Marriner W. Merrill
Born: 25 September 1832
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 7 October 1889
Died: 6 February 1906
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 7 October 1889
Died: 6 February 1906
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 3
Juvenile Instructor, 15 October 1900, Lives of our Leaders - The Apostles: Marriner W. Merrill
Juvenile Instructor, 1 October 1901, An Inspired Promise Fulfilled
Improvement Era, March 1906, Events and Comments - The Passing of M. W. Merrill
Young Woman's Journal, March 1906, Marriner W. Merrill
Instructor, November 1956, Little Deeds From Big Lives - An Example of the Things He Believed
My own research and opinion
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 3
Juvenile Instructor, 15 October 1900, Lives of our Leaders - The Apostles: Marriner W. Merrill
Juvenile Instructor, 1 October 1901, An Inspired Promise Fulfilled
Improvement Era, March 1906, Events and Comments - The Passing of M. W. Merrill
Young Woman's Journal, March 1906, Marriner W. Merrill
Instructor, November 1956, Little Deeds From Big Lives - An Example of the Things He Believed
My own research and opinion
Jenson, Andrew. "Merrill, Marriner Wood." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 156-161.
MERRILL, Marriner Wood, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles since 1889, is the son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reynolds, and was born Sept. 25, 1832, in Sackville, Westmoreland county, New Brunswick. His father never came to the west, but devoted his life to farming and the cutting and hauling of timber in his native land. Apostle Merrill was one of a family of thirteen children, and is himself the fourth son. In early youth his life was not unlike that of the farmer of those regions of country in which he lived, but the spiritual influences of his life began early to manifest themselves and became prophetic of what his later years would be. At the age of nine years he received in an open vision a picture of his own future life and that of the people with whom he subsequently became identified. In simple, earnest and convincing words that vision was related to the writer as follows: "When I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work, to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconscious and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. After I became conscious I found myself in 'a log cabin located on the way to the field. In this cabin I was on my knees in the attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the vision the sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me. for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mules which I beheld in my vision. I saw two and sometimes six mules to a wagon, and in the company of pioneers I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth, and each of them had more than one wife. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of the faints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale, and it was some time before I could speak distinctly. That incident of my life made a very strong impression upon my boyish mind, and one day I ventured to ask my mother a question about plural marriage, why it was not practiced now as in the days of God's ancient people. She answered in surprise by asking what I knew about such things. Fearing that I might betray that secret revealed, I made no more mention of the matter." The gospel was first preached to Apostle Merrill by a native Elder. Later, Elders John Skerry and Jesse W. Crosby came into the neighborhood of his home. In April, 1852, at the age of nineteen years, he was baptized by Elder Skerry, and on the 5th of September of the same year was ordained a Priest by Elder Crosby. About a year before this he had learned that his mother had been for a long time a member of the Church, she having been baptized as early as 1836. His father never joined the Church. One of his sisters joined the Church but subsequently married a non-Mormon and soon turned away from the faith. The other members of the family, though not willing to embrace the gospel, never manifested any hostile opposition to it. Feeling, that there was work to accomplish which could not be done in New Brunswick, the spirit of gathering having taken possession of Bro. Merrill, he started about a year after his baptism for the west. He had gone no farther than Boston when his father died, and word came from his mother to return and settle the estate. After affairs had been settled at home, in 1853 he started out again and came direct to Boston. From there he went to Buffalo by rail and traveled on the lakes to Chicago. From Chicago he rode on the first railroad from Chicago to the head of the Illinois river. At the latter point he took a boat for St. Louis, which was then headquarters for supplies, and then came to Keokuk by steamboat. As he journeyed westward he stopped a week at Kanesville, but met no Saints there. The company with which he traveled crossed the river on ferryboats and pursued their way on to Salt Lake City. There were eleven wagons in the company. Jesse W. Crosby was captain, and was assisted by William Atkinson. The company arrived in Salt Lake City Sept. 11, 1853. The most important event on this journey associated with the life of Apostle Merrill occurred at Platte river, where he, with one other boy, decided to cross the river and get some cattle which had been left by other pioneers. They plunged into the river, but he soon became exhausted, as the current was strong. Brother Merrill was unable to keep his head out of water, and while floating down stream went under twice; whereupon the company became alarmed, and a Brother Reese was sent to his assistance. As tie started to sink a third time he landed mysteriously on a sandbar, and was almost exhausted. The circumstance was peculiar, because the Brother Reese who had sought his rescue was unable to find the bar upon which Brother Merrill stood. The two now made their way to the' opposite shore, where it was shallow enough to walk up stream until they reached a place where the current moved from one side to the other. Here they tied a comforter to their waists, plunged again into the water, in which they were born? safely across the river by the favorable current. They were both thankful to get back alive, and the cattle, which they found disabled, were left undisturbed. Brother Merrill's first effort on reaching the Valley was to secure work. His early efforts were a source of trial, as his employers sometimes proved to be unreliable. In Salt Lake City he agreed to work for $20 per month. After three weeks, some trouble arose and he was about to leave his employer, when the latter offered him $26 per month. He thereupon agreed to remain and work in the canyon getting out shingle timber, where he made as many as one thousand shingles in a day. He was then promised his board and a certain percentage of the shingles sold, but his employer did the selling and kept the money. After some controversy, however, payment was secured, and the experience no doubt did much to induce the habit which has subsequently become prominent in the life of Brother Merrill, a habit of working on his own account. In November, 1853, Brother Merrill was married to Sarah A. Atkinson, and immediately went to a place in Bingham canyon, seven miles above its mouth, where he passed the winter in making shingles. The new venture became a profitable one. The shingles then sold at $8 per thousand, and he was able to make five hundred a day. After staying in the canyon six weeks he ventured on a perilous journey home to see his wife. The snow was seven feet deep, and having no food with him when he began the journey, he was overborne by fatigue and weakness, and almost fainted before he reached a cabin where a woman gave him a small piece of bread to satisfy his craving. This was only a taste for a starving man, but in a few hours more food was given, and little by little he overcame the exhausted condition to which his physical system was brought. After his long walk and sufferings he was disappointed in not finding his wife at home, as she had gone off to work, so that he was obliged to return without seeing her. During Apostle Merrill's life in Salt Lake City he engaged in work in North Mill Creek canyon, and gives the following remarkable experience in an article printed in the "Juvenile Instructor" of October 15, 1892. The circumstances of the narration are so remarkable that I give it here in full: "In the winter of 1855, I worked in what was then called North Mill Creek canyon. The only team I had at that time was one yoke of oxen; with this I kept myself busy during the latter part of the fall of 1854 and the beginning of the winter of 1855, in hauling wood from the canyon to Salt Lake City, where I sold it for what I could. In January, 1855, the snow in the mountains was so deep that I was unable to procure firewood; and I decided to haul some pine house and stable logs. Myself and some brethren therefore shoveled and broke the road to a small red pine patch of timber on the side mountain, and when this road was completed, for two days we together hauled logs and timber to the city. Just at this time the weather became extremely cold and a dense winter fog hung over the valley, hut high up in the mountains one could overlook the cloud of fog. This condition prevailed for several days, but exactly how cold it was I cannot say, as thermometers were very scarce in those days It was during one of the early days of this cold spell that the following incident occurred: I left home very early in the morning to obtain a load of logs. My wife remonstrated with me and tried to prevail upon me not to go, as the weather was so very cold. I did not, however, heed her kind entreaties, but started upon my journey; and on arriving at the timber, was surprised to find that I was the only one who had come for a load. I worked very rapidly for two reasons: one was that I might keep warm, and the other that I might return home early. I cut, trimmed and prepared five nice, red pine logs, about thirty feet long and ten inches thick at the buttend, and about six inches at the top. These I succeeded in getting down to the place where I had left my bobsled and camp outfit, about a half mile distant. The place of loading was very slippery, it being rather on a side hill. I had my five logs arranged side by side below the sled, my oxen being chained to a stump where they were quietly eating their hay. I proceeded to load the logs, designing to place three on the bottom and two on the top of the three, which was my usual way of hauling timber of that kind. I succeeded in getting the first log on the sled without much difficulty. The bunk (canyon men will know what a bunk is. especially if they were born in New Brunswick) being icy, it was with some difficulty that I could make the log stay where I had placed it on the sled; but I finally succeeded in blocking it up, and thought it secure. Then I turned around to load the second log, and as I did so, the blocking gave way and the first log slid rapidly from the sled, catching me in the hollow of my legs and throwing me forward on my face across the logs lying there. In falling, the hand-spike in my hand, which I had been using in loading the logs, fell far from my reach; and I was thus pinioned completely across the timber. The log that had slipped from the sled lay across my legs, which were on the hard ice, and my body was lying across the four logs. I began to think that I was thus doomed to perish in the canyon. I struggled desperately to release myself, but every effort seemed to bind me the more firmly beneath the terrible load which seemed crushing my very bones. While thus struggling for relief I also prayed earnestly to the Lord for assistance, and while doing so I lost consciousness. When I next regained my senses I was a half a mile down the canyon from the place where I began to load, and was seated upon the logs, which were loaded in the exact position that I had designed to put them—three on the bottom and two on the top of the three. All were nicely bound with chains; I was sitting upon my sheep-skin with the woolly side up; my whip was placed on the load carefully so it could not lose; my overcoat, home-made jeans, lay across the load in front of me, but within my reach. As I aroused from my stupor, I spoke to my oxen and they stopped; and I viewed my surroundings with feelings that cannot be described. I quickly took my. bearings, as I was familiar with every point in the canyon. Being quite cold, I essayed to jump from the load, and put on my overcoat; but to my surprise my limbs refused to do my bidding, they were so sore and my body was so badly bruised. I sat there and reflected for a few moments upon my peculiar situation; looked around my load and found everything in place just as I would have put things myself; my ax was firmly bedded in the butt end of one of the logs, and everything- else was in first-class condition. After making another unsuccessful effort to get from the load, I reached my coat, put it on as best I could in a sitting posture, and started my oxen for home. I arrived safely about an hour later than my usual time. My wife was very uneasy about me on account of the lateness of my arrival, and because of the fear ever present with her during the whole day, that something would happen to my injury. She met me at the corral and carried me in her arms to the house, which she was then quite able to do, I weighing but a little over a hundred pounds. I was placed in a comfortable position on the bed, and she then cared for my team. For some days she carefully nursed me before I was able to move around the house. I have hesitated to narrate this incident because of the skepticism which is so common at the present day, even among some who profess to be Saints, concerning things somewhat supernatural; but I can truthfully testify in all soberness, that some power which I did not see assisted me from the position which doubtless would have speedily cost me my life. As T was preserved for some purpose known to my Heavenly Father, so do I also believe that God will bless and preserve the lives of His faithful children, just as long as it is necessary for them to live to accomplish their missions upon the earth. The youth of Zion, and ail who have made covenants with the Lord, should therefore exercise faith in Him, and He will, if necessary, send angelic visitors to sustain and preserve those who put their trust in him." In the early spring of 1854 Elder Merrill moved to Bountiful, where he engaged in shingle-making. At this time there were very few inhabitants in the town and the land was in process of distribution. Brother Merrill received a certificate from Pres. Young granting him one hundred acres, an unusually large amount at that time. Of this Bro. Merrill gave one-third to his father-in-law, and later divided what was left to him with a poor Scandinavian neighbor. A few months later, Pres. Young spoke to Bro. Merrill about the land and was pleased, though not surprised, to learn that he had divided it up among his brethren, Pres. Young then remarking that when the certificate was given he felt satisfied that Bro. Merrill would not keep it all. During the winter of 1859 and 1860 Elders Benson and Hyde called at the home of Bro. Merrill and advised him to move to Cache valley, where there was more land and were better prospects financially, and a good opening for the Saints. He made preparation, and in February, 1860, went to Richmond, but did not remain long. In March, of the same year, he made the journey again and found the snow still very deep. At this time there were but few people in Logan or Cache valley, the first settlers having come to that place in 1859. Journeying farther north, Elder Merrill made his way to Richmond, in company with others, and encamped for some time where the dairy north of the town now stands, and they were about to continue in a northerly direction their travels, when a voice came to Brother Merrill, saying, "Turn around and go south." The words were repeated, and without saying anything to his companions. Elder Merrill started southward and stopped when he reached the point where Richmond now stands, and there began work. It was during these early years that Brother Merrill established his reputation as a most indefatigable and ceaseless worker. From four in the morning till late at night he toiled in the canyons, making his two trips a day. Naturally a leader of the community in which he lived, he was selected in 1861 as the second Bishop in Richmond, which office he filled for eighteen years. It was during the years of his bishopric at Richmond that the Utah Northern railroad was under construction from Ogden to Idaho and Montana. Elder Merrill became a contractor in the construction of the new road, and in a sense a mediator between the people of Cache valley and the railroad company. During his relations with that road he distributed among the people for work done some $780,000. For his own work he received $150 per month. In addition to his personal services he also entered into contract with the company by which he used his own teams and gave employment to his family. This was the beginning of his financial progress. The relationship between the company and Brother Merrill became in time of the most cordial character. His judgment was relied upon, and the company was highly satisfied with the relation sustained between it and him. In some places, as In Beaver canyon, the work was taken at such a low figure by the contracts into which he entered that he himself made nothing, but the people did well. The company, learning of this and aware of the money and time he had saved them, gave him as a souvenir a gold watch. On his return to Richmond after the construction of the road, he invested his money in three hundred and twenty acres of land and a grist mill. The latter brought in very little income, but proved of very great value to the people. It was now the natural bent of his inclinations, and his time has since been devoted to stock raising and agriculture. To-day his large farms and the enormous products which they yield, attest his splendid success in advanced agriculture, a profession for which he possessed the strongest inclinations. In 1870 he was given a three months' leave of absence to take a short mission to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but in two months was recalled. In 1879 he was called to act as a counselor to Stake President Wm. B. Preston, an office which he held for ten years. In 1884 he was counselor in the Stake to President Charles O. Card, and in the same year was appointed to the presidency of the Logan Temple, with Apostle Moses Thatcher and Elder N. C. Edlefsen as his counselors. In 1889 he was ordained an Apostle by President Wilford Woodruff. George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith and eight of the Apostles being present. The following year he went east to get the genealogy and record of his family. In October. 1899, he was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. During his residence in Cache valley he has been prominent in the civil affairs of the county and State. In 1876 and 1878 he served two terms in the legislature, one in the house and one in the council. He was a member of the county court for more than ten years. The position of postmaster in Richmond he held for twenty years. In 189G he was appointed a member of the Agricultural College board, which office he held for nearly four years. At present he is a member of the Brigham Young College hoard. Perhaps one of the greatest characteristics of Apostle Merrill's life, and the one for which he will be most noted among generations to come, is the large and honorable family which will ever characterize his name. His family is not only one of the largest in the Church, but one of the most exemplary to be found anywhere. He is the father of forty-five children, five of whom are dead. Ha is the grandfather of one hundred and twenty-seven, and has twenty-six children married. Six of his sons have already been called on missions. A number have become prominent in educational circles, and all are industrious and thrifty citizens of the communities in which they live. All his children enjoy a good standing in the Church and it is not known that any of them are addicted to any bad habits. Apostle Merrill is one of those positive characters who do not yield to floating opinions and momentary prejudices. His convictions grow by experience and observation, and when once formed are not easily removed. His life has always been characterized by the greatest earnestness and sincerity, and the simple and unaffected manner of his intercourse with men constitute one of the greatest charms of his personality. He is further a man of strong attachments, and his friendship when once bestowed is of the most enduring quality His great sympathies and generous nature make his advice frequently sought by his brethren, and he is perhaps nowhere stronger in the Church today than in the capacity of a private adviser and counselor to those in misfortune as well as to those who need guidance in the affairs of life His life in Cache valley and its far-reaching influence throughout northern Utah and southern Idaho has for many years made him a leading character among men. His great farms, his beautiful homes, his industrial enterprises in dairying and milling all indicate a high degree of thrift and enterprise which show up strongly the life and character of the man. His powers of organization, his personal and family discipline, his persistent effort and indomitable will, make his life a study of value to all young men who undertake to grasp and deal with the material conditions of life and bring the forces of nature to their aid and use. The Apostle's broad form and the set features of his face, indicate superior strength, and his whole bearing indicates, above all things, power. He is not a man of many words, but is prone to feel the silent forces of life and observe the feelings and thoughts of others. Little given to speculative philosophy and poetical imaginations, he is nevertheless a man of strong and abiding faith, of faith that has to do with the practical affairs of life, and which serves the present needs of those who have strong convictions.—Joseph M. Tanner.
