Ardis, good to see you are still plugging away at the Fairbanks family! It's been 2 1/2 years since we exchanged information! I'm still trying to track down Merritt's children, but found some good leads. I haven't gotten any leads on Ida, other than what you just posted. His son Merritt William was born 1 March 1878 in NY, died 9 January 1952 in Riverside, CA, married a woman named Edith sometime around 1903. Don't know when he moved on to California. I found a good possibility for Fred E., but nothing conclusive. There was a Fred E. Fairbanks who was born 18 March 1882 in NY and died 2 July 1968 in Los Angeles, CA, but I can't find anything to tie him in for sure as Merritt Allen's son. I think I may have told you that I found Charles Emmitt's grandson living in Cranston, RI, and got some info there, but alas, never followed up on getting more detailed info. Pleas e-mail me (gailkreyns@cs.com) and let me know if you've come up with anything new since 1998, including if you've managed to tie William B. R. into the line of Luther Fairbank (b. July 1776 in MA).