Subject: Re: Merrill family - William H Merrill, 1833
Date: Sat, January 14, 2012 2:23p

Question: David K Merrill wrote:

Hello, my name is David K. Merrill and my wife and I can trace our family tree back to Elais Merrill, born in 1838. We are searching for records on Elais' brother William H. A. who was a Civil War Veteran. We only know that he never married and died in 1833 at home in Avilton, MD. Do you have any information on William's war record or know where we can search? We also are looking for Eli Merrill, with no other information except that he was a school trustee at the Gregg School, in Merrill, MD from 1889 to 1899.

Thank you for your hard work.

David and Diana Merrill

Answer: David :

Thank you for your Query. 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 information 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.

Re: William H, He was b. 1833 in Allegany Co MD. The last record that we are sure of is the 1880 census, when William, 47, was living with his mother in Grantsville, MD. We don't find him in the 1900 census in either Garrett or Allegany co.  The 1890 census burned, but the Veteran's schedule survives. It lists a William M Merrill, living in Lonaconing, Allegany, MD.  Except for the middle initial we would be sure this was your William.  This is the only William Merrill listed from MD in the index of Civil War Soldiers. He was a pvt. in Company F of the 2nd MD Infantry, and served from Dec 7 1864 to July 17 1865. In 1890, he said he was able except for rheumatism.  The vet. schedule didn't give the soldiers age, that would have been in the regular census schedule which burned.  We don't have any details of his service, but that should be available in the histories of that unit. I know our library has a huge section with the history of each unit, both Union and Confederate.  William could not have d. in 1833 - that is when he was b.

Re: Eli, we suspect this is your ancestor, Elias.  There were no Eli Merrill in Allegany or Garret Co in either 1880 or 1900 census, only thing close is your Elias.   Perhaps he was a trustee because his ancestor may have donated the land for the school, or perhaps helped build it.

We are pretty sure that your line goes back from Elias (6), John (5), Philip (4), Nicholas (3), Philip (2), to immigrant Richard (1) who came to Staten Island, NY ca 1680 from Tysoe, Warwickshire, England.  More details on this line are available.  We would be very interested in how you descend from Elias so we can bring your line down to the present day

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Sally Merrill, 1813
Date: Tue, January 31, 2012 7:06p

Question: I'm research the Bryant/Groves of Maine and looking for connection for parents of Sarah "Sally" Merrill b abt 1813 in possibly Lisbon, Androscoggin, Maine or Monmouth, Kennebec, Maine. She m bef 1843 in Litchfield, Kennebec, Maine Samuel Groves Jr b 3 Oct 1812. I have not been able to locate a birth, marriage or death cert for her. The 1850 Census shows Sarah & Samuel in Litchfield. I know they moved to Manchester, Kennebec, Maine sometime mid 1850 and the 1880 census shows this. Samuel d 1 Jan 1898 in Manchester and is buried in the Manchester Center Cem. Sarah Merrill & Samuel Groves had 7 children: Mary, Thomas J, Charles W, Rebecca, Ozetta & Eugene. Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated and the Merrill Genealogy has helped solve other Merrill connections. I've also just started looking at Frederick Merrill in the Lewistion Area.

Thanks, John

Answer: John:

Thank you for writing. Unfortunately we do not know the parents of your Sally Merrill. We do not have record of either her b. or m.  From the early census, which before 1850 only gives the head of household by name and the other members by sex in age brackets. The only Merrill listed in Litchfield before 1850 is Roger (6), 1761, who did have a daughter Sarah, b. 1812 Dec 26, but she d. 1813 Aug 11.  His son Orlando (7), 1786, m. Sarah Wagg of Lisbon and they had a Sarah b. 1819 Oct 6, but she d. unmarried 1840 Aug 26.

Looking at the Lisbon census [it was in Lincoln Co in this time period], there was a Jeremiah (6), 1780, there in 1810 but not in 1820. He did not have a daughter, Sarah. He had a Deborah A in 1813.  In 1820, there were two Merrills in Lisbon, an Ezekiel [26-45], who had a daughter b. 1810-1820,  Also a Jacob [26-45] who had 3 daughters b. 1810-1820.  We do not know the names of any of these girls, nor do we know their fathers lineages.  The Jacob may be a duplicate listing for Jacob (7), 1787. who is listed in Greene with an identical mix of children. If so, he can't be your Sally's father for they had a Mary Jane in 1813.. In 1830, there is a widow Mary who may possibly be the widow of Ezekiel of 1820. If so, their [under 10] daughter in 1820 is now listed as [10-15], not [15-20] which your Sally [ca 17] would be.  In 1830 in Lisbon, there is Orlando (7) mentioned above, and two others, an Enoch and an Elias (6) but neither of them have a [15-20] daughter.

Looking at Monmouth census, in 1810 there is a John (6), 1764, who had 10 children with two wives but no Sarah. In 1820 a Joseph (7) is in Monmouth, but he did not have a daughter b. 1810-1820. 

We seem to have discounted all the obvious possibilities.   You mention a Frederick in Lewiston. In what time frame?  There is no Frederick listed as head of household in Lewiston in 1810-1830.

Sorry we couldn't be more help,

Howard and Jean Merrill