [under 5], 1 f [5-10]. So it seems that Judith B Merrill m. a Bartlett son of Matthias Bartlett, probably Matthias Bartlett Jr. and that he d. perhaps before 1840, but certainly before 1850. So Judith B Merrill was about 33 when your Emma Jane was b.

We looked in our database of over 60,000 Merrill males plus wives and daughters for your Judith B Merrill, ca 1805, but did not find one that fits the data. Our file of Merrills of yet unproven lineage is almost as big, but is not yet in the computer. Those are on cards filed by father's name, so it is next to impossible to find a Merrill daughter without her fathers name. Do you have any indication of Judith's father's name? Do you have record of Judith's m. to Matthias?

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Levi Waldo (7) Merrill
Date: Fri, July 24, 2009 9:23a

Question: Sandra Brown Langfitt wrote:

Yesterday my sister found among her family memoribilia a picture of our ggg grandfather, Levi Waldo Merrill. The back of the picture has the notation that he was born June 27, 1796 and died August 18, 1872 in the handwriting of one of my great grandparents, I believe. The picture was ta! ken late in his life by a photographer in Winona, MN. A quick google brought up this website and its treasure trove of information. Your answer to another descendent of Levi Waldo indicates that we are direct descendents of immigrant Nathaniel. If I've got the right idea about numbering the generations (this is new to me), it would go like this: Sandra12 Carol Brown Langfitt, Martha12 Louise Brown Hansen, Beatrice11 Merrill Frenzel Brown, Bessie10 Merrill Frenzel, Clarence9 Sidney Merrill, Sidney8 Smith Merrill, Levi7 Waldo Merrill. Our children and grandchildren are generations 13 and 14. My sister and I would be happy to share any information about our family that we have.

Answer: Sandra:

How nice that you have a picture of your gg grandfather, Levi Waldo Merrill. To have a picture of someone b. 1796 is unusual. We are not into pictures, except of our direct line. With a database of over 60,000 Merrill males plus wives and daughters, we don't have storage, physical or on computer to save pictures.

We would be very interested in any detailed information you have on Sidney Smith (8) and Clarence Sidney (9) and their families [ b., m., d. dates and locations, spouses, children]. We follow the Merrill daughter's until we get them m., but don't try to follow their children, who will be of another surname. We strictly follow only the Merrill surname. It is nice, however, to see how our correspondents, whatever their surname, tie back into the Merrill family.

Are you sure of Sidney Smith's middle name? From several different records we had him as Sidney L, and thought it might be Sidney Levi. But all these records, be it census or vital records, were in their original form, handwritten. An in handwritten script, S and L are often easily confused, and misinterpreted.

Would you also check the dates for Levi Waldo on the photo. The history of Greene ME gave his b. as 1796 June 21. Here again someone in reading their notes might have misinterpreted a 7 as a 1. His death we got from another correspondent as 1872 Aug 18, rather than Aug 8.

Thank you so much for writing,

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Benjamin S Merrill
Date: Fri, July 31, 2009 4:41p

Question: Bob Minnocci wrote:

Hello --

I'm trying to find information about Benjamin Merrill, who lived in Columbia County, NY. Can you tell me anything about him?

Many thanks,

Bob Minnocci

Answer: Sandra:

Bob:

You didn't give us any dates, and we have hundreds of Benjamins in our database, but we believe you are talking about Benjamin S (6) Merrill, 1790-1864, who lived in Austerlitz, Columbia, NY. He m. Mary Hulbert and had, we believe, five children, Martin, Reuben B, Horace, Asher W, and Delight.. His lineage goes back Reuben (5), Asher (4), John (3), Thomas (2), Thomas (1). Thomas (2), son of Thomas was bapt. 1646 in Hartford CT and lived in Saybrook CT. More details are available.

How do you descend from Benjamin S? We would appreciate any info you can give us on the Merrill surname descendants of Benjamin S down to the present day to add to our database of over 60,000 Merrill males plus wives and daughters. We use this database strictly to try and help folks, like yourself, trace their Merrill lineage. Be assured that no information on living individuals will become internet accessible from us.

Howard and Jean Merrill