| Notes |
- From the Book-
Genealogy of the Merrick--Mirick--Myrick family of Massachusetts
by George Byron Merrick,
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.
A short sketch of Springfield may aid in determining the relative standing of Thomas Merrick in the new settlement. March 4, 1629, King James gave a grant of land to the General Court of Massachusetts, from the Merrimac river on the north to a line three miles south of the Charles river on the south, and extending from "the Atlantick and Western sea and ocean on the east parte, to the South sea on the West parte." In 1636 the General Court granted the right to make settlements on the Great River the (Connecticut), and on May 14, 1636, William Pjncheon, of Roxbury, together with seven others, signed an agreement to undertake a settlement on the Great River. The members of this company of "adventurers," as they were called, were: William Pyncheon, Matthev/ Mitchell, Henry Smith, Jehu Burr. William Blake, Edmund Wood, Thomas Ufford, and John Cable. These men went to Agawau, where they purchased from the Indians, who were then occupying the country, certain described lands lying on both sides of the Connecticut river, paying for the same "18 fathoms of wampum, 18 coats, 18 hatchets, 18 hoes, and 18 knives.'' This payment was assessed against the lands as they were subsequently granted to the settlers.
The company of adventurers, during the first two years of the settlement, was in serious straits. Several be-came discouraged aud returned to the settlements in and about Boston. Pyncheon, however, who appears to have had more ready money than all the others together, entered into trade with the Indians, buying many hundred pounds sterling worth of furs, which he shipped to London. Other settlers took the place of those who had retreated, however, and the little settlement grew in numbers, so that we find thirteen names in January, 1638, against the eight original settlers. Among these thirteen is the name of Thomas Mirack. Under date of "January 3th, 1638,'' we first find his name as follows:
"It is agreed by y° Plantation at a generall meeting that these six men undernamed shall set out the bounds of y^ plantation up y' river on both sides of y*" river aud to marke y' trees for y' clearing of it. y*" persons appoynted ar mr : w : Pyncheon : Jehu Burr : Hen : Smith : John Cable: Richard Everit: Tho: Mirack."
Jan. 8th, 1638, the following entry is made:
"According to the order above sd these six men layd out y' bounds of y" Plantation up the river on y" other side of y" river & y" bounds are at a brooke above y" mouth of y° Chiccapee river."
As indicating the relative wealth of the settlers, we note that on Jan. 13, 1638, an assessment for the purpose of building a house for Rev. Mr. Moxon, the minister, was made on the settlers. William Pyncheon gave, out of the 41 pounds sterling required, 21 pounds; Jehu Burr 7, Henry Smith 5, John Leonard 2, Thomas Mirack 1, and seven others gave the remaining five pounds.
According to the records he was married to his first wife, Sarah, daughter of Rowland and Sarah Stebbins, July 14, 1639. She died after haviug 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.
In the year 1815, Tilley^ Merrick undertook the compilation of a genealogj- of the descendants of Thomas Merrick, of Springfield, but died before the task was accomplished. The work thus laid down was taken up in the j-ear 1860 by Rev. James L. Merrick, but was again interrupted by the death of the compiler. The editor of the present genealogy of the Thomas Merrick descendants is greatly indebted to the labors of the two men named for the foundation upon which is laid the larger work which follows.
Thomas Merrick died September 7, 1704. Elizabeth (Tilley) Merrick died Aug. 21, 1684. Both are buried in the cemetery at Springfield.
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Burial: 08 Sep 1704, Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts
Chapter IV - EARLY SPRINGFIELD AND LONGMEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ma/county/hampden/hist/hist.html
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ma/county/hampden/hist/hist2.html
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ma/county/hampden/hist/hist3.html
Springfield
After the destruction of the jail, or prison, when Springfield was burned by Indians in 1675, there was no place in the county for the confinement of prisoners and it must be remembered that till 1730, Hampshire County included nearly all of western Massachusetts. On January 10, 1677, the County Court, in session at Northampton, ordered a new prison and house of correction to be built in Springfield, at an expense as near £50 as was possible and not more than £55. Major Pynchon selected a site on Main street, on the west side, where the hotel called the Union House was later built. It was a building of two stories, twenty-five by eighteen feet. One room, with several closets, occupied all of the first floor, and on the second floor were three rooms. The walls and the partitions between the rooms, were of very heavy oak planks, and although such a prison would easily be broken by the skilled mechanics who belong to the criminal class of this century, it was then regarded as being entirely satisfactory and safe. For many years this was the only place of confinement in the county, for the great variety of offenders who were declared to be criminals by the queer laws of those days, and it was the place of confinement for the southern part of the county for 114 years. No deed to the property was given by Samuel Ely or by Thomas Merrick, from whom it was purchased by Major Pynchon for the county, till 1683, and 1684, respectively. The house for the jail-keeper stood on the same lot with the jail.
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Facts and Events
Name[1] Thomas Merrick
Alt Name[2] _____ Mirick
Gender Male
Birth[1] Abt 1620
Marriage 14 Sep 1639 Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States
to Sarah Stebbins
Marriage 21 Oct 1653 Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States
to Elizabeth Tilley
Death[1][2] 7 Sep 1704 Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States
Burial[3] Springfield Cemetery, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States
▼References
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Merrick, George Byron. Genealogy of the Merrick-Mirick-Myrick Family of Massachusetts, 1636-1902. (Madison, Wis.: Tracy, Gibbs, & Co., 1902)
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. … Thomas Merrick died September 7, 1704.'
The Sarah Mirricke/Myrick who married John Atkinson (1636-1715) in Newbury did so in 1664 [Torrey; Newbury VR 2:20 (John Atkins/Attkinson and Sara Mirricke)], not 1646, and thus is unlikely to be a sister to Thomas.
↑ 2.0 2.1 Stott, Clifford L. Vital Records of Springfield, Massachusetts to 1850. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002)
1:121.
'Thomas Mirick Senior was Sicke & died Sept. 7, 1704.'
↑ Thomas Merrick, in Find A Grave.
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1620 - 1704 (84 years)
