Descendants of James Benjamin Merrill

Generation No. 5

JAMES BENJAMIN MERRILL (JOSEPH BELL, JAMES JOSEPH MERRELL, CHARLES MERRILL, CAPTAIN BENJAMIN MERRILL and JEMIMA SMITH) was born 11 Nov 1843 in Carroll County, Georgia, and died 28 Feb 1909 in Cleburne County, Alabama.  He married MARY ELIZABETH FAVER 12 Mar 1867 in Carroll County, Georgia, daughter of SANDERS FAVER and CAROLINE DAVIS.  She was born 28 Sep 1848 in Centralhatchee, Heard County, Georgia, and died 04 Jun 1929 in Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama.

Notes for JAMES BENJAMIN MERRILL:

Author: Brant & Fuller (1893)

    J. B. MERRILL, attorney of Edwardsville, was born in Georgia in 1843, a son of Joseph and Susan (Lamberth) Merrill, both natives of Georgia. The father was a son of Joseph and Maria (Bell) Merrill, both natives of South Carolina. The mother was a daughter of John and Permelia (Garrison) Lamberth. The grandfather was one of the pioneer settlers of Tallapoosa county, Ala., and served as tax collector of that county for many years. J. B. Merrill was raised on the farm and attended the common schools of his county, and in the winter of 1860 he entered Irwin college, Tenn., but when the war came on he, in company with about sixty other students, in May, 1861, enlisted in company B, cavalry, under Capt.Wilcoxon. He served as a private until 1862, when he was elected second lieutenant and as such served about one year, when he was made first lieutenant and served eight months, when he became captain of the company and served in that capacity till the close of the war. The first fight of the company was at Cotton Hill, and he also took part in several others among which may be mentioned Sharpsburg, Wilderness, Yellow Tavern, Jack Shop and Gettysburg; he was also with Stuart at the time he went around the Federal forces. After the war he returned home to Georgia and followed the plow for two or three years; in 1866 he began reading law, was admitted to the bar in 1872 and began practice at his old home, where his ability was at once recognized, and where he built up a large practice; in 1886, having by this time large interests in mineral lands in Alabama, he came here to look after the same and settled in Edwardsville, where he now stands at the head of his profession. In 1867 he married Mary Faver, daughter of Sanders and Caroline (Davis) Faver, both of French descent. This union has been blessed with five children: Walter B., a graduate of Oxford college and now a practicing attorney with his father; Rosa, wife of John W. Abercrombie, and the mother of one child, Myrl; Hugh, Myrtle and Clyde. The mother was born in Georgia. She is a member of the Baptist church and he is a member of the Masonic order. Mr. Merrill has served three years as mayor of Edwardsville, having been elected without any solicitation on his part. He has lately prepared, at a cost of $13,000, to mine gold, owning a large tract of land which is underlaid with a rich vein of the precious metal.

from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 652

More About JAMES BENJAMIN MERRILL:

Burial: Heflin, Celburne County, Alabama

Military service: Bet. 1861 - 1865, Phillips Legion

Occupation: 1880, Heard County, Georgia

Notes for MARY ELIZABETH FAVER:

July, 1929

MRS. MERRILL BURIED HERE

Anniston, Ala., June 4th

Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Merrill, age 82, prominent Alabama woman, died Tuesday morning at the home of her son, Judge Hugh D. Merrill, at 1206 Leighton Avenue.  Funeral services will be held from the residence Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock and interment will take place at 3:30 o'clock in the family lot in the Heflin cemetery.

Rev. J.T. McGlothlin, pastor of the Parker Memorial Baptist church will conduct the services. Mrs. Merrill was sick only a short time before her death. She has lived with her son here since 1912, moving to Anniston from Heflin with Judge Merrill and family.

Mrs. Merrill was born in Franklin, Georgia Sept. 28, 1847, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sanders Favor, a prominent Georgia family. She married James B. Merrill and the couple moved to Edwardsville Feb. 1, 1887 and from there to Heflin where Mr. Merrill later died.

She was a member of the Heflin Baptist church and an earnest and consecrated religious worker until her death. She did not move her membership when she came to Anniston but attended services here.

Mrs. Merrill is survived by two sons and three daughters, Judge Walter B. Merrill and Judge Hugh D. Merrill both of Anniston;  Mrs. J.W. Abercrombie of Montgomery;  Mrs. J.T. Rood of Madison, Wisc., and Mrs. N.W. Burgess of  Summit, N.J.  All of the children with the exception of Mrs. Rood, will attend the funeral services.

Pall bearers will be Ralph Merrill, Pelham Merrill, Walter Merrill Jr., Hugh Merrill Jr., R.E. Jones and W.T. Morton Jr

Children of JAMES MERRILL and MARY FAVER are:

Child	Name	Birth	Death	Spouse Name	Marriage	Spouse Birth	Spouse Death
i.	LENA J. MERRILL	Abt. 1869, Georgia
ii.	WALTER BENJAMIN MERRILL	05 Apr 1873, Franklin, Heard County, GA	12 Jan 1958, Cleburne County, AL	(1) VIOLA ABERCROMBIE	1894		1904
				(2) LILLA JONES	07 Feb 1904, Edwardsville, Cleburne County, AL	Abt. 1883, Monroe County, AL	1969
iii.	ROSE MERRILL	1876, Heard County, GA	08 Aug 1952, Montgomery, Alabama	JOHN W. ABERCROMBIE	08 Jan 1891	1866, St. Clair County, Alabama	02 Jul 1940, Montgomery, Alabama
iv.	HUGH DAVIS MERRILL	20 Dec 1877, Heard County, GA	05 Jan 1954, Calhoun County, AL	(1) FRANCES ABERCROMBIE	Apr 1899, Edwardsville, Cleburne County, AL		Jul 1904
				(2) MARTHA CHITWOOD	1906	Abt. 1885, Alabama	12 Jun 1952, Calhoun County, AL
v.	MYRTLE MERRILL	Abt. 1882, Heard County, GA	J. T. ROOD
vi.	CLYDE MERRILLx	02 Jan 1888, Heflin, Cleburne County, AL	Dec 1976, Essex County, New Jersey	NEWTON ALBERT BURGESS	14 Oct 1908	03 Apr 1883, Edwardsville, Cleburne County, AL	01 Apr 1953, Summit, Union County, NJ