Individual Details

Wiley B. was reared mainly in Warren Co KY. He married at age 24, on 15 Jul 1828, to Martha A. Hilliard, daughter of Wrightman Hilliard, from Wake Co NC and settled in Carroll Co TN at an early day. The family lived in TN, MS, and AR crossing the Red River into Texas on Jan 7th of 1837.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txfannin/cladonia964.html
They settled permanently in Texas when Wiley brought the family across the Red River on 7 January 1837. Wiley appeared before the Board of Land Commissioners for the County of Red River and proved according to law that he had arrived in the Republic, subsequent to the Declaration of Independence, 8 December 1836. He was ‘entitled’ to 1280 acres of land to be surveyed after 1 August 1838. The certificate for these acres was number 310 and dated 4 October 1838. Wiley got 640 acres in Lamar District, Hopkins County, and 640 acres in Bowie County. Wiley and Martha Ann resided East of Bug Tussle, by Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas, there is a Merrill Creek in the vicinity.
One hundred Indians were killed at the Battle of Village Creek on the morning of 24 May 1841. Wiley served in the militia under General Edward H. Tarrant in this battle and was present when John B. Denton, the distinguished lawyer, frontiersman and border hero, was killed. Today the location of this battle can be found where the Village Creek crosses Spur 303 in Arlington, Texas. He was on the Texas Ranger muster roll in 1841 as a Lieutenant under commanding officer Capt. J. Bourland.
At age 48 Wiley died at his home in Fannin County, Texas, and was buried on the farm in the Merrill Family Cemetery, near Bug Tussle. What caused his death is unknown? His will was dated 30 May 1852; witnesses insinuated he died the same day. Martha Ann gave birth to a son in September following his death. She as administrator of the will; but went to court and helped her oldest son, George W.Merrill, get appointed guardian “of the children and heirs all of whom are under the age of 21 years and under the age of fourteen”. Martha’s maiden name is proven in these documents; her children had inherited money from her parent’s estate.
Martha Ann died after 1880; the last time she is located, she was living with her son J.B. Merrill, in the 1880 Fannin County, Texas Census. She was age 67; her daughter, Mary age 41 was also living there.

Descendants of this couple are entitled to membership in Texas First Families and Sons/Daughters of the Republic as both resided in the Republic of Texas prior to 1846.


1850 Census, Fannin Co, TX, Hh 214
W. B. Merrill, age 45, Farmer Property value $5930, b. Tenn
M. A. Merrill, female, age 36, b. NC
Geo. W. Merrill, 21, b. TN
A. F. Merrill, 19, b. TN
Elizabeth F. Merrill, age 18, b. TN
B. H. Merrill, 13, b. Mississippi
Mary Merrill, age 12, b. TX
R. L. Merrill, 11, b. TX
W. B. Merrill, age 3, b. TX
not named, 6 month old male, b. TX
No names - male age 22, and a female, Black, age 55


1860, Fannin Co TX. M. A. Merrill age 45, female,b. NC. G. W. age 30, Alex F. age 28 and Benj. F age 24, all born in Tennessee. Mary 19, Wiley B. 13, Quincy H. age 10 and James B. age 7 all born in Texas.

This would account for Wiley's children as listed in 'BIOGRAPHICAL SOUVENIR OF TEXAS"
George W. Merrill, eldest of eleven. Alexander F., Elizabeth F., Benjamin H., Mary M., Rusey L., Martha J., Amanda, Wiley B., Quincy H. and James B. [Martha J. & Amanda apparently died as infants or small children since they do not appear in the 1850 census.

Four of the sons of Wiley - George, Alexander, Rumsey and Wiley are said to have served as Confederate Soldiers. Three of them belonged to the Company for Beat 4, Fannin County - the 14th Brigade, Gen. S. A. Roberts Commander, Texas State Troops.

1880 Fannin Co TX. J. B. Merrell, age 27, b. TN. His father b. TN, his mother b. NC. Bell age 17, b. MS. [Not named as wife, occupation as Domestic] Mary age 41, Sister, b. TN and marked as "Idiotic". M. A. age 67, Mother, b. NC as were both her parents.

The 1890 Texas State Directory lists the following who appear to be sons of Wiley in Fannin Co:
W. B. Merrell, farms 360 acres, P.O.-Ladonia
B. Merrill [Benjamin?] 110 acres, P.O.-Ladonia.
J. B. Merrill [James?] 272 acres
Q. H. Merrill [Quincy] 133 acres

Many members of this family are buried in Fannin Co - FindAGrave gives Wiley the middle name of Booth, but I doubt that it was. More likely it was Bradshaw for his mother's maiden name. Wiley's son, also a Wiley B. but believed to be Wiley Brandon Merrill, married Ellen J. Booth and I suspect someone also stuck the name onto the earlier Wiley.

Birth	1803	Sumner County, Tennessee
Marriage	15 Jul 1828	Warren County, Kentucky - Martha Ann Hilliard
Death	30 May 1852	Fannin County, Texas

Spouse	Martha Ann Hilliard (1814 - 1880)
Child	George Washington Merrill (1829 - )
Child	Alexander Franklin Merrill (1831 - 1911)
Child	Benjamin H. Merrill (1836 - )
Child	Mary M. Merrill (1838 - )
Child	Ramsey/Rumsey L. Merrill (1840 - 1865)
Child	Martha J. Merrill (1841 - 1850)
Child	Amanda Merrill (1841 - 1850)
Child	Quincy Hillard Merrill (1850 - 1932)
Child	Wiley Brandon Merrill (1847 - 1922)
Child	James Bourland Merrill (1852 - 1914)

Father	Timothy Merrill (1778 - 1850)
Mother	Elizabeth "Betsy" Bradshaw ( - )
Sibling	Austin D. Merrill (1806 - 1829)
Sibling	William Merrill (1808 - 1838)
Sibling	Benjamin Merrill (1810 - )
Sibling	Elizabeth Merrill (1814 - 1834)
Sibling	Nancy Merrill (1816 - )
Sibling	Mary E. Merrill (1818 - 1910)
Sibling	Robert Merrill (1820 - )
Sibling	Susan Merrill (1822 - )
Sibling	Alexander F. Merrill (1823 - 1886)
Sibling	[Child] Merrill (1824 - 1824)
Sibling	Mumford Merrill (1826 - )
Sibling	Richmond Pierson Merrill (1828 - )