MERRILL, Marriner Wood, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles since 1889, is the son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reynolds, and was born Sept. 25, 1832, in Sackville, Westmoreland county, New Brunswick. His father never came to the west, but devoted his life to farming and the cutting and hauling of timber in his native land. Apostle Merrill was one of a family of thirteen children, and is himself the fourth son. In early youth his life was not unlike that of the farmer of those regions of country in which he lived, but the spiritual influences of his life began early to manifest themselves and became prophetic of what his later years would be. At the age of nine years he received in an open vision a picture of his own future life and that of the people with whom he subsequently became identified. In simple, earnest and convincing words that vision was related to the writer as follows: "When I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work, to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconscious and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. After I became conscious I found myself in 'a log cabin located on the way to the field. In this cabin I was on my knees in the attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the vision the sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me. for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mules which I beheld in my vision. I saw two and sometimes six mules to a wagon, and in the company of pioneers I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth, and each of them had more than one wife. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of the faints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale, and it was some time before I could speak distinctly. That incident of my life made a very strong impression upon my boyish mind, and one day I ventured to ask my mother a question about plural marriage, why it was not practiced now as in the days of God's ancient people. She answered in surprise by asking what I knew about such things. Fearing that I might betray that secret revealed, I made no more mention of the matter." The gospel was first preached to Apostle Merrill by a native Elder. Later, Elders John Skerry and Jesse W. Crosby came into the neighborhood of his home. In April, 1852, at the age of nineteen years, he was baptized by Elder Skerry, and on the 5th of September of the same year was ordained a Priest by Elder Crosby. About a year before this he had learned that his mother had been for a long time a member of the Church, she having been baptized as early as 1836. His father never joined the Church. One of his sisters joined the Church but subsequently married a non-Mormon and soon turned away from the faith. The other members of the family, though not willing to embrace the gospel, never manifested any hostile opposition to it. Feeling, that there was work to accomplish which could not be done in New Brunswick, the spirit of gathering having taken possession of Bro. Merrill, he started about a year after his baptism for the west. He had gone no farther than Boston when his father died, and word came from his mother to return and settle the estate. After affairs had been settled at home, in 1853 he started out again and came direct to Boston. From there he went to Buffalo by rail and traveled on the lakes to Chicago. From Chicago he rode on the first railroad from Chicago to the head of the Illinois river. At the latter point he took a boat for St. Louis, which was then headquarters for supplies, and then came to Keokuk by steamboat. As he journeyed westward he stopped a week at Kanesville, but met no Saints there. The company with which he traveled crossed the river on ferryboats and pursued their way on to Salt Lake City. There were eleven wagons in the company. Jesse W. Crosby was captain, and was assisted by William Atkinson. The company arrived in Salt Lake City Sept. 11, 1853. The most important event on this journey associated with the life of Apostle Merrill occurred at Platte river, where he, with one other boy, decided to cross the river and get some cattle which had been left by other pioneers. They plunged into the river, but he soon became exhausted, as the current was strong. Brother Merrill was unable to keep his head out of water, and while floating down stream went under twice; whereupon the company became alarmed, and a Brother Reese was sent to his assistance. As tie started to sink a third time he landed mysteriously on a sandbar, and was almost exhausted. The circumstance was peculiar, because the Brother Reese who had sought his rescue was unable to find the bar upon which Brother Merrill stood. The two now made their way to the' opposite shore, where it was shallow enough to walk up stream until they reached a place where the current moved from one side to the other. Here they tied a comforter to their waists, plunged again into the water, in which they were born? safely across the river by the favorable current. They were both thankful to get back alive, and the cattle, which they found disabled, were left undisturbed. Brother Merrill's first effort on reaching the Valley was to secure work. His early efforts were a source of trial, as his employers sometimes proved to be unreliable. In Salt Lake City he agreed to work for $20 per month. After three weeks, some trouble arose and he was about to leave his employer, when the latter offered him $26 per month. He thereupon agreed to remain and work in the canyon getting out shingle timber, where he made as many as one thousand shingles in a day. He was then promised his board and a certain percentage of the shingles sold, but his employer did the selling and kept the money. After some controversy, however, payment was secured, and the experience no doubt did much to induce the habit which has subsequently become prominent in the life of Brother Merrill, a habit of working on his own account. In November, 1853, Brother Merrill was married to Sarah A. Atkinson, and immediately went to a place in Bingham canyon, seven miles above its mouth, where he passed the winter in making shingles. The new venture became a profitable one. The shingles then sold at $8 per thousand, and he was able to make five hundred a day. After staying in the canyon six weeks he ventured on a perilous journey home to see his wife. The snow was seven feet deep, and having no food with him when he began the journey, he was overborne by fatigue and weakness, and almost fainted before he reached a cabin where a woman gave him a small piece of bread to satisfy his craving. This was only a taste for a starving man, but in a few hours more food was given, and little by little he overcame the exhausted condition to which his physical system was brought. After his long walk and sufferings he was disappointed in not finding his wife at home, as she had gone off to work, so that he was obliged to return without seeing her. During Apostle Merrill's life in Salt Lake City he engaged in work in North Mill Creek canyon, and gives the following remarkable experience in an article printed in the "Juvenile Instructor" of October 15, 1892. The circumstances of the narration are so remarkable that I give it here in full: "In the winter of 1855, I worked in what was then called North Mill Creek canyon. The only team I had at that time was one yoke of oxen; with this I kept myself busy during the latter part of the fall of 1854 and the beginning of the winter of 1855, in hauling wood from the canyon to Salt Lake City, where I sold it for what I could. In January, 1855, the snow in the mountains was so deep that I was unable to procure firewood; and I decided to haul some pine house and stable logs. Myself and some brethren therefore shoveled and broke the road to a small red pine patch of timber on the side mountain, and when this road was completed, for two days we together hauled logs and timber to the city. Just at this time the weather became extremely cold and a dense winter fog hung over the valley, hut high up in the mountains one could overlook the cloud of fog. This condition prevailed for several days, but exactly how cold it was I cannot say, as thermometers were very scarce in those days It was during one of the early days of this cold spell that the following incident occurred: I left home very early in the morning to obtain a load of logs. My wife remonstrated with me and tried to prevail upon me not to go, as the weather was so very cold. I did not, however, heed her kind entreaties, but started upon my journey; and on arriving at the timber, was surprised to find that I was the only one who had come for a load. I worked very rapidly for two reasons: one was that I might keep warm, and the other that I might return home early. I cut, trimmed and prepared five nice, red pine logs, about thirty feet long and ten inches thick at the buttend, and about six inches at the top. These I succeeded in getting down to the place where I had left my bobsled and camp outfit, about a half mile distant. The place of loading was very slippery, it being rather on a side hill. I had my five logs arranged side by side below the sled, my oxen being chained to a stump where they were quietly eating their hay. I proceeded to load the logs, designing to place three on the bottom and two on the top of the three, which was my usual way of hauling timber of that kind. I succeeded in getting the first log on the sled without much difficulty. The bunk (canyon men will know what a bunk is. especially if they were born in New Brunswick) being icy, it was with some difficulty that I could make the log stay where I had placed it on the sled; but I finally succeeded in blocking it up, and thought it secure. Then I turned around to load the second log, and as I did so, the blocking gave way and the first log slid rapidly from the sled, catching me in the hollow of my legs and throwing me forward on my face across the logs lying there. In falling, the hand-spike in my hand, which I had been using in loading the logs, fell far from my reach; and I was thus pinioned completely across the timber. The log that had slipped from the sled lay across my legs, which were on the hard ice, and my body was lying across the four logs. I began to think that I was thus doomed to perish in the canyon. I struggled desperately to release myself, but every effort seemed to bind me the more firmly beneath the terrible load which seemed crushing my very bones. While thus struggling for relief I also prayed earnestly to the Lord for assistance, and while doing so I lost consciousness. When I next regained my senses I was a half a mile down the canyon from the place where I began to load, and was seated upon the logs, which were loaded in the exact position that I had designed to put them—three on the bottom and two on the top of the three. All were nicely bound with chains; I was sitting upon my sheep-skin with the woolly side up; my whip was placed on the load carefully so it could not lose; my overcoat, home-made jeans, lay across the load in front of me, but within my reach. As I aroused from my stupor, I spoke to my oxen and they stopped; and I viewed my surroundings with feelings that cannot be described. I quickly took my. bearings, as I was familiar with every point in the canyon. Being quite cold, I essayed to jump from the load, and put on my overcoat; but to my surprise my limbs refused to do my bidding, they were so sore and my body was so badly bruised. I sat there and reflected for a few moments upon my peculiar situation; looked around my load and found everything in place just as I would have put things myself; my ax was firmly bedded in the butt end of one of the logs, and everything- else was in first-class condition. After making another unsuccessful effort to get from the load, I reached my coat, put it on as best I could in a sitting posture, and started my oxen for home. I arrived safely about an hour later than my usual time. My wife was very uneasy about me on account of the lateness of my arrival, and because of the fear ever present with her during the whole day, that something would happen to my injury. She met me at the corral and carried me in her arms to the house, which she was then quite able to do, I weighing but a little over a hundred pounds. I was placed in a comfortable position on the bed, and she then cared for my team. For some days she carefully nursed me before I was able to move around the house. I have hesitated to narrate this incident because of the skepticism which is so common at the present day, even among some who profess to be Saints, concerning things somewhat supernatural; but I can truthfully testify in all soberness, that some power which I did not see assisted me from the position which doubtless would have speedily cost me my life. As T was preserved for some purpose known to my Heavenly Father, so do I also believe that God will bless and preserve the lives of His faithful children, just as long as it is necessary for them to live to accomplish their missions upon the earth. The youth of Zion, and ail who have made covenants with the Lord, should therefore exercise faith in Him, and He will, if necessary, send angelic visitors to sustain and preserve those who put their trust in him." In the early spring of 1854 Elder Merrill moved to Bountiful, where he engaged in shingle-making. At this time there were very few inhabitants in the town and the land was in process of distribution. Brother Merrill received a certificate from Pres. Young granting him one hundred acres, an unusually large amount at that time. Of this Bro. Merrill gave one-third to his father-in-law, and later divided what was left to him with a poor Scandinavian neighbor. A few months later, Pres. Young spoke to Bro. Merrill about the land and was pleased, though not surprised, to learn that he had divided it up among his brethren, Pres. Young then remarking that when the certificate was given he felt satisfied that Bro. Merrill would not keep it all. During the winter of 1859 and 1860 Elders Benson and Hyde called at the home of Bro. Merrill and advised him to move to Cache valley, where there was more land and were better prospects financially, and a good opening for the Saints. He made preparation, and in February, 1860, went to Richmond, but did not remain long. In March, of the same year, he made the journey again and found the snow still very deep. At this time there were but few people in Logan or Cache valley, the first settlers having come to that place in 1859. Journeying farther north, Elder Merrill made his way to Richmond, in company with others, and encamped for some time where the dairy north of the town now stands, and they were about to continue in a northerly direction their travels, when a voice came to Brother Merrill, saying, "Turn around and go south." The words were repeated, and without saying anything to his companions. Elder Merrill started southward and stopped when he reached the point where Richmond now stands, and there began work. It was during these early years that Brother Merrill established his reputation as a most indefatigable and ceaseless worker. From four in the morning till late at night he toiled in the canyons, making his two trips a day. Naturally a leader of the community in which he lived, he was selected in 1861 as the second Bishop in Richmond, which office he filled for eighteen years. It was during the years of his bishopric at Richmond that the Utah Northern railroad was under construction from Ogden to Idaho and Montana. Elder Merrill became a contractor in the construction of the new road, and in a sense a mediator between the people of Cache valley and the railroad company. During his relations with that road he distributed among the people for work done some $780,000. For his own work he received $150 per month. In addition to his personal services he also entered into contract with the company by which he used his own teams and gave employment to his family. This was the beginning of his financial progress. The relationship between the company and Brother Merrill became in time of the most cordial character. His judgment was relied upon, and the company was highly satisfied with the relation sustained between it and him. In some places, as In Beaver canyon, the work was taken at such a low figure by the contracts into which he entered that he himself made nothing, but the people did well. The company, learning of this and aware of the money and time he had saved them, gave him as a souvenir a gold watch. On his return to Richmond after the construction of the road, he invested his money in three hundred and twenty acres of land and a grist mill. The latter brought in very little income, but proved of very great value to the people. It was now the natural bent of his inclinations, and his time has since been devoted to stock raising and agriculture. To-day his large farms and the enormous products which they yield, attest his splendid success in advanced agriculture, a profession for which he possessed the strongest inclinations. In 1870 he was given a three months' leave of absence to take a short mission to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but in two months was recalled. In 1879 he was called to act as a counselor to Stake President Wm. B. Preston, an office which he held for ten years. In 1884 he was counselor in the Stake to President Charles O. Card, and in the same year was appointed to the presidency of the Logan Temple, with Apostle Moses Thatcher and Elder N. C. Edlefsen as his counselors. In 1889 he was ordained an Apostle by President Wilford Woodruff. George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith and eight of the Apostles being present. The following year he went east to get the genealogy and record of his family. In October. 1899, he was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. During his residence in Cache valley he has been prominent in the civil affairs of the county and State. In 1876 and 1878 he served two terms in the legislature, one in the house and one in the council. He was a member of the county court for more than ten years. The position of postmaster in Richmond he held for twenty years. In 189G he was appointed a member of the Agricultural College board, which office he held for nearly four years. At present he is a member of the Brigham Young College hoard. Perhaps one of the greatest characteristics of Apostle Merrill's life, and the one for which he will be most noted among generations to come, is the large and honorable family which will ever characterize his name. His family is not only one of the largest in the Church, but one of the most exemplary to be found anywhere. He is the father of forty-five children, five of whom are dead. Ha is the grandfather of one hundred and twenty-seven, and has twenty-six children married. Six of his sons have already been called on missions. A number have become prominent in educational circles, and all are industrious and thrifty citizens of the communities in which they live. All his children enjoy a good standing in the Church and it is not known that any of them are addicted to any bad habits. Apostle Merrill is one of those positive characters who do not yield to floating opinions and momentary prejudices. His convictions grow by experience and observation, and when once formed are not easily removed. His life has always been characterized by the greatest earnestness and sincerity, and the simple and unaffected manner of his intercourse with men constitute one of the greatest charms of his personality. He is further a man of strong attachments, and his friendship when once bestowed is of the most enduring quality His great sympathies and generous nature make his advice frequently sought by his brethren, and he is perhaps nowhere stronger in the Church today than in the capacity of a private adviser and counselor to those in misfortune as well as to those who need guidance in the affairs of life His life in Cache valley and its far-reaching influence throughout northern Utah and southern Idaho has for many years made him a leading character among men. His great farms, his beautiful homes, his industrial enterprises in dairying and milling all indicate a high degree of thrift and enterprise which show up strongly the life and character of the man. His powers of organization, his personal and family discipline, his persistent effort and indomitable will, make his life a study of value to all young men who undertake to grasp and deal with the material conditions of life and bring the forces of nature to their aid and use. The Apostle's broad form and the set features of his face, indicate superior strength, and his whole bearing indicates, above all things, power. He is not a man of many words, but is prone to feel the silent forces of life and observe the feelings and thoughts of others. Little given to speculative philosophy and poetical imaginations, he is nevertheless a man of strong and abiding faith, of faith that has to do with the practical affairs of life, and which serves the present needs of those who have strong convictions.—Joseph M. Tanner.
