Subject: Re: Merrill family - Polier connection??
Date: Sun, December 5, 2009 2:13p

Question: Willy Porlier wrote:

Hello,

I have made a DNA test (Family tree DNA) so my haplogroup is G2a3b1 (DYS 388=13) and I have 20/23 markers match with Merrill USA . I can trace my ancestors on the Montmorency Valley (not far from Paris France) a village call Meriel the name is maybe quite close to Merrill ?

Willy PORLIER PARIS FRANCE

Answer: Willy:

Thank you for you Query. Haplotype G, although relatively rare is thinly spread across Europe and the British isles. The only place where it common is in the Ural mountain area of Russia. One theory as to how this Haplotype spread is that two Roman Legions were recruited from that area and apparently left their DNA with some local lass where they were stationed, in France, in England, and Spain? This was long before the common folk were using surnames, so apparently unrelated folks with different surnames ended up with the same rare Haplotype.

As far as we can tell, Merrills sharing this Haplotype G in the US are descended from immigrant Nathaniel, 1601-1654, came to Newbury MA in 1639 from Wherstead, Suffolk, England. Our database of Nathaniel's descendants has over 56,000 individuals and does not include Merrill daughter's children. There were at least 4 other unrelated Merrill families, who came to the US before 1700 from other locations in England. They are all Haplotype R1b, but with distinctly different DNA patterns for each family.

There is widely circulated family lore that the Merrills were French Huguenots who came to England to escape persecution's after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, but Merrills were recorded in England a hundred years before that event, and if the Roman Legion scenario is true, much much longer than that. We have found nothing to substantiate this French family lore, and consider the story a myth. We had not heard of the village, Meriel, and know nothing of its origin, but the name may not have any connection with the Merrill family.

We are co-coordinators for the Merrill DNA Genealogy Group, encouraging Merrill males to be tested, trying to make sense out of the results, and use this tool to help folks with their lineage. So far, about 80 Merrill males have been tested, and about a third of these are Haplotype G. The discussion group homepage is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Merrill-DNA-Genealogy/.
We have cc'd the other Group coordinators.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Canadian Merrills
Date: Sun, December 20, 2009 6:00a

Question: Windy Merrill wrote:

Help I'm I related to you? I do not have contact with my father so I would like to know more about my last name and the history. I think my grandfather was from canada? He only had one son(my day)and 4 daughters.My dad had 5 daughters so I really dont want to lose the last name.

Thanks for any help you could provide.

Answer: Windy:

In order to be able to help you we need to know as much as possible about your family. Your father and grandfather's names, b. dates [approximate if you don't know exact], b. place, spouses name, b. dates and place, children and their dates. Are you Merrill grandparents still living? If not, their d. dates and places.

Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill. For over twenty five 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.

There are at least five different Merrill lines here before 1700 and we need to try and find out which line you belong to. We will be glad to try and help.

Howard and Jean Merrill

Subject: Re: Merrill family - Paul Jerome Merrill
Date: Sat, December 26, 2009 3:49p

Question: Sue Peel wrote:

Hi Howard & Jean,

   I'm thrilled to have found your website. Thanks for such dedication. Hope you have info that will help my search. My father passed away and left me all the family ancestry work he had been doing. He said that we were, on his mother's side, related to the immigrant Nathaniel Merrill. However, in all the research I've done, I don't find many of the names he has listed on his Pedigree Chart. I was wondering if you recognized any of them and could confirm that we're on the right track. (I'm relatively new to genealogy, so hope I state this all correctly. Nathaniel Merrill (1), m. Susannah Wolterton, Nathaniel Merrill (2), m. Joanna Kinny (Ninian?), Nathaniel Merrill (3), m. Sarah Woodman, John Merrill (4), m. Lydia Gage, Nathaniel Merrill (4), m. Hanna (Anna?) Baldwin, Thaddeus Merrill Sr. (5), m. ?, Thaddeus Merrill Jr. (6), m. Achsah (sp?) Severance, Caleb Strong Merrill, Sr. (7), m Meria Childs, Caleb Strong Merrill, Jr. (8), m. Jenevier Larseneur, Paul Jerome Merrill (9), married Anna Petronella Winker, Thelma Merrill (10) - my grandmother. I have information on the above folks, but I don't know yet how much of the info Dad had collected has been documented. I won't know that until I find time to get all the stuff sorted and entered into the computer.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Sue

