Ebenezer MERRY ²

  General Notes:

CT REVOLUTIONARY WAR MILITARY LISTS, 1775-83:
Name: Ebenezer Merry
Page #: 235
Regiment: Lake service
Company: Chapel's Company
Command: Chapel, Fredrick Capt.
Area of Service
(Township or State): Northern Lakes
Remarks: Pay Roll for seaman in naval service on the lakes of the Northern Dept. for wages, billeting money, traveling expenses, service pay, blankets, guns, cartouch boxes, knapsacks and belts.

CT, TOWN MARRIAGE RECORDS, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection):
Name: Elizabeth Hunt
Marriage Date: 1 Nov 1770
Marriage Location: Kent
Spouse: Ebenezer Merry

VT CENSUS, 1790-1860:
Name: Ebenezer Mery
State: VT
County: Bennington County & Rutland County
Township: Dorset & Danby
Year: 1788
Page: 030
Database: VT Early Census Index

1790 VT CENSUS, Rutland Co, Orwell Twp:
Ebenezer "Murray:
2 m. under 16
3 m. 16 & older
4 females

1800 NY CENSUS, Albany Co, Rensselaerville:
Ebenezer "Mayers"
1 m. 26-45
3 f. 10 and under
1 f. 10-16
1 f. 26-45

1984 LETTER TO CHARLES E. MERRY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, The State Education Department, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY :
"The name Merry, or Mary, does not occur in the Van Rensselaer-Bowier Manuscripts (1621-1696). However, two persons of that name appear in the guide to another collection, the Van Rensselaer Manor Papers leases:
Ebenezer Merry. Lease of farm in town of Rensselaerwyck, 62-1/5 acres. 16 Apr 1793. 2 pages
Ebenezer Merry. Lease of same farm. 16 Apr 1794 4 pages
William Merry. Lease of farm in town of Rensselaerwyck, 33-4/5 acres. 11 Nov 1794. Later leased to Stephen Gregory. 2 copies, 1 with added notes. 2 p. each.
Eliakim Ayers. Lease of farm on McGee's Brook, 185 acres. 9 Dec. 1789. Park (Part?) leased later to Ebenezer and William Merry. 2 copies, 2 pages each (only one copy mentions the Merrys).
We cannot provide Xerox-type copies of the documents. Photostats can be made - - - - .
Undoubtedly further references to the farms could be found in the rent ledgers, surveys, and maps in the Van Rensselaer Manor Papers. If you are interested in this type of information, a trip to this library might be warranted."
Peter Christoph, Associate Librarian, Manuscripts and Special Collections

1987 LETTER FROM CHUCK & FRANCES MERRY TO MARY ANN MARASICK, Waterford, PA;
"Rensselaer Co, N.Y. is, was and has always been a big problem as far as our research is concerned. The patroon system around Albany more or less precluded ownership of land by the settlers, so records go from scanty to non-existant. John Wickham as well as Benjamin, Warren and William Wickham and Thomas Balis were leaseholders in the Manor of Rensselaerwyck. This we learned from a deed from one Van Rensselaer to another, in which the property description included at least 5 pages of lease holders, front and back. Ebenezer Merry was also a lease holder in said Manor, as was his son William."

1989 LETTER FROM CHUCK & FRANCES MERRY TO EMMET WELLS, Waterford PA.:
"Another problem is the feudal fiefdom of the 'Manor of Rensselaerwyck'. This Manor included parts of Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Columbia, Otsego and I believe some of Saratoga Counties, N.Y. In this 'Manor' land was only leased, and quit rents were paid. In the case of Ebenezer this quit rent was so many bushels of winter wheat. Because property was not owned outright, one does not have the usual passing by deed or probate to ones children any ownership of the land."

1989 LETTER FROM CHUCK & FRANCES MERRY TO EMMETT WELLS, Waterford, PA:
- - - "Ebenezer Merry, eldest son of John and Sarah (?) Merry was born in Kent, Litchfield Co, Conn., March 9, 1744. (Kent V. R.) He was married November 1, 1770 at Amenia, Dutchess Co, N.Y. (V. R. Kent and Amenia), to Elizabeth Hunt by Rev. Ebenezer Niblow or Knibloe. The birth of their son William on June 30, 1771 is recorded at Kent (V.R.)
Ebenezer along with his younger brothers Samuel and John served in the Revolutionary War from Pittsfield, Berkshire Co, Mass. (See Mass. Soldiers and Sailors) Pension papers for Samuel and possibly John mention his birthplace as being Kent, Conn.
Ebenezer apparently didn't apply for a pension, or was dead by the time the later Acts became law.
At a time unknown to us, Ebenezer went to Vermont, as he was listed in a roll of Freeman of Danby, Vt. in 1778 (pg. 588) and served there as a petit juror in 1784 (pg. 590). See Vermont Historical Gazetteer Vol. 3.
The deeds at Danby show that he and his wife Betty sold various small parcels of property periodically and the last one, signed by only Ebenezer, says he is "of Philips Town in the County of Renslaerwick and the state of New York". This last deed is dated 27 April 1793.
When Ebenezer actualy moved to Rensselaerwyck is not known, but it must have been between 1789 and 1793, from the first lease in New York jointly with William, (after 1789), and the last deed in Danby (1783).
We are of the opinion that Ebenezer Merry was enumerated in Danby, Br. in the 1790 Census, actually taken in 1791, as Ebenezer "Murray". We believe William was there also, still living with Ebenezer, since he would have been only 20 year old in 1791.
The book accounts of Archibald Shannon of Philipstown (now a village called Nassau, in the township of Nassau) show that both Ebenezer Merrey and Ephram Farrington, who married Mary Wickham, had accounts in 1806.
The N.Y. Census of 1810 shows Ebenezer Merry in Nassau, N.Y., but we couldn't find him in 1800. The Census of 1800 for Milford, Otsego Co, N.Y. shows Ambrose H. Merry with a male born before 1755, but no female of that age. We believe the male was Ebenezer, born in 1744.
When we found the material on the early settlement of Milford, Otsego Co, N.Y. (enclosed) we felt the evidence was conclusive enough to say that Ambrose H. Merry was possibly or probably the son of Ebenezer Merry. Of course if we could ever find that Ambrose's middle name was "Hunt" we could be positive!"

THE EARLY HISTORY OF NASSAU VILLAGE, 1609-1830 WITH BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY SETTLERS by Paul R. Huey & Ralph D. Phillips, Second Edition, Nassau, NY, Nassau Free Library, 1976:
p. 39-40: "The following list of names is believed to be from an inventory of the estate of Archibald Shannon and represents a list of people from his accounts. The list is here presented exactly as copied from the original which, unfortunately, is presently unlocated. Births and deaths of individual have been supplied by Ralph D. Phillips and are included in brackets.
Book Accounts - Estate of Archibald Shannon 1806. Philipstown, Rens. Co., N.Y. - on page 40 are Ebenezer Merrey and Ephram Farranton. (Farrington?). (Note from Frances Merry: Apparently Mr. Phillips could find no tombstones or probate records for Ebenezer Merry or Ephram Farrington, since no dates are supplied.)

Ebenezer married Elizabeth HUNT on 1 Nov 1770 in Kent, Litchfield Co, CT.¹