Jenson, Andrew. "Merrill, Marriner Wood." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 3. pg. 764.
MERRILL, Marriner Wood, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. (Continued from Vol. I: 156.) Apostle Merrill continued his labors in the Logan Temple and traveling in the different Stakes of Zion until Feb. 6, 1906, when he died peaceably at his home in Logan, Cache county, Utah. The "Deseret Evening News" commented editorially upon his demise as follows: "The announcement of the death of Marriner W. Merrill, president of the Logan Temple and one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will not occasion as much surprise as regret. Brother Merrill has been a sufferer from ill health for a long time. If he had not been blessed with a strong constitution, he would doubtless have succumbed much sooner. But through his faith and that of his family and numerous friends, his life has been prolonged. Elder Merrill has been a prominent character, particularly in the northern part of this State, for many years. He was a Cache Valley pioneer. Of a practical turn of mind and a vigorous worker with the gift of a leader among men, he was a striking figure in movements for the development of that region, and in things spiritual as well as temporal, exhibited qualities that gained for him the respect and regard of the people with whom he associated. As Bishop of Richmond, as president of the Cache Stake before it was divided, as one of the Twelve Apostles and as president of the Logan Temple, he exhibited those qualities that fitted him for the position he was called to fill, and he will be remembered as one of the stalwarts of Israel, always true and steadfast and reliable, and one who could be looked up to and trusted by the Latter-day Saints."
MERRILL, Marriner Wood, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. (Continued from Vol. I: 156.) Apostle Merrill continued his labors in the Logan Temple and traveling in the different Stakes of Zion until Feb. 6, 1906, when he died peaceably at his home in Logan, Cache county, Utah. The "Deseret Evening News" commented editorially upon his demise as follows: "The announcement of the death of Marriner W. Merrill, president of the Logan Temple and one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will not occasion as much surprise as regret. Brother Merrill has been a sufferer from ill health for a long time. If he had not been blessed with a strong constitution, he would doubtless have succumbed much sooner. But through his faith and that of his family and numerous friends, his life has been prolonged. Elder Merrill has been a prominent character, particularly in the northern part of this State, for many years. He was a Cache Valley pioneer. Of a practical turn of mind and a vigorous worker with the gift of a leader among men, he was a striking figure in movements for the development of that region, and in things spiritual as well as temporal, exhibited qualities that gained for him the respect and regard of the people with whom he associated. As Bishop of Richmond, as president of the Cache Stake before it was divided, as one of the Twelve Apostles and as president of the Logan Temple, he exhibited those qualities that fitted him for the position he was called to fill, and he will be remembered as one of the stalwarts of Israel, always true and steadfast and reliable, and one who could be looked up to and trusted by the Latter-day Saints."
Tanner, J. M. "Lives of our Leaders - The Apostles: Marriner W. Merrill." Juvenile Instructor. 15 October 1900. pg. 672-679.
LIVES OF OUR LEADERS—THE APOSTLES.
MARRINER W. MERRILL.
APOSTLE MERRILL'S life in Cache Valley and its far-reaching influence throughout northern Utah and southern Idaho has for many years made him a leading character among men. His great farms, his beautiful homes, his industrial enterprises in dairying and milling, all indicate a high degree of thrift and enterprise which show up strongly the life and character of the man. His powers of organization, his personal and family discipline, his persistent effort and indomitable will, make his life a study of value to all young men who undertake to grasp and deal with the material conditions of life and bring the forces of nature to their aid and use.
The Apostle's broad form and the set features of his face, indicate superior strength, and his whole bearing indicates, above all things, power. He is not a man of many words, but is prone to feel the silent forces of life and observe the feelings and thoughts of others. Little given to speculative philosophy and poetical imaginations, he is nevertheless a man of strong and abiding faith, of faith that has to do with the practical affairs of life, and which serves the present needs of those who have strong convictions.
Apostle Merrill's general bearing and strong inclinations for business pursuits may incline some people to suppose that his life and nature are largely materialistic, and, save those who know him well, few suspect the strong spirituality of his nature.
This forceful spirit and strong character was born to the world in Sackville, Westmoreland County, New Brunswick, September 25, 1832. His grandparents on his father's side were both born in the State of Maine, but they immigrated to Nova Scotia, where his father, Nathan Merrill, was born September 25, 1794. The father never came to this country, but devoted his life to farming and the cutting and hauling of timber in his native land. The subject of this sketch was one of a family of thirteen children, of whom two died in infancy. The family then consisted of five boys and six girls. The third son went to sea about 1850 and is thought to have been drowned. One son, Thomas, came to the United States, where he was a butcher for some time and later became a sea captain and diver. Apostle Merrill is the fourth son of the family and today stands alone the representative of his father's house, as he now has but one living brother, and that brother has no children.
In his youth the life of Marriner W. Merrill was not unlike that of the farmer of those regions of country in which he lived, but the spiritual influences of his life began early to manifest themselves and became prophetic of what his later years would be. At the age of nine years he received in an open vision a picture of his own future life and that of the people with whom he subsequently became identified. In simple, earnest and convincing words that vision was related to the writer as follows:
«When I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work, to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconscious and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. After I became conscious I found myself in a log cabin located on the way to the field. In this cabin I was on my knees in the attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the vision the sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me, for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mules which I beheld in my vision. I saw two and sometimes six mules to a wagon, and in the company of pioneers I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth, and each of them had more than one wife. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of the Saints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale, and it was some time before I could speak distinctly. That incident of my life made a very strong impression upon my boyish mind, and one day I ventured to ask my mother a question about plural marriage, why it was not practiced now as in the days of God's ancient people. She answered in surprise by asking what I knew about such things. Fearing that I might betray the secret revealed, I made no more mention of the matter."
The Gospel was first preached to Apostle Merrill by a native Elder. Later, Elders John Skerry and Jesse Crosby came into the neighborhood of his home. In April, 1852, at the age of nineteen years, he was baptized by Elder Skerry, and on the 5th of September of the same year was ordained a Priest by Elder Crosby. About a year before this he had learned that his mother had been for a long time a member of the Church, she having been baptized as early as 1836. His father died before his baptism. One of his sisters joined the Church but subsequently married a non- Mormon and soon turned away from the faith. The other members of the family, though not willing to embrace the Gospel, never manifested any hostile opposition to it.
Feeling that there was work to accomplish which could not be done in New Brunswick, the spirit of gathering having taken possession of Brother Merrill, he started about a year after his baptism for the west. He had gone no farther than Boston when his father died, and word came from his mother to return and settle the estate. After affairs had been settled at home, in 1853 he started out again and came direct to Boston. From there he went to Buffalo by rail and traveled on the Lakes to Chicago. From Chicago he rode on the first railroad from Chicago to the head of the Illinois river. At the latter point he took a boat for St. Louis, which was then headquarters for supplies, and then came to Keokuk by steamboat. As he journeyed westward he stopped a week at Kanesville, but met no Saints there.
The company with which he traveled crossed the river on ferryboats and pursued their way on to Salt Lake City. There were eleven wagons in the company. Jesse Crosby was captain and was assisted by William Atkinson. The company arrived in Salt Lake City September 11, 1853. The most important event in this journey associated with the life of Apostle Merrill occurred at Platte river where he, with one other boy, decided to cross the river and get some cattle which had been left by other pioneers. They plunged into the river, but he soon became exhausted, as the current was strong. Brother Merrill was unable to keep his head out of water, and while floating down stream went under twice; whereupon the company became alarmed, and a Brother Reese was sent to his assistance. As he started to sink a third time he landed mysteriously on a sandbar, and was almost exhausted. The circumstance was peculiar, because the Brother Reese who had sought his rescue was unable to find the bar upon which Brother Merrill stood. The two now made their way to the opposite shore, where it was shallow enough to walk up stream until they reached a place where the current moved from one side to the other. Here they tied a comforter to their waists, plunged again into the water, in which they were borne safely across the river by the favorable current. They were both thankful to get back alive, and the cattle, which they found disabled, were left undisturbed.
Brother Merrill's first effort on reaching the Valley was to secure work. His early efforts were a source of trial, as his employers sometimes proved to be unreliable. In Salt Lake City he agreed to work for $20.00 per month. After three weeks some trouble arose and he was about to leave his employer, when the latter offered him $26.00 per month. He thereupon agreed to remain and work in the canyon getting out shingle timber, where he made as many as one thousand shingles in a day. He was then promised his board and a certain percentage of the shingles sold, but his employer did the selling and kept the money. After some controversy, however, payment was secured, and the experience no doubt did much to induce the habit which has subsequently become prominent in the life of Brother Merrill, a habit of working on his own account.
In November of the year 1853 Brother Merrill was married to Sarah A. Atkinson, and immediately went to a place in Bingham canyon, seven miles above its mouth, where he passed the winter in making shingles. The new venture became a profitable one. The shingles then sold at $8.00 per thousand, and he was able to make five hundred a day. After staying in the canyon six weeks he ventured on a perilous journey home to see his wife. The snow was seven feet deep, and having no food with him when he began the journey, he was overborne by fatigue and weakness, and almost fainted before he reached a cabin where a woman gave him a small piece of bread to satisfy his craving. This was only a taste for a starving man, but in a few hours more food was given and little by little he overcame the exhausted condition to which his physical system was brought. After his long walk and sufferings he was disappointed in not finding his wife at home, as she had gone off to work, so that he was obliged to return without seeing her.
During Apostle Merrill's life in Salt Lake City he engaged in work in North Mill Creek canyon and gives the following remarkable experience in an article printed in the Juvenile Instructor, October 15, 1892. The circumstances of the narration are so remarkable that I give it here in full.
«In the winter of 1855, I worked in what was then called North Mill Creek canyon. The only team I had at that time was one yoke of oxen; with this I kept myself busy during the latter part of the fall of 1854 and the beginning of the winter of 1855, in hauling wood from the canyon to Salt Lake City, where I sold it for what I could. In January, 1855, the snow in the mountains was so deep that I was unable to procure fire wood; and I decided to haul some pine house and stable logs. Myself and some brethren therefore shoveled and broke the road to a small red pine patch of timber in the side mountain, and when this road was completed, for two days we together hauled logs and timber to the city.
«Just at this time the weather became extremely cold and a dense winter fog hung over the valley; but high up in the mountains one could overlook the cloud of fog. This condition prevailed for several days but exactly how cold it was I cannot say, as thermometers were very scarce in those days. It was during one of the early days of this cold spell that the following incident occurred:
«I left home very early in the morning to obtain a load of logs. My wife remonstrated with me and tried to prevail upon me not to go, as the weather was so very cold. I did not, however, heed her kind entreaties, but started upon my journey; and, on arriving at the timber, was surprised to find that I was the only one who had come for a load. I worked very rapidly for two reasons: one was that I might keep warm, and the other that I might return home early. I cut, trimmed and prepared five nice red pine logs about thirty feet long and ten inches thick at the butt end, and about six inches at the top. These I succeeded in getting down to the place where I had left my bob-sled and camp outfit, about a half mile distant. The place of loading was very slippery, it being rather on a side hill. I had my five logs arranged side by side below the sled, my oxen being chained to a stump where they were quietly eating their hay. I proceeded to load the logs, designing to place three on the bottom and two on the top of the three, which was my usual way of hauling timber of that kind. I succeeded in getting the first log on the sled without much difficulty. The bunk (canyon men will know what a bunk is, especially if they were born in New Brunswick) being icy, it was with some difficulty that I could make the log stay where I had placed it on the sled; but I finally succeeded in blocking it up, and thought it secure. Then I turned around to load the second log, and as I did so, the blocking gave way and the first log slid rapidly from the sled, catching me in the hollow of my legs and throwing me forward on my face across the log lying there. In falling, the hand- spike in my hand, which I had been using in loading the logs, fell far from my reach; and I was thus pinioned completely across the timber. The log that had slipped from the sled lay across my legs, which were on the hard ice, and my body was lying across the four logs.
«I began to think that I was thus doomed to perish in the canyon. I struggled desperately to release myself but every effort seemed to bind me the more firmly beneath the terrible load which seemed crushing my very bones. While thus struggling for relief I also prayed earnestly to the Lord for assistance, and while doing so I lost consciousness. When I next regained my senses I was a half a mile down the canyon from the place where I began to load, and was seated upon the logs, which were loaded in the exact position that I had designed to put them—three on the bottom and two on the top of the three. All were nicely bound with chains; I was sitting upon my sheep-skin with the woolly side up; my whip was placed on the load carefully so it could not lose; my overcoat, home-made jeans, lay across the load in front of me, but within my reach.
«As I aroused from my stupor, I spoke to my oxen and they stopped; and I viewed my surroundings with feelings that cannot be described. I quickly took my bearings, as I was familiar with every point in the canyon. Being quite cold, I essayed to jump from the load, and put on my overcoat; but, to my surprise, my limbs refused to do my bidding: they were so sore and my body was so badly bruised. I sat there and reflected for a few moments upon my peculiar situation; looked around my load and found everything in place, just as I would have put the things myself; my ax was firmly bedded in the butt end of one of the logs, and everything else was in first-class condition.
«After making another unsuccessful effort to get from the load, I reached my coat, put it on as best I could in a sitting posture, and started my oxen for home. I arrived safely about one hour later than my usual time. My wife was very uneasy about me on account of the lateness of my arrival, and because of the fear ever present with her during the whole of the day, that something would happen to my injury. She met me at the corral and carried me in her arms to the house, which she was then quite able to do, I weighing but a little over a hundred pounds. I was placed in a comfortable position on the bed, and she then cared for my team. For some days she carefully nursed me before I was able to move around the house.
«I have hesitated to narrate this incident because of the skepticism which is so common at the present day, even among some who profess to be Saints, concerning things somewhat supernatural; but I can truthfully testify in all soberness, that some power which I did not see assisted me from the position which doubtless would have speedily cost me my life. As I was preserved for some purpose known to my Heavenly Father, so do I also believe that God will bless and preserve the lives of His faithful children just as long as it is necessary for them to live to accomplish their missions upon the earth. The youth of Zion, and all who have made covenants with the Lord should, therefore, exercise faith in Him; and He will, if necessary, send angelic visitors to sustain and preserve those who put their trust in Him."
In the early spring of 1854 he moved to Bountiful, where he engaged in shingle-making for a Brother Ricks. At this time there were very few inhabitants in the town and the land was in process of distribution. Brother Merrill received a certificate from President Young granting him one hundred acres, an unusually large amount at that time. Of this Brother Merrill gave one third to his father-in-law, and later divided what was left to him with a poor Scandinavian neighbor. A few months later President Young spoke to Brother Merrill about the land and was pleased though not surprised to learn that he had divided it up among his brethren, President Young then remarking that when the certificate was given he felt satisfied that Brother Merrill would not keep it all.
During the winter of 1859 and 1860 Elders Benson and Hyde called at the home of Brother Merrill and advised him to move to Cache Valley where there was more land and were better prospects financially, and a good opening for the Saints. He made preparation, and in February, 1860, went to Richmond, but did not remain long. In March of the same year he made the journey again and found the snow still very deep. At this time there were but few people in Logan or Cache Valley, the first settlers having come to that place in 1859. Journeying farther north, Elder Merrill made his way to Richmond in company with others and camped for some time where the dairy north of the town now stands, and they were about to continue in a northerly direction their travels, when a voice came to Brother Merrill, saying, «Turn around and go south." The words were repeated, and without saying anything to his companions. Elder Merrill started southward and stopped when they reached the point where Richmond now stands, and there began work. It was during these early years that Brother Merrill established his reputation as a most indefatigable and ceaseless worker. From four in the morning till late at night he toiled in the canyons, making his two trips a day. Naturally the leader of the community in which he lived, he was selected in 1861 as the second Bishop in Richmond. This office he filled for eighteen years.
