Individual Details

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William Merrill "of Hopwell in ye county of Hunterdon in New Jersey in America" made his will on February 3, 1723/24. He leaves to wife Grace, "all moveable estate, including 40 cattle, two negro men, 16 horses and all my sheep." After her death these to go to "all my children by an equal division. All his land "being about 350 acres to be equally divided between my two sons Benjamin and Joseph ... if they cannot agree on dividing then it is my will that my son William Merrill and Joseph Stout shall divide the land for them equally as they can." His crop of winter corn was to be equally divided between sons Benjamin and Joseph. The will is signed, in an uncertain hand, "William Merrel." Grace Merrill qualified as executor on May 5, 1724. It might be noted that ownership of slaves in Hopewell was rare.

William Merrill's will documents sons William Jr., Benjamin and Joseph Merrill. There appears to have been a son Richard Merrill also. There were probably daughters, and one may be Alice, the wife of Thomas Curtis.

Wllliam Merrill Jr. was born perhaps 1680 and died accidentally June 25, 1740:
An habeas corpus being [held] before the Chief Justice at his chamber in Burlington ... ordered to be filed [that] the said William Merrell was the 25th of June ... killed with lightning at Sheriff Hunlake's door at Burlington.

William Merrill Jr. had married twice. The name of his first wife is not certainly known
Three daughters of this first marriage are known, circumstantially:

Ann Merrill, 1707-1801, the wife of David Stout of Hopewell and Amwell.
Some have thought Ann Merrill Stout was a daughter of William Merrill Sr., but given her birthdate she would be his grandaughter.
Margaret Merrill "of William Merrail," baptised June 11, 1712 at Hopewell Chapel Church.
No further record.
Rachel Merrill, 1715-1745.
Nathan Stout, writing in 1825, says "John Stout married Rachel, daughter of William Merrill, in the year 1734." John Stout (1713-1790) was his father.
William Merrill Jr. married second, about 1729, Penelope Stout Jewell, daughter of James and Elizabeth Stout and widow of Thomas Jewell. Thomas Jewell died in 1727 leaving widow "Nelly," three sons and several daughters, none of them named in the will

Birth	Abt 1680
Death	25 Jun 1740

Spouse	Penelope Stout ( - 1776)
Child	Benjamin Merrill (1730 - 1771)