1864/1865 Payments on Behalf of Family in Robbinston, Maine, of Civil War Soldier James E. Merry; in 1860s/1870s Ledger of Financial Transactions of Robbinston

James E. Merry, age 44; serving in Company F of the Maine 6th Regiment; payments made in 1864 and 1865 to his wife and children in Robbinston, Maine.

According to the page above, Merry was discharged for disability on December 11, 1864.

Found on numbered page 13 in a ledger of Robbinston, Maine, financial transactions from the mid 1860s to the 1870s.

Payments were made on behalf of:

• Roxanna Merry, age 45; wife
• William B. Merry, age 13; son - William Benson Merry (1850-1881)
• Georgianna Merry, age 10; daughter - Georgianna or Georgina Carlisle Merry (1853-1924); married John Francis Power(s)
• Edward Merry, age 6; son - Edward Alvin Merry (1856-1923)
• Harriette Merry, age 5; daughter - Harriet Ellen Merry (1859-1918), who married Thatcher Vose (1838-1911)

Note: two older sons were either not in the household by 1864 and/or were not eligible for assistance as they had attained their majority.

James Edward Merry (1817-1892) was born about 1817 in Wilmot, Nova Scotia. A record in the Maine State Archives notes that he enlisted on 30 October 1861 and mustered in on December 12, 1861. He transferred to the 6th Maine Battalion on 14 July 1864.

On 14 December 1844 at Pembroke, Maine, James E. Merry of Pembroke, Maine, and Rosanna Carlisle or Carlysle (1820-1904) of Charlotte, Maine, announced their intention to marry; they married on 1 January 1845, according to a record in The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011.

A record in Maine, Veterans Cemetery Records 1676-1918 reveals that James died on 27 April 1892 and was buried on 30 April 1892 in the Picnic Hill Cemetery in Robbinston, Maine - this might also be known as the Brewer Cemetery.

If you have information on the family of James E. Merry, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

The ledger measures about 13" by 8" by 1/2" and contains entries for almost 50 families and many pages of other financial transactions. About half of the 178 numbered pages have entries. The ledger is missing its covers; the first page of what remains is shown below.

Soldiers and sailors listed in the ledger

• The numbers in parentheses indicate specific pages in the ledger.
• Many of the men listed below were born in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia and may have returned to Canada after the War.  See the map below to see how close New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were, particularly in the Age of Sail.
• If you have information on any of the men listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