It was during the years of his Bishopric at Richmond that the Utah Northern railroad was under construction from Ogden to Idaho and Montana. Elder Merrill now became a contractor in the construction of the road and in a sense a mediator between the people of Cache Valley and the railroad company. During his relations with that road he distributed among the people for work done some $780,000.00. For his own work he received $150.00 per month. In addition to his personal services he also entered into contract with the company by which he used his own teams and gave employment to his family. This was the beginning of his financial progress. The relationship between the company and Brother Merrill became in time of the most cordial character. His judgment was relied upon and the company was highly satisfied with the relation sustained between it and him. In some places, as in Beaver canyon, the work was taken at such a low figure by the contracts into which he entered that he himself made nothing, but the people did well. The company, learning of this and aware of the money and time he had saved them, gave him as a souvenir a gold watch. On his return to Richmond after the construction of the road, he invested his money in three hundred and twenty acres of land and a grist mill. The latter brought in very little income, but proved of very great value to the people. It was now that he was prepared to pursue the natural bent of his inclinations, and his time has since been devoted to stock raising and agriculture. Today his large farms and the enormous products which they yield, attest his splendid success in advanced agriculture, a profession for which he possessed the strongest inclinations.
In 1870 he was given a three months' leave of absence to take a short mission to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but in two months was recalled. In 1879 he was called a counselor of the Stake to Bishop Preston, an office which he held for ten years. In 1884 he was counselor in the Stake to President Card, and in the same year was appointed to the presidency of the Logan Temple, with Apostle Thatcher and Elder Edlefson as his counselors. In 1889 he was ordained an Apostle by President Woodruff, Presidents George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith and eight of the Apostles being present. The following year he went east to get the genealogy and record of his family. In October of 1899 he was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. During his residence in Cache Valley he was prominent in the civil affairs of .the county and state. In 1876 and 1878 he served two terms in the Legislature, one in the House and one in the Council. He was a member of the County Court for more than ten years. The position of postmaster in Richmond he held for twenty years. In 1896 he was appointed a member of the Agricultural College board, which office he held for nearly four years. At present he is a member of the Brigham Young College board.
Perhaps one of the greatest characteristics of Apostle Merrill's life, and the one for which he will be most noted among generations to come, is the large and honorable family which will ever characterize his name. His family is not only one of the largest in the Church, but one of the most exemplary to be found anywhere. He is the father of forty-five children, five of whom are dead. He is the grandfather of one hundred and twenty-seven, and has twenty-six children married. Six of his sons have already been called on a mission. A number have become prominent in educational circles, and all are industrious and thrifty citizens of the communities in which they live. All his children enjoy a good standing in the Church and it is not known that any of them are addicted to any bad habits.
Apostle Merrill is one of those positive characters who do not yield to floating opinions and momentary prejudices. His convictions grow by experience and observation, and when once formed are not easily removed. His life has always been characterized by the greatest earnestness and sincerity, and the simple and unaffected manners of his intercourse with men constitute one of the greatest charms of his personality. He is further a man of strong attachments, and his friendship when once bestowed is of the most enduring quality. His great sympathies and generous nature make his advice frequently sought by his brethren, and he is perhaps nowhere stronger in the Church today than in the capacity of a private adviser and counselor to those in misfortune as well as to those who need guidance in the affairs of life.
J. M. Tanner.
LIVES OF OUR LEADERS—THE APOSTLES.
MARRINER W. MERRILL.
APOSTLE MERRILL'S life in Cache Valley and its far-reaching influence throughout northern Utah and southern Idaho has for many years made him a leading character among men. His great farms, his beautiful homes, his industrial enterprises in dairying and milling, all indicate a high degree of thrift and enterprise which show up strongly the life and character of the man. His powers of organization, his personal and family discipline, his persistent effort and indomitable will, make his life a study of value to all young men who undertake to grasp and deal with the material conditions of life and bring the forces of nature to their aid and use.
The Apostle's broad form and the set features of his face, indicate superior strength, and his whole bearing indicates, above all things, power. He is not a man of many words, but is prone to feel the silent forces of life and observe the feelings and thoughts of others. Little given to speculative philosophy and poetical imaginations, he is nevertheless a man of strong and abiding faith, of faith that has to do with the practical affairs of life, and which serves the present needs of those who have strong convictions.
Apostle Merrill's general bearing and strong inclinations for business pursuits may incline some people to suppose that his life and nature are largely materialistic, and, save those who know him well, few suspect the strong spirituality of his nature.
This forceful spirit and strong character was born to the world in Sackville, Westmoreland County, New Brunswick, September 25, 1832. His grandparents on his father's side were both born in the State of Maine, but they immigrated to Nova Scotia, where his father, Nathan Merrill, was born September 25, 1794. The father never came to this country, but devoted his life to farming and the cutting and hauling of timber in his native land. The subject of this sketch was one of a family of thirteen children, of whom two died in infancy. The family then consisted of five boys and six girls. The third son went to sea about 1850 and is thought to have been drowned. One son, Thomas, came to the United States, where he was a butcher for some time and later became a sea captain and diver. Apostle Merrill is the fourth son of the family and today stands alone the representative of his father's house, as he now has but one living brother, and that brother has no children.
In his youth the life of Marriner W. Merrill was not unlike that of the farmer of those regions of country in which he lived, but the spiritual influences of his life began early to manifest themselves and became prophetic of what his later years would be. At the age of nine years he received in an open vision a picture of his own future life and that of the people with whom he subsequently became identified. In simple, earnest and convincing words that vision was related to the writer as follows:
«When I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work, to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconscious and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. After I became conscious I found myself in a log cabin located on the way to the field. In this cabin I was on my knees in the attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the vision the sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me, for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mules which I beheld in my vision. I saw two and sometimes six mules to a wagon, and in the company of pioneers I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth, and each of them had more than one wife. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of the Saints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale, and it was some time before I could speak distinctly. That incident of my life made a very strong impression upon my boyish mind, and one day I ventured to ask my mother a question about plural marriage, why it was not practiced now as in the days of God's ancient people. She answered in surprise by asking what I knew about such things. Fearing that I might betray the secret revealed, I made no more mention of the matter."
The Gospel was first preached to Apostle Merrill by a native Elder. Later, Elders John Skerry and Jesse Crosby came into the neighborhood of his home. In April, 1852, at the age of nineteen years, he was baptized by Elder Skerry, and on the 5th of September of the same year was ordained a Priest by Elder Crosby. About a year before this he had learned that his mother had been for a long time a member of the Church, she having been baptized as early as 1836. His father died before his baptism. One of his sisters joined the Church but subsequently married a non- Mormon and soon turned away from the faith. The other members of the family, though not willing to embrace the Gospel, never manifested any hostile opposition to it.
Feeling that there was work to accomplish which could not be done in New Brunswick, the spirit of gathering having taken possession of Brother Merrill, he started about a year after his baptism for the west. He had gone no farther than Boston when his father died, and word came from his mother to return and settle the estate. After affairs had been settled at home, in 1853 he started out again and came direct to Boston. From there he went to Buffalo by rail and traveled on the Lakes to Chicago. From Chicago he rode on the first railroad from Chicago to the head of the Illinois river. At the latter point he took a boat for St. Louis, which was then headquarters for supplies, and then came to Keokuk by steamboat. As he journeyed westward he stopped a week at Kanesville, but met no Saints there.
The company with which he traveled crossed the river on ferryboats and pursued their way on to Salt Lake City. There were eleven wagons in the company. Jesse Crosby was captain and was assisted by William Atkinson. The company arrived in Salt Lake City September 11, 1853. The most important event in this journey associated with the life of Apostle Merrill occurred at Platte river where he, with one other boy, decided to cross the river and get some cattle which had been left by other pioneers. They plunged into the river, but he soon became exhausted, as the current was strong. Brother Merrill was unable to keep his head out of water, and while floating down stream went under twice; whereupon the company became alarmed, and a Brother Reese was sent to his assistance. As he started to sink a third time he landed mysteriously on a sandbar, and was almost exhausted. The circumstance was peculiar, because the Brother Reese who had sought his rescue was unable to find the bar upon which Brother Merrill stood. The two now made their way to the opposite shore, where it was shallow enough to walk up stream until they reached a place where the current moved from one side to the other. Here they tied a comforter to their waists, plunged again into the water, in which they were borne safely across the river by the favorable current. They were both thankful to get back alive, and the cattle, which they found disabled, were left undisturbed.
Brother Merrill's first effort on reaching the Valley was to secure work. His early efforts were a source of trial, as his employers sometimes proved to be unreliable. In Salt Lake City he agreed to work for $20.00 per month. After three weeks some trouble arose and he was about to leave his employer, when the latter offered him $26.00 per month. He thereupon agreed to remain and work in the canyon getting out shingle timber, where he made as many as one thousand shingles in a day. He was then promised his board and a certain percentage of the shingles sold, but his employer did the selling and kept the money. After some controversy, however, payment was secured, and the experience no doubt did much to induce the habit which has subsequently become prominent in the life of Brother Merrill, a habit of working on his own account.
In November of the year 1853 Brother Merrill was married to Sarah A. Atkinson, and immediately went to a place in Bingham canyon, seven miles above its mouth, where he passed the winter in making shingles. The new venture became a profitable one. The shingles then sold at $8.00 per thousand, and he was able to make five hundred a day. After staying in the canyon six weeks he ventured on a perilous journey home to see his wife. The snow was seven feet deep, and having no food with him when he began the journey, he was overborne by fatigue and weakness, and almost fainted before he reached a cabin where a woman gave him a small piece of bread to satisfy his craving. This was only a taste for a starving man, but in a few hours more food was given and little by little he overcame the exhausted condition to which his physical system was brought. After his long walk and sufferings he was disappointed in not finding his wife at home, as she had gone off to work, so that he was obliged to return without seeing her.
During Apostle Merrill's life in Salt Lake City he engaged in work in North Mill Creek canyon and gives the following remarkable experience in an article printed in the Juvenile Instructor, October 15, 1892. The circumstances of the narration are so remarkable that I give it here in full.
«In the winter of 1855, I worked in what was then called North Mill Creek canyon. The only team I had at that time was one yoke of oxen; with this I kept myself busy during the latter part of the fall of 1854 and the beginning of the winter of 1855, in hauling wood from the canyon to Salt Lake City, where I sold it for what I could. In January, 1855, the snow in the mountains was so deep that I was unable to procure fire wood; and I decided to haul some pine house and stable logs. Myself and some brethren therefore shoveled and broke the road to a small red pine patch of timber in the side mountain, and when this road was completed, for two days we together hauled logs and timber to the city.
«Just at this time the weather became extremely cold and a dense winter fog hung over the valley; but high up in the mountains one could overlook the cloud of fog. This condition prevailed for several days but exactly how cold it was I cannot say, as thermometers were very scarce in those days. It was during one of the early days of this cold spell that the following incident occurred:
«I left home very early in the morning to obtain a load of logs. My wife remonstrated with me and tried to prevail upon me not to go, as the weather was so very cold. I did not, however, heed her kind entreaties, but started upon my journey; and, on arriving at the timber, was surprised to find that I was the only one who had come for a load. I worked very rapidly for two reasons: one was that I might keep warm, and the other that I might return home early. I cut, trimmed and prepared five nice red pine logs about thirty feet long and ten inches thick at the butt end, and about six inches at the top. These I succeeded in getting down to the place where I had left my bob-sled and camp outfit, about a half mile distant. The place of loading was very slippery, it being rather on a side hill. I had my five logs arranged side by side below the sled, my oxen being chained to a stump where they were quietly eating their hay. I proceeded to load the logs, designing to place three on the bottom and two on the top of the three, which was my usual way of hauling timber of that kind. I succeeded in getting the first log on the sled without much difficulty. The bunk (canyon men will know what a bunk is, especially if they were born in New Brunswick) being icy, it was with some difficulty that I could make the log stay where I had placed it on the sled; but I finally succeeded in blocking it up, and thought it secure. Then I turned around to load the second log, and as I did so, the blocking gave way and the first log slid rapidly from the sled, catching me in the hollow of my legs and throwing me forward on my face across the log lying there. In falling, the hand- spike in my hand, which I had been using in loading the logs, fell far from my reach; and I was thus pinioned completely across the timber. The log that had slipped from the sled lay across my legs, which were on the hard ice, and my body was lying across the four logs.
«I began to think that I was thus doomed to perish in the canyon. I struggled desperately to release myself but every effort seemed to bind me the more firmly beneath the terrible load which seemed crushing my very bones. While thus struggling for relief I also prayed earnestly to the Lord for assistance, and while doing so I lost consciousness. When I next regained my senses I was a half a mile down the canyon from the place where I began to load, and was seated upon the logs, which were loaded in the exact position that I had designed to put them—three on the bottom and two on the top of the three. All were nicely bound with chains; I was sitting upon my sheep-skin with the woolly side up; my whip was placed on the load carefully so it could not lose; my overcoat, home-made jeans, lay across the load in front of me, but within my reach.
«As I aroused from my stupor, I spoke to my oxen and they stopped; and I viewed my surroundings with feelings that cannot be described. I quickly took my bearings, as I was familiar with every point in the canyon. Being quite cold, I essayed to jump from the load, and put on my overcoat; but, to my surprise, my limbs refused to do my bidding: they were so sore and my body was so badly bruised. I sat there and reflected for a few moments upon my peculiar situation; looked around my load and found everything in place, just as I would have put the things myself; my ax was firmly bedded in the butt end of one of the logs, and everything else was in first-class condition.
«After making another unsuccessful effort to get from the load, I reached my coat, put it on as best I could in a sitting posture, and started my oxen for home. I arrived safely about one hour later than my usual time. My wife was very uneasy about me on account of the lateness of my arrival, and because of the fear ever present with her during the whole of the day, that something would happen to my injury. She met me at the corral and carried me in her arms to the house, which she was then quite able to do, I weighing but a little over a hundred pounds. I was placed in a comfortable position on the bed, and she then cared for my team. For some days she carefully nursed me before I was able to move around the house.
«I have hesitated to narrate this incident because of the skepticism which is so common at the present day, even among some who profess to be Saints, concerning things somewhat supernatural; but I can truthfully testify in all soberness, that some power which I did not see assisted me from the position which doubtless would have speedily cost me my life. As I was preserved for some purpose known to my Heavenly Father, so do I also believe that God will bless and preserve the lives of His faithful children just as long as it is necessary for them to live to accomplish their missions upon the earth. The youth of Zion, and all who have made covenants with the Lord should, therefore, exercise faith in Him; and He will, if necessary, send angelic visitors to sustain and preserve those who put their trust in Him."
In the early spring of 1854 he moved to Bountiful, where he engaged in shingle-making for a Brother Ricks. At this time there were very few inhabitants in the town and the land was in process of distribution. Brother Merrill received a certificate from President Young granting him one hundred acres, an unusually large amount at that time. Of this Brother Merrill gave one third to his father-in-law, and later divided what was left to him with a poor Scandinavian neighbor. A few months later President Young spoke to Brother Merrill about the land and was pleased though not surprised to learn that he had divided it up among his brethren, President Young then remarking that when the certificate was given he felt satisfied that Brother Merrill would not keep it all.
During the winter of 1859 and 1860 Elders Benson and Hyde called at the home of Brother Merrill and advised him to move to Cache Valley where there was more land and were better prospects financially, and a good opening for the Saints. He made preparation, and in February, 1860, went to Richmond, but did not remain long. In March of the same year he made the journey again and found the snow still very deep. At this time there were but few people in Logan or Cache Valley, the first settlers having come to that place in 1859. Journeying farther north, Elder Merrill made his way to Richmond in company with others and camped for some time where the dairy north of the town now stands, and they were about to continue in a northerly direction their travels, when a voice came to Brother Merrill, saying, «Turn around and go south." The words were repeated, and without saying anything to his companions. Elder Merrill started southward and stopped when they reached the point where Richmond now stands, and there began work. It was during these early years that Brother Merrill established his reputation as a most indefatigable and ceaseless worker. From four in the morning till late at night he toiled in the canyons, making his two trips a day. Naturally the leader of the community in which he lived, he was selected in 1861 as the second Bishop in Richmond. This office he filled for eighteen years.
