Nathaniel Merrill was born on 4 May 1601 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England and baptized there on 4 May 1601.

He signed his will on 8 Mar 1654/55.

Witnes by these psents that I Nathaniell Merrill of Newbury in the Countie of Essex being sicke of body but through gods mercy of perfect memory I do here make my last will and testament,
I first bequeath my soule into the hands of my blessed Redeemer with an assured hope of a joyfull resurection, and my body when it shall please the lord to take me out of this fraile life to bee buryed in the burying place of Newbury, and for my worldly goods I giue and dispose of as followeth Impr I giue and bequeath vnto susanna my wife fiue akers of plowable land lying next to my brother Johns land and halfe the marsh dureing her naturall life and a cow and three heifers and all my household goods, And out of this estat so giuen to my wife I giue and bequeath vnto my daughter Susanna fiue pounds when she shalbe at the age of twenty yeares then I giue and bequeath vnto my Son Nathaniell (whom I appoint as my true and lawfull heire) all my land and freehold after my wiues decease, and all the working tooles & Implements of husbandry and all the cattell and stocke besids And out of this stocke
I appoint that my Son Nathaniell shall pay theise legacyes as followeth, that is I giue vnto my son John when he shallbee of the age of two and twenty yeers the summe of fiue pounds,
And also I giue and bequeath vnto my Son Abraham at the age of two and twenty years fiue pounds,
And I giue and bequeath vnto my sonne Daniell also at the age of one and twenty years fiue pound and
I giue and bequeath to my son Abell fiue pounds also at the age of one and twenty years,
And I appoint my Sone Nathaniell to be my sole executor and all my debts & funerall rites being discharged I appoint him to haue all the rest of my goods & chattels vndisposed and
I desire my brother John merill and Anthony somerby to be the ouerseers of this my las t will & testament In witness whereof I haue st my hand march the eight in the yeare one thousand six hundred fifty foure but if gods puidence should by losses & crosses |vpon ye estate| more than ordinary: then proportionobly to be abated in the legacyes

his mark Nathaniell n n merrill

Witness:
Richard Knight
Anthony Somerby
John merrell

He died on 16 Mar 1654/55 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts.

He had estate inventory taken by Daniell (his D mark) Thurston, Richard Knight and Archelaus Woodman on 23 Mar 1654/55.

Ten akers of upland and thre akers of marsh with the previledge of a grehold or commage, £20; one cow and a calfe, £4; 15 s; three heifers of three yeare old & 2 claves £12; 10s; two steers of two yeare old & two heifers £11; three yearelings, £4, one old cart & wheeles and sled and an old barow, £1; 2 spades, a mattock, a betle, 4 wedges, a crosscut & a handsaw & 4 axes and 4 hooes, £2; 3 old tubs, a fanne, an Iron staple & ring & 2 prongs & shovell, 10s; his weareing apparell, £2; ten bushells of malt & barly, 5 bushells of wheate & nine bushels of rye & about 35 bushells of Indian corne, £10; 16s; two muskets and 2 swords with match & powder, £2; cats & pease, 10s; sixe small swyne, £3; 2 flock beds & bolsters & 2 paire of sheets, old, £4; 2 old ketles, 2 skillets & a smal braspot & Iron pot, £1 10s; an old warming pan, fire shovell, grid Iron, tongs, & other small Iron things & a spitt, 12s; 4 small pewter dishes & a skimmer, dishes & spoones, 12s; a truckle bedsted, 2 buckets and a pr of cottrells, 10s; a small cart rope & halfe bushell & a pecke, 5s; a small cubberd & 2chests, 16s; one drinke vessell, 2 wheels, one powdring tub, ten milk trayes & 3 cheesfats, £2; total £84; 6s; his debts for Rent due to Mr Cutting, £5; in small debts, £2.

Source: Essex County Quarterly Court Files 3:10

His estate was probated on 27 Mar 1654/55 by John Merrill and Anthony Somerby.

He was married to Susannah Wilterton on 23 Sep 1633 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England.

Susannah Wilterton was born about 1610 in Wherstead, Suffolk, England. She died on 25 Jan 1672/73 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts.

Her estate inventory was taken by William Pilsbury, Moses Pilsbury and Anthony Somerby on 4 Feb 1672.

Cow, £3; 15s; two heifers coming three yere old. £5; one pigg, 3s 4d; her wearing apparrell, £2; an old flockbed, a paire of sheets, an old Rug & blancket, £1; 10s; two old Iron potts, one pr of pot hooks, frying pan, bucket, 2 tramells £1; 4s; a little cubbard, 2 old chests, a keiler, an old hogshead & 2 trayes, 14s; 3 old pewter dishes, an old chamber pot, a pint pott & a broken cup, 13s; An old sword, a spit, fire shovel & tongues, 10s; a brasen candlestick, pr of sheep shears, an old brasse skillet & some lumber, 3s; total £15; 12s 4d.
Debts due from Abraham Merril, £1;10s; Richard Bartlett, £1;; Thomas Barbur, 9s.
The deceased owes to Henry Short £1; 10s; goodman Ordway 5s 5d; John Bartlet, 2s; Will Bolten, 3s 8d; Tristrum Coffin, 12s; John Knight, 6s; to Abell Merrill for wintering two cowes 3 winters & 2 calves, £7; 4s; cutting & making 3 load & halfe of hay, 18s; charges for her funerall for coffin & diggeing the grave, £1;; due to JOane Merrill, £2; 5s; total £12; 5s 1d.

Administration on the estate of Susan Jordan, intestate, granted Mar 25 1673 to Abell Merrill, her youngest son. Ipswich Quarterly Court Records, 5:193

Attested in Ipswich court 25:1m:1673 by Abell Merrill.
Source: Printed "Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts;
1635 - 1681," In three volumes,The Essex Institute; Salem, MA; 1916

Submitted by: Mariana Bean Ruggles
 

Children were:

i. Nathaniel Merrill was born about 1638 in Lawford, Essex, England. He died on 1 Jan 1682/83 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts and his estate inventory was taken on 18 Jan 1682/83.
ii. Deacon John Merrill was born on 16 Feb 1636 in Lawford, Essex, England. He died on 18 Jul 1712 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. He was a tanner.
iii. Deacon Abraham Merrill was born about 1636 in Lawford, Essex, England. He died on 28 Nov 1722 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. He was a weaver.
iv. Susanna Merrill was born about 1640 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. She died on 10 Oct 1690 in Suffield, Hartford County, Connecticut.
v. Sgt. Daniel Merrill.
vi. Abel Merrill.

Merrill DNA Project