John Merryman (abt. 1614 - bef. 1674)

Born about 1614 in Monkton Manor, Herefordshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Audrey (Haile) Carter — married 1649 in Virginia, British Colonies

Descendants

Died before 3 Jan 1674 before about age 60 in Lancaster, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Seely Foley [send private message] and Jason Panick [send private message]

Biography

John Merryman was a Virginia colonist.

John Merriman, the Immigrant, was born 1614, in Monkton Manor, Herefordshire, England. John immigrated to American, where he married on February 3, 1640, in Lancaster county, Virginia, Audrey Haile, born 1627, in Kent, England.

1649 - CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS PATENT BOOK No. 2; Pg 186 JOHN MERRIMAN, 500 acs., 14 Nov. 1649, p. 190. Being a neck, lyeing on the N. side of Rappa. River, upon Island Neck Cr., beg. at a poynt at Seymes Cr. Mouth, up Island Neck Cr. to the head, being Wm. Newsom's utmost bounds, to the head of parting cr. dividing this from land of Thomas Harwood. Trans. of 10 pers: Angle Johnson, Elinor Gillis, Tho. Tuata (?), William Harrison, Heilton Arrens, Rebecca Fraine, Audry Merryman, Robert Adkins, his own adventure 3 tymes. His last adventure is yett due to him. Test: R. Huberd. ^[1]

1652 - A home in Lancaster County is mentioned in a court order of September 21. 1652, when John Merryman recorded the receipt of six barrels of Indian corn from Captain Henry Fleet

1653 - CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS PATENT BOOK No. 3; Pg 248, MERRYMAN, John & MORGAN, HEYNES, 700 acs., Publication: 26 February 1653, Land Office Patents No. 3, 1652-1655, p. 46 (Reel 2). Lancaster Co., upon N. side of Rappa. Riv., 26 Feb. 1653, p. 46. Lying near the mouth of the narrows, N. W. upon land of John Pain, S. E. upon the first clifts & S. W. upon sd. River. Trans. of 14 pers: Jno. Willett, Wm. Johnson, Richd. Barrett, Ja. Holding, Tho. Mash, Wm. Lanett, Ja. Attaway, Richd. James, Robt. Lane (or Land), Wm. Robinson, Tho. Harrison, Wm. Long, James West, Antho. Byfeild. http://lvaimage.lib.va.us/cgi-bin/GetLONN.pl?first=46&last=&g_p=P3&collect

1653 - John and Audrey Merryman patented 100 acres February 26. 1653. All this land adjoined that of John Paine. and is the land, referred to in court records of 1657 stating that John Merryman owned land near the mouth of the Corotoman River. and of 1665 stating that his land was very near the first Lancaster County Court House on White House Creek

John had certainly settled in Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, by 1653. The county began taxing him that year based on his labor force, assessing him for three tithables, 24 Oct 1653,^[2] for two tithables, 6 Feb 1655,^[3] again for three tithables, 7 Dec 1655,^[4] for two tithables, 5 Nov 1656,^[5] for two tithables, 16 Dec 1657,^[6] for three tithables, 31 Oct 1658,^[7] for two tithables, 30 Nov 1659,^[8] and for two tithables, 15 Nov 1660.^[9]

His labor force increased slightly in later years. He was, for instance, assessed in Lancaster County, 22 Nov 1668, for four tithables on the county’s "northside,"^[10] i.e., the part of the county that was then north of the Rappahannock River.^[11]

1670-1674 Lancaster County Order Book; Antient Press: pg 153, Lancaster County Court, 13th of July 1670, "For the affront offered by the Wife of JOHN MERRYMAN in the face of this Cort: to Mr. THOMAS MARSHALL, hee is fined 500 lb. of tob: to bee disposed off by the further order of this Cort , or his Wife to suffer corporall punishmt".

John made his Will on December 3, 1673, in Lancaster county, Virginia, and it was probated the following month, on January 13, 1674.

