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Nathaniel Merrill Jr. (bef. 1601 - 1655)

Nathaniel Merrill Jr.
Born before in Wherstead, Suffolk, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married about 1630 (to 16 Mar 1655) in Englandmap
Descendants descendants
Died after age 53 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
Profile last modified | Created 14 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 12,387 times.
The Puritan Great Migration.
Nathaniel Merrill Jr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 226)
Join: Puritan Great Migration Project
Discuss: pgm

Contents

Biography

Cross of St George
Nathaniel Merrill Jr. was born in England.

Nathaniel Merrill, the son of Nathaniel Merrill and Mary Blacksoll (named as his parents on baptism record), was baptized in Wherstead, Suffolk, England May 3, 1601 [1][2] and died in Newbury, Massachusetts March 16, 1654/5.[3] He married Susanna Wolterton about 1630, probably in England. He arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts by 1638.[4] Per an unnamed reference, it is said that he came to New England with his brother John, but it's possible that John came first.[citation needed]

The "Merrill Memorial" states that Nathaniel and John settled in Newbury in 1635 after having moved from Ipswich and that Nathaniel became one of the proprietors in 1638.[5] However, this is all conjecture as there is no evidence that Nathaniel arrived in America before 1639 or lived anywhere other than Newbury. John, however, did arrive earlier and had been living in Newbury for some time prior to Nathaniel's arrival. He was granted a lot on the Neck on the south bank of the Parker River in Dec. 1646: "the necke men have consented to hold to the removeing of the towne, and accordingly have received satisfaction at the new towne in land, for their land on the necke, and therefore have yelded up their land in the necke to the Towne."[6] Consequently, the town was moved to the shore of the Merrimack River.

Nathaniel and Susanna were probably married in England. Although their son John was the executor of the estate of Gregory Wolterton of Hartford, Connecticut, Susanna was probably not his sister due to the large difference in age. Donald Lines Jacobus was of the opinion that Susanna was probably the daughter of Susanna, first wife of Gregory Wolterton.[7]

The "Merrill Memorial" states that John and Nathaniel bore the arms "Argent, a bar Azure, between three peacocks' heads erased Proper."[5] However, no evidence is found for their right to these arms.

This person is an ancestor of President Franklin Pierce 14th US President

Will

Date: 8 MAR 1654/5
Place: Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts
Note: Will for Nathaniel Merrill:

Witnes by these psents that I Nathaniell Merrill of Newbury in the Countie of Essex being sicke of body but through gods mercy of perfect memory I do here make my last will and testament, I first bequeath my soule into the hands of my blessed Redeemer with an assured hope of a joyful resurection, and my body when it shall please the Lord to take me out of this fraile life to bee buryed in the burying place in Newbury, and for my worldly goods I give and dispose as followeth.

Impr I give and bequeath unto Susanna my wife five akers of plowable land lying next my brother Johns land and halfe the marsh dureing her naturall life and a cow and three heifers and all my household goods, And out of this estat so given to my wife I give and bequeath unto my daughter Susanna five pounds when she shalbe at the age of twenty years

then I give and bequeath unto my Son Nathaniell (whom I appoint as my true and lawfull heire) all my land and freehold after my wives decease, and all the working tooles & Implements of husbandry and all the cattell and stocke besids And out of this stocke I appoint that my Son Nathaniell shall pay theise legacyes as followeth, that is

I give unto my son John when he shalbee of the age of two and twenty yeers the summe of five pounds,

And also I give and bequeath unto my son Abraham also at the age of two and twenty years five pound and

And also I give and bequeath unto my son Daniell also at the age of one and twenty years five pound and

I give and bequeath to my Son Abell five pounds also at the age of one and twenty years,

And I appoint my Son Nathaniell to be my sole executor and all my debts & funerall rites being discharged I appoint him to have all the rest of my goods & chattels undisposed and I desire my brother John Merill and Anthony Somerby to be the overseers of this my last will & testament.

In witnesse whereof I have set my hand march the eight in the yeare one thousand six hundred fifty foure

The marke
NM
of Nathaniell Merrill

but if gods pvidence should by losses & crosses upon ye estate more than ordinary: then porportionobly to be abated in the legacyes.

