Subject: Re: Merrill family - Benjamin Smith Merrill
Date: Wed, December 7, 2011 4:21p

Question: Dale Tarkington wrote:

Hi, my name is Dale and I have a family tree that includes a Merrill line. Benjamin Smith Merrill (son of Samuel Merrill and Susannah) and born in 1774 and his wife, Lucy Durham are my 4th great grandparents. I have found information on them in Indiana and North Carolina. What I am trying to do is to find some document that confirms that the Benjamin Merrill in North Carolina is the same person in Indiana. I am trying to prove the linkage for my submission to the Sons of the American Revolution. Might you have any information that would help in this regard?

Answer: Dale:

We do not have any document that proves The Benjamin Smith, 1774 sept in NC is the same one that d.1849 Sept _ in Jennings Co, IN. Unfortunately he is not listed in the 1850 Jennings Co mortality schedule which should cover d. Jun 1849-June 1850. What we do have is the 1820- 1850 IN census. This shows Benjamin in Clark Co IN in 1820 and in Jennings Co in 1830 and 1840. In 1840, Benjamin' two sons Azariah and John [both 20-30] are next door to each other and two doors away from Benjamin S [60-70]. In the 1850 census, Azeriah, 47, and John, 38, are still in Bigger Twp, Jennings Co IN, and Azariah is b. NC, and John is b. IN. this shows that Benjamin moved from NC to IN between 1803 and 1812.  We have that he moved in 1810, but have no hard documentation for that. Benjamin' eldest daughter Ruth [1799 Jul 6 -1879 Sep 26] m, John Lawrence, and is also shown in the census to be b. NC.

Sorry we don't have any single document to prove your point, but SAR might accept the combined census records. I Hope so. Good Luck!

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Morris Merrill, 1789
Date: Wed, December 17, 2011 7:23p

Question: Cayce Merrill wrote:

I am looking for information on Morris Merrill, born 1779. I saw in another post that he may be related to a William. What William is that?

Answer: Cayce:

Welcome to the Merrill DNA genealogy Group.  Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill.  We are co-coordinators of the Merrill DNA Genealogy Group. 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 also use our database to support the work of the Merrill-DNA-Genealogy Group.

One of the y-DNA testees in the Merrill DNA Genealogy project is a direct descendant of Morris Merrill 1789.  His DNA pattern is consistent with other known descendants of William, ca 1652 -1724, immigrant to Staten Island NY ca 1680, who later moved to Hopewell, NJ.  while we do not know who Morris' parents were, the DNA evidence suggests that Morris was a descendant of William.  The DNA associated with the male y-chromosome is passed from father to son, essentially unchanged over many, many generations [tens or hundreds], and should follow the surname.  So, barring an adoption or other non-parental event, all the male Merrill surname descendants of William should share the same DNA pattern.

How do you descend from Morris?  Are you male or female, or do you have brothers? The reason we ask is that FamilyTreeDNA.com is offering a holiday special for the 37 marker Y-DNA test for $119 till the end of the year [usually $149]. The 37 marker test is the most useful from a genealogy stand point [run on a simple saliva swab].  We have cc'd the other Group coordinators. By the way, none of the volunteer coordinators receive any compensation for recommending a particular testing lab.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Hester Merrill, 1778
Date: Sat, December 24, 2011 7:15p

Question: Matt Ahlgren wrote:

Hello,

I am looking for the parents (or any siblings) of Hester or Easter Merril (spelled as Merril, Merrill, or Merrell, depending on the document), known as "Hetty," born August 28, 1778, Staten Island, New York, died December 14, 1850, lived on Shore Road, Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, New York, married on July 3 1800 at Essex, New Jersey Josiah Wolcott Thompson, born about 1776, died 1813, son of John Thompson and Lucy Wolcott.

The couple had five children: William B. Thompson, born July 13 1801 and married a woman named Clarissa, Josiah II, born September 24 1804 and married Adeline Pool, dying January 9 1840, Maria/Mary Thompson, born January 15, 1807 died March 10, 1873, John Thompson, born March 17 1811, died April 16 1892, married 1stly March 26 1834, Harriet van Pelt (who was born April 13 1817 and died November 12 1843), 2ndly August 23 1848 Melinda van Pelt (born June 19 1829, died June 10 1919), and George Fountain Thompson born July 24 1813 at Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, New York, died May 17 1894, Staten Island, New York, married 1stly January 13 1836, Sophia de Hart, with children by her: Josiah Edward Thompson, born December 19 1836, died two weeks later; Mary Elizabeth Thompson (born December 5, 1841, married December 28 1862 T. Nicholas van Pelt (or possibly van Pell) born November 1 1840); and Josiah Thompson, born August 26 1848 died April 27 1850. George Fountain Thompson married 2ndly February 3 1853 Elizabeth Schultz, born October 11 1823, Staten Island, New York, died June 24 1892, having child by her: Georgiana Schultz Thompson, born April 2 1854, Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, New York, died between January and August 1919, married June 29 1872 Thomas Wilson Butts, born March 5, 1841, Cattaraugus County, New York, died October 24, 1932.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps, given George Fountain Thompson's middle name, Fountain was Hester Merrill's mother's birth name, or a first or middle name of either of her parents.

Thanks, Matt Ahlgren

Answer: Dear Matt:

We are sorry, but we have no record of your Hester Merrill in our files. We believe she is almost certainly a descendant if immigrant Richard, 1642 who came to Staten Island ca 1680 from Tysoe, Warwickshire, England. Two of Richard's six sons, Richard and Philip, are known to have descendants living in NJ in the period when Hester got married there. From her birth date she would likely be a fourth or fifth generation descendant. Often, unless there is a baptismal record, the girls don't show up in the records until they m. Since you have an exact b. date, there should be a baptismal record, which aught to show the parents.  Unfortunately we have not done extensive research,ourselves, of Staten Island records, but have relied on the research of other correspondents.

Sorry we are not able to help,

Howard and Jean Merrill