http://www.jmerrill.net/Thomas%20Merrill.htm

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• Baptized 4 May 1601 Wherestead, Suffolk, England.
• Immigrated abt 1633 Ipswich, Essex, Mass.
• Residence 1635 Newbury, Essex, Mass.
• Will Drawn 8 Mar 1655
• Will Proved 27 Mar 1655

1. NATHANIEL6 *MERRILL (NATHANIEL5, JOHN4 *MERRELL, THE YOUNGER, JOHN3 *MERYELL, JOHN2, THOMAS1) was

• born May 4, 1601 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England, and
• died March 16, 1654/55 in Newbury, Essex, Mass.
• He married SUSANNAH WOLTERTON September 23, 1633 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England, daughter of STEPHEN WOLTERTON and SUSANNA WOLTERTON. She was born Abt. 1610, and died January 25, 1672/73 in Newbury, Essex, Mass.

Notes for NATHANIEL *MERRILL:

• Settled, Newbury, Mass. 1638-9.
• The newly found records show that Nathaniel Merrill's daughter, Susanna, was not baptised until Dec 12, 1638 in Lawford, Essex, Co., England. This tells us that Nathaniel had not left for America whith his family until late December 1638 or early 1639. In 1638 the English Government started restricting it's citizens from freely emigrating to the new continent with it's abundance of land for all, something unknown in England.
• The fact that brother John arranged for a homesite of four Acres in Newbury for his unnamed "brother" would indicate that the brother was not there by 23 July 1638 but was arraiging to come.
• Ship records, the Hector, show that Nathaniel and John did arrive in Ipswich, Mass. in 1635. Nathaniel must have returned to England to get his wife and his four children and returned in 1638-39.

From "A Merrill Memorial" by Samuel Merrill, Cambridge MA 1917-1928

Nathaniel(1) Merrill was one of the earliest settlers in Newbury, MA in 1635. He was the ancestor of the vast majority of those who now bear the Merrill name in this country: it is believed, indeed, that less than one percent of the Merrills in America can trace their pedigree to any other emigrant ancestor.

Nathaniel Merrill and his older brother John were born in England. The registers of Wherstead, a parish lying three miles south if Ipswich, in Suffolk County, England, contain the following entries:

• 1599, August 16. John Merrell son of Nath! Merrell & Mary his wife was baptised.
• 1601, May 4. Nathanaell Merrell son of Nath! Merrell & his wife Mary was baptised.

There are reasons for believing that these entries are the record of baptism of John and Nathaniel Merrill of Newbury. These reasons will be given at length in another place.

Nathaniel Merrill and his brother John settled in Newbury in the spring of 1635, having passed a year or two in Ipswich, MA., (then called Agawam) with most of the Newbury settlers. In 1638 nathaniel became one of the "proprietors" of Newbury.

It is supposed that Nathaniel Merrill was married before leaving England. No record is found of his marriage in America. If the marriage took place here it was probabley at Ipswich, in the short time before the settlement in Newbury. His wife's name was Susanna. Savage, in the "genealogical Dictionary of New England" (published in 1861), says that Nathaniel Merrill married Susanna Jordan. In this he was no doubt following Coffin's "History of Newbury" (published in 1845), and the statement has been frequently copied.

From "Merrill Genealogy" by Paul V. Merrill, The Merrill Newsletter, Vol 4, Issue 3.

Nathaniel and his brother John came to America in 1633, supposedly on the ship Hector. [Ed note: it is not know that John came first and Nathaniel at some later date.] They landed at Ipswich, MA, but soon moved to Salisbury, MA.

By 1635 Nathaniel moved to Newbury, MA. He owned land in Ipswich, MA in 1636 and received a grant of land in Newbury, MA on the "Neck" south of the Parker River, May 5, 1638.

Children,

• 1. John,
• 2. Abraham,
• 3. Nathaniel,
• 4. Susanna,
• 5. Daniel,
• 6. Abel and
• 7. Thomas.

Nathaniel died- Mar 16 1654/44 in Newbury, MA. His wife died Jan 15 1872.

Nathaniel was probably a farmer and is ancestor to all the Merrills in the U.S.A.. His brother John and wife had a daughter but no sons.

Notes for SUSANNAH WOLTERTON:

• Susannah ........, also known as Susannah Wolterton, was the wife of the emigrant, Nathaniel Merrill. For many years she was thought to be the sister of Gregory Wolterton of Hartford, Conn. Later research shows that she probably is the daughter of Gregory's wife, Susannah (Unknown) by a previous marriage.