Wittnes Richard Knight
Anthony Somerby
John Merrell

Pved in court held at ypswich the 27 of (1) 55 by the oath of John merrill & Anthony Sumerby
p me Robt. Lord cleric

An Inventory of the lands goods and Chattells of Nathaniell merrill of Newbury who deceased march 16 1654/55

Impr ten akers of vpland and thre akers of marsh
with the preuiledge of afrehold or Comonage
vallued at…………………………………….....................20- 0-0
It one cow and acalfe...........................................4-15-0
It three heifers of three yeare old and 2 calues
vallued at.............................................................12-10-0
It two steers of two yeare old & two heifers vallued
at ...........................................................................11- 0-0
It three yearelings vallued at................................4- 0-0
It one old cart & wheels and sled and an old
harcw.......................................................................1- 0-0
It 2 spades a mattock a beetle 4 wedges a crosscut

saw & a hand saw & 4 axes and 4 hooes wth
other small tooles………………………………,,,,,,,,,,,,...2- 0-0
It 3 old tubs a fanne [a tool for winnowing grain] an
Iron staple & ring & 2 prongs [hay forks] &
shouell...................................................................0-10-0
It his weareing apparel.........................................2- 0-0
It ten bushells of malt & barly 5 bushells of wheate
& nine bushels of rye & about 35 bushells of Indian
corne…….………………………………………………........10-16-0
It two muskets and 2 swords with match & powder &
other appurtenances therto belonging..............2-0-0
It in oats & pease..................................................0-10-0
It sixe small swine..................................................3- 0-0
It 2 flock beds [beds filled with wool waste] & bolsters
& 2 small feather pillows & two couerlets & old
blankets & 2 paire of sheets old..........................4- 0-0
It 2 old Ketles 2 skillets & a smal braspot &
Iron pot..................................................................1-10-
It an old warming pan fireshouell gridIron tongs &
other small Iron things & a spit..........................0-12-0
It 4 small pewter dishes & askimmer dishes &
spoones.................................................................0-12-0
It a truckle bedsted [trundle bed] 2 buckets and a
pre of cottrells [hooks used to hang pots over the
fire] & other small things.....................................0-10-0
It a small cart rope & halfe bushell & a pecke...0- 5-0
It a small cubbord & 2 chests..............................0-16-0
It one drinke vessels 2 wheels one powdring tub:
[tub to corne meat] ten milke trayes & 3 cheesfats
[cheese presses] & other lumber.........................2- 0-0 ....................................................................Sum is 84- 6-0

his debts for Rent due to mr Cutting..................5- 0-0
and besids in small debts.....................................2- 0-0

A true Inuentory taken march 23th 1654:55 by us
Daniell P Thurstons marke
Richard Knight Nicholaus Woodman[8]

Nathaniel was survived by his wife Susanna, brother John, and children Susanna, Nathaniel, John, Daniel, Abraham and Abel. Nathaniel's will dated 8 March 1654[54-55] names his wife Susanna as heir, assigns Nathaniel as executor and bequeaths five pounds to his other five living children.[9]

Children

Known children of Nathaniel and his wife:[10]

  1. Nathaniel, born about 1632; died January 1, 1683; married, October 15, 1661, Joanna Ninny ("Kinney"). Nathaniel was of age when his father wrote his will in March 1654/5, and could not have been born later than 1634
  2. John, Born about 1635, died July 18, 1712: freeman in 1658; deacon; went to Hartford, Connecticut; married Sarah Watson; ten children.
  3. Abraham, born 1637, died November 28, 1772; was a weaver by occupation; resided in Newbury; was freeman in 1668; selectman and deacon; married (first) January 11, 1660, Abigail Watson; eleven children; married (second) September 2, 1713, Sarah Bradley Bond.
  4. Susanna, born 1640, died in 1690; married, Ocotober 15, 1663, John Burbank.
  5. Daniel, born August 20, 1642, died June 27, 1718; freeman 1668; married (first) May 14, 1667, Sarah Clough; eight children; married (second) May 29, 1708, Sarah (Morrill) Bond; three children.
  6. Abel, born February 20, 1643-4; died October 28, 1689 at Newbury; married Priscilla Chase, February 10, 1770-1

Disputed child No reliable sources have been found for Thomas Merrill (1646-1711) as a son of Nathaniel. He is not mentioned in any reliable sources, nor was he mentioned in his father's will. He is likely incorrectly assigned to this family and has been detached.

Timeline

  • 1601, 4 May - baptism in Whersted, Suffolk, England to Nathaniel and Susanna [2]
  • 1631, by - marriage in Suffolk, England[citation needed] to Susanna _____
  • 1638 - arrival at Newbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony [4]
  • 1643, 20 Feb - birth of Abel Merrell son of Nathaniel in Newbury [11]
  • 1654-5, 8 March - Nathaniel wrote his will at Newbury, see image 700 and 701 [12]
  • 1654/5, 16 March - Nathaniel was of Newbury when he died, see top left of image [3]
  • 1655, 27 March - Nathaniel’s will was proved in Essex County,[9] and inventory received in court [3]
  • 1655 - burial for Nathaniel Merrill at Old Hill Burying Ground, Newbury [13]

Research Notes

  • The six children of Nathaniel Merrill (by 1601-1655) in "A Merril Memory" by Samuel Merrill 1983 [14]
  • An earlier version of this profile had included the following, without citations for this information:
"The Hector ship records show that Nathaniel and brother John arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1635. Nathaniel returned to England to get his wife and four children in 1638/39. Daughter Susanna was baptized in Lawford, England on 12-12-1638 showing Nathaniel had not left."
NOTE: There is no record for the ship Hector or its passengers arriving in Massachusetts in 1635.

