Biography of Abraham Merrill of Polk Township
Abraham Merrill, born April 3, 1843, in Wayne County, New York, was an esteemed farmer in Polk Township, Nodaway County, Missouri. Son of Ripley and Maria (Van Alstine) Merrill, he moved to Rock County, Wisconsin, in 1847. During the Civil War, he served in the Twenty-second Regiment Wisconsin Infantry, participating in numerous significant battles. Captured at Brentwood, Tennessee, he spent three months in Libby Prison. In 1867, Merrill settled in Nodaway County, purchasing and developing a 120-acre farm. He married Sarah E. Semans in 1869, and they had seven children. A member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Merrill was respected for his contributions to agriculture and his community.