My 11th Great Grandfather and his brothers immigrated to the new world on the Castle of London landing at the Port of Charleston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and settled in Lynn, Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Information largely from Sue Thompson, Thank you! (Basically everything from my 12th GG on down is from her work)
Another branch of this family is supposedly the Merriam's of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I thought I had seen this proven to me before but now I can not re-find it and am begining to get suspicious. (Perhaps the line from my 11th GG's brother George? It died out in the male line in three generations).
Please do not confuse with the Merriman's, an Oxfordshire family which settled in Wallingford, CT, same place my 9GG moved to, especially given the common spelling error's in names in old records. made more complicated in that both lines have a Captain named Nathaniel in the families.
Information from 12th GG and up is from Merriam Family Papers, a site focusing on the loyalist branch of the family in Canada. The below excerpt is posted there with an apparent original attributation to Chapter 8 of The Life of Levi Parsons Merriam by John F.P. Merriam, 1982.
The earliest known record of anyone bearing the name Merriam or Meryham, as it was spelt, occurs in the Kentish Lay Subsidy roles for 12 95, which show that Laurence de Meryham was taxed for an estate known as Isenhurst about a mile and 1/2 north-west of Heathfield in East Sussex, but it has not been possible to trace the family tree as far back as this. Other Merriams were assesed for taxes in the fourteenth century at Waldron, south-west of Heathfield and at Goudhurst and Boughton Monchelsea in County of Kent . Goudhurst is not more than fifteen miles from Isenhurst, and Boughton a further eight towards Maidstone.
My 17th Great Grandfather, ? Meryham
My 16th Great Grandfather, William Merriam
Died 1478 in Boughton Mochealsea, Kent Co., England. Married ? Benedict or Benedicta ?.
My 15th Great Grandfather, Stephen Merriam
Died 1507 in Goudhurst, County of Kent, England. Married Julianne ?.
My 14th Great Grandfather, Richard Merriam
Died 1548 in Goudhurst, County of Kent, England.
My 13th Great Grandfather, William Merriam
Died 1565 in Goudhurst, County of Kent, England. Married Alyce ?.
My 12th Great Grandfather, William Merriam
Buried 23 Sep. 1635 in Hadlow, Kent, England. Married Sarah ? (likely Pyper or Piper)
Another source says born in 1564 in Tudeley, Kent, says marriage was Abt. 1580, and very interestingly gives a death date of Nov. 27th, 1635 in Hadlow, Kent but with still giving the burial date of 23 Sep. 1635 (so he would of been buried 2 months and 4 days before he died).
Clothier
In addition to Hadlow, he and Sara owned land in Tudeley, Sevenoaks, Goudhurst, & Yalding, all in Kent.
My 11th Great Grandfather, Joseph Merriam
Probaly born circa 1600 in Kent, England. Died 1 Jan. 1641. Married about 1623 to Sarah Goldstone.
Another source says death was in Concord, Mass and gives death dates of 1640 in one place and agrees with the above (1-1-1641) in another.
Clothier
Emigrated from Kent onboard the Castle of London, arriving in the new world July 1638.
Resided in Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony, being made a freeman of the colony March 1639.
My 10th Great Grandfather, William Merriam
Born circa 1625 or 1624 in Twedley, Kent, England. died 1689 in Concord, Massachusetts. Buried 22 May 1689. Married 1st in Lynn, Massachusetts. to Elisabeth/Elizabeth Breed. Married 2nd Anna Jones, she died 29 July 1677. Married 3rd Sarah ?.
Another source say's death was in Lynn and switch's the order of the 2nd & 3rd wives saying that marriage to Anna Jones was Oct. 11th, 1676.
Resided in Concord & Lynn, owning 220 or more acres in Lynn and also owned land in Hampton, N.H.. On 2 May 1649 he was made a freeman of the colony.
He was a Trooper in King Philip's War. On 29 Feb 1675/6 he enroled in Capt. George Curwin's company, recieving 4₤ 10s for his service.
