John Merrill (1545 - bef. 1600)

Born 1545 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England

Ancestors

Husband of Prudence (Bird) Merrill — married 1570 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England

Descendants

Died before 6 Dec 1600 before age 55 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England

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Biography

Birth

Birth:

Date: 1545

Place: Wherstead, Suffolk, England^[1]

Christening

Christening:

Place: Of Wherstead, Suffolk, England

Occupation

Occupation: Yeoman

Marriage

Husband: John Merrill

Wife: Prudence Bird

Date: 1570

Place: Wherstead, Suffolk, England^[2]

Burial

Burial:

Date: 6th Dec 1600

Will

Will:

Date: 2 DEC 1600

Place: Whersted, County Suffolk, England

Note: The will of John Merrill:

In the name of god Amen the second day of December in the thrie and ffourtith yeare of the Raigne of our Sovragne Ladie Elizabeth ... I John Merrill the elder of whersteade in the Countie of Suff: Yeoman being sicke in bodie and yet of pfect memorie ... for the satisfaccon of my mind and the quiet of my wife and children & a remembraunce of some other ... doe hereby make and declare my last will & testement in manner & fforme as hereafter ensueth ... Item I give and bequeath to Prudence my wife in pte of recompence of hir dower my parlor and larther [larder?] howse pcell of my dwelling howses wth the bedding and furniture in the same and the pasture and stover somer and winter for a Cowe upon my lands in little Belsted and whested aforesaid ... to have and to hold to hir the said Prudence for terme of her natural life keeping her sole and unmarried. Itm I give and bequeath to hir the said Prudence in further recompence of her dower one anuitie or yerlie rent of five pounds of lawfull englishe mony to be going out of all my lands and Tennemts in little Belsted wherested and Sprowtownne to have and to hold ... for terme of hir life at two termes in the yeares usuall that is to say at the ffeast of the aunneacon of the blessed virgin Saint Marie and Saint michaell thearchaungell ... and yf yt shall happen the said yeerlie Rent to be behind unpayed in pte or in all ... then ... yt shalbe lawful to and for the said prudence into the said lands and Tennements or any pcell thereof to enter and Distraine ... until the said Prudence of the said yeerlie rent wth the arrearages thereof shalbe fullie satisfied and paid.

Itm I will geve & bequeath to John my sonne the moytie of my dwelling howses & the moytie of all my launds Tennemts and hereditamts as well free and bond scituate and lying and being in whersted little Belsted and Sprowton aforesaid ... Itm I will give and bequeath to Michaell my Sonne thother moytie of my said dwelling howses and ... lands ... Itm I will and bequeath to Nathaniell merrell my Sonne ffourtie pounds of lawful English money to be paid to him in fforme ffollowinge vizt wthin one yeere next after my decease xiiili vis viiid and wthin two yeeres next after my decease other thirteene pounds six shillings and eight pence in full paymt of the said ffourtie pounds. Itm I will and bequeath to Thomas my Sonne thirty pounds ... Itm I will and bequeath to the said Thomas my lease and terme of yeres of land in the messuage called Ampsons in wherstede ... Itm I will and bequeath to Marie Merrill daughter to the said Nathaniell tenne pounds to be paid to hir at hir age of eighteene Yeeres. Itm I will and bequeath to Martha merrell one other of the daughters of the said Nathaniell other tenne pounds to be paid ... at hir age of eighteene Yeeres.

