Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1856-1896 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
Biographical history
Charles A. Merrill (1826-1896) was a Methodist Episcopal Church minister. He graduated from the Theological Institute in Concord, New Hampshire in 1855. Later that year he joined the Providence ( later New England Southern) Conference and served churches in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. In 1867 he was transferred to the New England Conference and pastored churches in Springfield ( 1867- 1868), Ipswich (1869-1870), Rockport (1871-1873), Woburn (1874- 1875), Holyoke (1876-1877), Easthampton (1878), Monson (1879-1881), Winchendon (1882-1884), Oakdale (1885), Tapleyville (1886- 1887), and Maynard (1888-1890). He resigned from active work in 1890 due to health reasons.
Merrill married twice. His first wife, Sarah A. Foster, died in 1852. They had one child, Charles F. In 1855 he married M. Sophia Truesdell. They had three children, Elmer T., Clifton S., and Effie A.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection contains the papers of Charles A. Merrill. Included are five diaries dated 1856-1860. These contains short entries about daily life. There are also six pastor's record books dated 1861-1896. The years 1874- 1877 and 1881-1885 are missing. Scriptures used for sermons, financial notations, and membership information are listed in these books.
Additional information in this collection includes two letters. One is dated October 1895 and is from Henry C. Doughty, a nephew of Merrill's. The other letter is undated and impartial. There is a folder of biographical information on Merrill, mostly relating to his death. There are two church related items. One is a list of stewards in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Millville, Massachusetts. The other is a subscription list for the Rockport Church. Finally, a color map of Springfield, Massachusetts is included.
System of arrangement
All materials have been arranged chronologically when possible. Undated materials are placed in the front of each folder.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection.
To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved.
General note
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder,Charles A. Merrill Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Prepared by David Evans, Student Assistant and Kristen Turner, Associate Archivist