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Nathaniel's Father
Nathaniel Merriman was most likely born about 1613 in the London area. His surname has also been spelled Meriman, Merryman, Meryman and Merriam, but variations in spelling were very common in this time period. His father appears to have been George Merriman, based on "Genealogical gleanings in England", by Henry F. Waters, an eminent antiquarian. The will is proved below:
"GEORGE MERIMAN, citizen and cooper of London, 31 October 1655, proved 19 May 1656. I do give unto my son Nathaniel Merriman, now resident in New England, the sum of ten pounds of lawful English money; and unto my daughter Elizabeth Norman, whom I have already advanced in marriage with Master John Norman, I give twenty shillings to buy her a ring in remembrance of my love. My servant Henry Allison to serve out the remainder of his time of apprenticeship with my son John Merriman. The residue to son John whom I do hereby make and ordain full and sole executor &c. Berkley, 175" [This is from Calendar 21, Register Berkley (1656).]
Mansfield Merriman, in 1913, visited England and examined the records of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Coopers. George Merryman, John Merriman and William Merryman were all mentioned and were highly likely freemen of the Cooper Company. Certainly, George was paying dues to the guild... John was George's son, but it is not clear who William was. He was likely a brother or cousin of George. Twice, George is mentioned as paying 20 pence for apprentices who were assigned to him. On July 27, 1635, John Roman was assigned to him for 8 years. On November 16, 1638, William Myles was assigned to him for 8 years. From his will, we know that George also had an apprentice named Henry Allison. On February 5, 1656, "John Merriman had turned over to him Henry Allison . . . formerly apprentice of George Merriman." This shows that George Merriman died before February 5.
There is an alternate theory that Nathaniel Merriman was born June 2, 1613, in Tenterden, Kent, England, but I have not seen the documents to support this. George Merriman and Mansfield Merriman reject this theory in the "Reunion of descendants of Nathaniel Merriman".
Nathaniel's Grandfather
The earliest entry for George Merriman, found by Mansfield Merriman, was in the minutes of a Court "held on Thirdsay the xixth day of June 1606" and is as follows:
"This day Raphaell Warter brought into this Court one George Merryman the sonne of Gregory Meryman of Whytney in the county of Oxon Weav and psented him heare has desired this Company to take notice of an Indenture of Appnticep dated the xviijth day of ffebruary 1598 whereby the said George was bound unto him for ix yeares from the day of the date of said Indenture and submitted himself to the censure of the table for binding him forth of his howse who in regard of his posstye and subission forgave his fyne and tooke onely of hym in the respect of the pntemt…xx d."
Based on this entry, George Merryman was apprenticed to Raphael Warter on February 18th, 1598/1599, for 9 years, even though Raphael did not formally acknowledge this until 1606, during the last year of the apprenticeship. This also identifies George's father as Gregory Merriman, a weaver from Witney in Oxfordshire, which is about 70 miles northwest of London. There is another entry reported by Mansfield Merriman that states that George Merriman, on October 4, 1610, paid "3s 4d for his hubley by Taxhall worter." I think this is a transcription error by Mansfield and that George was actually making payment to Raphaell Warter! Since I do not understand the word 'hubley', I am not sure what this means either! Perhaps, he left the apprenticeship early and had to make partial restitution.
I am guessing that George Merriman was born about 1584 based on an understanding that young persons were often apprentices until age 24.
I am guessing that George Merriman was born about 1584 based on an understanding that young persons were often apprentices until age 24.
Last residence in England
According to Charles Edward Banks, Nathaniel Merriam (Merriman) was from the English parish of Saint Mary Somerset in London and part of the Queenhithe Ward. It is not clear to me if this is meant to be his place of birth or his residence at the time he came to the colonies. Per the FamilySearch wiki, St. Mary Somerset and St. Mary Mounthaw were initially 2 separate parishes, both 'Within the Walls' of London. They were united after the Great Fire of London in 1666. At this time, however, it is not clear to me what the primary source is for this information.
Emigration from England
I have seen 2 different theories about the ship on which Nathaniel Merriman came to the colonies. Both theories, however, say that Nathaniel was associated with the Puritan Plough Company (or Company of Husbandmen) of 1630. According to Roger Merriman, the Plough Company was made up largely of artisans and tradesmen and they were not particularly well-educated. There were, however, some wealthy persons among them. They applied to the Council of Plymouth for land in New England, and on June 26, 1630, received a patent for a sizable piece of land covering most of what is today southern Maine. The company was associated with the Puritan religion, but their pastor, Stephen Bachiler, was known for his religious irregularities.
According to Charles Banks, Nathaniel Merriman emigrated to the colonies on the first ship sent by the Puritan Plough Company, "The Plough". The master of the ship was Mr. Graves and there were 10 passengers from London aboard this ship. The ship departed from London about May, 1631, and arrived at their patented land in June 1631. Being displeased with the land, they came into Boston on July 6, 1631.
According to the paper written by Roger Merriman, Nathaniel Merriman emigrated to the colonies on "The Whale", the second ship sent by the Puritan Plough Company. This ship departed from Hampton, England, on April 8, 1632, and arrived in Boston on May 26, 1632. He claims that Nathaniel's passage, about 10 pounds, was paid by Peter Wooster. The ship included 30 passengers and 70 cows. Five of the passengers were from the Plough Company, including Nathaniel Merriman.
Based on The Winthrop Papers, published in the Massachusetts Historical Society Collection, Nathaniel Merriman did come over on the Whale! He probably knew other passengers as fellow members of the Puritan Plough Company, but no one else has the last name of Merriman.
Life in the Colonies
Nathaniel Merriman fought in the Pequot War in Connecticut in 1637. At the time, he was either a resident of Wethersfield, Connecticut, or possibly Massachusetts.
In 1639 or 1640, he went to the New Haven area, where he was one of the signers of the Fundamental Agreement that established New Haven. This is where he married his first wife and where he had his children: Nathaniel (abt 1647), John (1649, d young), Hannah (1651), Abigail (1654), Mary (1657), John (1660), Samuel (1662), Caleb (1665), 2 sons (1667, d. young), Elizabeth (1669).
In about 1670, he moved north of New Haven where he was one of the founding fathers of Wallingford, Connecticut. He died here on February 13, 1693/94. No doubt, he would have been buried in Center Street Cemetery near the downtown square. A modern tombstone for Nathaniel Merriman is now present in this cemetery, erected by his descendants.
SOURCES
Banks, Charles Edward (author) and Elijah Ellsworth Brownell (editor and indexer), Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England 1620-1650 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1976 (originally 1937)), p 105, 102, 60.
Massachusetts Historical Society, editor, Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Vol. VII - Fourth Series. (Boston: John Wilson and Son, 1865), p. 92-93.
"The Ancestry and Parentage of Nathaniel Merriman", pgs. 19-20, 32-37.
"The Puritan Plough Company of 1630', by Roger B. Merriman, pgs. 20-21, 38-46.
"Nathaniel Merriman in New Haven, 1640-1670".
"Family of Nathaniel Merriman", pgs. 137-138."Genealogical Searches in England", p. 129-133.
Waters, Henry F., Genealogical gleanings in England, 2 volumes (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1901), Vol. 2: p. 1445.
Winthrop, John and James Kendall Hosmer, Winthrop's journal; "History of New England," 1630-1649 , 2 volumes (1908; reprint, New York: Barnes & Noble, 1946), Vol. 1, pgs. 69, 92-93.
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