His estate was valued at ₤316 17s (₤280 10s of which was "Housing and land") with another ₤22 10s owed to him at the time of his death.
My 9th Great Grandfather, John Merriam
Born 25 April 1671 in Lynn, Massachusetts bay Colony. died 11 Oct. 1754. Married 23 May 1694 Rebbeca Marshall Sharp.
A Farmer & Teacher in Lynn, Massachusetts.
In 1713 he was employed to teach a grammer school, "and ₤10 'allowed' for his services, besides the sum of '2 pence per week for such as are taught to read, 3 pence per week for them that are sent to write and cipher, and 6 pence per wk. for them that are sent to learn Latin, to be paid by the parents and masters that send their children or servants as aforesaid'". On 25 Aug. 1716 he sold his land in Lynn, which was between that of his brothers Joseph and William and on 3 Nov 1716 he bought 300 acres from John Prout for ₤305 in Wallingford, moving to Wallingford (which later became part of Meriden).
My 8th Great Grandfather, William Merriam
Born 9 April 1700 in Lynn, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Died 4 Oct. 1751 in Meriden, CT. Married 24 March 1726/7 at Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut to Ruth Hart.
Resided in Meriden, Connecticut Colony. Left an estate appraised at at ₤6,203:11:6.
One source says died in Wallingford, New Haven, CT.
My 7th Great Grandfather, William Merriam
Born 12 Feb 1728/9 at Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut. Died 19 Sept. 1791 at Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut. Married 1st 29 May 1751 to Phebe Ives, she died 23 Feb. 1753. Married 2nd 24 Sep. 1755 to Mary Austin.
Resided in Meriden (then part of Wallingford), Connecticut Colony.
My 6th Great Grandfather, Amasa Merriam
Born 27 Sep. 1757 in Wallingford/Meriden, Connecticut Colony. Married 1st April 1783 to Margaret Royce. Married 2nd 1 Oct. 1809 to Hannah Douglas.
Resided in Meriden, Connecticut.
Nine Children:
My 5th Great Grandfather, Stephan Rice Merriam
Born 25 May 1784 in Meriden, Conneticut, USA. Died 10 Jan. 1873 in Norton, Ohio. Married 1st at New Hartford, Connecticut 20 April 1812 to Polly Clark, she died May 1817. Married 2nd 10 Sep. 1817 to Belinda Neal. Married 3rd at Meriden, Conneticut 31 Jun 1836 to Eunice Tibbals, she died 13 Feb. 1849. Married 4th Hannah O'Neil.
A Teacher, student of medicine, and Farmer in Coventry, Ohio. (though the 1860 & 1870 census has them in Norton Twp. instead of Coventry Twp. Dist #140 as in the 1850 census, all in Summit Co.)
various spellings of names on the 1850, 1860, & 1870 census': Surnames given as Morrison, Marrian, Marriam.
Apparently named for his mother's brother, who died young.
Twelve Children:
My 4th Great Grandfather, William Rice Merriam
Born 4 March 1821 in Morgan, Ohio, USA. Died 3 June 1877 in Olmstead, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Buried in Butternut Ridge Cem., Olmstead, Cuyahoga Co., OH. Married 1st in 1843 to Margaret Hume/Humes. Married 2nd in 1864 at Richmond, Pennsylvania to Florence Willis.
A carpenter & builder
Three to Six Children, all with first wife:
My 3rd Great Grandmother, Clarissia "Clara" Angelina Merriam
Born 23 Dec. 1844 in Hancock, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania, USA. Died 30/1 March 1930 in the house of Lyman Root. Burial in Gresham Cemetery. Married 10 April 1865 in Dover Township, Cuyahoga Co., OH to George Geoffrey Root.
Some source's spell middle name Angelline
Pioneer of Chester Township, Eaton Co., Michigan.
7 Children: Census indicates 5 more youngsters but Beulah Root (nee Boyd) didn't believe that was correct "no way".
Go back to the Main Page or the Ahnentafel Page.
Webmaster: Greg Weatherup
Last Update: Apr. 14th, 2006.