Mt. Moosilauke (1834) - Nathaniel and Judith Merrill
". . . Marjorie's great-grandfather Nathaniel Merrill was born in Warren, most likely up at the old cabin in East-parte on August 27, 1806. His early life is not recorded, though he did teach at the neighborhood school down by the Baker River towards Warren. While this was a "primitive" school-house, these "knights of quill pens and the birch and ferule" were "keen-witted, shrewd, and long-headed" and the East-parte school would produce "some who were brilliant, and some who were dull; yet none but who could read, write, and cipher, and all sharp and keen enough to compete with the best and smartest of this whole shrewd, swapping, peddling, jockeying, guessing yankee race (William Little, History of Warren)." Nathaniel was on the school committee in 1832.
On November 5, 1831, the land first owned by Samuel Little was deeded to Nathaniel, and he would marry a few years later in June, 1834. His new wife was Judith Little, one of the 13 children of Amos and Betsey (Kimball) Little, who had moved to Warren in 1789. Judith, later "Aunt Judy" to her nephew William Little and most other visitors at the Merrills, was one of twins, born February 25, 1810. Judith's twin sister Dolly would die suddenly at age 5 in the "spotted fever" plague that decimated whole families in the area in 1815. Also lost in the plague were brothers James Little, age 24, and Amos, Jr., age 18, the latter dying in "three hours after he was taken sick."
Nathaniel and Judith would have eight children. After their marriage in 1834, the old pioneer dwelling was apparently rebuilt by Nathaniel as the farm and family expanded. But not without losses - the East Warren cemetery would find their son James (1835-1838) and Amos K. (1838-1842). A daughter Susie born in 1864 died the following year. Infectious disease would be the likeliest cause of childhood death in this period. . . ."
- RWA