From "A Merrill Memorial" by Samuel Merrill, Cambridge, MA 1917-1928

After the death of Nathaniel Merrill his widow married Stephen Jordan (or Jourdain). Nathaniel Merrill, son of Nathaniel and Susanna Merrill, gave a deed, under date of 16 Aug 1661, to Peter Godfrey of Newbury, in which the phrase occurs, "after the decease of my mother Susanna Jordan," and out of this fact the error regarding the maiden name of Nathaniel's wife grew.

The conjecture has been advanced, and it has even been stated as a fact, that the wife of Nathaniel Merrill was Susanna Wilterton (or Wolterton.)

Gregory Wilterton of Hartford was childless: Susanna Merrill of Newbury was a widow with five sons and a daughter, most of them in their minority. It would have been natural for Gregory Wilterton under these circumstances to write to his kinswoman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and offer a home and modest fortune to one of the boys. But Gregory Wilterton may have been a more distant relative, or merely a friend. Until other evidence is brought forward the conscientious genealogist must say that the maiden name of Nathaniel's wife in unknown.

Children of NATHANIEL *MERRILL and SUSANNAH WOLTERTON are:

• 1. i. NATHANIEL7 +MERRILL, b. Bef. May 25, 1634, Lawford, Essex, England; d. January 1, 1682/83, Newbury, Essex, Mass.
• 2. ii. DEACON JOHN *MERRILL, b. Bef. February 16, 1635/36, Lawford, Essex, England; d. July 18, 1712, West Hartford, Hartford, Conn.
• 3. iii. ABRAHAM +MERRILL, b. Bef. April 9, 1637, Lawford, Essex, England; d. November 28, 1722.
• 4. iv. SUSANNA MERRILL, b. Bef. December 12, 1638, Lawford, Essex, England; d. October 10, 1690, Sufffield, Hartford, Conn.
• 5. v. DANIEL +MERRILL, b. August 20, 1642, Newbury, Essex, Mass; d. June 27, 1717, Salisbury, Essex, Mass.
• 6. vi. ABEL +MERRILL, b. February 20, 1643/44, Newbury, Essex, Mass; d. October 28, 1689, Newbury, Essex, Mass.
• 7. vii. THOMAS MERRILL, b. 1648, Newbury, Essex, Mass; d. Unknown.

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Was from Newbury

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Nathaniel was baptized May 4 1601.

He died March 16 1654 or 1655 according to A Merrill Memorial by Samuel Merrill.

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Nathaniel Merrill, born in England in 1610, died in Newbury, Massachusetts, March 16, 1655. With his brother John he emigrated from England and came to Massachusetts, landing at Ipswich about 1633. He removed to Newbury in 1635, at the first settlement of the town, and settled on land at the junction of the Parker and 'Plum rivers, which was recently owned by a descendant, Tyler - Merrill. In his will, dated March 8, 1655, he gives his farm to his eldest son upon payment by him of five pounds to each of his brothers, and furnishing a residence for the testator's wife and daughter.

Nathaniel Merrill married Susannah Wellerton, whose name is otherwise spelled Wilterton and Williston. After the death of her first husband she married a Jordan, and died January 25, 1673.

Nathaniel and Susannah Merrill were the parents of six children :

• 1. John,
• 2. Abraham,
• 3. Nathaniel,
• 4. Susannah,
• 5. Daniel and
• 6. Abel

Baptised Wherstead, Suffolk, England

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Nathaniel has been said to have arrived at Ipswich, MA about 1633 and remained there with brother John a year or more before moving to Newbury, MA. However, no evidence of any kind has been seen that placed Nathaniel in MA prior to the birth of his son Daniel at Newbury in 1642.

A Merrill Memorial states that there is no evidence that Nathaniel arrived in MA in 1633 and only conjectures that he was a proprietor at Newbury, MA in 1638.

It is probable that Nathaniel did not arrive in America until between 1639 and 1641 and settled at Newbury, Essex Co., MA, joining his brother John, who had lived there for some time.

Nathaniel's will dated Mar. 8, 1654/5 and proved Mar. 27, 1655 names wife Susanna, daughter Susanna, and five sons, all children except Nathaniel being under age 21.

The estate inventory of Mar. 23, 1654/5 indicated he was a man of modest means, with 13 acres of land, 14 head of cattle and common farming and household implements. A debt of £5 for rent to John Cutting indicates Nathaniel leased his dwelling.

Married probably in England.

