John A Merrin born about 1837

[BonnieDownUnder]

Hello Felicity .. you may have already seen this on TROVE, The Dubbo Liberal & Macquarie Advocate newspaper dated 9 Aug 1912 page 4.  PIONEER POLICE OFFICER and another nice obt., in the same newspaper 16 Aug 1912 page 6.  A HERO OF THE BUSHRANGING DAYS  ... he encountered the bushrangers Ben Hall, O'Meally, Vane and Lowry and Frank Gardiner .... plus in recognition of his bravery he was presented with 400 pounds from the people of the district

... what an amazing man. Bonnie

[Feliss]

Hi Bonnie,

I hadn't seen those so thank you! I use trove and have found quite a few mentions of John Merrin in connection with various arrests but not the ones you've mentioned. I'll look them up.

I am in contact with Craig Bratby who researches John Vane and his gang and he's also given me some good info.

One thing that puzzles me is why John left the police force. I have a copy of his recruitment and employment record but it's brief and only notes that he was 'discharged' in 1881. There is a bit more but it's in tiny writing and is illegible. I'm not sure whether he did something wrong in order to be discharged or whether being discharged just meant that he retired or was allowed to leave. He was only 44 so perhaps he was ill or injured but I've really no idea.

Felicity

[BonnieDownUnder]

Hi Felicity ... The article in Dubbo Liberal .... newspaper 09 Aug 1912 said he was 82 years of age when he died and had been a member of the NSW Police Force for 'upwards of 30 years'   ... thou you can't always reply on newspaper articles for accuracy
 
You said that John was born about 1837 and arrived here in 1857 so if he did nearly 30 years service, it would mean he would have left in about 1887 which doesn't correlate with what you have plus he would have been born about 1830 ...   

In the articles he mentions he was shot twice so may have discharged himself from the Force because of ill health ... just an idea.  I am still searching TROVE articles and would have thought I would have come across something by now about his resignation.  Bonnie
PS Great weather here in Sydney for staying indoors and doing family research

[BonnieDownUnder]

Hi again ... The last article I have been able to find with John Merrin still in the Police Force was in January 1881 and he was in Gulgong ... interestingly, that is where my grandmother was born (1882) her parents had resided there for sometime.

See from Death Notice SMH 06 Aug 1912 page 9 that John's age is shown as 75 years and that his Police record on NSW Archives shows DOB 1837, which I presume you have seen along with his arrival on the ship 'Kate' 1856.

Sorry but I can't assist you tracking him back to Waterford ... I too have ancestors who came from Ireland -  County Longford - who I have been trying to track down for a number of years.

Good luck with your research.  Bonnie.

[Feliss]

Thanks so much Bonnie. The Jan 1881 info is very useful.

Yes, I have the record of his arrival in Australia and his police record. I can trace his moves from town to town via the birth records of his children. They had 11 kids, although only 8 survived him.

Many thanks for your help and good luck with your own research,

Felicity

[BonnieDownUnder]

I see that John Merrin is buried in the Catholic section at Rookwood Cemetery ... have you been able to visit his resting place?  If not, and you don't live in Sydney, I plan to do a trip there towards the end of the month/early April and if your interested, I would be happy to take a photo of his headstone for you.
Bonnie.

[Feliss]

Thanks Bonnie however I am in Pennant Hills in Sydney and have been to Rookwood to have a look.

That section of the cemetery - M2 - is very confusing and frustrating. It's the oldest part of the Catholic section and is overgrown and a great many of the graves, including those of my Merrin relatives, are unmarked. I know where they are from maps and plans but there's really nothing to see.

Thank you for your kind offer though.

Felicity

[nowel]

From Ancestry.au - New South Wales, Immigration Deposit Journals, 1853-1900. Eliza and Michael Merrin, birthplace - Wexford.
In Griffiths Valuation there is a John Merrin recorded in the townland of Glenroe, civil parish of Clongeen near New Ross, Co Wexford.   www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml   
There are three other Merrin families in the area. In adjoining parishes there are a number of Larkin families.
From another site -  http://tinyurl.com/d6o3og5 - person looking for information on John and James Merrin married to Catherine and Mary Ann Larkin. Birthplace given as Saltmills Co. Wexford. It would appear that Annie Merrin was married to a Smith and her death record gives birthplace as Wexford.
Very few baptism records are online for Co. Wexford. However they are slowly appearing on the IFHF website.

Nowel

[Feliss]

Thanks so much Nowel - that's amazing!

I do know a bit about Eliza, Annie and Michael. Annie and her husband died through accidental gas poisoning in 1922 in Sydney and Michael died in Dubbo at the age of 21. Not sure what happened to Eliza however your info about Wexford is brilliant, especially with the Larkin(s) connection. Will follow this up.

Thank you.

Felicity