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June 30th—July 1st 2006 at Lexington, NC |
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Merrill-Smith Reunion |
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Gloria Baran of Chicago, Illinois organized a reunion of the descendants of Captain Benjamin Merrill and Jemima Smith. On Friday, June 30th, part of this group visited Hillsborough, North Carolina. There they viewed the marker that denotes the place where Benjamin Merrill and five others were hanged by British Colonial Governor of North Carolina, William Tryon. Some local historical societies and libraries were also visited. This group then traveled to the historical site of the Battle of Alamance Creek, where militia led by William Tryon defeated the Regulators. There is a museum/shop there where the group viewed a 20 minute video on the battle. Then they toured the grounds. On Saturday, July 1, most of the group walked the grounds where Benjamin and Jemima lived, arranged by local historian, Mary Steele. They property is owned now the by PPG Corporation. Saturday afternoon was the main event, held at the Jersey Baptist Church, which Benjamin and Jemima helped found in 1755. Mark Valsame, a Merrill descendant and also employed by the North Carolina State Archives, provided a talk on the histories of the families and also copies of some interesting documents. Others brought pictures and documents of their own. |
