WILLIAM MERRILL was born about 1650-1660, most likely in Warwickshire, England. In his 1935 genealogy entitled Captain Benjamin Merrill and the Merrill Family of North Carolina, genealogist and historian William Ernest Merrill identified his parents as RICHARD MERRILL (d. May 19, 1727) and wife SARAH (actually SUSANNA) WELLS (d. October 21, 1722) of Warwickshire, England and later Staten Island, Richmond County, New York. Recent research by genealogist Robert Davidson and others has revealed that this longstanding belief is erroneous. It is thought that WILLIAM MERRILL and his wife ALICE DUPPA of Shipston-upon-Stour, Warwickshire, England are the likely parents of both Richard Merrill of Staten Island, New York and William Merrill of Hopewell, New Jersey. No definitive baptismal record has been found in any English parish registers for William Merrill of Hopewell, New Jersey, although many baptisms, marriages, and burials during the 1650s period were not recorded due to the English Interregnum. A record of the baptism of Richard Merrill, son of William Merrill, on July 11, 1641 in the parish register of Stretton-on-Fosse, Warwickshire is believed to be identical with the Richard Merrill who married Susanna Wells and settled on Staten Island, New York. Susanna Wells, the wife of Richard Merrill, was baptised at Tysoe, Warwickshire on November 16, 1651, the daughter of PHILIP WELLS (buried March 7, 1661/62; Will written December, 1660, probated June 12, 1662) and his wife ELIZABETH. Richard Merrill and his wife Susanna settled in Temple Tysoe (now Lower Tysoe), Warwickshire at the time of their marriage. Baptisms of four of their children have been found in the registers there. They were William, baptized April 13, 1668; Mary, baptized May 6, 1673; Anne, baptized January 31, 1675; and Philip, baptized September 17, 1679. Research has shown that William Merrill (baptized April 13, 1668), son of Richard and Susanna, actually settled in Maryland by 1708, where he married Ann Angel and died prior to November, 1714. His widow subsequently married John Carmichael.

          William Merrill appears in Staten Island, New York as early as July, 1681, when court records show that he performed jury service. A survey of 81 acres of woodland and 8 acres of meadow on the west end of Staten Island was made for him by surveyor Phillip Welles on April 1, 1683. The patent was granted to Merrill on April 1, 1686. On April 2, 1687, William Merrill and his wife GRACE of Staten Island conveyed the patent to John Reay of the City of New York (Richmond County, NY Deed Book B, p. 87). This record establishes that William Merrill was married by that time. Over the years, many genealogists have erroneously identified Merrill’s wife Grace as either Grace Staats or Stout. This identification has its origins in the appearance of the name “Grace States” in the household of Peter States on the 1706 census of Staten Island, which was published in John E. Stillwell’s Historical and Genealogical Miscellany (Volume 1, 1970 edition, p. 153). Based on this appearance of the name Grace, some researchers of the Merrill family in the past have identified William Merrill’s wife Grace as a Staats without any legitimate documentary foundation. A Gesie Staats was baptised December 18, 1661 in Brooklyn (Gowanus), the daughter of Pieter Jansen Staats and his wife Annetje Jans Van Dyck. Some conflicting sources allege that the child’s name was actually Elsje rather than Gesie, and that she married Sander Egberts. The Peter States on the 1706 census of Staten Island was probably the father or brother of the Grace States listed in his household. Peter later settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, leaving a will there dated May 28, 1745. There is no mention of a daughter Grace in his will, although some researchers have speculated that Grace may have been identical with his daughter Lucretia, the wife of Jacob Strickler. Other researchers have likewise misinterpreted the name Staats as Stout; thus, Grace Merrill is also sometimes misidentified as Grace Stout. This idea was no doubt bolstered further by the fact that Joseph Stout served as a witness to William Merrill's will of 1724. Regardless, our ancestors William and Grace Merrill were already residing in Hopewell, New Jersey by 1706, and had not resided on Staten Island for almost twenty years. There is simply nothing to substantiate any real connection at all between William Merrill’s wife Grace and the Staats family. At present, the true identity of Grace Merrill is unknown.