Answer: Sue:

Thank you for writing.Your listed lineage is correct down to Nathaniel (5), 1732, and Anna Baldwin [you have two generation (4) shown]. It is also correct as far as we know, from Thaddeus (now 7), 1755, and Achsa Severence. There is some question, however, about the parents of Thaddeus (7). Many on-line references give the lineage you presented, primarily based on the similarity of names of Thaddeus (6), 1758, and Thaddeus (7). We believe, however, that Thaddeus (7)'s father was Nathaniel (6), 1755, brother of Thaddeus (6). For a discussion of this problem please see Deane Merrill's analysis at
http://merrill.olm.net/family/merrill/thaddeus_merrill_father.html.

We do not have information on the family of Caleb Strong Jr (9), 1835, and anything on Paul Jerome (10) and his family. We would greatly appreciate it if you could supply us with the details on those families.

One note about the wife of immigrant Nathaniel (1). Susannah is believed to be the daughter, by a prior marriage, of Susan, wife of Gregory Wolterton, proprietor of Hartford, CT. Susannah probably grew up in his household, and may have even been adopted by him, although there is no record. Since we don't know the name of Susan's first husband, we don't know what Susannah's surname was. After Nathaniel's death, their 2nd son, John (2), still a minor, went from Newbury, MA to Hartford, CT to live with Gregory and his grandmother Susan, and learn Gregory's tanning trade. John eventually inherited the bulk of childless Gregory's estate.

Let us introduce our selves. We are Howard and Jean Merrill. We are co-coordinators of the Group. For twenty five 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 - Rosilla S Merrill Walker
Date: Mon, December 28, 2009 9:46a

Question: Rosamond Bentley wrote:

Dear Howard and Jean,

My Merrill ancestors are new to me, and it has been an interesting adventure finding out about them. Back in the 1940s my grandmother was trying to get her birth certificate in order to put her social security application in order. She was born in North Dakota. I found this paperwork or I would never have had my great adventure. Grandmother stated on one of the application forms that her mother was named Ida Mae Walker and she had been born in Poland, Maine. I spent forever in Maine looking for Walkers with a child named Ida Mae or some variation of the name. Then I decided to look at what I actually knew for a fact. Both Ida Mae and her husband, Walter George Trotman had been buried in Oasis, Wisconsin. So it was that I began looking for my Walker family in Wisconsin.

One evening I was reading the Waushara County Obituaries (that some wonderful person had taken the time to transcribe on Rootsweb) from the Wautoma, Wisconsin newspaper dated 31 May 1894. I always read every Walker Obituary, and there my family was. Tears came to my eyes. It read " Mrs. Rosilla S Merrill Walker, wife of the Hon. J. K. Walker of Oasis passed out of this life Friday, May 25, 1894. Deceased was born in the town of New Glouchester, Cumberland County, Maine, June, 29, 1820. On the 8th day of October 1843 she was married to J. K. Walker, who survives her." All of her children were listed including my Great Grandmother, Ida Mae. Now I knew that Rosilla was a Merrill from Maine.

The next searching I had to do was to find out just who Rosilla's parents were. Once again Wisconsin came through. I ordered pages from a book called Portrait and Biographical Album of Green Lake, Marquette, and Waushara Counties, Wisconsin - published in Chicago by the Acme Publishing Co. in 1890. It contained biographical sketches of prominent citizens and Jabez K. Walker happened to be highlighted. It stated that J.K. married Miss Rosilla S. Merrill on the 8th of October 1843. The lady is a native of Cumberland County Maine and the daughter of Edward and Phebe Merrill." I have since found out that Edward, Edmund, and Edmond are often used for the same person. I had also thought that they listed Phebe Merrill Merrill because they did not know her last name and just put Merrill down twice.