WGA

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A Merrill Memorial, by Samuel Merrill, Cambridge, MA 1917-1928:-

It seems most likely that Nathaniel and John Merrill arrived together in Ipswich (then called Agawam) , MA, supposedly on the ship Hector in 1633, and that Nathaniel later returned to England to get his wife and children, arriving in Ipswich a second time in 1638/39. Nathaniel owned land in Ipswich in 1636. In July 1638, his brother John arranged for a home site of four acres in Newbury for his unnamed "brother", indicating that Nathaniel was not able to take care of this himself.

Undisputed is the fact that the brothers and their families were among the earliest settlers in Newbury, and that the majority of (early) Merrills can trace their family lines back to Nathaniel.

DNA tests have linked Nathaniel's descendants:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Merrill-DNA-Genealogy/message/255

http://merrill.olm.net/family/merrill.htm

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From America's First Families

http://personal.linkline.com/xymox/roh/merrill.htm

NATHANIEL MERRILL

• MASSACHUSETTS
• (c1601-1654/55)

Nathaniel MERRILL -

• bap. May 4, 1601, Wherstead, Suffolk, England;
• d. Mar. 16, 1654/5, Newbury, Essex Co., MA.
• Son of Nathaniel MERRELL and Mary BLACKSOLL. A principal source of information about the MERRILL family in England and America is A MERRILL MEMORIAL, by Samuel Merrill (1917-1928 Cambridge, MA).

Nathaniel has been said to have arrived at Ipswich, MA about 1633 and remained there with brother John a year or more before moving to Newbury, MA. However, no evidence of any kind has been seen that placed Nathaniel in MA prior to the birth of his son Daniel at Newbury in 1642. A MERRILL MEMORIAL states that there is no evidence that Nathaniel arrived in MA in 1633 and only conjectures that he was a proprietor at Newbury, MA in 1638. It is probable that Nathaniel did not arrive in America until between 1639 and 1641 and settled at Newbury, MA, joining his brother John, who had lived there for some time.

Nathaniel's will dated Mar. 8, 1654/5 and proved Mar. 27, 1655 names wife Susanna, daughter Susanna, and five sons, all children except Nathaniel being under age 21. The first paragraph of his will indicates much about the testator's faith:

• "Witness by those psents that I Nathaniell Merrill of Newbury in the Countie of Essex being sicke of body but through gods mercy of perfect memory do here make my last will and testament. I first bequeath my soule into the hands of my blessed Redeemer with an assured hope of a joyfull resurection, and my body when it shall please the lord to take me out of this fraile life to bee buryed in the burying place of Newbury, and for my worldly goods I give and dispose of as followeth."
• The estate inventory of Mar. 23, 1654/5 indicated Nathaniel was a man of modest means, with 13 acres of land, 14 head of cattle and common farming and household implements.
• A debt of £5 for rent to John Cutting indicates Nathaniel leased his dwelling.
• Married probably in England.

Susanna -

• d. Jan. 25, 1672/3, Newbury, Essex Co., MA.
• Although son John was executor and major legatee of Gregory WOLTERTON, Susanna was not the sister of Gregory, a tanner of Hartford, Hartford Co., CT. Susanna's surname is not known.
• The birth of her first four children are reported in Lawrence I. Shepard's "In Search of English Origins: Edward Shepard Part II," HERITAGE QUEST, No. 24, page 38.
• Susanna married second Stephen JORDAN (d. Feb. 8, 1669/70, Newbury, MA) who had two daughters by a prior marriage.

Children of Nathaniel and Susanna MERRILL were:

1. Nathaniel -

• bap. May 25, 1634, Lawford, Essex, England;
• d. Jan. 1, 1682/3, Newbury, MA.
• Married in 1661 Joanna NINIAN (d. Feb. 8, 1717/8, Newbury, MA).
• Children:
  • 1. John married Lucy WEBSTER (ancestors of Pres. PIERCE);
  • 2. Nathaniel married first Rebecca BROWN, and second Sarah WOODMAN;
  • 3. Peter married Mary BROWN;
  • 4. Joanna died as infant;
  • 5. Joanna died as infant;
  • 6. Hannah married William MOULTON; and
  • 7. Mary married James FREESE.

