Thanks Norma for the information. I may have connected the family for you. In my compilation of the Austin/Merritt families in near Cornwall, Vermont, I had a Thomas Merritt family with an unknown male about the same age as John Merritt who married Rachel Lewis. I had guessed that John belonged in this family, for two reasons. First, John married Rachel in 1830 in Bridport and a Daniel Frank Austin married an Emily Lewis the same year and same place. I thought that the Rachel and Emily were probably sisters. If John were Thomas’s son, then John Merritt and Daniel Austin would be cousins. It seems highly probable that the two cousins married two sisters.

My second reason was that Thomas Merritt had a son Joseph. I had figured that John and Joseph were brothers, possibly cousins, because John Merritt and Joseph Merritt were admitted to the Shoreham freemen by oath on November 28, 1828. I think this might be the same John who married Rachel and that he or Joseph was just turning 21. In any event, John would have to been born by November 28, 1807. All is not perfect, though, because I have a much later birth date for Joseph.

I tried to e-mail you directly because I have a lot on this family, but your e-mail was undeliverable.