Mary Elizabeth (Merrell) Touchstone (1826 - 1894)

Born 1826 in South Carolina

Ancestors

Wife of Jesse Jackson Touchstone — married 25 Aug 1843 in Clarke, Mississippi, USA

Descendants

Died 1894 at about age 68 in White, Ashley, Arkansas, United States

Biography

Marriage and Issue

Spouse: Jesse Touchstone, ^[1]

Known children born from 1845 to 1859:

1. Jane, 1845/6^[1]
2. Martha A., 1845^[1][2]
3. Elizabeth Delaney, 1846^[1][2]
4. Sarah Jane, 1848/50^[2]
5. Nancy Priscilla, 1851^[2]
6. John, 1854^[2]
7. Daniel David, 1856^[2]
8. Green Berry, 1857^[2]
9. George Washington, 1859^[2]

In either 1859 or 1860, Jesse Touchstone died leaving wife Polly with the eight children on the eve of the Civil War. The Federal census of Clarke County, Mississippi of 1860 lists Mary, a widow with real estate holdings worth 0 and personal property valued at 0. Jesse's death called upon all the skills and courage that the young widow could summon. According to descendant, Ned Touchstone, "the widow and family were at one time so poor they could not buy salt." By careful management of affairs of the family and some modest assets passed from her parents, she made a good life for the children and saw them grow to adulthood with families of their own. Polly Merrell can be considered a matriarch of the Touchstone, Moore and McKeehan lineages that descend from her. According to descendant, Nettie Moore Camp, Polly Merrell is listed on the Cherokee Rolls, a list of residents of Indian territories in the 19th century. Family legend persists that descendants of Polly Merrell Touchstone carry "Indian blood," but no link has been verified.^[3]

Parents and Siblings

1812: Abel Merrell was a South Carolina veteran of the War of 1812.

1816: Abel Merrell had a son Pinkney from his first marriage possibly to a Thomas? A Pinkney Merrill married Kinchen Cooley's daughter, Jane. Kinchen was Eliza Cooley's uncle.

1820: Abel was probably in Misssissippi at this time where he met and married Eliza Cooley. The Cooley family was in Mississippi by 1818 when Eliza was 14. Son Pinkney by a former marriage was born in 1816 in SC.

1833: 21 Nov A Wayne County land transaction refers to Abel Merrell as a resident. Later transactions refer to him as a resident of Jasper and Clarke Counties. All lands were near each other.

1837: The house where Abel raised his children was built by son William, son-in-law Ferdinand Pippin, and a slave named Wisdom. Five generations of Merrells lived there through the 1970's when it was the home of Hendrix Merrill. The lumber to build it came from Eucutta and Heidelburg Mill near Paulding. It was the first frame house in the area.

Descendant Ned Touchstone related in 1966 that the Merrells had not been long in Mississippi when daughter Mary Elizabeth wed Jesse Touchstone. However, they were there before Choctaws were moved northward. Abel Merrell owned 400 acres in corner of conjunction of Wayne, Clark and Jasper Counties. The Choctaws originally occupied central and south areas of Mississippi north of Wayne Counrty. Between 1820 and 1830, the Choctaws moved mostly to Oklahoma after ceding lands to US.

In 1828, Paulding was in Choctaw lands, in 1829 the area north of Wayne County was attached to the county.

In 1830, Paulding was in Jones County, by 1833 in Jasper County. Clarke County was formed in 1833 from northern Wayne County.^[4]

Name

Name: Mary Elizabeth /Merrell/

Name: Polly /Merrell/

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} 1850; Census Place: Beat 1, Clarke, Mississippi; Roll: M432_370; Page: 188B; Image: 381, 30 June 2017, amb
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} 1860 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Clarke, Mississippi; Roll: M653_580; Page: 720; Family History Library Film: 803580, 30 June 2017, amb
3. ↑ William Merrell, Jr.
4. ↑ Benjamin Merrell

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC3-K48 : 17 October 2014), Touchstone, Arkansas, United States; citing p. 14, family 113, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,551.

Thank you to Michelle Bairfield for creating WikiTree profile Merrell-168 through the import of 2013-10-05 ten generation Gavin.ged on Oct 5, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Michelle and others.