Re: Richard and Sophina Merryfield>MA>NY>
-
In reply to:
Re: Richard and Sophina Merryfield>MA>NY>
Mary Yoder 6/29/03
I am unwell and unable to work further on this line right now but I wonder if you know this:Several years ago, the late Mr. Lewis Bishop, then the Historian for Wyoming Co., NY stated the following:"I have seen and had in my hands the
payroll of Captain Wilson's company at the State
Library in the Education Building at Albany.After returning home I sent and got a photostatic copy.It shows that [Richard] Marrifield received $8.00 for his services...the payroll, of course, had the actual signatures of the men on the roll.I got a thrill from seeing the payroll, especially as it had the names of several from Warsaw whom I did not know fought in the war [of 1812]."
A wonderful researcher, the late Esther Merryfield Robb told me the following:"In 1813
Richard Merrifield of Orangeville, Wyoming Co NY
served around Fort Erie in the War of 1812.A
Mr. Bishop left a Genesee Co. payroll sheet for the War of 1812 in the Historian's office; that in very small writing it shows that Ryal Justus
Merryfield (his brother-in-law...same surname)
signed for Richard; THAT THIS PAYROLL SHEET IS THE ONLY PLACE RICHARD'S SERVICE IS TO BE FOUND...Richard died early in 1814 and his brother-in-law Ryal signed for his service so that Richard's wife (Ryal's sister) might collect
the $8.00 due Richard."
In 1985 I contacacted Mrs. Anita Ripstein, Deputy
Historian at Wyoming Co.She was an energetic,
helpful person who knew the value of that payroll
sheet and searched everywhere for it, but told me
that she had no success.
Also in 1985 I wrote to the Librarian at the State Library in Albany, requesting a copy of this payroll sheet but never heard back.
According to Mr. Bishop, this is an important part of Wyoming County's military history in the
War of 1812 and perhaps some new researcher can
locate this payroll with the actual signatures of the men who served.
In the past I worked with Wayne Hart who flew his
plene to California to talk to me.He grew up in
Mantua.My sister and I paid $400 for the
documentation, alone, to prove our descendancy from Thomas Merryfield who is buried in Mantua in order to honor him in the DAR.We had complete
documentation but were denied on the grounds that
we could not prove, and the DAR could not prove,
whether it was Thomas of Mantua who served out of Becket in the AR or if it was another Thomas b ca
1715.The DAR has its marker on the Mantua grave, so go figure that one.We threw up our
hands in disgust and gave it up.Personally, I think the Merryfield records are in such hopeless disorder that it will take a miracle to straighten them out. I suspect, without proof, that descendants of a southern Thomas who served
in the AR have claimed that Mantua grave as theirs, but who knows?