          William Merrill had left Staten Island and settled in Middletown, Monmouth County, New Jersey by 1687. On November 24, 1687, William Merrill of Staten Island purchased from Richard Stout and his wife Frances of Monmouth County a tract of 120 acres in Middletown.. Less than two years later on February 21, 1689/90, the estate of John Crawford was inventoried, and Merrill swore to the same on May 29, 1689. The First Town Book of Middletown records that on May 15, 1689, William Merrill entered his cattle ear mark as “a Crap on[e] the Right Eare and one halfe peny on[e] the Under Side of the Same Eare.” William Merrill’s family remained n Hopewell until about 1704, when they removed to Hopewell, Burlington (Mercer) County, New Jersey. On September 4, 1705, William was a juror in the Burlington County Court. The following March 6, 1705/06, he was a constable or jury foreman. He was also designated as a constable in the June 4, 1716 minutes of Hunterdon County Court. On December 2, 1715, James Hubbard of Middletown, New Jersey recorded his cattle ear mark as “being the Earmark formerly William Merril’s.” Almost four years later on May 20, 1719, an action was ordered by the Hunterdon County Court against William Merrill, Jr. and Grace Merrill. The following December 5, 1720, Grace Merrill appeared in court and plead not guilty. She was fined six shillings and eight pence.

          William Merrill, Senior was listed on the 1722 Tax List of Hopewell, New Jersey with 300 acres, 24 cattle and horses, 20 sheep, and 2 servants. William Merrill, Senior of Hopewell devised his will in Hunterdon County, New Jersey on February 23, 1723/24, leaving bequests to his wife GRACE, and sons BENJAMIN, JOSEPH, and WILLIAM MERRILL. Grace Merrill was appointed executrix to the will, which was witnessed by Daniel Gano, Enoch Armitage, and Joseph Stout. The will was proven on May 5, 1724 by Grace Merrill. An inventory of Merrill's estate was made on March 7, 1723/24 by Benjamin Clarke and Joseph Stout, which amounted to £ 283.4.6.

Known issue of WILLIAM MERRILL and wife GRACE:

WILLIAM MERRILL, b. about 1680-1690 probably Staten Island, Richmond County, New York, d. June 25, 1740 Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey; md. before 1707, probably RACHEL; 2md. after May 1, 1727, PENELOPE (STOUT) JEWELL, b. about 1700 Monmouth County, New Jersey, d. July 11, 1776 Hopewell, Hunterdon (Mercer) County, New Jersey, daughter of JAMES STOUT and wife ELIZABETH and widow of THOMAS JEWELL (Hunterdon County, New Jersey will devised April 5, 1727; proven May 1, 1727). Penelope married thirdly, ISAAC HERRIN (Hunterdon County, New Jersey will devised April 7, 1756; proven May 17, 1756).

BENJAMIN MERRILL. He is listed next to his father on the 1722 Tax List of Hopewell, New Jersey with 5 cattle and horses. In his father’s will of February 23, 1723/24, he received a half interest in 350 acres of his father’s land. The lands of Benjamin and Joseph Merrill are mentioned in a road order dated March 18, 1723/24. A Benjamin Merrill is named as road overseer in the Hunterdon County Court Minutes of November 21, 1733.

JOSEPH MERRILL. He is not listed on the 1722 Tax List of Hopewell, New Jersey, but he received a half interest in his father’s 350 acres along with his brother Benjamin. A road order dated March 18, 1723/24 mentions the lands of Benjamin and Joseph Merrill. A Joseph Merrill was named as constable in the Hunterdon County Court Minutes of March 14, 1733. On November 17, 1746, Henry Coate and his wife Esther of Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County conveyed to a Joseph Merrill 174 acres in Bethlehem Township “where the said Joseph Merrell did lately dwell.”

ALICE MERRILL There is circumstantial evidence that she might have been the daughter of William Merrill and his wife Grace. She married THOMAS CURTIS (b. about 1685), and both were listed as original members of the Hopewell Baptist Church when it was constituted at the house of Joseph Stout on April 23, 1715. Thomas Curtis settled at Baptistown in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, where he was pastor of Kingwood Baptist Church. He died April 28, 1749 aged 64 years, and is buried at Baptistown Cemetery, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.