Estate of John Merryman

^[12] Lancaster County Court, 9 December 1674; Commission of Administration accordinge to Acte upon the Estate of JOHN MERRIMAN (deced) is granted unto ARDERE MERRIMAN, the Relicte of ye sde. JOHN MERRIMAN, and to WILLIAM MERRIMAN, Eldest Sonne of the saide JOHN MERRIMAN, they giveing security accordinge to Acte. DOMINE THERIOTT, THOMAS CHOWNING, WILLIAM LENNELL and GEORGE BALLEY are ordered to apprize the sde. Estate and to bee sworne by the nexte justice. An Inventory thereof to bee exhibited to ye nexte Cort, Mr. DANIEL HARRISON and Mr. EDWARD CARTER security.

Court of 21 Nov 1674 commissioned administration of the estate of John Merriman, dec'd to Audrey Merriman, relict of the said John Merriman. (There was no will.) On 13 Jan 1675, William Merriman, heir of John Merriman, dec'd in administration with his mother, Audrey Merriman, petitions for his estate. The inventory was made in Nov 1674 by Thomas Chowning, George Bussey, William Sonnett, D. Parish and Dominie Therryot. Listed were a Bible and other books, four horses, twelve cows, tables, chairs, beds, dram cups, looking glasses, kitchenware, tools, saddles and other items, total value of 20,640#, tobacco and the original grant of 500 acres.

Deed in Lancaster Co., 10 N 1680, from Wm. Merriman, planter, eldest son of John Merryman, decd.; Charles Merryman, wheelwright, youngest son of sd. John Merryman; & Edward Carter, planter, & Audrie, his wife, wid/o sd. John Merryman, to Lt. Col. Jno. Carter, Gent. & Capt. David Fox, Gent., for use of the county to establish a town, 50 acres of a patent dated 14 N 1649 to sd. John Merriman decd., ("VA Hist. Mag.," 5:430). (John Merryman's widow Audrey, married Edward Carter in 1680)

Researchers Notes

This John Merryman is ASSUMED to have been born about 1614 at Monkton Manor, Herefordshire England, a son of Thomas Merryman and Alice Russell.

Not the same person John Merryman, who was baptized on September 26, 1622, in Middlesex, England, was the son of George and Mary Merryman. ^[13]

https://colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I022653&tree=Tree1. This Source has to be used carefully, as John Merryman of Lancaster (this profile), is sometimes confused here with John Merryman the Lawyer (Who died in 1664.) There is an interesting discussion of that problem in the "Notes" Section. http://homepages.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy2/ps36/ps36_144.htm: This page discusses John Merryman, born before 1617, in England, who died before June 1664, in Virginia

John Merryman in Lancaster County, Virginia

• The nickname "of Lancaster" was added to his name to differentiate him from other John Merryman profiles. Lancaster County was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1651 from the former Northumberland and York Counties. John and his wife Audrey had two known sons and a daughter born in Virginia. They were William (b. abt-1650), Elizabeth (abt-1652) and Charles Merryman Sr. (b. abt-1657) who moved to Baltimore County. Maryland as an adult.

• Charles MERRYMAN (Son), of Currotoman River, Lancaster Co., VA, wheelwright was referred to in Balto. Co., MD, land records in a deed of 30 Mar. 1682, when he purchased from Thos. EVEREST & his wife Hannah BALL, 300 acres, "East Humphreys," north of Patapsco R[iver].

• William Merriman (Son), November 1694. Gen. note N. N. Grants No. 2, p. 83, fragment. Other Format Available on microfilm. Northern Neck Grants, reels 288-311, Location: Lancaster County. Description: 68 acres begg. &c in Edward Carter's old line it being ____ post of Robert Newsoms. Adjoining land of Samuel Parr, Willm. White &c. Source: Northern Neck Grants No. 2, 1694-1700, p. 83 (Reel 288).

• Coombs, John C., "Building "the machine": The development of slavery and slave society in early colonial Virginia" (2004). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539623434. Describes "demanding men like John Merryman of Lancaster, who in 1661 was ordered by the county court to refrain from keeping his servants at “any kind of labour after day light shutt in.” ^[14]
• Lancaster County, record book no. 2, 1654-1666, pages 1-394 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data - Fleet, Beverley,. Lancaster County, record book no. 2, 1654-1666, pages 1-394. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1961.Original data: Fleet,
• Martin, John N. “Stokes Notes.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 2, 1928, pp. 124–135. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1916279. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020

• Goochland county, Virginia was founded in 1728 as the first county formed from Henrico shire, followed by Chesterfield County in 1749. (Well after the death of John Merryman)

• I have the CULVER article on the family from "MD Historical Magazine," 1915, X:176-185 & 286-299. Quoting the "Wm. & Mary Quarterly," 5:49, this says that John MERRYMAN patented 10 May 1638, 150 acres in Charles City Co., VA, adjoining to Weyanoke and the land of Perce LENNON. It quotes GREER, "Early VA Immigrants," p. 25, "Audrey MERRYMAN, [transported by] 1649 by John MERRIMAN, county. "John MERRYMAN's widow Audrey married Edward CARTER of Lancaster Co., VA.

