Subject: Re: Merrill family - John of Dunbarton, 1739
Date: Tue, November 15, 2009 6:22a
Question: Sue Follansbee wrote:
I'd like to be able to firm up the ancestry between Jesse Merrill who m. Nancy Cheney 8 Nov 1798 in Dunbarton, NH; to John Merrill b. 9 Feb 1738/9 Plaistow, NH; to Abraham Merrill who m. Mehitable Stevens. We last corresponded in May 2009, I believe. Your Ask the Experts has been very helpful. My friend Lisa Spears and I are trying to get documentation together so she can join the Sons and Daughters of the First Settlers of Newbury, and I think they will need to know sources for Jesse's connection to John. Lisa's father had his DNA done, and it confirmed his descent from the first Nathaniel; we just hope to find proof.
Would you have sources for this connection? All the other generations appear to be plain enough. Thank you. I think we sent you her line down from Jesse when we corresponded earlier. If you don't have it, let me know and I will send you it in whatever form you need.
Answer: Sue:
I guess you would have to say this connection is all circumstantial. From "A Merrill Memorial", John (5), 1739 was b. Plaistow, and enlisted from Derryfield [now Manchester] to serve at Fort William Henry [before 1758]. He was taxed in Derryfield in 1760. He disappears from Derryfield, and at the same time a John appears in Dunbarton, 10 miles away. We don't have any hard evidence that the John of Derryfield and the John of Dunbarton are the same John. In 1776, John signed the Association Test in Dunbarton. His father Abraham, and his brothers signed in Derryfield. John is listed in Dunbarton in the census of 1790, 1800, and 1810. John of Dunbarton [and his immediate family] is the only Merrill family in Dunbarton in this time period. Son Richard (6), b. ca 1765, m. 1787, Lydia Colby in nearby Goffstown. He is listed in Dunbarton in 1790, 1800, 10, 20, 30, and 40. Son John (6), was baptized in Dunbarton in 1768. This John is believed to be the John who m. 1791 Mar 28, Lydia Hilton in Dunbarton. We do not know where he went. Son Jesse (6), b. between 1770 and 1775, presumably in Dunbarton, m. Nancy Cheny in Dunbarton, 1798 Nov 8. Jesse signed a petition protesting a minister tax, 1796 Mar 11 in Dunbarton [he would have to be 21 to have signed]. In the census Jesse was in Fisherfield [now Newbury, NH] in 1810, Arlington VT in 1820, and Bolton NY in 1830, his widow Nancy is in Bolton NY in 1850 with son Jesse Jr (7). It is interesting to note that John (5)'s brother Jonathan (5) was in Fisherfield in 1790, 1800 and 1810, so that when Jesse (6) left Dunbarton, he went to Fisherfield where his uncle Jonathan (5) was living.
This is all we have on this family from our own personal knowledge. We do have info from another correspondent, Joyce Marin, also a descendant of Jesse.. We haven't corresponded with her since 1999, so we don't know if her email is still good. Her Mailing address was PO Box 474, Sterling, MA 01564. She had visited the library in Dunbarton and they had on file information on the genealogy of this Merrill family prepared by a researcher there, who wrote "Where the Winds Blow Free", a history of Dunbarton by Alice Hadley. John and Jesse are mentioned in that book. It was this info from Joyce that clinched our previous supposition that our proposed lineage was correct.
Hope this helps,
Howard and Jean Merrill |
Subject: Re: Merrill family - John Merrell, 1772, Yorkshire
Date: Tue, November 17, 2009 4:23p
Question: Lynn Crampton wrote:
My ggggreat grandfather was John Merrell born abt 1772 (possibly in York, Yorkshire England) died 1827 Micklegate York Yorkshire who married Dorothy Boulton or Bolton (born abt 1777 Swaledale Yorkshire England)died 1855 in York, Yorkshire They married at St Michaels Church Spurriergate, York,Yorkshire, England 13 November 1797. They had 9 children first born was Ann 1798 then Henry 1803 John 1805 Jane 1807 Edward 1810 Edward 1811 Eliza 1815 Frances 1817 Harriet 1819.
I have found other Merrells in York not long after his birth, Margaret Merrell who died 13 Sept 1784 and John Merrill died 31 March 1787 both Deaths in Parish records of the Beddern Chapel York. George Myrill 26 Dec 1786 and Thomas Meynell 18th June 1789 Holy Trinity Goodramgate.
I have been unable to establish a birth place of John Merrell born 1772. Any help would be appreciated.
Answer: Lynn:
We are sorry, we don't have any info on your John Merrell, 1772. Our info on British Merrells is very limited. Almost all our database of over 60,000 Merrill/Merrell males is almost all in the USA. What little research we have done in England has been to try and locate the ancestors of the early immigrants to the US, five unrelated immigrant families are known to have come before 1700. We are gathering what info we can about English Merrell families as we get it from correspondents like yourself, but are not planning any extensive search of English Merrell families. We really have our hands full trying to sort out the Merrills on this side of the pond. We estimate there have been well over 1000,000 Merrill males over here since the first ones arrrived in 1639.
Sorry we couldn't be any help,
Howard and Jean Merrill |
