Merrick (Y-DNA)
Contents
Status summary
Completed as of March 24, 2021:
- Recruiting patrilineal (all male-line) William Merrick descendants for NGS/WGS SNP testing. Any male who believes they are such a descendant should Read me First
IMPORTANT: Read me First
Biography
First Generation
(Ens.) William Merrick was born possibly in Wales about 1600[1] and died Eastham sometime between writing his will (3 Dec 1686) and its probate (6 Mar 1689). While currently unproven, he is believed to have been the oldest of four brothers (with James, John and Thomas) who emigrated on the ship "James" arriving in Charlestown in 1636. He was already in Plymouth Colony by 5 Oct 1636 (court record). It is also believed he arrived as an indentured servant, as he did not marry until about 1642 (likely at Duxbury) to Rebecca Tracy. William and Rebecca had ten children (all but oldest likely born at Eastham): William (1643), Stephen (1646), Rebecca (1648-1668 unm.), Mary (1650), Ruth (1652), Sarah (1654), John (1656/7), Isaac (1659/60 no further record), Joseph (1662) and Benjamin (1665)
Second Generation
William Merrick (II) was born prob. Duxbury 15 Sep 1643 and died Harwich 30 Oct 1732. He married Abigail Hopkins and they had nine children: Rebecca (1668), William (1670-1670/1), Stephen (1673), Benjamin (1674), Nathaniel (1675), John (c1680 m. twice but appar. no ch.), Joshua (c1680), Ruth (1684) and Samuel (d unm.).
Stephen Merrick was prob. born Eastham 12 May 1646 and died Taunton in 1705. He married Plymouth or Taunton 28 Dec 1670 Mercy Bangs and they had at least two children (Taunton): Isaac (1678) and Sarah (1688).
John Merrick was born Eastham 16 Jan 1656/7 and died Newton 11 Jul 1706. He married bef. 1685 Elizabeth Trowbridge and they had seven children (Newton): Thankful (1685), Rebecca (1687), Lydia (1688/9), Samuel (1690/1), Sarah (1692/3), John (1693) and Margaret (1695).
(Dea.) Joseph Merrick was born Eastham 1 Jan 1662 and died died there 15 Jun 1737. He married twice, first Eastham 1 May 1684 Elizabeth Howes and second, Eastham 7 Jul 1712 Elizabeth FREEMAN Remick[2] (no children by this marriage). By his first wife he had seven children (Eastham): Elizabeth (1685), Mary (1687), Joseph (1690), William (1692), Hannah (1695), Isaac (1699) and Phebe (c1702).
Third Generation
Stephen Merrick was born Eastham 26 Mar 1673 and died Harwich 11 Mar 1731/2. He married Eastham 21 Nov 1706 Deborah Snow and they had nine children (born Harwich): Joshua (1708), Snow (1709/10 nfr), Deborah (1712), Samuel (1714/5 nfr), Oliver (1716 m Therzia Bullard unk if ch), Thomas (1718), Simeon (1721 nfr), Jabez (1722/3 nfr) and Jethro (1725-1746 unm.)
Benjamin Merrick was born 1674 Eastham and died prob. Harwich 24 May 1749. He married twice, first Rebecca Doane and second Harwich 31 Jul 1740 Rachel HOLMES Lincoln. Children only by first wife (born Harwich): Abigail (c1699), John (c1709), Rebecca (c1711), Isaac (c1713 unm.), Nathaniel (1714/5) and Benjamin (1719).
Nathaniel Merrick was born Eastham 1675 and died Harwich 13 Nov 1743 in 71st yr. He married abt 1699 Alice Freeman and they had ten children (all born Harwich, now Brewster): Hannah (c1700), Constant (son c1701), William (c1703), Mercy (c1705), Gideon (unm), Priscilla, Ruth (c1709), Alice (c1713), Benjamin (1717/8) and Sarah (1720).
Joshua Merrick was born Eastham abt 1680 and died in Harwich. He married Eastham 4 Jun 1714 Lydia Mayo and they had nine children (born Harwich): Thomas (1717/8), Seth (1720), Joseph (1722), Abigail (1724), Lydia (1726), Barnabas (c1728), Hannah (1731), Mary (1734) and Bezaleel (1736).
Fourth Generation
Joshua Merrick/Myrick was born Harwich 17 Apr 1708. His further history is murky. It is believed he married (int Boston 8 May 1740) Rebekah Savage and poss. had three ch: (Ebenezer 1741, Oliver & Samuel bp 1745). Joshua may have married second, Boston 1 May 1759 Susanna Cain. No further record of any of this family.
Thomas Merrick/Myrick was born Harwich 12 Dec 1718 and died there 3 Feb 1796. He married Harwich 8 Oct 1741 Hannah Hopkins (desc. of Stephen Hopkins & William Brewster) and they had four children (born Harwich): Elizabeth (1742), Phebe (1743), Huldah (1745) and Abigail (1747/8).
John Merrick was born Harwich abt 1709. He married Harwich 11 Sep 1729 Frances Clark and they had six children (born Harwich): John (1731 m Elizabeth BROWN Merrick Peterman, likely no ch.), Desire (1732/3), Rebecca (1735), Phebe (1736), David (1738/9 m Hannah ____ unk if ch.) and Isaac (1740 m Sarah Hazen unk if ch.)
