Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/341

Rh Noah Webster, the lexicographer, the Merriams purchased the right of future publication of Webster's dictionary, many successive editions of which they have since issued. &mdash; His brother Charles, publisher, b. in West Brookfield, Mass., 21 Nov., 1806; d. in Springfield, Mass., 9 July, 1887, learned printing at an early age. He was active in benevolent works and contributed $5,000 and numerous books for the establishment of a public library in Springfield. He bequeathed $50,000 to missionary, Bible, and other religious societies.

MERRICK, James Lyman, missionary, b. in Monson, Mass., 11 Oct., 1803 ; d. in South Amherst, Mass., 18 June, 1866. He was graduated at Amherst in 18o0, studied in Princeton theological seminary, and was giaduated at Columbia theological semi- nary, S. (J., in 1833. He was ordained as a Presbyte- rian evangelist at Charleston in 1834 and appointed missionary to Persia, where he labored in Tabreez, Shiraz, and Oroomiah until 1845. He then re- turned to this country, and from 1849 till 1864 had charge of a Congregational church in South Am- herst. From 1852 till 1857 he was instructor in oriental literature in Amherst college. During the civil war he gave a bounty to every soldier that enlisted in his own parish, and he bequeathed his entire property to the four institutions in which he received his education to endow four Persian scholarships. He was the author of " Pilgrim's Harp," poems (Boston, 1847) ; " The Life and Re- ligion of Mohammed," translated from the Persian Hyat-ul-Kuloob (1850); Keith's "Evidences of Prophecy," translated into Persian (Edinburgh, 1846) ; " Genealogy of the Merrick Family " (1850) ; and " A Treatise on the Orthography of the English Language, with a New Alphabet of Forty Letters," which was not published. He also left manu- script translations into Persian.

MERRICK, Pliny, jurist, b. in Brookfield, Mass., 2 Aug., 1794; d. in Boston, Mass., 1 Feb., 1867. His ancestor, Thomas, came to this country from England in 1630 and settled in Springfield. Pliny was graduated at Harvard in 1814, after which he studied law with Levi Lincoln and prac- tised in Worcester and in Bristol county. He was district attorney for Worcester in 1824-'43, and was made justice of the court of common pleas in 1843 and again in 1851. In 1844 he was judge of the municipal court, and from 1853 till 1864 of the Massachusetts supreme court, removing to Boston in 1856. He was also president of the Woj-cester and Nashua railroad company. In 1849 he was senior counsel in the defence of Prof. Webster on his trial for the murder of Dr. George Parkman. From 1852 till 1856 he was an overseer of Harvard, from which he received the degree of LL. D. in 1853. He bequeathed a large sum for the establish- ment of schools of a high grade in Worcester.

MERR1CK, Samuel Vaughan, manufacturer, b. in Hallowell, Me., 4 Mav, 1801 ; d. in Philadel- phia, Pa., 18 Aug., 1870. " In 1816 he left school and went to Philadelphia, where he entered the counting-house of his uncle. Pie subsequently studied engineering, and about 1835 established at Philadelphia the Southwark iron-foundry, which became the finest work of the kind in this coun- try. Among other important constructions he built the iron light-houses that were erected along the Florida reefs, some of them the largest in the world ; and the machinery for the U. S. ships " Mississippi," " Princeton," " San Jacinto." and " Wabash." Mr. Merrick took a deep interest in public affairs. He was active in introducing illu- minating gas into Philadelphia, to further which measure he became a member of the city councils. and in 1834 he was sent by the councils to Europe to examine into the methods of manufacturing gas there. His report led to the construction of the Philadelphia gas-works, the building of which he superintended. He was at one time president of the Pennsylvania railroad, and of the Catawissa railroad, was one of the founders of the Franklin institute, and a member of the American philo- sophical society from 1833 until his death.

MERRICK, William Dnhurst, statesman, b. in Annapolis, Md., 25 Oct., 1793; d. in Washing- ton, D. C, 5 Feb., 1857. He served as captain in the war of 1812, and was a member of the legisla- ture. He served in the U. S. senate from 5 Jan., 1838, till 3 March, 1845, having V)een chosen as a Whig, was a member of the Constitutional conven- tion of 1850, and again served in the legislature. He was the author of a cheap postage scheme, and held local offices in Maryland. — His son, Will- iam Matthews, jurist, b. in Charles county, Md., 1 Sept.. 1818 ; d. in Washington, D. C, 4 Feb., 1889, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Balti- more in 1839. He settled in Frederick, Md.. in 1844. and in 1845 was appointed deputy attorney- general for that county, serving five years. In 1854 he removed to Wasiiington, D. C., and was appointed associate judge of the U. S. circuit court for the dis- trict of Columbia, serving until this court was abol- ished in 1863. He then I'etired to Maryland, where he practised law. In 1866-'7 he was senior profess- or of law in Columbian college, Georgetown. He was a member of the State constitutional convention of 1867, and was elected to the Maryland legisla- ture in 1870. He was then chosen to congress as a Democrat, serving from 4 March. 1871, till 3 March. 1873. On 4 May. 1885, he was appointed associate justice of the supreme court of the district of Co- lumbia, and he was also professor of law in the Georgetown university, D. C. — Another son, Rich- ard Thomas, lawyer, b. in Charles county, Md., 25 Jan., 1826 ; d. "in Washington. D. C, 23 June, 1885, raised a company, which he commanded in the Mexican war, although he was under age. after which he practised law and served in the legisla- ture. He then went to Chicago, where he formed a law-partnership and was a delegate from Illinois to the Democratic national convention of 1860, sup- porting Stephen A. Douglas. In 1864 he removed to Washington. D. C. where during the following twenty years he stood high in his profession. After the war he was a Democratic candidate for dele- gate to congress from the District of Columbia un- der the territorial form of government. He was also engaged in the defence of President Johnson in the impeachment trial in 1868 ; in 1876-'7 was one of the counsel before the electoral commission^ and afterward in prosecuting the Star-route cases. He was a brilliant debater and public speaker, and during the exciting presidential canvass of 1884 took an active part in the western states in the in- terest of the Democratic ticket. He was lecturer on constitutional law in Georgetown university.

MERRILL, Ayres Phillips, physician, b. in Pittsfield, Mass., 17 April, 1793; d. in New York city, 3 Nov., 1873. He was graduated at Fairfield, N. Y., medical college in 1819, and at once appointed surgeon's mate in the 8th infantry regiment in the regular army. He was promoted assistant surgeon, 1 June, 1821, but resigned on 21 Sept., 1823, and settled at Natchez, Miss. In 1850 he removed to Memphis. Tenn., and was active in organizing the medical college of that city, in which he occupied the chair of the theory and practice of medicine. He also edited the Memphis "Medical Recorder." In 1864 he went to New