Descendants of William Henry & Martha Jane (Sides) Merritt

Submitted by Janet Mackey-Bodine (29 Jul 2011)

(Editor’s note: Numbers in the text, e.g., #12345678, refer to Find-A-Grave memorial page numbers:. http://www.findagrave.com/ )

Martha Jane (Sides) Merritt # 57988108 - was a daughter of John Sides (1778-1856) # 57988088 and Hannah Brothers (1779-1878) # 57988095 - and Martha Jane is actually buried right beside her parents in the Mount Moriah Cemetery. A daughter of Martha Jane, Susan H. Merritt (1855-1858) # 57988079 is buried right on the other side of John and Hannah Sides. Nearby is the double grave for the twin boys - also Martha Jane's children - Leroy L.  # 57988063 and Thomas D. # 57988052 (1860-1860). Martha Jane Sides was married on 8 August 1844 in Gibson County, IN to William Henry Merritt (1823-1896) # 57800968 (he is buried in the Concord Cemetery, McLeansboro, Hamilton County, IL). William Henry Merritt was a son of Nathaniel V. Merritt (1779-1862) # 71720347 and Elizabeth "Betsey" Smith (1788-1851) # 71720676. Nathaniel V. and Betsey are buried in the Shelton/Merritt Cemetery (a small family plot) located just south of Poseyville, in Posey County, IN. Also buried in this same cemetery are two more of Martha Jane's and William Henry Merritt's children (William Henry and Martha Jane lived with Nathaniel and Betsey for a time): Urvin Merritt (1845-1845) # 73445640 and Theodore W. Merritt (1848-1849) # 73445807. Other children of Martha Jane and William Henry Merritt were:

John F. Merritt - born April 22, 1847 IN - died April 6, 1914 New Meadows, Adams County, Iowa - he was married about 1880 to Adelaide "Adelia" A. Tibbetts who was born June 1855 Wisconsin

Ephraim O. Merritt  - born July 31, 1851 Posey County, IN - married March 23, 1877 Posey County to Paulina Wade who was born about 1864 IN

James H. Merritt - born October 28, 1852 IN

      We believe he was the same James Merritt who was married 1st to Unknown in about 1879 and 2nd to Anna Anderson in about 1885 - Anna Anderson was born about 1867 in Sweden

Sarah C. Merritt  - born January 21, 1854 in IN (have not located additional material for her for certain as yet.)

Andrew Hall Merritt # 30421487 -  born September 10, 1857 Gibson County, IN - died 1943 - married 1st July 1, 1883 White County, IL to Ida Jane Dunlap (1862-1897) # 74047350 (we just recently learned of her burial location, we do not have her tombstone photo just yet) - Ida Jane was a daughter of Gustavus Howell Dunlap (1833-1880) and Cleopatra Kuykendall (1840-1900) --- Andrew Hall Merritt married 2nd on April 6, 1898 White County, IL to Margaret "Maggie" Elizabeth Brown (1866-1948) who was a daughter of Dr. Marcus Lafayette Brown (1838-1903) and Belinda Draper (1842-1913).

William Henry Merritt (1823-1896) # 57800968 remarried (after the death of Martha Jane Sides-Merritt) on October 9, 1860 in Gibson County, IN to Sarah R. Holcomb who was born November 1836 in IN - she was a daughter of Benjamin Holcomb born about 1780 SC and Lydia Unknown born about 1792 in TN. William Henry and Sarah had the following children:

George W. Merritt - born July 1861 IN

Elizabeth "Jennie" Merritt - born about 1864 IN

Hugh A. Merritt - born February 1869 IL - died April 9, 1948 Umatilla County, Oregon - # 55209150 - married April 3, 1894 White County, IL to Sarah M. "Maggie" Dunlap (1872-1946) - # 55209060 - we believe this "Maggie" was another daughter of Gustavus Howell Dunlap and Cleopatra Kuykendall

William J. Merritt - born about 1870 IL

Charles W. Merritt - born about 1871 IL

Olive "Ollie" L. Merritt - born July 19, 1875 IL - died November 17, 1950 Los Angeles, CA

Morris Kimball Merritt - born September 27, 1877 Clay County, IL - died August 19, 1959 Clackamas County, Oregon