The List, Alphabetized

• Sumner Anderson (page 12), age 22; 6th Regiment, Company D - reportedly killed in the Battle of Spotsylvania on May 10, 1864
• Philip H. Andrews (page 45); 11th Regiment, Company B.  
• Benjamin S. Apt (1846-1906), (page 44); age 18; 31st Regiment, Company B.  
• George E. Bean (page 6); age 19; 3rd Maine Battery
• John M. Bean (1832-1905), (page 15), age 32; 6th Regiment Company F.  
• Samuel Boyden (abt 1828-1891), (page 24), age 35; 6th Regiment; Company G.  
• Albert Gallatin Buck (1822-1901) (page 7); age 41; 1st Maine Heavy Artillery, Company D
• Daniel Bugbee (page 55) - perhaps not a serviceman but rather Daniel Bugbee (1810-1875, North Dakota ?)
• Philip Caffrey (page 9), age 20; on US Gunboat Ossipee.  Could he be the Navy veteran Philip Caffrey (-1887) buried in the Hampton National Cemetery at Hampton, Virginia?
• Hugh H. Cameron (page 2), age 28; 9th Maine Regiment, Company E; mustered in October 1, 1864
• William H. Campbell (page 8); 11th Maine, Company G
• Thomas Chester (page 10), age 32; 30th Regiment; Company F
• William Embleton, age 41 (page 16); 15th Regiment; Company E.  Presumably the William Henry Embleton (1823-1873) who died in a fall to the rocks when building the bridge at Grand Falls, New Brunswick
• Henry H. Frost (page 27), a3-18ge 21; 1st Regular Heavy Artillery, Company D
• John T. Garnett (1843-1933), (page 6); age 21; 15th Regiment
• Rufus Gates (page 49); State Aid Account with Town of Robbinston - perhaps not a soldier and perhaps Legislator Rufus Gates (1816-1887)
• Allen T. Gow (1846-1893), (page 11); 31st Regiment, Company A.  
• Ebenezer D. Harlow (page 18), age 28; 18th Regiment, Company D.  Ebenezer D. Harlow (1836-1921), son of Jirah Harlow and Lydia (Johnson) Harlow
• Madison B. Hayman (1842-1923), (page 32), age 21; 6th Regiment, Company K. 
• John R. Hickey (page 3); age 39; U.S. Navy; transferred from 18th Regt
• Joseph Hinton, Jr. (page 25), age 22; 15th Regiment, Company K 
• Frank E. Johnson (1843-1909), (page 34), age 21; 6th Regiment; Company K.  Frank Ernest Johnson.
• George E. Johnson (page 17), age 27; 18th Regiment, Company D
• William H. Johnson (page 38), age 21; 15th Regiment, Company A
• William Johnson (page 22); 1st Artillery, Company M.  Possibly the William P. Johnson who is shown as having deserted in March 1865 - though there may be another explanation
• Thomas N. Kerr (page 31), age 29; 6th Regiment, Company K; discharged for disability April 18, 1864 with rank of corporal
• George L. Laskey (page 39); 7th Regiment.  George L. Laskey (1844-possibly 1867), was "transferred to the Invalid Corps Sept. 7, 1863". This record, from Maine, Veterans Cemetery Records, 1676-1918, gives a birth year of 1844 but no death year.
• Frank R. Leach (page 26), age 23; 1st Maine Heavy Artillery, Company D.  Franklin Rodney Leach (1840-1912)
• Frederick Leighton (page 30), age 20; 15th Regiment, Company K; re-enlisted March 1864
• Samuel Leighton (page 29), age 24; 11th Regiment, Company D.; enlisted in October 21, 1864 at Belfast, Maine
• Henry P. Low (page 33), age 22; 1st Maine Battery
• James E. Merry (page 13), age 46; 6th Regiment, Company F; discharged for disability 18 Dec 1864
• Benjamin C. Morrell (page 23), age 24; 1st Regiment Cavalry; Company D; discharged November 20, 1864.  Presumably Benjamin Charles Morrell (1840-1911)
• James Morrell (page 20), age 25; 18th Regiment or 1st Heavy Artillery, Company D. Did not survive the war; Ebenezer D. Harlow named guardian of his child.  Presumably the James "Morrill" buried in the Poplar Grove National Cemetery in Dinwiddie County, Virginia
• John E. Morrell (page 40), age 21; 11th Regiment, Company F. "Enlisted Novr. 7 /64"
• Maine, State of (page 51); State Aid Account with Town of Robbinston
• Simon O'Brien (page 48); State Aid Account with Town of Robbinston - perhaps not a serviceman
• George Phelps (1840-1923) (page 1); 1864, First Maine Battery, 24 years of age.  George Nelson Phelps
• Q?  Name partially erased - James Qu?
• Curtis Robbinson [sic] (page 36); 31st Regiment, Company A.  He was Curtis Robinson (1846-1865)
• Samuel Ross (page 28), age 29; 11th Regiment, Company D, Mustered in 21 October 1864 at Belfast, Maine.  Samuel L. Ross (abt 1832-1914)
• Samuel S. Seeley 2d (page 14)
• Frederick Stanhope (page 35); 18th Regiment, Company M.  Presumably Frederick Stanhope (abt 1844-1898)
• George A. Stanhope (1839-1919), (page 19), age 24; 18th Regiment or 1st heavy artillery
• Levi Pierce Stanhope (1840-1922), (page 4); age 26; 9th Maine Regiment, Company A
• Edwin Stanton (page 41); 1st Artillery. "Joseph Stanton died 21 Feb. 1864 at home. Edwin S. was killed in front of Petersburg June 18 /64"
• Charles E. Taylor (page 37), age 25; 6th Regiment, Company G. "Wounded 7th Nov. 1863 at Rappahannock & soon died". 
• John Taylor (page 21); 6th Regiment, Company G.  "Nurse in a regimental hospital", in the book Maine at Gettysburg, published Lakeside Press in 1898.  Possibly this John Taylor (abt 1835/6-1904) 
• Thomas Trimble (1846-1914), (page 43); age 19; 31st Regiment, Company A. "enlisted Feb 26/64
• James William Tucker (page 5), age 19; 3rd Maine Battery
• Joseph E. Tucker (1846-1912), (page 42); 3rd Battery.  Joseph Edwin Tucker (1846-1912)  
• Elisha Vose (1841-1896), (page 9); age 22; Company E of First Maine Cavalry
• Lyman Vose (1839-1929), (page 9), age 24; Company E of First Maine Cavalry