2. John -

• bap. Mar. 13, 1635/6, Lawford, Essex, England;
• d. Jul. 18, 1712, Hartford, Hartford Co., CT.
• An undocumented source gives his birth date as Feb. 16, 1635/6.
• Was in Hartford, Hartford Co., CT by 1657, and may have been there earlier under the care of Gregory WILTERTON, who willed in Jul. 1674 a large portion of his estate to John. Admitted as freeman May 20, 1658, and worked as a tanner.
• Removed to West Hartford about 1683 and active in town affairs and a deacon of Second Church.
• Married Sep. 23, 1663, Hartford, Hartford Co., CT to Sarah WATSON ( b. 1641, Hartford, Hartford Co., CT), daughter of John WATSON and Margaret SMITH.
• Children:
  • 1. Sarah married Samuel KELLOGG;
  • 2. Nathaniel did not marry;
  • 3. John married Sarah MARSH;
  • 4. Abraham married Prudence KELLOGG;
  • 5. Daniel married first Susanna PRATT, and second Mindwell KING;
  • 6. Wilterton married Hannah WATERS;
  • 7. Susanna married John TURNER;
  • 8. Abel married Mabel EASTON;
  • 9. Isaac married Sarah COOK;
  • 10. Jacob married Abigail WEBSTER.

3. Abraham -

• bap. Apr. 9, 1637, Lawford, Essex, England;
• d. Nov. 28, 1722, Newbury, MA.
• Deacon of the Congregational Church of Newbury.
• Married
  • first Jan. 18, 1660/1 Abigail WEBSTER (b. about 1642; d. Aug. 12, 1712), daughter of John WEBSTER and Mary SHATSWELL, and
  • second Sep. 1713 Mrs. Sarah BOND.
• Children:
  • 1. Abigail married Hanahiah ORDWAY;
  • 2. Elizabeth married Joseph EMERY;
  • 3. Hannah married Shubael LONG;
  • 4. Mary married Jonathan THURLOW;
  • 5. Abraham married Abigail BARTLETT;
  • 6. John married first Deborah HAZELTINE, and second Margaret LOWELL;
  • 7. Jonathan married Mary BROWN;
  • 8. David married Mary MORSE;
  • 9. Sarah married Joseph MORSE;
  • 10. Susanna died as infant; and
  • 11. Prudence married John BARTLETT.

4. Susanna -

• bap. Dec. 12, 1638, Lawford, Essex, England;
• d. Oct. 10, 1690, Suffield, Hartford Co., CT.
• Moved to Suffield about 1674.
• Married Oct. 15, 1663, Newbury MA John BURBANK (d. Jun. 1, 1709; son of John and Ann), who married second Sarah, and third Mehitable.
• Children:
  • 1. Mary married first Lazarus MILLER, and second William McCRANEY;
  • 2. Timothy married Rebecca DARLING;
  • 3. John married Mary GRANGER; and
  • 4. Ebenezer married Rebecca PRITCHARD.

5. Daniel -

• b. Aug. 20, 1642, Newbury, MA;
• d. Jun. 27, 1717, Salisbury, MA.
• A carpenter and Sgt. in the militia.
• Married
  • first May 14, 1667, Newbury, MA, Sarah CLOUGH (b. Jun. 28, 1646, Salisbury, MA; d. Mar. 18, 1705/6, Salisbury, MA), daughter of John and Jane, and
  • second May 23, 1708 Sarah (MORRILL) ROWELL PAGE (b. Oct. 14, 1650, Salisbury, MA; d. Sep. 11, 1731, Amesbury, MA), daughter of Abraham and Sarah (CLEMENT) MORRILL, and widow of Philip OWELL and Onesiphorus PAGE.
• Children:
  • 1. Daniel married Esther CHASE;
  • 2. John married Mary ALLEN;
  • 3. Sarah married William MORSE;
  • 4. Ruth married Onesiphorus PAGE;
  • 5. Moses married Mary CLOUGH;
  • 6. Martha married John TRUE; and
  • 7. Stephen married first Dorothy STRAW, second Mary CARR, and third Mary HARDY.

6. Abel -

• b. Feb. 20, 1643/4, Newbury, MA;
• d. Oct. 28, 1689, Newbury, MA.
• Married Feb. 10, 1670/1 Priscilla CHASE (b. Mar. 14, 1648/9, Newbury, MA), daughter of Aquila CHASE and Ann WHEELER.
• Children:
  • 1. Abel married Abigail STEVENS;
  • 2. Susanna married Benjamin MORSE;
  • 3. Nathan married Hannah KENT;
  • 4. Thomas married Judith KENT;
  • 5. Joseph married first Ann WIGGINS, and second Sarah;
  • 6. Nathaniel married Hannah STEVENS;
  • 7. Priscilla married Capt. Nathaniel NOYES; and
  • 8. James married Mary ADAMS.

Submitted by; Stephen Martin Lawson of Port Orchard, Washington email address mailto:steve@lawson.net