Itm I will and bequeath to John Merrell Sonne to the said Nathaniell tenne pounds to be paid to him at his age of one and twentie yeeres And yff any of the said children of the said Nathaniell shall Dept this life before such time as he or she is to receive the said porcon ... then I will that the ... porcon of him or hir so Deceasing shalbe Distributed to and among the survivors of them. Itm I will and bequeath to Thoms merrell Sonne of Thoms my Sonne tenne pounds to be paid to him at his age of one and twentie yeeres. Itm I will and bequeath to Anne Merrell daughter to the said Thoms my Sonne other tenne pounds ... at ... age of eightene yeeres, And yff eyther of those two children shall depte this life before he or shee shall receive the said porcons ... then I will that the ... porcon of him or hir so deceasing shall remain to the svivour of them. Itm I will and bequeath to Willm Smyth my svaunt twentie shillings & to Thomas Smyth his brother tenne shillings. Itm I will and bequeath to Edward Kettle of ffreston Clerke xxs; Itm I will and bequeath to eytch of my said sonnes Nathaniall and Thoms all such goods of mine as they have in their sevall custodies And I remytte and forgive eyther of them all such Debts as they or eyther of them doth owe unto me All the Residue of my debts goods and Cattals whatsov my Debts paid my legacies pformed and my funrall expences discharged I will and bequeath to my said Sonnes John and Michaell, whome I ordaine name and costitute my Executors of this my last will & Testament, And I appoint my loving friend Christopher Wright supravisor of the same Testament ... Itm I will & bequeath to the said Thomas my Sonne my brasse pott sometime sharpes and a hundredth of bourd ... I ... have hereunto put my hand and Seale in the psence of Raulffe Scrivner and Christopher Wright michaell Raynold and John Raynold. By me John merrell. Proved 11 Dec 1600. ^[3]

Source: #S169

Page: Volume 2, Page 1034

TMPLT

FIELD

Name: Page

VALUE Volume 2, Page 1034

• Source: S132 Abbreviation: v15t2202.ftw Title: v15t2202.ftw Subsequent Source Citation Format: v15t2202.ftw BIBL v15t2202.ftw. TMPLT TID 0 FIELD Name: Footnote VALUE v15t2202.ftw FIELD Name: ShortFootnote VALUE v15t2202.ftw FIELD Name: Bibliography VALUE v15t2202.ftw.

Source: #S221

Page: Kacy Davis World Tree Project

TMPLT

FIELD

Name: Page

VALUE Kacy Davis World Tree Project

Source S169

Abbreviation: Pillsbury Genealogy

Title: Mary Lovering Holman, Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury: compiled for Helen Pendleton (Winston) Pillsbury (N.p.: n.p., 1938), .

Subsequent Source Citation Format: Holman, Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury, .

BIBL Holman, Mary Lovering. Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury: compiled for Helen Pendleton (Winston) Pillsbury. N.p.: n.p., 1938.

Source S221

Abbreviation: Ancestry Family Trees

Title: Ancestry Family Trees (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.)

Note

Note:

--------------

http://www.lodinet.com/jmerrill/Merrill%20Memorial.htm

The Wills of Three John Merrells

The originals of the sixteenth century Suffolk wills, in the Probate Registry office at Ipswich, England, are preserved with a lack of care and system which would be severely criticised in most New England recording offices. All the probate papers of a year are rolled up loosely in a bundle, without regard to order, and tied with a cord. The smaller papers are exposed to danger of loss, and the larger ones are naturally badly worn by reason of loose prejecting edges. Each bundle is supposed to contain the papers of a single year, but many of the bundles are unmarked, and the search for any particular paper is a most discouraging undertaking. The bundles are stored in a vault, in a confused mass.

The officials look upon the original wills with comparative indifference. In their judgment the recorded copies are evidently of greater importance. Indeed, they said that no one in these days looks beyond the record books, and my persistence in trying to find the original instruments was, they said, very unusual. The copies are indexed, but there is no index to show whether the original wills are still in existence.

The wills of three John Merrells, probated respectively in 1600, 1552 and 1529, are recorded in old parchment-covered books, and these copies are easily found. The bindings are worm-eaten, and falling apart by reason of broken stitches, but the paper has well withstood the test of time, and the brownish-black ink shows no signs of fading. These copies were evidently made at the time when the wills were proved. Dictionaries were practically unknown, and orthography for this reason was not standardized. As a result the copies show many minor differences in spelling—differences from the originals, and inconsistencies with themselves. But in all essentials the phraseology is faithfully preserved.

In my copies I have followed literally, line for line, the transcripts in the record books. In the case of the two earlier wills the originals could not be found. In the case of the will of 1600 I was so fortunate as to find the original, but it was so much less legible than the recorded copy that the exact tenor of the instrument is better shown in a copy taken from the pages of the old book of record.

