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Samuel
Merrill, 1928, reprint 1983
Nathaniel1
of Newbury and His Sons - Chapter VII,
pp 66-101
Daniel2
Merrill - pp 91-96
Daniel2 Merrill was born
20 Aug. 1642, in Newbury. He was a carpenter as well as
a farmer. The site of his homestead is not now known.
The
Colonial charter required that the inhabitants take the
oath of allegiance to the King. Political disorders under
the Commonwealth and after the Restoration had resulted
in the requirement remaining for a time in abeyance, but,
in a modified form, some of the inhabitants were ultimately
called upon to take the oath. It is recorded that "Daniell
Merrill" of "Newberie" took "ye
oath of ffidelitie vnto this gouerment ye 25
of february sixty eight," and again in 1678 he took
the oath of allegiance, his age (See p.
74) being given at that time as thirty-four years.
In 1677 he was chosen fence viewer, and in 1689 he was
one of four "way wardens."
His
Military Service
In a list of "Soldiars under ye
command of Capt Tho Noyes," in 1688, is the name
of Daniell Merell. He was then forty-five years old. He
is called Sergt. Merrill in papers of that time. In the
General Register of the Society of Colonial Wars for 1899-1902
(page 709) it is stated that he was "in Lieut.-Col.
Thomas Noyes' company of Snowshoe Men, 1706." But
in 1706 Daniel2 Merrill was living in Salisbury.
Furthermore, at sixty-three years of age he would hardly
have been rated as an effective campaigner on snowshoes.
The snowshoe-man of 1706 was his son, Daniel3
Merrill of Newbury, then thirty-four years old. The snowshoe
men were "apointed to keep snow shous & moggensons,"
in addition to the muskets which all inhabitants were
required to have ready for use in any emergency. (Currier,
History of Newbury, pp. 528, 540, 541.)
An
Old Heirloom
A silver teaspoon which is supposed
to have belonged to Daniel2 Merrill was handed
down in the line of William-Patten7 Merrill
of Topsham, Maine. (See pages 532, 533) It is now in the
possession of his daughters. On the back of the handle
are engraved the initials of Daniel Merrill and Sarah
Clough, with the date of their marriage, and the initials
of John3, John4, John5,
Abel6 and William-Patten7 Merrill,
which were added in later years. The bowl of the spoon
shows a number of dents, probably the teeth-marks of youthful
Merrills of many generations ago. (*)
My drawing is from a photograph which was given me by
Mary-Jane7 Merrill, sister of William-Patten7,
when she was eighty-seven years of age. To her friendly
interest I am indebted for many facts about her line in
the family.
<!--[Image
for spoon]-->
At the Registry of Deeds in Salem may
be found the record of fifteen conveyances under which
Daniel2 Merrill acquired title to various lots
of land in Newbury, Salisbury and Haverhill. The earliest
of these was dated 5 May, 1668, and the latest 27 Feb.
1706/7. Some of the earlier ones were not recorded until
after his death.
In 1668, for £ 55, he bought sixteen
acres, with buildings, "near the great pine swamp,"
(in the southern part of Newbury, not far from Parker
River). In 1673, jointly with his brother Abel, he bought
fifty-six acres in Haverhill, the purchase price being
£ 52. The following year the two bought twenty acres
adjoining their previous purchase, this being described
as situated at "Hogghill" in Haverhill (in the
present town of Atkinson, N.H.) The consideration for
this second purchase was "a Cow and a Yoke of Oxen
and ffive pounds in cloathing in hand payd."
John Clough, senior, of Salisbury, in
1686, in consideration of love and good will, gave a deed
to "my sone Daniell Merrill & Sarah his wyfe
of Nubury," conveying one-half of all the grantor's
land in Haverhill, together with rights of commonage.
It was stipulated in the deed that "John Merrill
ye sone of Sarah Merrill shalbe considered
& allowed some prehemenency in ye abovesd
lands abov ye rest of ye sd
Sarahs children."
Daniel Merrill began buying land in
Salisbury in 1682, his purchases including two tracts
in the "Barbary meadows," £ 46.5s.; six
acres in the "Higglede Pigglede lotts," £
20; two tracts in the Goodale Swamp Division, £
20; besides upland at the Great Plain and at Munday's
Hill, and other land now not easily identified.
The
tax list of 1688 showed that Daniel Merrill owned two
houses, with twelve acres of arable land, in Newbury,
and his farm was stocked with two horses, a yoke of oxen,
five cows, four three-year-old. heifers and four yearlings,
(**) besides
thirty sheep and six hogs. The absence of pasture in the
enumeration is explained by the practice of pasturing
cattle on land held in common.
At
what time he removed to Salisbury is not known. He is
described as of Newbury when, 28 Jan. 1696/7, he purchased,
from Richard Hubbard of Boston, a forty-acre tract in
Salisbury, bounded easterly by Daniel Moody, northerly
by Nathaniel Brown, westerly by "the highway,"
and southerly by "a way." Five years later,
31 Jan. 1701/2, he bought land at the Birchen Meadow,
near Turkey Hill, in Newbury, being then described as
of Salisbury. He evidently acquired other land also in
Salisbury and Haverhill, by deeds which were not recorded,
or otherwise, for he made several conveyances of other
property, which are recorded with the Essex deeds.
