Born: 1783
Died: October 19, 1872
Married: Sally DeGraugh
Children: Jeremiah (Jerry) DeGraugh Merrill, Dyer Lovejoy Merrill, John Rufus Merrill, Eben Wesley Merrill, Hiram Merrill, Serepta Merrill, Samantha Merrill, and one other.
John Merrill was the father of the Merrills that settled Merrillsville.
Malone Palladium, October 24, 1872
Mr. JOHN MERRILL, one of the oldest residents of the county, died at his home in Merrillsville, town of Franklin, on Saturday last, aged, 89 years.
From Marjorie Lansing Porter's booklet, Lem Merrill (Surveyor -- Conservationist)
The Merrills were Vermonters, farmers at Chelsea. Lem's father, Jeremiah (Jerry) DeGraugh Merrill, was one of five brothers, the others being Dyer Lovejoy, John Rufus, Eben Wesley, and Hiram, who died when about 14 years old, all sons of John Merrill. There were also three girls, Serepta, Samantha, and one other. The first Merrills to come to the United States were three brothers who settled near Boston in the late 1600's. One brother later moved south and Jesse Merrill became one of the founders of the town of Concord, N. H. John Merrill, Lem's grandfather, removed from New Hampshire to Vermont. At the time of the battle of Plattsburgh, September 11, 1814, he was captain of a company of Vermont militia and rode 98 miles on horseback to take part. He took two horses with him and rode them ten miles in turn, feeding each two quarts of oats after being ridden, and reaching Plattsburgh just as the battle was over. He married Sally DeGraugh, a Dutch girl of Albany, N. Y., about 1795. It is said he was a great traveler and persuaded his boys to pioneer in New York state.
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