Will of John Merrell 1600 The original will of 1600 fills three large sheets of handsome deckle-edged paper, 10 ¾ by 14 ½ inches in size. The sheets are attached together at the top by a narrow strip of parchment, the ends of this parchment ribbon being bound by red sealing wax. The margins are ample, and the lines wide apart, but the writer used a coarsepointed quill, and crowded the writing in such a way that in our time one unaccustomed to ancient manuscripts would find much difficulty in deciphering it.

The testator affixed his signature in a shaking hand, with an indifferent pen, spelling his name Merell. But he was “sicke in bodie”—his will was admitted to probate nine days later—and we must not criticise his chirography, or his spelling of the family name. A facsimile of his autograph is given herewith. At the end of the third sheet, near the signature, a few drops of sealing wax were placed, and a corner of the paper was folded over the hot wax. Against this a seal was pressed, the seal showing clearly a crude device resembling a spider.

The ancient copyist contented himself with preserving the phraseology of the instrument, literal precision in matters of spelling, and in the use of capitals, evidently being considered quite unimportant. He spelled “paid” in three different ways, and “Wherstead,” which appears six times, has five different spellings, the name of the place in each case beginning with a small letter.

The copy of the will of John Merrell (1600) is in the records of the Archdeaconry of Suffolk, book xxxviii, folio 242. For comparison the first line of the original instrument may be quoted:

In the name of Godd Amen the seconde daye of [illegible] yn the thre & ffourtyth yere of the Ragn of our Sovrayn lady

In the more legible handwriting of the recording officer these twenty-four words are given more than two lines.