When I discovered the Merrill site, I found out some interesting things in the book A Merrill Memorial. I look at this book over and over, trying to make sure I am getting it straight. I found out on page 387 that Edmond Merrill married Charity Proctor and had a daughter named Phebe who married Edmond Merrill (page 588). Phebe and her husband Edmond had a daughter named Rosilla born in 1820. The book states that Rosilla married Jabez Walker, they had 3 children, and that she died in 1855 (p.589). I have said all of this to ask about Rosilla's death date as reported in the Merrill Memorial. I decided that either I have the wrong Rosilla or maybe moving to Wisconsin in those days was the same as dying. My great, great grandmother Rosilla S. Merrill Walker did not die until May 25, 1894. She had these children: Alonzo, Delana (Delany), Ida Mae, and Edmund. Another child named Edgar died in infancy. I am hoping you can confirm for me that I am a Merrill twice over or point me in the right direction.

Thank you so much!

Rosamond Bentley

Answer: Rosamond:

Thank you for writing. You have uncovered what we feel is an error in "A Merrill Memorial", [AMM], one of very few. Samuel Merrill, the author, editor of the Boston Globe, gathered information, especially on the later generations, through extensive letter writing to living Merrill descendants. His information is only as good as the information he was given. We copied, at NEHGS in Boston, a notebook of his, giving handwritten supplemental information not published in AMM. Information on two of Rosilla's brothers was included. The source of that info, as well as other info on the descendants of Edmond (5) was listed as "1905 correspondence with Ernest L Merrill". We do not know if that correspondence still exists. We have this Ernest L (8) of Westbrook ME [Andrew A (7), Oliver (6), Edmond (5,4), Daniel (3,2), Nathaniel (1)]. We would suspect that the incorrect data on Rosilla also came from Ernest L..

We found record of your Rosilla's b. in New Glouster ME vital records. It gives Rozilla, b. 1820 Jun 27, daughter of Edmund and Phebe (Merrill) Merrill. this is only two days off from your info. That may be a misinterpretation of handwriting. We looked for your Rosilla and Jabez in the census records. We found them in 1850 in Poland, ME, less than 10 miles from New Gloucester. Jabez Walker, 30; Rosella, 30; Alonzo, 4; Delania, (m), 1; with Jabez's parents and siblings, James P Walker, 56: Joana, 53; Francis, 17; Lewellen, 9. Poland is where you said your Ida Mae was b.

In 1860, we found them in Dakota, Washura, WI: Jabez K Walker, 40; Rosilla, 39; Alonzo, 14; Delany, 11; Mary, 6, all b. ME.

In 1870, they were in Oasis, Washura, WI: Jabez Walker, 50, ME; Rosella, 50, ME; Ida, 16, ME; Eddy, 9. WI. Obviously the Mary, 6, in 1860 is your Ida Mae, now 16.

In 1880, still in Oasis WI: Jabez Walker, 60, ME, parents b. ME; Rosilla, 59, ME, parents b. ME; Edmund, 20, WI.

We came to the same conclusion that you did. Whoever gave Samuel Merrill the info on Rosilla obviously lost track of them when they left ME and assumed she had d. They only had record of the three children she had while still in ME and she obviously had four and didn't d. until 1894. You have the correct family. Ignore the incorrect info on Rosilla in AMM. Lineage is Rosilla (7), Edmond (6), Nathan (5), James (4), Nathan (3), Abel (2) Nathaniel (1), Edmond (6) and Pebe (6) were 1st cousins.

Do you have the dates for Jabez Walker?

Hope this helps,

Howard and Jean Merrill