William Merritt (abt. 1640 - 1708)

Born about 1640 in England

Descendants

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Preceded by Charles Lodwik

William Merritt 22nd Mayor of New York City 1695-1698

Succeeded by Johannes de Peyster

Biography

William Merritt was born in England in about 1640 and emigrated to New York in 1662 by way of Barbados as the captain of the ship Trial. ^{[1] [2] [3]} He lived among the Dutch inhabitants of New York and swore allegiance to the Crown, 21 October 1664. ^[1] He appeared in court in 1668; he was the plaintiff against Martin Hoffman regarding freight from Delaware in 1670. ^[1] He was called a mariner on a deed of land in 1669. ^[1] He purchased from Laurens Hollst a house and lot on the west side of Heere Grabt (Broad Street) on 12 April 1671. ^[1] In 1673 he ketch, Rebecca and Sarah was confiscated. ^[1] He was on a committee to survey land in 1675 and was also Constable that same year. ^[1] On 21 April 1680 he was licensed to sell wines and liquors. ^[1] He was a merchant and was made lieutenant of Stephen Cortlandt's company in March 1681. ^[4] His home in the city of New York was located on Broad Street between Stone and Marketfield Streets. ^[5] He opened a store to sell general merchandise and was very successful. ^[6] He was elected a member of the common council in 1684 and commissioned quartermaster in July 1685. ^[7] He was an Alderman in 1687. ^[8] During the occupation of the Governor's office by Jacob Leisler, William and his son, John, were arrested for receiving at their home "five armed strangers." ^[9] He was confined for twenty-one days, during which time he tried to gain the freedom to visit his dying grandchild, but was denied. ^[10] He was again Alderman from 1690-1695, and served as a member of the general assembly in 1691. ^[11] William was commissioned a Major in Governor Benjamin Fletcher's expedition and reached Schenectady on 18 February 1693. ^[12] He was appointed justice in the city of New York on 12 May 1694. ^[13] He served as the city's mayor from the end of 1694 to 1698. ^[14]

In 1695, he and other members of the Church of England petitioned to buy land to build Trinity Church.^[15] They asked that the money set aside for ransoming Christian slaves be given to them since some of the slaves had died and others had escaped. ^[16] He had another issue with enslaved persons in August 1896. There was a minor disturbance near his home and he personally confronted them. One of them, named Prince, slapped the Mayor in the face. ^[17] The Mayor reported the incident to the other justices of the peace, who had the offender punished. ^[18] At the time, punishments were harsh. According to Hodges:^[19]

Prince was sentenced to "publick whipping post of this city and then to be stripped Naked from the middle upwards and there be tyed to the tale of a cart and being soe stripped and tyed shall be drawn round this City within the fortifications till he return to the said Whipping Post and at every corner of every street shall receive Eleaven lashes on his Body." ^[20]

About 1700, William Merritt was commissioned a Colonel in Abraham De Peyster's regiment and he removed to Orange County, New York, where he was a justice. ^[21] His name appeared on the "List of Inhabitant s in the County of Orange in 1702," which is a reconstructed census. ^[22] He is over 60 years of age and it lists his wife, Margry [Margery]. ^[22] There are no children listed, but he does have listed 4 male negroes, 1 female negro, 1 male negro child, and 2 female negro children listed. ^[22] On 24 April 1706 he was appointed a pilot of her majesty's ship Lowestaffe. ^[23]

Will

An abstract of his will:

    Page 511. - William Meritt. In the name of God, Amen, the 1st day of February, 1706. I, William Meritt, of the city of New York, Esq., being in health of body. I leave all my estate, real and personal, to my loving wife Margery Meritt, during her life, and then to my son John Meritt. I appoint my wife Margery, and my son, Major John Meritt, executors.
    Witnesses, Hendrick Kermer, Thomas Norton, William Huddlestone. Proved, July 19, 1708.
    [Note.- William Meritt was Mayor of New York, 1695-1698. His residence was on the west side of Broad street, a little north of Stone street. It was known as "William Meritt's Great House," and was destroyed by fire. - W. S. P.] ^[24]

Research Notes

To John, son of Wm. and Margary Meritt, £10, "to be paid to his parents against he arrive to years of understanding." ^[25]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Merritt, Douglas. "William Merritt of New York," Revised Merritt Records, New York: Tobias A. Wright, 1916; digital images, posted by an Ancestry member (https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/34306746/person/422072433200/media/44fc877f-689e-4074-8553-e1024202c2ab?_phsrc=NfS5737&_phstart=success : accessed 10 October 2021); pg. 47. [NOTE: This is a book uploaded by an Ancestry member, so you will need a paid account to view. Otherwise an internet search may reveal another copy.]
2. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
3. ↑ Archdeacon
4. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
5. ↑ Wilson
6. ↑ Wilson
7. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
8. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
9. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
10. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
11. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
12. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
13. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
14. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
15. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
16. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
17. ↑ Archdeacon
18. ↑ Archdeacon
19. ↑ Hodges
20. ↑ Hodges
21. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1 22.2} Axtman, Debbie and Jeanne Taylor. "List of Inhabitant in the County of Orange 1702," New York History and Genealogy Project, website (https://www.newyorkroots.org/bookarchive/colonialnewyork/orange1702.html : accessed 10 October 2021); citing Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan, Lists of Inhabitants of Colonial New York, 1860.
23. ↑ Wilson and Fiske
24. ↑ New York Historical Society. Collections of the New York Historical Society for the Year , New York: Trow & Smith, 1893; digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/collectionsofnewv26newy/page/12/mode/2up : accessed 10 October 2021); pg. 12-13.
25. ↑ New York Historical Society. Collections of the New York Historical Society for the Year , New York: Trow & Smith, 1892; digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/collectionsofnew1892newy/page/n39/mode/2up : accessed 10 October 2021); pg. 20.

• Wikipedia contributors, "William Merritt (mayor)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Merritt_(mayor).
• Wilson, James Grant and John Fiske, editors. Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. IV. Lodge-Pickens, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1888; database and digital images, Ancestry Record 61360 #10443: accessed 29 September 2019; pg. 308-309.
• Wilson, James Grant. The Memorial History of the City of New-York; From its First Settlement to the Year 1892, Volume II, New York: New-York History Company, 1892, pg. 53-54.
• Archdeacon, Thomas J. New York City, 1664-1710: Conquest and Change, n.p.: Fall Creek Books, 1976.
• Hodges, Graham Russell Gao. Root and Branch: African Americans in New York and East Jersey, 1613-1863, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

See also:

• Calendar of the N.Y. Colonial Manuscripts indorsed Land Papers - Extracts; Publication Place: Albany; Publisher: Weed, Parsons & Co.; Publication Year: 1864; Page Number: 36.
• The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (quarterly-1871) - Extracts; Publication Place: New York; Publisher: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; Page Number: 37.

See also:

• Wilson, James Grand and John Fiske, editors. Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography; Volume: Vol. IV. Lodge-Pickens, New York : D. Appleton and Company, 1888; digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 October 2021); pg. 308-309. Ancestry Record 61360 #10443 Ancestry Sharing Link