Of my eight great-grandparents, Edward Bridgman Merrick is the one I wouldn’t even recognize if I walked right by him on the street. He died when his only son was 16, and Harold never talked about his father. I haven’t yet found a picture of Edward (or any of his siblings). There’s no stories passed down about him (well, except for one strange story from a seance…I’ll save that for a future entry). All I know are facts gleaned from town records, deeds, probate files and scraps of information in newspaper articles. So I’ve assembled these facts to try to form at least an idea of who the man was.
Edward Lived in Amherst, Massachusetts His Entire Life – Edward was born in Amherst, MA on July 13, 1866. In fact, he was born, lived in, and died, in Amherst. There’s no record of him living anywhere else, except maybe when he was away at school. And it wasn’t in different places in Amherst. Edward’s entire life was spent living on or near the South Amherst land along West Street that was his father’s, grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s before him. Merrick’s had lived on this land since at least 1763 (History of Town of Amherst).
Edward Grew Up in a Large Farm Family – Like many families at this time, Edward’s family was big. Edward was the 7th, or maybe the 8th child in his family. I’m not sure which because he was a twin! Born July 13, 1866, Edward Bridgman and Estes Lucious Merrick were the last children of their parents, James Ely and Harriet Bridgman Merrick (who were 55 and 41 when they were born). The twins were the babies of the family…their next oldest siblings were seven years older. And they were not the only twins in the family! The next oldest siblings, William and James Ely Merrick (born 1859), were also twins! I have no idea if these two sets of twins were fraternal or identical, but I’d love to know! Edward and Estes had six older brothers and sisters. In 1880, most of them were still living at home. These Merrick children married late. Even after they married, many of them stayed on or near the home place, so the twins grew up on a working farm, living with family, with more family nearby.
Edward’s Family Were Early Amherst Settlers – Edward’s mother and father were both members of families who were early Amherst settlers. His Merrick ancestors came and settled along West Street in South Amherst between 1745-1763. Edward’s mother’s family, the Bridgman’s, were also in Amherst since the early 1800’s (The Bridgman Tavern). Edward had parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents who also lived in Amherst their entire lives.
Edward Attended School and Church in Amherst – Edward went to Amherst schools and also to Mt. Hermon, a boarding school in Western Massachusetts (Springfield Republican). Edward’s father, James Ely Merrick, was a teacher before he was a farmer, and his mother, Harriet Bridgman, was also well educated. The Merrick family attended the South Amherst Congregational Church that Bridgman’s and Merrick’s had attended since it was founded in 1824 (South Amherst Church).
Edward Was A Farmer – Edward’s father died in 1885 and left an equal share of his estate to each child. The land as ultimately divided between an older brother and the two sets of twins (Hampshire County Probate Records). In 1892, Edward and his brother, James Ely, bought out their respective twins from their share of the West street farm for $500 (Hampshire County Deeds). James Ely Merrick was a merchant and ran a grocery store in town. Edward managed the farm. In directories and census records from 1886-1910, Edward’s occupation was always farmer.
Edward was Married and Had One Child – In 1891, Edward married, Etta Louise Bliss, a local girl from Amherst who was a “foundling” adopted by the Bliss family (Etta’s Adoption). They were married on Christmas Day at the South Amherst Congregational Church. Edward was 25 and Etta was 16. On April 23, 1896, Edward and Etta’s only child that we know of – Harold Ely Merrick – was born.
Edward was an Active Participant in the Amherst Community – The local newspapers give glimpses into Edward’s daily life in Amherst. Like his mother, Harriet, Edward was musical. He sang in and helped out with the South Amherst Congregational Church choir much of his life (Springfield Republican). He was an Odd Fellow…that is he was a long-time member of the Amherst Lodge of the Odd Fellows. On November 1, 1899, the Springfield Republican announced that Edward Merrick would open a dancing school in the South Amherst School. In 1902, he was made a juror for the town of Amherst and in 1905, a fire warden (Springfield Republican). In 1907 Edward was appointed a special constable for South Amherst because “West street farmers have been troubled lately with trespassers who have come on the trolly car” and were stealing produce (Sprinfield Daily Union).
Edward and Etta often attended parties where Etta sang and performed. They also seemed to love Whist (a card game that was an ancestor of Bridge). In 1907:
“A party of young people met…Friday evening for the purpose of forming a new club, which is to be known as the Cricket Whist club of South Amherst…..The highest score was made by Reuben D. Pomeroy, the lowest by Edward B. Merrick.” (Springfield Daily Union).
(This is somewhat ironic, because Reuben D. Pomeroy was later to become Etta Bliss Merrick’s second husband!)
Edward Became Very Ill – In January of 1910, the Springfield Republican reported:
“Edward Merrick, who has not been well for two weeks, was taken worse suddenly on Sunday, as he started to drive home from visiting his father-in-law, John Bliss. He was taken back to Mr. Bliss’ house where he remained till Monday afternoon when the physician thought it safe to remove him to his home.” (Springfield Republican).
