Jeremiah Whitney: Shoemaker

Jeremiah Whitney (link) was born on June 17, 1787, in Fishkill, New York. He was a shoemaker. His second great grandfather, Henry Whitney  (link), came from Heretoshord, England, to Connecticut around 1620. Our family* (see relationship notes below) is linked to his in the book,  The Whitney Family of Connecticut (link here).

Coat of Arms
(click to enlarge)

Jeremiah married Susan Resseguie (link) on August 7, 1812. She was the great grand-daughter of Alexander Resseguie (link). Tradition has it he was a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution to Connecticut around 1685. Her family connects to ours through the book The Resseguie Family (link here).

This post is about how we connect through our DNA story.

Moses Merrick: Tioga Pioneer

Our earliest known Merrick ancestor is our fourth great-grandfather*  Moses Merrick; an early settler in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.

He's counted there on the 1820 Federal Census in Covington Township. Married, he has six children. The two youngest boys are William 'Lester' and Hiram Leonard Merrick. We haven't unearthed the other four children.

This post isn't as much so much about grandpa Moses' story. That's still a mystery. It's to establish our relationship to him and serve as proof our Merrick ancestors were early pioneers in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.

Civil War Stories: Joseph S Merrick

Our oldest known Merrick ancestor is Moses Merrick: spouse unknown. This couple had at least six children, but we only know of two; brothers Hiram Leonard and William 'Lester' Merrick. Grandpa Hiram married Joysa Whitney; his brother, Lester, married Joysa's sister, Caroline. They were daughters of Jeremiah Whitney, a shoemaker, and Susan Resseguie.

This Hiram is not our grandfather, Leon Arthur Merrick's, father. This was his grandfather, for whom our own great grandfather was named.