It was during the years of his Bishopric at Richmond that the Utah Northern railroad was under construction from Ogden to Idaho and Montana. Elder Merrill now became a contractor in the construction of the road and in a sense a mediator between the people of Cache Valley and the railroad company. During his relations with that road he distributed among the people for work done some $780,000.00. For his own work he received $150.00 per month. In addition to his personal services he also entered into contract with the company by which he used his own teams and gave employment to his family. This was the beginning of his financial progress. The relationship between the company and Brother Merrill became in time of the most cordial character. His judgment was relied upon and the company was highly satisfied with the relation sustained between it and him. In some places, as in Beaver canyon, the work was taken at such a low figure by the contracts into which he entered that he himself made nothing, but the people did well. The company, learning of this and aware of the money and time he had saved them, gave him as a souvenir a gold watch. On his return to Richmond after the construction of the road, he invested his money in three hundred and twenty acres of land and a grist mill. The latter brought in very little income, but proved of very great value to the people. It was now that he was prepared to pursue the natural bent of his inclinations, and his time has since been devoted to stock raising and agriculture. Today his large farms and the enormous products which they yield, attest his splendid success in advanced agriculture, a profession for which he possessed the strongest inclinations.
In 1870 he was given a three months' leave of absence to take a short mission to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but in two months was recalled. In 1879 he was called a counselor of the Stake to Bishop Preston, an office which he held for ten years. In 1884 he was counselor in the Stake to President Card, and in the same year was appointed to the presidency of the Logan Temple, with Apostle Thatcher and Elder Edlefson as his counselors. In 1889 he was ordained an Apostle by President Woodruff, Presidents George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith and eight of the Apostles being present. The following year he went east to get the genealogy and record of his family. In October of 1899 he was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. During his residence in Cache Valley he was prominent in the civil affairs of .the county and state. In 1876 and 1878 he served two terms in the Legislature, one in the House and one in the Council. He was a member of the County Court for more than ten years. The position of postmaster in Richmond he held for twenty years. In 1896 he was appointed a member of the Agricultural College board, which office he held for nearly four years. At present he is a member of the Brigham Young College board.
Perhaps one of the greatest characteristics of Apostle Merrill's life, and the one for which he will be most noted among generations to come, is the large and honorable family which will ever characterize his name. His family is not only one of the largest in the Church, but one of the most exemplary to be found anywhere. He is the father of forty-five children, five of whom are dead. He is the grandfather of one hundred and twenty-seven, and has twenty-six children married. Six of his sons have already been called on a mission. A number have become prominent in educational circles, and all are industrious and thrifty citizens of the communities in which they live. All his children enjoy a good standing in the Church and it is not known that any of them are addicted to any bad habits.
Apostle Merrill is one of those positive characters who do not yield to floating opinions and momentary prejudices. His convictions grow by experience and observation, and when once formed are not easily removed. His life has always been characterized by the greatest earnestness and sincerity, and the simple and unaffected manners of his intercourse with men constitute one of the greatest charms of his personality. He is further a man of strong attachments, and his friendship when once bestowed is of the most enduring quality. His great sympathies and generous nature make his advice frequently sought by his brethren, and he is perhaps nowhere stronger in the Church today than in the capacity of a private adviser and counselor to those in misfortune as well as to those who need guidance in the affairs of life.
J. M. Tanner.
Merrill, M. W. "An Inspired Promise Fulfilled." Juvenile Instructor. 1 October 1901. pg. 579-580.
AN INSPIRED PROMISE FULFILLED.
I FIRST landed in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1853. I was then a lad of about twenty years. I came alone without father or mother or relatives, and when I reached the city there was not a face there that I ever saw before.
I had a feeling that I would like to see President Brigham Young. So, shortly after my arrival I went to his office and enquired for him. He received me very kindly and asked what I wanted. I told him who I was and that I had come because I wanted to see a prophet of God. He told me to sit down, and that, in a little while, he would talk to me. He then went out of the office for a short time. When he returned he drew a chair near to where I was sitting and began to make many enquiries regarding myself and why I had come to Zion. I gave him an account of how I came into the Church and told him many other things relating to my life. When the conversation had lasted for some little time he arose, placed his right hand on my head and blessed me. Amongst other things, he promised me that if I would keep the commandments of the Lord and pay my honest tithing neither I nor my children nor my children's children should ever want for bread.
This was a very great promise in those times, for breadstuffs were then very scarce, scarcer than most of the young folks of today can understand. In a year or two after my arrival the crickets came and ate up much of the crops of the people. Then followed the years of famine when so many of the Saints had not enough to eat. But in fulfillment of the words of President Young I always had bread in my house, enough for myself and my family and some to divide with my neighbors who were not blessed as I was. And from that time until the present neither I nor any of my posterity have wanted bread. And thus the promise of the Lord's servant to this stranger lad has been completely fulfilled.
M. W. Merrill
AN INSPIRED PROMISE FULFILLED.
I FIRST landed in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1853. I was then a lad of about twenty years. I came alone without father or mother or relatives, and when I reached the city there was not a face there that I ever saw before.
I had a feeling that I would like to see President Brigham Young. So, shortly after my arrival I went to his office and enquired for him. He received me very kindly and asked what I wanted. I told him who I was and that I had come because I wanted to see a prophet of God. He told me to sit down, and that, in a little while, he would talk to me. He then went out of the office for a short time. When he returned he drew a chair near to where I was sitting and began to make many enquiries regarding myself and why I had come to Zion. I gave him an account of how I came into the Church and told him many other things relating to my life. When the conversation had lasted for some little time he arose, placed his right hand on my head and blessed me. Amongst other things, he promised me that if I would keep the commandments of the Lord and pay my honest tithing neither I nor my children nor my children's children should ever want for bread.
This was a very great promise in those times, for breadstuffs were then very scarce, scarcer than most of the young folks of today can understand. In a year or two after my arrival the crickets came and ate up much of the crops of the people. Then followed the years of famine when so many of the Saints had not enough to eat. But in fulfillment of the words of President Young I always had bread in my house, enough for myself and my family and some to divide with my neighbors who were not blessed as I was. And from that time until the present neither I nor any of my posterity have wanted bread. And thus the promise of the Lord's servant to this stranger lad has been completely fulfilled.
M. W. Merrill
"Events and Comments - The Passing of M. W. Merrill." Improvement Era. March 1906. pg. 423-424.
Passing of Apostle M. W. Merrill.--
On Tuesday night, February 6, 1906, at Richmond, Utah, Elder Marriner W. Merrill, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, laid down the burdens of this life and passed to his reward among the faithful. On Saturday, 10th, his body was laid to rest, the services being held in the Richmond tabernacle. Presidents Anthon H. Lund and Francis M. Lyman with a number of members of the quorum of Twelve Apostles were present and offered touching tributes to their fellow laborer's, worth and work. There were nearly two thousand people in attendance.
Apostle Merrill was born September 25, 1832, in Sackville, New Brunswick and was the fourth son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reynolds who had thirteen children. He came to Salt Lake Valley in September, 1853, the year after his baptism which took place in April, 1852. He settled first in Bountiful, and was later, in the winter of 1859-60, called to settle in Cache Valley, which he did, after wards founding Richmond, of which settlement he was chosen second bishop in 1861,. holding the office for eighteen years. He engaged in railroad work on the Utah & Northern, and it was here that he made his financial start, and gave remunerative employment to the people and to his own family. He invested his earnings in land and a grist mill. He went on a mission in 1870, was chosen stake counselor to W. B. Preston in 1879, which office he held for ten years, acting also under President C. O. Card. In 1884, he was called as president of the Logan Temple; and in 1889, was ordained an apostle by President Wilford Woodruff. He went east on a genealogical mission in 1890, and in October, 1899, was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. He served also in civil affairs, being a member of the legislature for two terms, 1876-78, once in the house and once in the council. He was postmaster for twenty years; a member of the county court for ten years; a member of the Agricultural College Board for four years.
His family is one of the largest in the Church. His children number forty-five, only five of whom are dead. His sons and daughters are prominent in social and educational circles, and highly honored and industrious citizens of the community. He himself was a wise counselor, a good and honest man, thrifty, full of zeal, a worker from the beginning, who possessed superior physical, and practical power, strong character, indomitable will and splendid ability in discipline. He was true to his testimony, to the end, and had abiding faith in the gospel and in the work of the Lord. He had experienced many remarkable spiritual manifestations, and possessed a sympathetic and generous nature, supplemented by an earnestness and sincerity that constituted one of the leading charms of his personality.
Passing of Apostle M. W. Merrill.--
On Tuesday night, February 6, 1906, at Richmond, Utah, Elder Marriner W. Merrill, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, laid down the burdens of this life and passed to his reward among the faithful. On Saturday, 10th, his body was laid to rest, the services being held in the Richmond tabernacle. Presidents Anthon H. Lund and Francis M. Lyman with a number of members of the quorum of Twelve Apostles were present and offered touching tributes to their fellow laborer's, worth and work. There were nearly two thousand people in attendance.
Apostle Merrill was born September 25, 1832, in Sackville, New Brunswick and was the fourth son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reynolds who had thirteen children. He came to Salt Lake Valley in September, 1853, the year after his baptism which took place in April, 1852. He settled first in Bountiful, and was later, in the winter of 1859-60, called to settle in Cache Valley, which he did, after wards founding Richmond, of which settlement he was chosen second bishop in 1861,. holding the office for eighteen years. He engaged in railroad work on the Utah & Northern, and it was here that he made his financial start, and gave remunerative employment to the people and to his own family. He invested his earnings in land and a grist mill. He went on a mission in 1870, was chosen stake counselor to W. B. Preston in 1879, which office he held for ten years, acting also under President C. O. Card. In 1884, he was called as president of the Logan Temple; and in 1889, was ordained an apostle by President Wilford Woodruff. He went east on a genealogical mission in 1890, and in October, 1899, was appointed president of the Cache Stake of Zion. He served also in civil affairs, being a member of the legislature for two terms, 1876-78, once in the house and once in the council. He was postmaster for twenty years; a member of the county court for ten years; a member of the Agricultural College Board for four years.
His family is one of the largest in the Church. His children number forty-five, only five of whom are dead. His sons and daughters are prominent in social and educational circles, and highly honored and industrious citizens of the community. He himself was a wise counselor, a good and honest man, thrifty, full of zeal, a worker from the beginning, who possessed superior physical, and practical power, strong character, indomitable will and splendid ability in discipline. He was true to his testimony, to the end, and had abiding faith in the gospel and in the work of the Lord. He had experienced many remarkable spiritual manifestations, and possessed a sympathetic and generous nature, supplemented by an earnestness and sincerity that constituted one of the leading charms of his personality.
J. C. "Marriner W. Merrill." Young Woman's Journal. March 1906. pg. 105-107.
MARRINER W. MERRILL.
J. C.
The strong, rugged characters that pioneered and made possible the development of this great western country are passing one by one to the great beyond. Stalwarts in the faith of the Gospel, loyal to God and His cause, they were ever energetic and full of zeal in carrying onward to successful consummation, His purposes in promulgating the principles of life and salvation. Of this grand type, Apostle Marriner W. Merrill, the first settler of Richmond, Cache Co., Utah, stands prominently in Ulie fore ranks.
One can no longer doubt the theory of predestination in the lives of great men, when early in childhood spirituality manifests itself, and in prophetic vision their future destiny is outlined and God’s purpose shown. It is a remarkable fact that at the age of nine years Brother Merrill foresaw his life and the destiny of the people of God. His mother had sent him to the field to call his father and brother to dinner. He says,
"On the way I became unconscious, and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remember when I regained my usual thoughts and feelings. After I became conscious, I found myself In a log cabin located on the way to the field, on my knees In an attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter, and of the saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. The sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me, for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen mules, which I beheld in vision.
I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown, and the persecutions of the saints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me all J had seen was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country.”
That God’s power preserved him for an instrument in the upbuilding of Zion is shown in the miraculous preservation of his life from drowning in the Platte River, while enroute to the west. Seeing some cattle which they sought on the opposite bank of the river, he and another boy plunged into the stream intending to swim across. Elder Merrill soon became exhausted as the current was strong, and he was unable to keep his head above water. Floating down stream he went under twice, whereupon the company became alarmed and a man was sent to his assistance. The third time he started to sink he was mysteriously landed on a sand bar, almost exhausted. The incident is peculiar, from the fact that the man sent to his assistance was afterward unable to find the sand bar upon which Elder Merrill stood.
And again, this same miraculous interposition of Providence manifested itself after his arrival in the valleys of the Mountains. When in North Mill Creek Canyon getting a load of wood, the logs rolled from the wagon in such a way as to bind him to the ground and crush him severely. While in this position, praying to the Lord for protection, he lost consciousness. When he regained his senses he found himself some distance down the canyon sitting on the load with the logs arranged on the wagon as he had desired them. As there was no living soul about at the time, Elder Merrill regarded it as a miracle and a direct answer to his prayer. His limbs were so sore from the frightful experience, he was unable to move from the wagon, but he eventually made his way home, and his wife carried him into the house in her arms.
Brother Merrill was one of nature’s noblemen in the true sense of the term. Possessed of a genial,, lovable disposition, by his kind and affable manner he drew men to him. Love of family predominated in his life. His influence over his children has been wonderfully successful in rearing them in honor and faithfulness. That he was eminently successful as a leader of men, no other fact proves more conclusively than the great overshadowing one, that he reared a large family to be upright, sober and industrious, not a sluggard among them. It also speaks volumes for the force of his own example.
His big heartedness reaching out as he did to the stranger is shown in the love and confidence he bestowed upon a fatherless boy who was thrown in his way at the time the U. N. R. R. first run through Cache county. By his fatherly care, advice and companionship he proved the best friend that boy ever had. This loving tribute to his memory is endorsed by many others.
Marriner Wood Merrill was the son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Reynolds, and was born Sept. 25, 1832, in Sackville, Westmoreland Co., New Brunswick.
He was one of a family of thirteen children being the fourth son. He first heard the Gospel preached by a native elder. In April 1852, at the age of nineteen years, he was baptized by Elder John Skerry, and ordained a priest by Elder Jessie W. Crosby on the 5th of September of the same year. About a year before this he learned that his mother had been for a long time a member of the church. His father never joined the church, but his sister did, though she afterwards turned away from it. He soon left for the west, and arrived in Salt Lake City, September 11, 1852. In November, 1853, he married Sarah A. Atkinson.
In 1859 and 1860 he was advised to move to Cache Valley. In company with others he traveled farther north than Richmond, when a voice distinctly said to him “Turn round and go South.” In obedience to his inspiration he did so and located the home which is still his. Over this community he presided as Bishop eighteen years. Foremost in the development of that country, he hailed with joy the advent of the railroad. He contracted to construct many miles of road, $780,000 being paid out through him for labor.
In 1879 he was called to act as second counselor to President Wm. B. Preston of the Cache Stake, and in 1884 was chosen counselor to President C. O. Card. This same year he was appointed President of the Logan Temple, which office he filled until the time of his illness.
In 1889, he was ordained to the Apostleship by President Wilford Woodruff. And in 1899, ten years later, was appointed President of the Cache Stake of Zion.
During this time he was prominent in the civic affairs of both county and state, being a member of the county court for ten years and postmaster for twenty years. As a member of the Agricultural College Board and also the Brigham Young College Board and in many other ways he did a great deal to promote the educational interests of the county.
A teacher of practical ideas, he taught by example the principles of thrift and economy, to be a producer as well as consumer. In stock raising, farming, dairying, or in whatever occupation he engaged success crowned his effort.
MARRINER W. MERRILL.