Nathaniel Myrick was born Harwich 25 Feb 1714/5. He prob. married three times, first Harwich 12 Nov 1741 Thankful LINCOLN, second Harwich 2 Oct 1755 Elizabeth Snow (a descendant of Stephen Hopkins & John Howland) and third (int Harwich 8 Mar 1766) Hannah HAWES Slater (a descendant of John Howland). By his first wife he had at least seven children (born Harwich): Thankful (1742), Nathaniel (1744 m Hannah Gould unk if ch.), Samuel (1746 unk if marr), Solomon (1747 unk if marr), Benjamin (1749 unk if marr), Rachel (1741) and Rebecca (1753). One child by either first or second wife: Sarah (1755 dy) and two children by second wife: Sarah (bp 1759) and Samuel (1761 m Abigail Crosby unk if ch).
Benjamin Myrick was born Harwich 2 May 1719. He married Harwich 12 Jan 1737 Hannah Chase and they had at least two children: Cotten (1738/9-1739/40), Mary (1740) and poss. Benjamin (bp 1743 unk if marr).
(Capt.) Constant Merrick was born Harwich abt 1701 and died Hardwick 17 Mar 1792, ae. 91. He married Rochester 1 Feb 1726/7 Sarah Freeman and they had six children (first 4 Rochester, last 2 Hardwick): William (1728 m Sarah Billings), Nathaniel (1730 m Susanna Lawrence, Lois Hammond, Elizabeth Haskell & Susannah Taylor), Sarah (1732), Constant (1734/5-dy), Alice (1737) and Constant (1740).
William Myrick was born Harwich and lost at sea 1742. He married Eastham 23 Jan 1733/4 Elizabeth Osborn and they had three children: William (1734 m Phebe Smith & Hannah Paine), Gideon (d. at sea) and Elizabeth (c1742).
Benjamin Merrick was born Harwich 20 Mar 1717/8. He married Harwich 21 Dec 1738 Elizabeth Davis and they had one child (born Harwich): Lucy (1739).
Thomas Merrick was born Harwich 10 Feb 1717/8 and died aft 1796. He married (int Harwich 2 Aug 1750) Ruth Godfrey and they had six children (bp. Harwich [now Brewster]): Hannah (bp 1751), Elizabeth (bp1753), Ziporah (bp1754), Ruth (bp1757), Lydia (bp1759) and Joshua (bp1760).
Seth Merrick was born Harwich 13 May 1720 and died Carmel, NY 9 Oct 1766. He married (int Eastham 13 Jan 1743/4) Elizabeth Brown and they had eleven children: Joshua (1744 m Mary Eliza ___ & Jane ___), Elizabeth (1747), Lydia (1749), Ruth (1751-1753), Joseph (1754-1777 unm), Ruth (1756), Seth (1757 prob m Phebe Ganoung), John (1759-1759), John (1760 m Lois Cook), Robert (1763 m Elizabeth Shepard) and Samuel (1766).
Barnabas Myrick was born Harwich abt 1728 and died in 1805. He married Harwich 7 Dec 1755 Ellis Bangs and they had twelve children (first seven Harwich, others Barre): Joseph (1756 m Ruth Swift), Bezaleel (1758 m Sarah Russell), Mary (1760), Lovise (1763), Sarah (1765), Josiah (1766 m Martha Prindle), Barnabas (1768 m Dorothy Russell), William (1771 m Hannah Watts), Joshua (1773), Zenas (twin 1775 m Eunice ___), Katy (twin 1775-1775) and Katherine (1776).
Bezaleel Myrick was born harwich 12 Nov 1736 and died Hebron, ME 22 Feb 1802. He married twice, first Duxbury 28 Dec 1760 Ruth Louden and second, No. Yarmouth, ME 23 Dec 1784 Huldah MOULTON Mitchell. By his first wife he had four children (born Dartmouth): Joseph (1761-1770), William (1764 m Jane Mitchell), Thomas (1769 m Anna Chase) and Barnabas (1772 m Silence Perkins). By his second wife he had three more children: Stephen (1786 m Zilla Glover), Joseph (1788) and Huldah (1792).
DNA Results R1b-BY55930
Previous testing
The Meyrick, Merrick Family Project does not publicly disclose their DNA results. However, the administrator has developed a variety of online sites. One of his sites documented the 67 Y-STR results of a Merrick descendant as published at Y-Search.org (now defunct). Plugging in these Y-STR results into the Nevgen.org haplogroup predictor gives a predicted Haplogroup of: R1b U106>Z18>Z17>>L257>>Z375 with a probability of 98.48%.
NGS/WGS testing
A direct male-line Merrick descendant has joined the Family Tree DNA Mayflower DNA Project and has taken a Big Y test. It is believed this individual descends from either William Merrick or one of his supposed brothers. FTDNA reports his haplogroup as: R-U106>>Z18>>Z372>>L257>Z8185>Z15>Z378>Z375>Y27977>FTB42644>BY120330>BY55930.
External Links and References
- Austin, John D., Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: vol. 6 Hopkins, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Plymouth, MA. Third edition 2001
- Pilgrim Hopkins Heritage Society Lineage database