In the name of god Amen the second day of December in the three and ffourtith yeere of the Raigne of our Sovaigne Ladie Elizabeth by the grace of god of Englaund and Irelaund Queene Defender of the ffaith &c. I John Merrell the elder of whersteade in the Countie of Suff: Yeoman being sicke in bodie and yet of pfect memorie praised be almightie god remembring that all mankind is mortall and the time of death is uncertaine for the satisfaccon of my mind and the quiet of my wife and children & a remembraunce of some other have and doe hereby make and declare my last will & testament in manner & fforme as hereafter ensueth that is to say ffirst and most principallie in most humble manner I comend my Soule into the hands of almightie god my maker redeemer and Sanctifier trusting by and through the merrits and obedyence of my lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that my soul shall possesse and enioy eternall life & salvacon And as for my bodie I bequeath to the earth to be buried by the discretion of my executors. Itm I will and bequeath to the poore people in wherstead aforesaid fourtie shillings to be distributed among them wthin one quarter of a yeere next after my decease. Itm I give and bequeath to Prudence my wife in pte of recompence of hir dower my parlor and larther howse pcell of my dwelling howses wth. the bedding and furniture in the same and the pasture and stover somer and winter for a Cowe upon my lands in litle belsted and whested aforesaid from time to time to have and to hold to hir the said Prudence for terme of hir natural life keeping hir sole and unmarried. Itm I give and bequeath to hir the said Prudence in further recompence of hir dower one anuitie or yeerlie rent of five pounds of lawfull englishe mony to be going out of all my lands and Tennemts in little Belsted wherested and Sprowtonne to have and to hold to my said wife for terme of hir life at two termes in the yeeres usuall that is to say at the ffeast of thaunncacon of the blessed virgin Saint Marie and Saint michaell tharchaungell by even porcons the ffirst payment to begin at such of the said ffeasts as shall happen next after my decease and yf yt shall happen the said yeerelie Rent to be behind unpayed in pte or in all over or after any of the said ffeast dayes in wch the same ought to be paid that then and at all times after yt shalbe lawfull to and for the said prudence into the said lands and Tennements or any pcell thereof to enter and Distraine and the Distresse or Distresses there fownd to lead drive carrie away and Detaine untill the said Prudence of the said yeerelie rent wth. the arrearages thereof shalbe fullie satisfied and paid. Itm I will geve & bequeath to John my sonne the moytie of my dwelling howses & the moytie of all my launds Tennemts. and heriditamts. as well free as bond scituate lying and being in wherstead litle Belsted and Sprowton aforsaid or any of them to have and to hold to the said John my Sonne his his heires and Assynes forev Itm I will give and bequeath to Michaell my Sonne thother moytie of my said dwelling howses and of all the said lands Tennements and heriditamts. as well free as bond to have and to hold to the said michall my Sonne his heires and assynes fforev. Itm I will and bequeath Itm I will and bequeath to Nathaniell merrell my Sonne ffourtie pounds of lawfull english mony to be paid to him in fforme ffollowinge vizt. wthin one yeere next after my decease xiijli. vjs viijd. And wthin two yeeres next after my decease other thirteene pounds six shillings and eight pence and wthin three yeeres next after my decease other thirteene pounds six shillings and eight pence in full paymt of the said ffourtie pounds. Itm I will and bequeath to Thomas my Sonne thirtie pounds of lawfull english mony to be paid to him in fforme ffollowing vixt. wthin one yeere next after my decease tenne pounds and wthin two yeeres next after my decease other tenne pounds and wthin three yeeres next after my decease other tenne pounds in full payment of the said thirtie pounds Itm I will and bequeath to the said Thomas my lease and terme of yeres of and in the messuage called Ampsons in wherstede aforesaid & of & in the lands thereunto belonging. Itm I will and bequeath to Marie Merrell daughter to the said Nathaniell tenne pounds to be paid to hir at hir age of eighteene yeeres. Itm I will and bequeath to Martha merrell one other of the daughters of the said Nathaniell other tenne pounds to be paid to hir at hir age of eighteene yeeres. Itm I. will and bequeath to John Merrell Sonne to the said Nathaniell tenne pounds to be payed to him at his age of one and twentie yeeres And yff any of the said children of the said Nathaniell shall Dept this life before such time as he or she is to receive the said porcon bequeathed by this my will, then I will that the pte and porcon of him or hir so Deceasing shalbe Distributed to and among the survivors of them. Itm I will and bequeath to Thoms merrell Sonne of Thoms Merrell my Sonne tenne pounds to be paied to him at his age of one and twentie yeeres. Itm I will and bequeath to Anne Merrell daughter to the said Thoms my Sonne other tenne pounds to be paied to hir at hir age of eightene yeeres, And yff eyther of those two children shall depte this life before he or shee shall receive the said porcons bequeathed then I will that the pte & porcon of him or hir so Deceasing shall remaine to the ??vivour of them. Itm I will and bequeath to Willm Smyth my ??vaunt twentie shillings & to Thomas Smyth his brother tenne shillings Itm I will and bequeath to Edward Kettle of ffreston Clerke xxs, Itm I will and bequeath to eytch of my said sonnes Nathaniell and Thoms all such goods of mine as they have in thier sevall custodies And I remytte and forgive and eyther of them all such Debts as they or eyther of them doth owe unto me All the Residue of my debts goods and Cattals whatsoev my Debts payed my legacies pformed and my funrall expences discharged I will and bequeath to my said Sohnes John and Michaell, whome I ordaine name and costitute my Executors of this my last will & Testament, And I appoint my loving friend Cristopher Wright supraviser of the same nevthelesse my will and meaning is that yff anie Default shalbe made in the payment of any legacie before bequeathed to any of my Sonnes or anie of thier Children that then the ptie from whome anie such legacie shalbe wtholden shall enter into have and hold all my said lands and Tennemets. and the same occupy and enioy untill such legacie shalbe satisfied and paid. Itm I will & bequeath to the said Thomas my Sonne my brasse pott sometime sharpes and a hundreth of bourd, And thus Revoking and renowcing all formr wills and Testamts by me made I ratifie and Confirme this and in Testimonie thereof have hereunto put my hand & Seale in the psence of Raulffe Scrivner and Cristopher wright michaell Raynold and John Raynold. By me John merrell

This will was proved 11 Dec. 1600.

Line 2 et seq. ff as an initial is the equivalent of capital F

3, 6, 8, etc. Little flourishes were commonly used at that time to mark certain abbreviations. These are described in Wright’s “Court-Hand Restored,” and other books relating to ancient manuscripts, and detailed explanations are not needed in this place.

6, Yeoman: a freeholder of land of the value of 40s. a year.

Line 23. “Parlor and larther howse pcell:” probably reference is made to the portion of the house which included the parlor and larder, or pantry.

25, stover: fodder for cattle.

26, litle belsted: now called Belstead, a parish adjoining Wherstead on the west.

29, sole: unmarried.

