I recently came across the photo (shown below) of Jane Weeks Merriam in an antique shop which had the rare fortune to have her name (and her husband’s) on the photo. The photo looks very grainy on the website, to get a high-resolution download, right-click on the picture and do a “save as” to your own computer. The resulting file will be much higher resolution (and on your own computer). This will yeild a much better picture than printing out the website page!

Jane is not only a relative of the Weeks and Merriam family, but the Clizbe/Clisbe family as well.

Jane Weeks was the daughter of Dr. Benjamin Weeks born at Clarendon.VT Jan 10 1820, died Springfield, May 6 1868. She married Homer Merriam Aug 2 1838. He married second Ellen Brown Fitch, daughter of Warham Lee Fitch and Elizabeth (Hunter) Fitch. She was the widow of Robert Hall Clisbe. Arthur was the son of Homer and Ellen. (This information given to me by Kit Cutting, taken from “Merriam Genealogy in England &America by Charles Henry Pope first published in 1906 reprinted with additions by John Merriam Kingsbury 1986 and available at Bullbrier Press).

Homer Merriam’s 7 children were all by Jane, none by Ellen. They were Mary Annie, Thriza Jane, Charles Wadsworth, Henry Homer, Henriella Weeks, Henrietta Spring, and Arthur Gardner. Arther Gardner Merriam married Ruth Ellen Clizbe, who was the daughter of Robert Hall Clizbe and Ellen B. Fitch. After Robert Hall Clizbe died, and after Homer’s first wife Jane died, he married the widow, Ellen B. Fitch, 20 years after their children from their respective families had married (Arthur and Ruth).

Jane Weeks Merriam is supposedly descended from the line of Friend Weeks from 3 or 4 generations before.

Homer Merriam, after a stint in bookbinding, eventually became a partner in the successful publishing business that two of his brothers, George and Charles, started, which included the well- known Webster’s Dictionary, so if you wonder who the Merriam is in Merriam-Webster, this might give you some idea.

Data sent to me from the 1900 MA census;

Merriam, Homer 8/1813  ae 86 m 30 yrs  President of C & H ...Co. (can't make 
it out) b MA parents both b MA
              Ellen B 12/1833 ae 66  1child/1child living (sic - my guess)  b 
MA parents both b MA
              Charles W gdson b 1/1876 ae 24 b NY parents both b NY
              Mary E      gdd  b 1/1877 ae 23 b NY parents both b NY

Merriam, Arthur H b 12 1859 ae 40 m 13 yrs Book publisher b MA f MA m VT
              Ruth C b 12 1859 ae 40 3 children/2living b MA f NY m MA
               Robert b 5/1891 ae 9 b MA parents b MA
               Thirza R b 8/1893 ae 7 b MA parents b MA
                (Dorothy therefore is the child that is dec'd)

Merriam, Edward b 7/1868 ae 31 m 6yr Book blisterer b NY parents both b NY
                Edith b 12/1869 ae 30 1child/1 child living b NY parents b NY
                H...(can't read it) d b 9/1896 ae 3 b NY parents b NY

Tom Jolly

May 26, 2001