J. C.
The strong, rugged characters that pioneered and made possible the development of this great western country are passing one by one to the great beyond. Stalwarts in the faith of the Gospel, loyal to God and His cause, they were ever energetic and full of zeal in carrying onward to successful consummation, His purposes in promulgating the principles of life and salvation. Of this grand type, Apostle Marriner W. Merrill, the first settler of Richmond, Cache Co., Utah, stands prominently in Ulie fore ranks.
One can no longer doubt the theory of predestination in the lives of great men, when early in childhood spirituality manifests itself, and in prophetic vision their future destiny is outlined and God’s purpose shown. It is a remarkable fact that at the age of nine years Brother Merrill foresaw his life and the destiny of the people of God. His mother had sent him to the field to call his father and brother to dinner. He says,
"On the way I became unconscious, and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remember when I regained my usual thoughts and feelings. After I became conscious, I found myself In a log cabin located on the way to the field, on my knees In an attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter, and of the saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. The sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me, for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen mules, which I beheld in vision.
I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown, and the persecutions of the saints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me all J had seen was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country.”
That God’s power preserved him for an instrument in the upbuilding of Zion is shown in the miraculous preservation of his life from drowning in the Platte River, while enroute to the west. Seeing some cattle which they sought on the opposite bank of the river, he and another boy plunged into the stream intending to swim across. Elder Merrill soon became exhausted as the current was strong, and he was unable to keep his head above water. Floating down stream he went under twice, whereupon the company became alarmed and a man was sent to his assistance. The third time he started to sink he was mysteriously landed on a sand bar, almost exhausted. The incident is peculiar, from the fact that the man sent to his assistance was afterward unable to find the sand bar upon which Elder Merrill stood.
And again, this same miraculous interposition of Providence manifested itself after his arrival in the valleys of the Mountains. When in North Mill Creek Canyon getting a load of wood, the logs rolled from the wagon in such a way as to bind him to the ground and crush him severely. While in this position, praying to the Lord for protection, he lost consciousness. When he regained his senses he found himself some distance down the canyon sitting on the load with the logs arranged on the wagon as he had desired them. As there was no living soul about at the time, Elder Merrill regarded it as a miracle and a direct answer to his prayer. His limbs were so sore from the frightful experience, he was unable to move from the wagon, but he eventually made his way home, and his wife carried him into the house in her arms.
Brother Merrill was one of nature’s noblemen in the true sense of the term. Possessed of a genial,, lovable disposition, by his kind and affable manner he drew men to him. Love of family predominated in his life. His influence over his children has been wonderfully successful in rearing them in honor and faithfulness. That he was eminently successful as a leader of men, no other fact proves more conclusively than the great overshadowing one, that he reared a large family to be upright, sober and industrious, not a sluggard among them. It also speaks volumes for the force of his own example.
His big heartedness reaching out as he did to the stranger is shown in the love and confidence he bestowed upon a fatherless boy who was thrown in his way at the time the U. N. R. R. first run through Cache county. By his fatherly care, advice and companionship he proved the best friend that boy ever had. This loving tribute to his memory is endorsed by many others.
Marriner Wood Merrill was the son of Nathan Merrill and Sarah Reynolds, and was born Sept. 25, 1832, in Sackville, Westmoreland Co., New Brunswick.
He was one of a family of thirteen children being the fourth son. He first heard the Gospel preached by a native elder. In April 1852, at the age of nineteen years, he was baptized by Elder John Skerry, and ordained a priest by Elder Jessie W. Crosby on the 5th of September of the same year. About a year before this he learned that his mother had been for a long time a member of the church. His father never joined the church, but his sister did, though she afterwards turned away from it. He soon left for the west, and arrived in Salt Lake City, September 11, 1852. In November, 1853, he married Sarah A. Atkinson.
In 1859 and 1860 he was advised to move to Cache Valley. In company with others he traveled farther north than Richmond, when a voice distinctly said to him “Turn round and go South.” In obedience to his inspiration he did so and located the home which is still his. Over this community he presided as Bishop eighteen years. Foremost in the development of that country, he hailed with joy the advent of the railroad. He contracted to construct many miles of road, $780,000 being paid out through him for labor.
In 1879 he was called to act as second counselor to President Wm. B. Preston of the Cache Stake, and in 1884 was chosen counselor to President C. O. Card. This same year he was appointed President of the Logan Temple, which office he filled until the time of his illness.
In 1889, he was ordained to the Apostleship by President Wilford Woodruff. And in 1899, ten years later, was appointed President of the Cache Stake of Zion.
During this time he was prominent in the civic affairs of both county and state, being a member of the county court for ten years and postmaster for twenty years. As a member of the Agricultural College Board and also the Brigham Young College Board and in many other ways he did a great deal to promote the educational interests of the county.
A teacher of practical ideas, he taught by example the principles of thrift and economy, to be a producer as well as consumer. In stock raising, farming, dairying, or in whatever occupation he engaged success crowned his effort.
Anderson, Arthur S. "Little Deeds From Big Lives - An Example of the Things He Believed." Instructor. November 1956. pg. 330.
Little Deeds from Big Lives By Arthur S. Anderson They Sought His Will An Example of the Things He Believed WHEN General Patrick Connor's army was in Northern Utah in 1864, two of the soldiers came to the home of Marriner W. Merrill and had occasion to remain overnight. When the time for prayers arrived. Elder Merrill said to the guests: "We hold family prayers night and morning at our house; you are welcome to kneel with us in prayer or retire until prayers are over." One of the soldiers joined the family group in prayer and the other retired until the prayers were over. Elder Merrill was never "ashamed of the Gospel of Christ." No matter what the occasion, he was an example of the things he believed,[1] He was ordained an Apostle by President Wilford Woodruff, Oct. 7, 1889. [1] Prophets and Patriarchs by Matthias F. Cowley, published by Ben E. Rich. |
Marriner W. Merrill
|
Marriner W. Merrill
“...I ... did cause my people to be industrious,
and to labor with their hands.” -2 Nephi 5:17
and to labor with their hands.” -2 Nephi 5:17
Ordained: 7 October 1889 at age 57 by Wilford Woodruff
Biography
Marriner Wood Merrill was born on 25 September 1832 in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada to Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reunolds (sometimes Reynolds). He was the fourth son of the Merrills’ thirteen children. Marriner had several extraordinary experiences in his childhood. He related the following:
When I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work, to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconscious and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. After I became conscious I found myself in a log cabin located on the way to the field. In this cabin I was on my knees in the attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the vision the sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me, for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mules which I beheld in my vision. I saw two and sometimes six mules to a wagon, and in the company of pioneers I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth, and each of them had more than one wife. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of the Saints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale, and it was some time before I could speak distinctly. That incident of my life made a very strong impression upon my boyish mind, and one day I ventured to ask my mother a question about plural marriage, why it was not practiced now as in the days of God’s ancient people. She answered in surprise by asking what I knew about such things. Fearing that I might betray the secret revealed, I made no more mention of the matter. (Tanner 1900, 674)
Marriner had very few opportunities for education. He said, “Not having any opportunities of even a common school education in my youth, and leaving that County when young, I found my way hedged up in some degree ...” (M. C. Merrill 1937, 27)
Marriner’s father died in a farming accident 16 May 1851. Soon thereafter, Marriner discovered that his mother had been a member of the Church for many years, having been baptized in 1834 or 1835. Her husband, however, was opposed to the Church, so she kept it a secret, although she did teach the principles of the gospel to her children. Marriner was baptized 3 April 1852 at age 19 and ordained a Priest on 5 September of that year. One sister, Rhoda, was also baptized, but turned away after marrying a man outside the church. Another sister, Lavenia, and her husband were also baptized around the same time, but were eventually excommunicated for apostasy. None of his other eight living siblings joined the church, but none ever showed any opposition to it, either.
After the settlement of his father’s estate in 1853, Marriner made his way south and west to join the Saints in Utah. He made it to the Salt Lake Valley September of 1853 after nearly drowning in the Platte River on the way west.
Marriner's own account of his arrival in the Salt Lake Valley is as follows:
I first landed in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1853. I was then a lad of about twenty years. I came alone without father or mother or relatives, and when I reached the city there was not a face there that I ever saw before.
I had a feeling that I would like to see President Brigham Young. So, shortly after my arrival I went to his office and enquired for him. He received me very kindly and asked what I wanted. I told him who I was and that I had come because I wanted to see a prophet of God. He told me to sit down, and that, in a little while, he would talk to me. He then went out of the office for a short time. When he returned he drew a chair near to where I was sitting and began to make many enquiries regarding myself and why I had come to Zion. I gave him an account of how I came into the Church and told him many other things relating to my life. When the conversation had lasted for some little time he arose, placed his right hand on my head and blessed me. Amongst other things, he promised me that if I would keep the commandments of the Lord and pay my honest tithing neither I nor my children nor my children's children should ever want for bread.
…And from that time until the present neither I nor any of my posterity have wanted bread. And thus the promise of the Lord's servant to this stranger lad has been completely fulfilled. (M. W. Merrill, An Inspired Promise Fulfilled 1901, 579-580)
He began his life in Utah by securing work making shingles. He was married in November of 1853 to Sarah Ann Atkinson and immediately set out making his own shingles, which was more profitable than working for someone else doing the same work.
Of this time, Marriner W. Merrill said the following:
Our household goods consisted of one pole bedstead, one baking skillet (borrowed), one frying pan (borrowed), my chest for a table, two 3-legged stools, two knives and forks, six small tin spoons, etc. But we were happy and felt like it was home. The Lord blessed us with health and we both worked early and late to provide ourselves with a home of our own. (M. C. Merrill 1937, 35)
In the early spring of 1854, Marriner and his wife moved to Bountiful, which wasn’t a very populous place at that time. He served in the office of a teacher during his time in Bountiful. President Young felt prompted to give Brother Merrill a very large plot of land, totaling one hundred acres. Marriner then gave a third of it to his father-in-law and divided the rest with a poor Scandinavian neighbor.
He worked hard to build his first home on this plot of land and his wife worked alongside him every step of the way. 10 November 1855, he and his wife received their endowments in the Endowment House and were sealed together for time and all eternity by President Brigham Young.
He related the following story of his experiences serving as a teacher:
I know whereof I speak in regard to this matter, because in the early days I was trained under Brother Jedediah M. Grant. When the Teachers in the district where he labored all did their duty, it was called a reformation. We had quite a reformation in all the Church at that time. I remember very distinctly in the ward where I lived, Brother Grant on one occasion called all the Teachers to the stand. We met in the bowery, and had a board about sixteen feet long, put on some posts for the stand. There were twelve of us in the ward, and we had to stand up there in a row. He wanted us all to pray, each one in his turn, commencing on the right and going to the left. Someone asked Brother Grant afterward why he did that, and he replied that he wanted to see whether those young men had the spirit of prayer, so that he could judge if they prayed in the households of the Saints. I was quite a boy at the time, and when it came to my turn I hesitated a moment or so. Brother Grant happened to be kneeling right behind me, and he turned around, grabbed me by the leg with his hand and said, "Now, you pray." Well, it nearly scared all the pray out of me. But it was an object lesson and one that was very profitable to me. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 27-28)
That year was the occasion of the grasshopper plague in Utah, and after paying his tithing and all other obligations, Marriner discovered that his family would be short of flour. He set out to obtain flour by trading lumber. However, flour was short all over the area, so it was nearly impossible to buy. Through a miracle, Brother Merrill was able to obtain 500 pounds (much more than he had asked for) in exchange for his lumber. He brought it straight home, despite being offered all sorts of sums of money for some of his flour. Upon his return, he and his wife rejoiced in their blessing and never sold any of it. They loaned some to families who needed it and gave freely to the poor, but they made no profit on what was extremely valuable that year.
He related an incident during the winter of 1855 that is summarized here. He left on a very cold day to go chop trees as he usually did at that time. He didn’t meet anyone else doing the same thing because of the extreme cold. He worked quickly to keep himself warm and soon had cut down five trees of similar size and started to load them on his sled with three below and two on top of them. While loading the logs, one of the blocks came loose and the tree rolled on top of him, pinning him in place. He was unable to free himself and he became very afraid for his life due to the cold and the remote location. He prayed with all his heart that the Lord help him to free himself. Shortly thereafter he lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he found himself sitting on top of the stacked trees, three below and two on top, with everything arranged as he would usually do it, his oxen walking home like every day. However, he was physically so stiff and sore from the log pinning him that he was unable to move. Upon his arrival home, his wife had to carry him to bed and care for the animals. He was so sore, in fact, that it took him days before he was able to walk properly again. He always testified that God had saved his life that day. This was a testimony to him that his mission in life was not yet fulfilled. (M. W. Merrill, A Wonderful Release 1892, 629-630)
5 June 1856, he married Cyrene Standley in President Young’s office in Salt Lake City. That October, Brother Merrill was a part of the relief team to the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. As part of those rescue efforts, he crossed a frozen river 19 times in one day.
Winter of 1859 to 1860, a few friends convinced him to move to Cache Valley where there were better financial prospects than Bountiful. He made the journey to Richmond and continued north, looking for an ideal location. He then heard a voice telling him to turn around and go south, a command that he obeyed. He returned to Richmond and settled there. He was a natural leader and in 1861, was selected as the second bishop of the Richmond Ward. He served in this capacity for 18 years. During this time, he earned a reputation for being an indefatigable and ceaseless worker.
Cache Valley at this time was very sparsely populated and attacks by the Native Americans were common. The settlers clustered their homes and farms together for protection and they were forced of necessity to work together.
In 1864, there was an occasion where the army was in Northern Utah and two of the soldiers had occasion to stay overnight with Marriner and his family. When the time for prayers came, he explained to the guests that in his home, they held family prayers night and morning. They were welcome to join the family, but if they would rather, they were free to retire. One of the soldiers stayed for family prayers.
In June 1864, he was appointed the first Postmaster of Richmond, a position he held for 20 years. He married Almira Jane Bainbridge on 1 April 1865.
While serving as bishop, Marriner W. Merrill became a kind of go-between from the people of Richmond to the Utah Northern Railroad Company, which was building the railroad from Ogden to Idaho and Montana. Brother Merrill distributed financial compensation for work done and received a salary for it. This was the beginning of his financial blessings. He later invested his money in land and a grist mill, together with two other men. The mill brought very little income, but was a great blessing to the people. He used the land to raise stock and established a large farm with an enormous yield, a work for which he had a natural inclination.
In October 1867, Marriner W. Merrill married Maria Loenza Kingsbury.
In 1870 he was called on a genealogical mission to his native New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but was recalled after two months because of “pressing duties at home in connection with his calling.” (M. C. Merrill 1937, 77)
In 1876 and 1878 he served two terms in the legislature, one in the House and one in the Council. He was also a member of the county court for more than ten years.
He was called as counselor in the stake presidency in 1879, a position he would hold for ten years under two different stake presidents.
Of his time as a member of the Cache Valley Stake Presidency, Elder Merrill related:
I can remember when Brother Preston was president of the Cache Stake and I was one of his counselors, it took us just one month to get around the Stake and visit the Saints, and then we could not get to all the wards. The Stake at that time ran from Logan to the Montana line. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 28)
In 1884, he was called to be the first president of the Logan Temple, where he served with Apostle Moses Thatcher. Because of the distance and difficulty of travel in those days, President Merrill had a room in the temple where he could sleep. In consequence of the amount of time spent away from his family, there was never enough evidence gathered against him to indict him on a charge of unlawful cohabitation under the Edmund’s Act. Thus he was spared serving time in the territorial penitentiary.
He married Elna Jonsson, a Swedish immigrant, February 1885, and Jennie Jacobson in 1886.
Around this time, President Taylor came to Brother Merrill and asked him for $1,000 without giving him a reason for it. Marriner gave him the money requested without asking any questions. Unbeknownst to him, President Taylor invested it in a mining venture in Brother Merrill’s name. The dividends came at a time when he needed the money to finance his children’s education. Shortly thereafter, when the need was no longer present, the stocks became worthless.
