Individual Details
Thomas Merrick
(1620 - 7 Sep 1704)
Genealogy of the Merrick. Mirick, Myrick Family
Published 1902, Page 266-68
Thomas Merrick, born in Wales, 1620, came to America in the year 1636 with three brothers and probably one sister, Sarah Mirick, who married John Atkinson, at Newbury, 1646. The brothers separated, one going to Plymouth, later to Eastham, one to Newbury, and one remaining in Charlestown. Thomas Merrick is noted as having been in Roxbury in 1636. From records in Hartford, Conn., it appears that he was there in the early part of 1638, but was about to visit Agawam, the Indian name for Springfield. The date, 1638, must be an error, as he was in Agawam on the 3rd day of January, 1638, according to the records of that plantation.
According to the records he was married to his first wife, Sarah, daughter of Rowland and Sarah Stebbins, July 14, 1639. She died after having borne him five children, and he married, 2d, Elizabeth Tilley, Aug. 21, 1653. It is not known to which of the Tilley families she belonged. While there is no mention of Tilley among the early settlers of Agawam, there were several families of the name near Agawam, all of whom were men of influence in the communities in which they lived, and prominent in the affairs of the colony. It is to be regretted that definite knowledge upon this point is not obtainable at this time. By his second wife Thomas Merrick had eight children, from whom have sprung the thousands of Merricks, scattered over the whole United States and Canada, who claim Thomas Merrick, of Springfield, as their ancestor.
As one of the founders of Springfield, he was a man of affairs and influence. His name appears upwards of eighty times in the records of the town. Between 1640 and 1669 he acquired 96 acres of land in and near the town. He appears upon many important committees, as in the allotment of lands, treating with the Indians, building the church, (in which he was allotted the second seat from the front at three different divisions), surveying lands, viewing the fences, and other public duties. He appears as sergeant of the town militia, William Pyncheon, by virtue of his seniority and his wealth, being the captain.
Thomas Merrick died September 7, 1704. Elizabeth (Tilley) Merrick died Aug. 21, 1684. Both are buried in the cemetery at Springfield.
Published 1902, Page 266-68
Thomas Merrick, born in Wales, 1620, came to America in the year 1636 with three brothers and probably one sister, Sarah Mirick, who married John Atkinson, at Newbury, 1646. The brothers separated, one going to Plymouth, later to Eastham, one to Newbury, and one remaining in Charlestown. Thomas Merrick is noted as having been in Roxbury in 1636. From records in Hartford, Conn., it appears that he was there in the early part of 1638, but was about to visit Agawam, the Indian name for Springfield. The date, 1638, must be an error, as he was in Agawam on the 3rd day of January, 1638, according to the records of that plantation.
According to the records he was married to his first wife, Sarah, daughter of Rowland and Sarah Stebbins, July 14, 1639. She died after having borne him five children, and he married, 2d, Elizabeth Tilley, Aug. 21, 1653. It is not known to which of the Tilley families she belonged. While there is no mention of Tilley among the early settlers of Agawam, there were several families of the name near Agawam, all of whom were men of influence in the communities in which they lived, and prominent in the affairs of the colony. It is to be regretted that definite knowledge upon this point is not obtainable at this time. By his second wife Thomas Merrick had eight children, from whom have sprung the thousands of Merricks, scattered over the whole United States and Canada, who claim Thomas Merrick, of Springfield, as their ancestor.
As one of the founders of Springfield, he was a man of affairs and influence. His name appears upwards of eighty times in the records of the town. Between 1640 and 1669 he acquired 96 acres of land in and near the town. He appears upon many important committees, as in the allotment of lands, treating with the Indians, building the church, (in which he was allotted the second seat from the front at three different divisions), surveying lands, viewing the fences, and other public duties. He appears as sergeant of the town militia, William Pyncheon, by virtue of his seniority and his wealth, being the captain.
Thomas Merrick died September 7, 1704. Elizabeth (Tilley) Merrick died Aug. 21, 1684. Both are buried in the cemetery at Springfield.
Events
| Birth | 1620 | Saint David's, Pembrokeshire, Wales |  | ||
| Marriage | 14 Jul 1639 | Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts - Sarah Rowland | | ||
| Marriage | 21 Aug 1653 | Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts - Elizabeth Tilley | | ||
| Death | 7 Sep 1704 | Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts | |
Families
| Spouse | Sarah Rowland ( - ) |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Tilley ( - 1684) |
| Father | John MERRICK (1579 - 1650) |
| Mother | Dorothy BISHOP (1570 - ) |
| Sibling | William MERRICK (1603 - 1689) |
| Sibling | James Merrick (1612 - 1708) |
| Sibling | John Merrick (1614 - 1647) |
| Sibling | Sarah Merrick ( - ) |
Endnotes
1. , Merrick, George B., Genealogy of the Merrick Mirick, Myrick Family of Massachusetts (Privately published, 1902) (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).
2. Merrick, George B., Genealogy of the Merrick Mirick, Myrick Family of Massachusetts (Privately published, 1902).
3. Merrick, George B., Genealogy of the Merrick Mirick, Myrick Family of Massachusetts (Privately published, 1902).
4. Merrick, George B., Genealogy of the Merrick Mirick, Myrick Family of Massachusetts (Privately published, 1902).