My Genealogy Hound

S. PETER MERRIFIELD. Among the successful agriculturists of Berrien County, and popular citizens of Watervliet, is numbered this gentleman, who is the son of John and Catherine (Simmons) Merrifield. The first-named parent was born in Columbia County, N. Y., and as soon as he was old enough was put to work on the farm of his father. In 1825, he moved to Yates County, the same State, where he engaged in farming, and finally purchased a tract in Potter, Yates County, on which he remained until 1844. At this period he moved by wagon to Michigan, being three weeks on the way. In June of that same year, he bought eighty acres in Watervliet Township, which he improved and made his home the remainder of his life. His wife was born in Columbia County, N. Y., and became the mother of twelve children, eleven of whom reached their majority. They are as follows: John, Robert, George, Charlotte, Jacob, William, Betsey, Sarah, S. Peter, Cornelia H., and Thomas J., of Valparaiso, Ind. The father of this family died in October, 1851, aged sixty-six years, and the mother passed away in September, 1873.

Peter Merrifield was born in Benton, Yates County, N. Y., September 12, 1827, and spent the first, twenty-two years of his life on his father’s farm, where he helped somewhat with the work and attended the district schools. When he became a man he started out in life for himself by teaching the district and select schools of his native State. After the first two years of his experience in this line, he went to Ohio and attended the schools there for three years, teaching a part of the time in order to pay his expenses. He was a classmate of James A. Garfield at one time, and also took a year’s course at Oberlin College, afterward supplementing this with a course at the Eclectic Institute, which is now known as the Eclectic College. Mr. Merrifield was a very successful instructor, and met with encouragement wherever he went, teaching in the schools of New York, Ohio, Michigan and Iowa. In 1871 he came to Berrien County, and located on the five acres of land where he now resides, and to which have been added forty acres, thirty of which are well improved land. Mr. Merrifield is an industrious man, and by his good management and economical living has made his farm one of the most attractive in the county.

Our subject is quite active in all political matters. Up to the year 1876 he was a true-blood Republican, having since that time been a Greenbacker. He has served six terms as Supervisor, discharging his duties as such to the satisfaction of all concerned, and he has also been recently re-elected Treasurer of the township, which makes his fourth year’s service in that capacity. An important event took place in the life of our subject on September 30, 1857, when he was united in marriage to the lady of his choice, Miss Sarah Dayton, daughter of John and Phoebe (Fowler) Dayton, natives of New York and Connecticut respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Dayton moved to
Ohio, where they both died, leaving five boys and one girl.

To our subject and his wife has been born one child, Adin, who is in Columbia, Tenn., where he is employed on the railroad. A peaceable, law-abiding citizen, just to his neighbor, and of friendly spirit, Mr. Merrifield of this sketch is well respected by those who know him, and pointed out as a self-made man.