In July 1889, he married Anna Sophia Angum. Then, in October 1889 he was ordained an Apostle by President Woodruff. He was called at the same time as Elders Anthon H. Lund and Abraham H. Cannon.
He served another genealogical mission to the east in 1890, this time accompanied by his daughter, Rhoda. He was able to obtain around 60 names on this trip.
He married his eighth wife, Hilda Maria Erickson from Sweden, after the first Manifesto, interpreting it as John W. Taylor did, that the Manifesto was only valid within the United States. The exact date was not listed because of the need for secrecy at the time.
In March of 1893, Elder Merrill gave a talk in his home ward in Richmond, advising them to stop splitting down political party lines. Some of the members of his ward, including the bishop, felt that his comments were directed personally at them and complained about him to the First Presidency. Elders Brigham Young, Jr., Francis M. Lyman, and his stake president met with him and censured him for his remarks. Elder Merrill wrote, “I was adjudged in the wrong for sustaining the counsel of the First Presidency of the Church.” He was upset enough about this incident, that he stopped attending church in his home ward for more than a year. Elder Lyman later advised him to make up to the bishop and to renew their friendship. (Lyman 2010, Note 33, November 23, 1893)
This incident, however, came back to haunt him as it began to become blown out of proportion in January 1895. His fellow Apostle, Elder Moses Thatcher, was struggling with the First Presidency’s political policy and claimed that “an Apostle from Cache Valley” had been censured by the brethren for preaching politics from the pulpit, claiming that the First Presidency wanted the Saints to vote a certain way. This statement may be considered ironic since Elder Merrill’s statement had actually been in the opposite direction, to encourage the Saints not to separate along party lines. After meeting with the entire Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency, Elder Thatcher was requested to submit a public retraction of his previous statement, which he agreed to do.
Elder Merrill’s family was always uppermost in his mind. In April of 1894, he related the following story to his colleague, Elder Abraham H. Cannon:
My father heard the gospel, but did not receive it, though my mother did. He died and I did the work in the Logan temple for him. I did not intend to seal my mother, who was now dead to him, but one night they both appeared to me, and my father spoke angry with me. The night after I baptized him, he appeared to James A. Leishman, the temple recorder, and my mother was with him. Bro. Leishman described them both to me accurately, though he had never seen them in life. My mother did the most of the talking to Bro. Leishman, which was her characteristic in life. They desired to be sealed to each other. I therefore did as they desired, and the next night after doing so my father met me in the Temple, embraced and blessed me, saying, “God bless you my son! You are my savior and redeemer.” Since then he has not visited me. (Lyman 2010, April 5, 1894)
In 1896 he was appointed a member of the Agricultural College board, which he held until 1900, at which time he became a member of the Brigham Young College board.
In October 1899 he received an unusual calling for an Apostle. He was appointed stake president of the Cache Valley Stake.
He related the following policy he had when serving as Stake President in Cache Valley:
I will tell you how I have done in Cache Stake. For the past year we have not had one High Council trial. We have selected brethren and sent them to parties having difficulty and trouble, and I have said to the brethren, Go and sing the songs of Zion to them. "Well, how many times shall we sing?" "Well, sing once, and then pray; sing again, and continue to sing until the Spirit of the Lord is there, and you can feel that there is a softening." I tell you, it has had excellent results. The difficulties have been settled by the parties themselves. Their hearts have been softened, and they have concluded to arrange their own troubles. (M. W. Merrill 1901, 25)
Elder Marriner W. Merrill died 6 February 1906 at age 73 of kidney failure. He left behind a large family, one of the largest in the church. He was married to a total of eight wives and had 46 children. One of his sons, Joseph F. Merrill, also served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Quotes
Elder Merrill's speaking style tended to revolve around gospel principles that he was studying at the time. He enjoyed sharing personal experiences to illustrate his point. His grammar and vocabulary were quite simple, but sincere.
Elder Merrill had a strong testimony of the gospel. He never forgot the experiences of his youth that led him to it.
God revealed this work to me when I was but a child and I bear record of it to-day. Do not depend upon parents or those around you, but know the Lord for yourselves, so that you may be able to give the reason for the hope that is within you of eternal life. (M. W. Merrill, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 1890, 276)
I know this work is true. I learned this many years ago. I left the grave of my father, the fireside of my mother, a boy alone in the world, without a cent in my pocket, to associate myself with the Latter-day Saints. Why? Because I had a testimony from the Lord that this work was true, that Joseph Smith was a great Prophet of God, and that his brethren of the Twelve were great men of God and Seers and Revelators. The Church will never be left without a Prophet nor without Seers and Revelators. My life has not been all smooth sailing. I have had the hard and the rough times in the early days here, but I have had testimony upon testimony that this work is from God. (M. W. Merrill 1899, 16)
He felt it was essential to follow the dictates of the Spirit when speaking to an audience.
I think, my brethren and sisters, that I realize in part the responsibility of standing before you to say a few words. I have nothing particularly on my mind at this time, but depend for what I may say upon the Lord and your faith and attention. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 29)
Elder Merrill spoke often about his past. Here is an example from one of his talks.
The office of a Teacher is an important one in the Church. I remember once going as a Teacher into the family of President [Heber C.] Kimball, and President Kimball was there. Of course, being a boy, I felt bashful, and very diffident in talking in the home of one of the Presidency of the Church; but it was not long before President Kimball made me feel perfectly at home, to talk there just as I would to anyone else, because of the spirit and kindness he manifested. He says, "I want you to preach the Gospel to my family. If you see anything out of order, I want you to tell them about it; whether it be indoors or out-of-doors, tell them about it; advise with them about it, counsel with them about it." Now, that has always been a lesson to me. I have always remembered it. (M. W. Merrill 1902, 64)
He summed up the majority of his life’s experiences as follows:
Fifty-one years ago the 9th of April I was baptized, when the ice was about three feet thick, and had to be cut away, and I have not lost Interest in this work yet. I remember I was quite zealous when I was first baptized. I was soon ordained a Priest and sent out to teach. I acted two years in that capacity. When I came to this valley I was appointed a Teacher in the North Canyon ward, and labored in that capacity for eight years; and then moved to Cache valley, under the counsel of Apostles Orson Hyde and Ezra T. Benson. I was appointed Bishop there, and acted in that capacity 18 years. Subsequently, I was appointed to labor in the stake presidency with Brother W. B. Preston and acted in that capacity for 10 years. Since that time I have labored in the quorum of the Apostles. But I want to say that there never was a time when I felt that I was really qualified for the position I was called to occupy. I feel the same way yet. There is no disposition in me to boast. I am thankful to the Lord that I have been preserved in the Church for over 50 years, and I hope to continue in it as long as I am alive. (M. W. Merrill 1902, 39-40)
After his extensive experiences as President of the Logan Temple, Elder Merrill related the following:
The Lord was pleased with the temples. His power was there, and it rested upon the people who entered them with honest hearts to perform work for their dead. It was a great and sacred labor and it was now only in its incipient stages. Many things had happened in the temples which, if it were wise to talk about them, would astonish some people.
I remember in my early experience in the Church that I never contemplated that there would be more than one temple. I thought that would be all that would be needed for the work of the dead; but as it has rolled on, as we gain experience, we find that the work of the Lord is expanding, and we are also expanding in our views with regard to the work of the Lord. (M. W. Merrill 1898, 15)
However, he also spent a great deal of time preaching pure doctrines. He taught the following about avoiding debt:
We should fulfil our obligations and covenants with each other. Some of the people are living beyond their means and fail to meet their engagements at the proper time. This is a cause of much ill feeling. My policy has always been to pay as I go. Do not incur financial obligation; do not mortgage your homes, unless some circumstances exist that demand that you should do so. Pay day always comes around. It is contemptible for a man to take advantage of the law of limitations and hide behind that statute by refusing to redeem a note or pay a book account when they are outlawed. If you can’t pay for what you want do without it. (M. W. Merrill, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 1890, 754-755)
This is a principle he followed himself.
He also was ahead of his time in some ways. He taught the following about taking personal notes in conference:
Many topics were dwelt upon on these occasions, and it was therefore a good plan for the leading Elders of the Church to bring a note book with them and jot down the chief points in the discourses for future reference and guidance. Some excellent advice was given which should not be forgotten. (M. W. Merrill, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 1892, 721)
He taught immigrant parents to preserve their native language by teaching it to their children.
In some instances where the mother is acquainted with the foreign language and the father is not, or the father is acquainted and the mother is not, a great deal of pains should be exercised by the parents in teaching their children their language. We are sending Elders to different parts of the world; and a great majority of our Elders, I believe, have to learn a foreign language, if they are sent to a foreign country. This should be measurably avoided in the future, because our foreign population is scattered all over the country. (M. W. Merrill 1898, 78)
He also stalwartly taught the Saints to pray and to keep their priorities in the right places.
How many of you Latter-day Saints neglect your prayers? How many fail to call your families together in the morning and in the evening, or have you so much to do that you cannot attend to it? Do you have to go to some secret organization, and you have not time for family prayers? I want to advise you personally to drop all these organizations wherein there is no profit; associate yourselves with things wherein there is profit, wherein you may have more influence with your households, in persuading them to obey the laws of the Lord. There are a great many things for Latter-day Saints to do, and we know what is best to be done if we will only sit down and think about it. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 31)
At the occasion of Elder Merrill’s death, the following was written about him.
Apostle Merrill is one of those positive characters who do not yield to floating opinions and momentary prejudices. His convictions grow by experience and observation, and when once formed are not easily removed. His life has always been characterized by the greatest earnestness and sincerity and the simple and unaffected manners of his intercourse with men constitute one of the greatest charms of his personality. He is further a man of strong attachments, and his friendship when once bestowed is of the most enduring quality. His great sympathies and generous nature make his advice frequently sought by his brethren, and he is perhaps nowhere stronger in the Church today than in the capacity of a private adviser and counselor to those in misfortune as well as to those who need guidance in the affairs of life. (Tanner 1900, 678-679)
The Improvement Era also related:
He himself was a wise counselor, a good and honest man, thrifty, full of zeal, a worker from the beginning, who possessed superior physical, and practical power, strong character, indomitable will and splendid ability in discipline. He was true to his testimony, to the end, and had abiding faith in the gospel and in the work of the Lord. He had experienced many remarkable spiritual manifestations, and possesed a sympathetic and generous nature, supplemented by an earnestness and sincerity that constituted one of the leading charms of his personality. (Anderson 1906, 424)
Conclusion
What kind of man was Elder Marriner W. Merrill? He was a man of great testimony. He was a hard worker. He was patient and willing to work for everything that he had. He was a loyal husband and had a strong testimony of polygamy. The incident about preaching politics also shows us that deep down, he was a shy man, which also explains his embarrassment when called upon to pray in public at a young age. He didn’t always know what to say, but he tried his best to act according to his convictions.
He wasn’t perfect, but he tried to improve himself at all times. He wasn’t called to travel great distances, and spent most of his adult life in Cache Valley, but he faithfully fulfilled his callings in his own little corner of Zion. He was a man who practiced what he preached. He was the kind of example that we could all follow.
Anderson, Edward H. 1906. "Events and Comments: Passing of Apostle M. W. Merrill." The Improvement Era, March: 423-424.
Lyman, Edward Leo. 2010. Candid Insights of a Mormon Apostle: The Diaries of Abraham H. Cannon, 1889-1895. Salt Lake City: Signature Books.
Merrill, M. W. 1892. "A Wonderful Release." The Juvenile Instructor, October 15: 629-630.
—. 1901. "An Inspired Promise Fulfilled." The Juvenile Instructor, October 1: 579-580.
Merrill, Marriner W. 1898. Sixty-Ninth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company. 13-16.
—. 1899. Seventieth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 14-16.
—. 1900. Seventieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 29-32.
—. 1900. Seventy-first Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 27-29.
—. 1901. Seventy-First Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 23-26.
—. 1902. Seventy-Second Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 39-42.
—. 1902. Seventy-Third Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 62-65.
—. 1898. Sixty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Publishing Company. 37-40, 78-80.
—. 1890. The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, May 5: 276.
—. 1890. The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, December 1: 754-755.
—. 1892. The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, November 14: 721-722.
Merrill, Melvin Clarence. 1937. Utah Pioneer and Apostle: Marriner Wood Merrill and His Family. Self-published.
Tanner, J. M. 1900. "Lives of Our Leaders--The Apostles. Marriner W. Merrill." The Juvenile Instructor, October 15: 673-679.
The Instructor. 1956. "Little Deeds from Big Lives: They Sought His Will." November: 330.
Biography
Marriner Wood Merrill was born on 25 September 1832 in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada to Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reunolds (sometimes Reynolds). He was the fourth son of the Merrills’ thirteen children. Marriner had several extraordinary experiences in his childhood. He related the following:
When I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work, to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconscious and was clothed with a vision which I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. After I became conscious I found myself in a log cabin located on the way to the field. In this cabin I was on my knees in the attitude of prayer. In the vision I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I saw the travels of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the vision the sight of covered buggies and wagons was peculiar to me, for at that time I had never seen such vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mules which I beheld in my vision. I saw two and sometimes six mules to a wagon, and in the company of pioneers I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth, and each of them had more than one wife. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of the Saints were made clear to my understanding, and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true, but I was cautioned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale, and it was some time before I could speak distinctly. That incident of my life made a very strong impression upon my boyish mind, and one day I ventured to ask my mother a question about plural marriage, why it was not practiced now as in the days of God’s ancient people. She answered in surprise by asking what I knew about such things. Fearing that I might betray the secret revealed, I made no more mention of the matter. (Tanner 1900, 674)
Marriner had very few opportunities for education. He said, “Not having any opportunities of even a common school education in my youth, and leaving that County when young, I found my way hedged up in some degree ...” (M. C. Merrill 1937, 27)
Marriner’s father died in a farming accident 16 May 1851. Soon thereafter, Marriner discovered that his mother had been a member of the Church for many years, having been baptized in 1834 or 1835. Her husband, however, was opposed to the Church, so she kept it a secret, although she did teach the principles of the gospel to her children. Marriner was baptized 3 April 1852 at age 19 and ordained a Priest on 5 September of that year. One sister, Rhoda, was also baptized, but turned away after marrying a man outside the church. Another sister, Lavenia, and her husband were also baptized around the same time, but were eventually excommunicated for apostasy. None of his other eight living siblings joined the church, but none ever showed any opposition to it, either.
After the settlement of his father’s estate in 1853, Marriner made his way south and west to join the Saints in Utah. He made it to the Salt Lake Valley September of 1853 after nearly drowning in the Platte River on the way west.
Marriner's own account of his arrival in the Salt Lake Valley is as follows:
I first landed in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1853. I was then a lad of about twenty years. I came alone without father or mother or relatives, and when I reached the city there was not a face there that I ever saw before.
I had a feeling that I would like to see President Brigham Young. So, shortly after my arrival I went to his office and enquired for him. He received me very kindly and asked what I wanted. I told him who I was and that I had come because I wanted to see a prophet of God. He told me to sit down, and that, in a little while, he would talk to me. He then went out of the office for a short time. When he returned he drew a chair near to where I was sitting and began to make many enquiries regarding myself and why I had come to Zion. I gave him an account of how I came into the Church and told him many other things relating to my life. When the conversation had lasted for some little time he arose, placed his right hand on my head and blessed me. Amongst other things, he promised me that if I would keep the commandments of the Lord and pay my honest tithing neither I nor my children nor my children's children should ever want for bread.
…And from that time until the present neither I nor any of my posterity have wanted bread. And thus the promise of the Lord's servant to this stranger lad has been completely fulfilled. (M. W. Merrill, An Inspired Promise Fulfilled 1901, 579-580)
He began his life in Utah by securing work making shingles. He was married in November of 1853 to Sarah Ann Atkinson and immediately set out making his own shingles, which was more profitable than working for someone else doing the same work.