• "VA Hist. Mag.," 5:430: Charles MERRYMAN of Currotoman River, Lancaster Co., VA, wheelwright was referred to in Baltimore county, MD, land records in a deed of 30 Mar. 1682, when he purchased from Thos. EVEREST & his wife Hannah BALL, 300 acres, "East Humphreys," north of Patapsco R.

• Removed all references to Ancestor.com Family Trees as they were not only not appropriate for this profile, they were also no longer available, July 2019. (See Comments Box, 1 August 2016)

Sources

1. ↑ Land Office Patents & Grants, Patent 2, p. 190 (Card #21 of 81), Virginia County Records, Volume VI, Index to Land Grants, Lancaster Co., Book 3. http://www.lva.lib.va.us/dlp/index.htm
2. ↑ 1653 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 24 Oct 1653. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 90-94. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 4 Feb 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
3. ↑ 1655 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 6 Feb 1655. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 174-178. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 8 Feb 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
4. ↑ 1655 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 7 Dec 1655. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 234-239. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here, as transcribed in 1961 Transcription. Fleet, Beverley. 1961. Virginia Colonial Abstracts: Vol. XXII, Lancaster County 1652-1655. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Pages 106-109. Available online without restriction courtesy of HathiTrust here. Accessed 29 Jan 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
5. ↑ 1656 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 5 Nov 1656. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Deed & Will Book 1, 1652-1657, pp. 302-307. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 23 Mar 2024. To see what others appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
6. ↑ 1657 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 16 Dec 1657. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book, 1655-1666, pp. 40-44. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 30 Mar 2024. To see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
7. ↑ 1658 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 31 Oct 1658. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 60-64. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 24 Jan 2024. To see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces, visit Lancaster County Tax Records.
8. ↑ 1659 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 30 Nov 1659. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 100-105. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 25 Jan 2024. Visit Lancaster County Tax Records to see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces.
9. ↑ 1660 Tax Assessment. Tax Assessment Record, 15 Nov 1660. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1655-1666, pp. 131-132. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 10 Apr 2024. Visit Lancaster County Tax Records to see what other colonists appear on this tax assessment, in alphabetical order, and for a list of the colonists with the largest labor forces.
10. ↑ 1668 Assessment. Assessment, 22 Nov 1668. Lancaster County, Virginia Colony, Order Book 1, 1666-1680, pp. 86-87. Available online without restriction courtesy of FamilySearch here. Accessed 1 Jan 2024.
11. ↑ Lancaster County today lies entirely north of the Rappahannock River. Until 1669, in which year Middlesex County was formed, Lancaster County straddled the river, thus leading the assessors to differentiate between the county's north and south sides. Sources:
    1. Wikipedia contributors, "Lancaster County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 22, 2024).
    2. Wikipedia contributors, "Middlesex County, Virginia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 22, 2024).
    3. Iberian Publishing Company's On-Line Catalog: The Growth of Virginia, 1634-1895 (1651-1660). Available online here.
12. ↑ 1674-1678 Lancaster County VA Order Book; (Antient Press) pg 304
13. ↑ "England, Middlesex Parish Registers, 1539-1988", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8BN1-3ZT2 : 2 September 2020), John Merryman, 1622
14. ↑ https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3225&context=etd

• Title: Millennium File Author: Heritage Consulting Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003.Original data - Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Heritage Consulting. Original data: Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA APID: 7249::0
• Title: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Author: Yates Publishing Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived. APID: 7836::0
• Title: Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Author: Gale Research Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.Original data - Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2006.Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passe APID: 7486::0

Acknowledgments

• This person was created on 22 September 2010 through the import of PittsPenn_2010-09-21.ged.
• This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import. Merryman-257 was created by Jason Panick through the import of Panick Family Tree 2.ged on Dec 2, 2014