Sources

  1. 1601 Baptism for Nathaniel Merrill in "Suffolk Baptism Index 1538-1911 Transcription," Find My Past profile
  2. 2.0 2.1 Baptism for Nathaniel Merrill in England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQ5V-HYM : 30 December 2014, Nathl. Merrell, 04 May 1601); citing WHERSTEAD, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 496,781. accessed 21 Dec 2017. Text: Nathl. Merrell, male. Christening Date 04 May 1601. Christening Place: WHERSTEAD, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND. Father's Name: Nathl. Merrell. Mother's Name: Mary
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 1655 Death for Nathaniel Merrill in "Essex County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, Vol 1, pg. 108," familysearch.org, not indexed Inventory
  4. 4.0 4.1 1638 Arrival for Nathaniel Merrill in The Great Migration Directory, published 2015. Reference page 226 by Robert Charles Anderson,
  5. 5.0 5.1 Merrill, Samuel. A Merrill Memorial: an account of the descendants of Nathaniel Merrill, an early settler of Newbury, Massachusetts, published 1917-1928; Reference pages 66+
  6. "History of Newbury"- p. 92
  7. Donald Lines Jacobus, "Gregory Wolterton’s Connections," in The American Genealogist, Vol. 32, pp. 197-9
  8. Essex Quarterly Court- Vol. III, p. 10
  9. 9.0 9.1 1654/55 Probate for Nathaniel Merrill in "Essex County, MA: Early Probate Records, 1635-1681," Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015 [subscription]. NEHGS Image by $ubscription
  10. Holman, Mary Lovering; Pillsbury, Helen Pendleton Winston, Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury, published 1938. Reference Volume 2, page 1041
  11. Nathaniel Merrill in entry for 1643 Birth for Abel Merrell in "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZLX-H76 : 15 January 2020), Nathaniel Merrell in entry for Abel Merrell, 1643.
  12. Will for Nathaniel Merrill in "Essex County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, Vol 1, pg. 108," familysearch.org, not indexed, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-6QNV?i=699
  13. Find A Grave: Memorial #6879067. There is a memorial stone (obviously added later) placed for Nathaniel in the First Burying Ground, Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. NOTE: memorial headstone image; no sources
  14. Nathaniel Merrill, founder, in "A Merrill Memorial," by Samuel Merrill, Volume 1, Section [1] pg 159-162, archive.org, text online, https://archive.org/details/merrillmemoriala01merr/page/158/mode/2up

See also:

  • Ancestry of Sarah Hildreth: Walter Goodwin Davis, "The Ancestry of Sarah Hildreth 1773-1857, Wife of Annis Spear of Litchfield, Maine", (Portland, Maine, 1958), pages 65-66.
  • Rixford, Elizabeth M. Leach. Three Hundred Colonial Ancestors and War Service, Their Part in Making American History from 495 to 1934. Rutland, VT: Tuttle, 1934. Print. [Link to digitized source] Page 212
  • William R Cutter, New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company (1915), Vol 1, pg 253, citing Coffin's "History of Newbury Massachusetts," page 309
  • Joshua Coffin; Joseph Bartlett, A sketch of the history of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, from 1635 to 1845, published 1845. Reference page 309
  • New England Marriages prior to 1700; page 504 (Merrill),
  • Pope, Charles Henry: "Pioneers of Massachusetts"; page 212 (Merrill).;
  • 'A Family of Huguenots ~ A Biography of Nathaniel and Susanna Merrill,' by Robert J. Jensen. See: https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/179831499.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Nathaniel by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:

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Comments: 7

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Nathaniel’s death is explicitly stated in the last page of his probate record image at FamilySearch: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-6QNV [top of document page 210]
posted by Ed Fields
Thank you Ed! I see the information has already been included on the profile and the source you mentioned was cited on inline citation 12.
Child Thomas currently attached to this profile is incorrect per Connecticut Vital Records. A Thomas Merrill, son of Thomas, was born in Hartford Nov 1, 1646. Reliable sources do not show a Thomas born to this family

He will be detached as Nathaniel's son.

posted by S (Hill) Willson
My First immigrant to American in my MERRILL LINE
posted by Tom Merrill
I removed the recently added UNSOURCED marriage of 23 Sep 1633 Wherstead. If there is a source, there should be a surname.
posted by Anne B
It would be nice if these Two Susannah could be merged !!!!!

Carl

posted by [Living Miller]