30-31. In 1600, when this will was written, the purchasing power of money was about ten times greater than it was three centuries later.

33. Sproughton is three miles northwest from Wherstead.

35, ffeast of thaunncacon: feast of the Annunciation,

(25 March).

Line 60, xiijli.: thirteen pounds.

72, messuage: dwelling house.

95, ??vivour: survivor.

99, Freston adjoins Wherstead on the southeast.

99, Clerke: clergyman.

104, Cattals: chattels.

Search of the Wherstead and Belstead registers discloses the following entries: [12]

Wherstead

1593/4 Jan.21. ….. Merrell, dau. of Nath! Merrell & his wife was buried.

1594/5 Feb.23. Mary Merrell, dau. of Nath! Merrell & Mary his wife was baptised.

1596. Sep.21. Matthew Merrell dau. of Matthew Merrell & Mary his wife was baptised. (Sic.) 1598. ( ) Francis Merrell dau. of (???) Merrell & Mary his wife was baptised.

1599. Aug. 16. John Merrell son of Nath! Merrell & Mary his wife was baptised.

1601. May 4. Nathanaell Merrell son of Nath! Merrell & Mary his wife was baptised.

1602. Aug. 23. Rose Merrill dau. of Thomas Merrill & his wife was baptised.

1603. Apr. 3. Mychell Merrell, son of Nathaniel Merrell & his wife was baptised.

1605. Mar. 29. Elizabeth Merrell dau. of Thomas Merrell & his wife was baptised.

1628/9 Jan. 24. John Merrill & Anis Bishope married.

1595/6 Jul. 15. Thomas Merrill & Rose Pearson married.

1598. Aug. 1. Fraunces Merrell, dau. of Nath! Merrell & Mary his wife buried.

1626/7 Mar. 17. Nathaniel Merrill buried.

1602. Oct. 10. Mary dau. of John & Susan Merrill baptised.

Belstead

1603. Apr. 9. Elizabeth dau. of Nichaelis Merrill & Margaret his wife.

1604. Aug. 4. Francis Merrill, dau. of Michael Merrill & Margaret.

1607. Apr. 19. Michael son of Michael Merrill & Margaret.

1608/9 Feb. 19. John son of Michael Merrill & Margaret.

1610/1 Mar. 10. William son of Michael Merrill and Margaret.

1615. Sep. 10. Anna Merrill dau. of Michael Merrill & Margaret.

(Baptisms and burials, hiatus to 1653.)

1583. Sep. 15. Robert Andrew & Joane Morrell married.

1592/3 Feb. 27. Nathanaell Merrill & Mary Blacksoll married.

1601. Dec. 29. John Merrill & Susan Plumley married.

1602/3 Mar. 7. Michael Merrill & Margaret Scrivener married.

1637. Jul. 3. William Merrill & An. Bond married.

1608. Dec. 22. Prudence Merrill buried.

1609. 1616. Aug. 20. Michael Merrill buried.

(Hiatus to 1622.)

In the light of this record of baptisms marriages and burials, aided by the evidence of relationship contained in the will given at pages 34-38, we may construct the above pedigree.

John and Nathaniel Merrell, who were baptised at Wherstead 16 Aug. 1599, and 4 May, 1601, respectively, and whose names are underscored in red in the pedigree, seem to be the John and Nathaniel Merrill who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts. Their dates of baptism are quite consistent with this theory, and they disappear from the records of Wherstead and vicinity at the time when John and Nathaniel appear in the records of Ipswich and Newbury in New England. John was mentioned in his grand father’s will:

Nathaniel was unborn when the grandfather died. Such search as has been made, however, fails to disclose marriage records, or ships’ lists, or references in wills to kindred beyond the sea, to prove that the John and Nathaniel of Wherstead migrated to New England. [i]

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

Occupation

Occupation: Yeoman^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S132 TMPLT FIELD Name: Page Data: Text: Date of Import: 10 Jul 2002
2. ↑ Source: #S132 TMPLT FIELD Name: Page Data: Text: Date of Import: 10 Jul 2002
3. ↑ Arch. Suffolk- Book 38, fol. 242
4. ↑ Source: #S132 TMPLT FIELD Name: Page Data: Text: Date of Import: 10 Jul 2002