His
Salisbury Homestead
Daniel2 Merrill continued
to own a homestead in Newbury, which descended to his
eldest son under his will, besides the Salisbury homestead,
which fell to his youngest son. This Salisbury homestead
at the "Great Plain" was probably near the ancient
cemetery which lies a mile and a half north from East
Salisbury village, where the road leading west to Amesbury
and South Hampton branches off from the road north to
Seabrook. Moses3 Merrill, son of Daniel2,
is known to have lived across the road (***)
from this cemetery, toward the northwest. This neighborhood
was variously known as the Great Plain and Pitch Pine
Plain.
Daniel2 Merrill was admitted
a freeman by the General Court, and took the freeman's
oath 7 Feb. 1682/3. (See p. 85.)
His
Will
The will of Daniel2 Merrill
is in the fair clerkly handwriting of Jacob Bradbury.
The following copy conforms to the original, line for
line, as closely as may be by means of printed letters.
The "long s" (f) was used generally by the writer
of the will, except at the end of a word, but I have not
found it practicable to attempt to indicate this by means
of my typewriter.
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Jn
ye. Name of God amen
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J
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Daniel
Merrill of ye: town of salisbury in ye: County
of Essex in ye: Province of ye: Massachusetts bay
in new eng
land Carpenter this tenth day of May 1717 being weak
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in
body but of perfeot mind & memory. thanks be given
to God. therefore caling to ming the mortality of
my
body & knowing that it is appointed for all men
once
to die do make & ordain this my last will &
testament
that is to say principally & first of all J give
& recommend |
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my
soul into the hands of God yt: gaue it & my body
J re
comend to the earth to be buryed in decent christian
bu
rial at ye: discretion of my executor nothing doubting
but at ye: general resurrection J shall receive ye:
same a
gain by the mighty power of God. & as touching
such |
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worly
estate wherewth: it has pleased God to bless me
in this life J give demise & dispose of ye: same
in ye: follow
ing manner & form. ---------------------------------------
Jmprimis J give & beqveath unto Daniel my oldest
sone
all my homested housing & land in newberry as
also all my |
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salt
marsh my rate lot & wood lot so called & birchin
meadow in sd. newberry aforesd he paying out legacys
as fol
loweth to my daughter Sarah Morse fourty shillings
also to
my son in lay Onesiphorus Page sixteen pounds wch:
my de
sire is that he would devide eqvally amongst ye. four
chilldr |
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25
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en
wch: he had by my daughter Ruth when they come of
ago also sixteen pounds to my daughter Martha True
all wch: to be paid in or as money wth: in five years
after
my decease ------------------------------------------------
2ly. J giue & bequeath unto John my second son
two thirds |
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of
my hoge hill lot so called in Haverhill wch: was given
me by my father Clough as also ye: Barbary meadow
yt
was my father Cloughs -----------------------------------
3ly: J give & bequeath unto my third son Moses
Merrill --
the other third of my hoghill lot to gether wth: all
my right |
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to
ye: other lands & meadow wch: is between my Cousin
Tho
mas Merrill & J in Haverhill aforesd. as also
ye: Pilsbury lot of
salt marsh so caled lying in ye: barbary Meadows in
salisbury
4ll. J give & beqveath unto my youngest son stephen
Merrill
Whom J likewise make constitute & ordain my sole
Exe |
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cutor
of this my last will & testament, all my homested
buildings & appertenances together wth: my land
on ye: Great
plain ajoyning to it as also my pasture & meadow
Ground
in Goodale swamp so called containing about thirty
acres
as also two lots in ye: salt Marsh at ye: Barbary
the one known |
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by
the name of ye: Downer & the other ye: Bayly lot
as also all my stock & moueables also my will
is yt: my sd:
sone stephen do take Care of my beloved Wife Sarah
Merrill after my decease that is to say to find her
a con
venient fire room in my now dwelling house with ne |
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cessary
& convenient privelidges & to maintain her
two
Cows winter & summer (she finding ye: Cows) also
to find
her ten load of convenient fire wood at her aforesd.
dwell
ing place & to pay her five pounds per annum in
money or
good provision pay at money price & all this as
a yearly an |
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nuity
according to a covenant made between me & y
my wife before marriage & J do hereby utterly
disalow
revoke & dissanul all & every other former
testaments wills
legacys & beqvests and executors by me in any
ways be
fore named willed & bequeathed Ratifying &
confirm |
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60
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ing
this & no other to be my last will & testement
in
witness whereof J haue hereunto set my hand &
seal
the day & year aboue written ------------------------ |
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signed sealed published
pronounced & declared <!--Image for Daniel signature]-->
by the sd. Danll: Merrill
as his last will & testament
in presents of us ye: subscribers
Jsrael ShaparD
moses clouf
Jacob Bradbury
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(****)
This will was sealed with a few drops of red wax, now
broken. The seal shows no impress, save a fingerprint
of some hand which has long since returned to dust. No
inventory of the estate is to be found in the probate
files in Salem. The will was proved 12 July, 1717.
"My
cousin Thomas Merrill," in the thirty-fifth line,
refers to the testator's nephew, Thomas3 (Abel2)
Merrill. The word "cousin" was used in the old
general sense of kinsman.
*
The length of the spoon is 4 5/8 inches. On the shank,
above the bowl, is stamped the maker's initials, J.M
**
Currier, History of Newbury, p. 205; New England Historical
and Genealogical Register, xxxii, 161.
***
When I was a young man my father pointed out to me a depression
in the earth at this point, which, he said, without doubt
marked the site of Moses Merrill's cellar. S.M.
****
See infra, page 169. See also Currier's History of Newbury,
pp. 103, 116, 177, 181, 208, 528, 659.
ABEL2
If
you have further information on the book, "A Merrill
Memorial" and would like to share it with others,
please contact
me.
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