TIMOTHY D. MERRYMAN

He was born in Kennebec county, Maine, January 14, 1827, town of Chesterville, now in Monroe county. His father, Timothy Merryman, was born in Brunswick, Maine, November 16, 1787, and married Elizabeth Dunning January 23, 1813, who was also a native of Maine. He was a ship carpenter by trade, also a farmer, clearing for himself a farm among the pines of his native state. In 1835, with his three oldest sons and eldest daughter he came to Illinois, and locating in Richland Grove township, sent for the remainder of the family to come, which they did the next year, 1836, coming all the way with teams.

Mrs. Merryman being sick on their arrival at Wheeling, Virginia, took passage on a boat with one of her daughters and came by river to Rock Island. They had nine children, six sons and three daughters, seven of whom survive.

The six sons in the order of their ages are : Albert D., Thomas, David D., Joseph M., Timothy D., and Ira. The only surviving daughter, Thirza Ann, is the wife of Robinson Nye and resides in Moline, Illinois. Mrs. Merryman died in October, 1852, aged sixty-four, and Mr. M. died in April, 1873, at the age of eighty-six, their remains resting in the cemetery at Moline. Timothy D. was brought up on the farm, and at the age of twenty-one began his fortune with a capital of $50. He bought an interest in a saw mill that his father and one of his brothers had built in Richland Grove in 1845. While engaged in this mill he made a claim on 160 acres of land in section 9, Rivola township, to which he afterward added eighty acres in the same section and entered it with land warrants in 1850. He had forty acres under improvement when, in 1853, he crossed the plains to California with an ox team.

Thus can he boast of having crossed the continent from Maine to California with a team. He was engaged there in mining, farming and teaming until 1863, when he returned to Illinois and settled where he now lives, on the northeast of section 9. December 1, 1864, he married Miss Mary Manning, who was born in Richland Grove township, in this county, July 23, 1840. She was daughter of James Manning, one of Mercer county's pioneers, who settled in that township in 1835. Of six sons and three daughters but two survive, Mrs. Merryman and one brother in Indiana. March 24, 1873, his house was burned, but he replaced it with a fine, spacious residence, surrounded by quite a grove of maples, that have grown from seed planted by himself, and from which he can now make a barrel of syrup annually. He has added to his original farm until he now owns 640 acres, including twenty acres of timber. In 1878 he built on his place the first dairy in the county, which has made large quantities of cheese and butter since that time, but is run exclusively now as a creamery. Mr. and Mrs. Merryman are both active members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

 

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