By 1910, Edward has lost three of his brothers. His twin, Estes, died of a stroke in 1904 at the age of 38. William died in 1908 of a heart condition. He was 49. Jonathan died in 1909 at age 60 of a perforated ulcer. Of the five Merrick brothers, only James Ely lived beyond the age of 60. By Feb, 1910, “Edward Merrick is about again after a severe illness” (Springfield Republican), but Edward’s health was declining.
Things seemed to be looking up by October of 1910. The Springfield Republican wrote that “Edward B.Merrick is making extensive improvements on the old Merrick homestead which he recently bought” (Springfield Republican).
Surprisingly, though, in January of 1911, Edward and Etta went to court and had Etta declared the legal guardian of Harold. It’s hard to imagine any reason why they would have done this if Edward did not believe that he was dying (Hampshire County Probate Records).
Edward Bridgman Merrick Dies – In May of 1912, at age 45, Edward died. The newspaper said he had been ill for three months (Springfield Republican), but his death certificate indicated that he had been ill for two years (back to his original illness in 1910) and had died of Parenchymatous Nephritis – some type of kidney disease (Death Certificate).
Edward’s funeral service was held at 2 pm on June 1, 1912 at the old Merrick homestead on West Road (Springfield Republican). It seems right to me that his family said goodbye to Edward from the land that was seemingly the foundation and the main theme that ran throughout his life. He was buried in the South Amherst Cemetery near many other members of the Merrick family. The pall bearers were his South Amherst friends and neighbors. Edward’s tombstone says only the dates of his birth and death. These bare facts of Edward’s life don’t seem to say much at all, but at the same time, I can catch a glimpse of him. I will continue to search for more pieces to add to his story.
Edward Bridgman Merrick – Merrick Family Tree #2
Sources:
1880 United States Federal Census; Amherst, Hampshire, MA; Roll: 537; Family History Film: 1254537; Page: 278B; Enumeration District: 342; retrieved from ancestry.com 05 Jun 2020
1900 United States Federal Census; Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts; Roll: 653; Page: 23A; Enumeration District: 0615; FHL microfilm: 1240653; retrieved from ancestry.com 05 Jun 2020
1910 United States Federal Census; Amherst, Hampshire, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_593; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0675; FHL microfilm: 1374606; retrieved from ancestry.com 05 Jun 2020
Amherst Directories; 1886-1910 various; Amherst, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from ancestry.com
Beers, F. W. (Frederick W.), “Map of South Amherst, 1873,” Digital Amherst, retrieved 10 May 2020.
Cricket Whist Club; Springfield Daily Union; 25 Sep 1907; Springfield Daily Union; Springfield, MA; retrieved 05 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
History of South Amherst Church
The History of the Town of Amherst; Carpenter & Morehouse; Amherst, MA; 1896; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from The Internet Archive
Merrick, Edward B.; Death Certificate; Massachusetts Vital Records: 1911-1915; retreived 01 Jun 2020 from americanancestors.org
Merrick, Edward; Amherst Directories; 1886-87, 1895;; Amherst, MA; retrieved from ancestry.com 05 Jun 2020
Merrick, Edward; Hampshire County Deeds Index; Book 452, Pg. 166; 1892; Hampshire County, MA; retrieved from familysearch.org
Merrick, Edward; Opens A Dance School; Springfield Republican; 01 Nov 1899; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward B; Transverse Juror; Springfield Daily Union; 29 May 1902; Springfield, MA; retrieved 1 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward B: Fire Warden; Springfield Daily Union; 13 Mar 1905; Springfield, MA; retrieved 5 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward; Not Been Well; Springfield Republican; ?? Jan 1910; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward; Is Out Again; Springfield Republican; 24 Feb 1910; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward; Making Repairs; Springfield Republican; 31 Oct 1910; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward; Death Notice; Springfield Republican; 31 May 1912; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward B.; Death Notice; Springfield Republican; 01 Jun 1912; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward B.; South Amherst Cemetery; Find a Grave; retrieved 13 Jun 2020
Merrick, Edward B; Obituary; Springfield Republican; 03 Jun 1912; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, Edward B; Obituary; Springfield Republican; 04 Jun 1912; Springfield, MA; retrieved 01 Jun 2020 from myheritage.com
Merrick, James E.; Probate Records; Box 226, #4; Docket 1310-1356; Hampshire County, MA; retrieved from familysearch.org
To Protect Fruit; Springfield Daily Union; 14 Oct 1907; Springfield, MA; retrieved 05 Jun 2020 from myhertitage.com
Walling, Henry Francis; Map of the County of Hampshire, Massachusetts; H.&C.T. Smith & Co.; New York; 1860