Farrand F. Merrill

American politician

Farrand F. Merrill (October 24, 1814 – May 2, 1859) was a Vermont attorney and Whig politician who served as Secretary of State of Vermont and in other offices.

Biography

Farrand Fassett Merrill was born in Montpelier, Vermont on October 24, 1814.[1] His mother was Clara Fassett Merrill, and his father Timothy Merrill served as Secretary of State from 1831 to 1836.[1][2]

Farrand Merrill studied law and worked as his father's deputy while Timothy Merrill was Clerk of the Vermont House of Representatives and Secretary of State.[3][4] He was admitted to the bar in 1836, and practiced in Montpelier.[5] From 1838 to 1849 he served as Clerk of the Vermont House.[6] From 1849 to 1853, he was Vermont's Secretary of State.[5] In 1847, he received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Vermont.[7]

From 1854 to 1856, Merrill was state's attorney of Washington County.[8] In 1856 and 1857 he served as a member of the Vermont House.[9] Among the prospective attorneys who studied under Merrill was Charles Herbert Joyce, who attained admission to the bar in 1852, and succeeded Merrill as state's attorney.[8][10]

Merrill died at his office in Montpelier on May 2, 1859.[4][11] He had been ill at home during the days leading up to his death, but decided on May 2 to keep an appointment to discuss forming a law partnership with Whitman G. Ferrin.[4] He began to suffer chest pains at his office, and a doctor was summoned.[4] Shortly afterwards, Merrill died, probably from the effects of a stroke.[4] Merrill was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier.[12]

His name sometimes appears in records as "Ferrand".[13]

Family

In 1844, Merrill married Eliza Maria Wright of Montpelier.[14][15] They were the parents of three children: Chester W., Charlotte H., and Mary A. Merrill.[16]

Farrand F. Merrill was the nephew of Orsamus Cook Merrill, who served as a member of Congress from Vermont.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Birth Record for Ferrand F. Merrill".
  2. ^ The Vermont Historical Gazetteer 1882, p. 437.
  3. ^ Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Death of Hon. F. F. Merrill".
  5. ^ a b The Vermont Historical Gazetteer 1882, p. 273.
  6. ^ "Clerks of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1778-1993".
  7. ^ General Catalogue of the University of Vermont.
  8. ^ a b The Vermont Historical Gazetteer 1882, p. 274.
  9. ^ The Vermont Historical Gazetteer 1882, p. 272.
  10. ^ Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont.
  11. ^ "Death Record for Ferrand F. Merrill".
  12. ^ "Hon. F. F. Merrill".
  13. ^ a b The Vermont Historical Gazetteer 1882, p. 438.
  14. ^ The Vermont Historical Gazetteer 1882, p. 390.
  15. ^ "Marriage Record for Ferrand F. Merrill and Eliza M. Wright".
  16. ^ "Biographical Notes, Farrand F. Merrill".

Sources

Books

  • Carleton, Hiram (1903). Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 64.
  • Hemenway, Abby Maria (1882). The Vermont Historical Gazetteer. Vol. 4. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Watchman and State Journal.
  • University of Vermont (1901). General Catalogue of the University of Vermont. Burlington, VT: Free Press Association. p. 224.
  • Vermont General Assembly (1836). Journal of the Senate of the State of Vermont. Montpelier, VT: E. P. Walton. pp. 16–17.
  • "Biographical Notes, Farrand F. Merrill" (PDF). Correspondence, Timothy R. Merrill (1822-1894). Montpelier, VT: Vermont Historical Society. Retrieved January 29, 2017.

Internet

  • "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Birth Record for Ferrand F. Merrill". Ancestry.com. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  • Vermont Secretary of State (1993). "Clerks of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1778-1993". leg.state.vt.us/. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly.
  • "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Marriage Record for Ferrand F. Merrill and Eliza M. Wright". Ancestry.com. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  • "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Death Record for Ferrand F. Merrill and Eliza M. Wright". Ancestry.com. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved January 29, 2017.

Newspapers

  • "Death of Hon. F. F. Merrill". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. May 6, 1859. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Hon. F. F. Merrill". Green Mountain Freeman. Montpelier, VT. May 19, 1859. p. 2.
Political offices
Preceded by
James McMillan Shafter
 Vermont Secretary of State
1849–1853 		Succeeded by
Daniel Pierce Thompson