Of this time, Marriner W. Merrill said the following:
Our household goods consisted of one pole bedstead, one baking skillet (borrowed), one frying pan (borrowed), my chest for a table, two 3-legged stools, two knives and forks, six small tin spoons, etc. But we were happy and felt like it was home. The Lord blessed us with health and we both worked early and late to provide ourselves with a home of our own. (M. C. Merrill 1937, 35)
In the early spring of 1854, Marriner and his wife moved to Bountiful, which wasn’t a very populous place at that time. He served in the office of a teacher during his time in Bountiful. President Young felt prompted to give Brother Merrill a very large plot of land, totaling one hundred acres. Marriner then gave a third of it to his father-in-law and divided the rest with a poor Scandinavian neighbor.
He worked hard to build his first home on this plot of land and his wife worked alongside him every step of the way. 10 November 1855, he and his wife received their endowments in the Endowment House and were sealed together for time and all eternity by President Brigham Young.
He related the following story of his experiences serving as a teacher:
I know whereof I speak in regard to this matter, because in the early days I was trained under Brother Jedediah M. Grant. When the Teachers in the district where he labored all did their duty, it was called a reformation. We had quite a reformation in all the Church at that time. I remember very distinctly in the ward where I lived, Brother Grant on one occasion called all the Teachers to the stand. We met in the bowery, and had a board about sixteen feet long, put on some posts for the stand. There were twelve of us in the ward, and we had to stand up there in a row. He wanted us all to pray, each one in his turn, commencing on the right and going to the left. Someone asked Brother Grant afterward why he did that, and he replied that he wanted to see whether those young men had the spirit of prayer, so that he could judge if they prayed in the households of the Saints. I was quite a boy at the time, and when it came to my turn I hesitated a moment or so. Brother Grant happened to be kneeling right behind me, and he turned around, grabbed me by the leg with his hand and said, "Now, you pray." Well, it nearly scared all the pray out of me. But it was an object lesson and one that was very profitable to me. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 27-28)
That year was the occasion of the grasshopper plague in Utah, and after paying his tithing and all other obligations, Marriner discovered that his family would be short of flour. He set out to obtain flour by trading lumber. However, flour was short all over the area, so it was nearly impossible to buy. Through a miracle, Brother Merrill was able to obtain 500 pounds (much more than he had asked for) in exchange for his lumber. He brought it straight home, despite being offered all sorts of sums of money for some of his flour. Upon his return, he and his wife rejoiced in their blessing and never sold any of it. They loaned some to families who needed it and gave freely to the poor, but they made no profit on what was extremely valuable that year.
He related an incident during the winter of 1855 that is summarized here. He left on a very cold day to go chop trees as he usually did at that time. He didn’t meet anyone else doing the same thing because of the extreme cold. He worked quickly to keep himself warm and soon had cut down five trees of similar size and started to load them on his sled with three below and two on top of them. While loading the logs, one of the blocks came loose and the tree rolled on top of him, pinning him in place. He was unable to free himself and he became very afraid for his life due to the cold and the remote location. He prayed with all his heart that the Lord help him to free himself. Shortly thereafter he lost consciousness. When he woke up again, he found himself sitting on top of the stacked trees, three below and two on top, with everything arranged as he would usually do it, his oxen walking home like every day. However, he was physically so stiff and sore from the log pinning him that he was unable to move. Upon his arrival home, his wife had to carry him to bed and care for the animals. He was so sore, in fact, that it took him days before he was able to walk properly again. He always testified that God had saved his life that day. This was a testimony to him that his mission in life was not yet fulfilled. (M. W. Merrill, A Wonderful Release 1892, 629-630)
5 June 1856, he married Cyrene Standley in President Young’s office in Salt Lake City. That October, Brother Merrill was a part of the relief team to the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. As part of those rescue efforts, he crossed a frozen river 19 times in one day.
Winter of 1859 to 1860, a few friends convinced him to move to Cache Valley where there were better financial prospects than Bountiful. He made the journey to Richmond and continued north, looking for an ideal location. He then heard a voice telling him to turn around and go south, a command that he obeyed. He returned to Richmond and settled there. He was a natural leader and in 1861, was selected as the second bishop of the Richmond Ward. He served in this capacity for 18 years. During this time, he earned a reputation for being an indefatigable and ceaseless worker.
Cache Valley at this time was very sparsely populated and attacks by the Native Americans were common. The settlers clustered their homes and farms together for protection and they were forced of necessity to work together.
In 1864, there was an occasion where the army was in Northern Utah and two of the soldiers had occasion to stay overnight with Marriner and his family. When the time for prayers came, he explained to the guests that in his home, they held family prayers night and morning. They were welcome to join the family, but if they would rather, they were free to retire. One of the soldiers stayed for family prayers.
In June 1864, he was appointed the first Postmaster of Richmond, a position he held for 20 years. He married Almira Jane Bainbridge on 1 April 1865.
While serving as bishop, Marriner W. Merrill became a kind of go-between from the people of Richmond to the Utah Northern Railroad Company, which was building the railroad from Ogden to Idaho and Montana. Brother Merrill distributed financial compensation for work done and received a salary for it. This was the beginning of his financial blessings. He later invested his money in land and a grist mill, together with two other men. The mill brought very little income, but was a great blessing to the people. He used the land to raise stock and established a large farm with an enormous yield, a work for which he had a natural inclination.
In October 1867, Marriner W. Merrill married Maria Loenza Kingsbury.
In 1870 he was called on a genealogical mission to his native New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but was recalled after two months because of “pressing duties at home in connection with his calling.” (M. C. Merrill 1937, 77)
In 1876 and 1878 he served two terms in the legislature, one in the House and one in the Council. He was also a member of the county court for more than ten years.
He was called as counselor in the stake presidency in 1879, a position he would hold for ten years under two different stake presidents.
Of his time as a member of the Cache Valley Stake Presidency, Elder Merrill related:
I can remember when Brother Preston was president of the Cache Stake and I was one of his counselors, it took us just one month to get around the Stake and visit the Saints, and then we could not get to all the wards. The Stake at that time ran from Logan to the Montana line. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 28)
In 1884, he was called to be the first president of the Logan Temple, where he served with Apostle Moses Thatcher. Because of the distance and difficulty of travel in those days, President Merrill had a room in the temple where he could sleep. In consequence of the amount of time spent away from his family, there was never enough evidence gathered against him to indict him on a charge of unlawful cohabitation under the Edmund’s Act. Thus he was spared serving time in the territorial penitentiary.
He married Elna Jonsson, a Swedish immigrant, February 1885, and Jennie Jacobson in 1886.
Around this time, President Taylor came to Brother Merrill and asked him for $1,000 without giving him a reason for it. Marriner gave him the money requested without asking any questions. Unbeknownst to him, President Taylor invested it in a mining venture in Brother Merrill’s name. The dividends came at a time when he needed the money to finance his children’s education. Shortly thereafter, when the need was no longer present, the stocks became worthless.
In July 1889, he married Anna Sophia Angum. Then, in October 1889 he was ordained an Apostle by President Woodruff. He was called at the same time as Elders Anthon H. Lund and Abraham H. Cannon.
He served another genealogical mission to the east in 1890, this time accompanied by his daughter, Rhoda. He was able to obtain around 60 names on this trip.
He married his eighth wife, Hilda Maria Erickson from Sweden, after the first Manifesto, interpreting it as John W. Taylor did, that the Manifesto was only valid within the United States. The exact date was not listed because of the need for secrecy at the time.
In March of 1893, Elder Merrill gave a talk in his home ward in Richmond, advising them to stop splitting down political party lines. Some of the members of his ward, including the bishop, felt that his comments were directed personally at them and complained about him to the First Presidency. Elders Brigham Young, Jr., Francis M. Lyman, and his stake president met with him and censured him for his remarks. Elder Merrill wrote, “I was adjudged in the wrong for sustaining the counsel of the First Presidency of the Church.” He was upset enough about this incident, that he stopped attending church in his home ward for more than a year. Elder Lyman later advised him to make up to the bishop and to renew their friendship. (Lyman 2010, Note 33, November 23, 1893)
This incident, however, came back to haunt him as it began to become blown out of proportion in January 1895. His fellow Apostle, Elder Moses Thatcher, was struggling with the First Presidency’s political policy and claimed that “an Apostle from Cache Valley” had been censured by the brethren for preaching politics from the pulpit, claiming that the First Presidency wanted the Saints to vote a certain way. This statement may be considered ironic since Elder Merrill’s statement had actually been in the opposite direction, to encourage the Saints not to separate along party lines. After meeting with the entire Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency, Elder Thatcher was requested to submit a public retraction of his previous statement, which he agreed to do.
Elder Merrill’s family was always uppermost in his mind. In April of 1894, he related the following story to his colleague, Elder Abraham H. Cannon:
My father heard the gospel, but did not receive it, though my mother did. He died and I did the work in the Logan temple for him. I did not intend to seal my mother, who was now dead to him, but one night they both appeared to me, and my father spoke angry with me. The night after I baptized him, he appeared to James A. Leishman, the temple recorder, and my mother was with him. Bro. Leishman described them both to me accurately, though he had never seen them in life. My mother did the most of the talking to Bro. Leishman, which was her characteristic in life. They desired to be sealed to each other. I therefore did as they desired, and the next night after doing so my father met me in the Temple, embraced and blessed me, saying, “God bless you my son! You are my savior and redeemer.” Since then he has not visited me. (Lyman 2010, April 5, 1894)
In 1896 he was appointed a member of the Agricultural College board, which he held until 1900, at which time he became a member of the Brigham Young College board.
In October 1899 he received an unusual calling for an Apostle. He was appointed stake president of the Cache Valley Stake.
He related the following policy he had when serving as Stake President in Cache Valley:
I will tell you how I have done in Cache Stake. For the past year we have not had one High Council trial. We have selected brethren and sent them to parties having difficulty and trouble, and I have said to the brethren, Go and sing the songs of Zion to them. "Well, how many times shall we sing?" "Well, sing once, and then pray; sing again, and continue to sing until the Spirit of the Lord is there, and you can feel that there is a softening." I tell you, it has had excellent results. The difficulties have been settled by the parties themselves. Their hearts have been softened, and they have concluded to arrange their own troubles. (M. W. Merrill 1901, 25)
Elder Marriner W. Merrill died 6 February 1906 at age 73 of kidney failure. He left behind a large family, one of the largest in the church. He was married to a total of eight wives and had 46 children. One of his sons, Joseph F. Merrill, also served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Quotes
Elder Merrill's speaking style tended to revolve around gospel principles that he was studying at the time. He enjoyed sharing personal experiences to illustrate his point. His grammar and vocabulary were quite simple, but sincere.
Elder Merrill had a strong testimony of the gospel. He never forgot the experiences of his youth that led him to it.
God revealed this work to me when I was but a child and I bear record of it to-day. Do not depend upon parents or those around you, but know the Lord for yourselves, so that you may be able to give the reason for the hope that is within you of eternal life. (M. W. Merrill, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 1890, 276)
I know this work is true. I learned this many years ago. I left the grave of my father, the fireside of my mother, a boy alone in the world, without a cent in my pocket, to associate myself with the Latter-day Saints. Why? Because I had a testimony from the Lord that this work was true, that Joseph Smith was a great Prophet of God, and that his brethren of the Twelve were great men of God and Seers and Revelators. The Church will never be left without a Prophet nor without Seers and Revelators. My life has not been all smooth sailing. I have had the hard and the rough times in the early days here, but I have had testimony upon testimony that this work is from God. (M. W. Merrill 1899, 16)
He felt it was essential to follow the dictates of the Spirit when speaking to an audience.
I think, my brethren and sisters, that I realize in part the responsibility of standing before you to say a few words. I have nothing particularly on my mind at this time, but depend for what I may say upon the Lord and your faith and attention. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 29)
Elder Merrill spoke often about his past. Here is an example from one of his talks.
The office of a Teacher is an important one in the Church. I remember once going as a Teacher into the family of President [Heber C.] Kimball, and President Kimball was there. Of course, being a boy, I felt bashful, and very diffident in talking in the home of one of the Presidency of the Church; but it was not long before President Kimball made me feel perfectly at home, to talk there just as I would to anyone else, because of the spirit and kindness he manifested. He says, "I want you to preach the Gospel to my family. If you see anything out of order, I want you to tell them about it; whether it be indoors or out-of-doors, tell them about it; advise with them about it, counsel with them about it." Now, that has always been a lesson to me. I have always remembered it. (M. W. Merrill 1902, 64)
He summed up the majority of his life’s experiences as follows:
Fifty-one years ago the 9th of April I was baptized, when the ice was about three feet thick, and had to be cut away, and I have not lost Interest in this work yet. I remember I was quite zealous when I was first baptized. I was soon ordained a Priest and sent out to teach. I acted two years in that capacity. When I came to this valley I was appointed a Teacher in the North Canyon ward, and labored in that capacity for eight years; and then moved to Cache valley, under the counsel of Apostles Orson Hyde and Ezra T. Benson. I was appointed Bishop there, and acted in that capacity 18 years. Subsequently, I was appointed to labor in the stake presidency with Brother W. B. Preston and acted in that capacity for 10 years. Since that time I have labored in the quorum of the Apostles. But I want to say that there never was a time when I felt that I was really qualified for the position I was called to occupy. I feel the same way yet. There is no disposition in me to boast. I am thankful to the Lord that I have been preserved in the Church for over 50 years, and I hope to continue in it as long as I am alive. (M. W. Merrill 1902, 39-40)
After his extensive experiences as President of the Logan Temple, Elder Merrill related the following:
The Lord was pleased with the temples. His power was there, and it rested upon the people who entered them with honest hearts to perform work for their dead. It was a great and sacred labor and it was now only in its incipient stages. Many things had happened in the temples which, if it were wise to talk about them, would astonish some people.
I remember in my early experience in the Church that I never contemplated that there would be more than one temple. I thought that would be all that would be needed for the work of the dead; but as it has rolled on, as we gain experience, we find that the work of the Lord is expanding, and we are also expanding in our views with regard to the work of the Lord. (M. W. Merrill 1898, 15)
However, he also spent a great deal of time preaching pure doctrines. He taught the following about avoiding debt:
We should fulfil our obligations and covenants with each other. Some of the people are living beyond their means and fail to meet their engagements at the proper time. This is a cause of much ill feeling. My policy has always been to pay as I go. Do not incur financial obligation; do not mortgage your homes, unless some circumstances exist that demand that you should do so. Pay day always comes around. It is contemptible for a man to take advantage of the law of limitations and hide behind that statute by refusing to redeem a note or pay a book account when they are outlawed. If you can’t pay for what you want do without it. (M. W. Merrill, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 1890, 754-755)
This is a principle he followed himself.
He also was ahead of his time in some ways. He taught the following about taking personal notes in conference:
Many topics were dwelt upon on these occasions, and it was therefore a good plan for the leading Elders of the Church to bring a note book with them and jot down the chief points in the discourses for future reference and guidance. Some excellent advice was given which should not be forgotten. (M. W. Merrill, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 1892, 721)
He taught immigrant parents to preserve their native language by teaching it to their children.
In some instances where the mother is acquainted with the foreign language and the father is not, or the father is acquainted and the mother is not, a great deal of pains should be exercised by the parents in teaching their children their language. We are sending Elders to different parts of the world; and a great majority of our Elders, I believe, have to learn a foreign language, if they are sent to a foreign country. This should be measurably avoided in the future, because our foreign population is scattered all over the country. (M. W. Merrill 1898, 78)
He also stalwartly taught the Saints to pray and to keep their priorities in the right places.
How many of you Latter-day Saints neglect your prayers? How many fail to call your families together in the morning and in the evening, or have you so much to do that you cannot attend to it? Do you have to go to some secret organization, and you have not time for family prayers? I want to advise you personally to drop all these organizations wherein there is no profit; associate yourselves with things wherein there is profit, wherein you may have more influence with your households, in persuading them to obey the laws of the Lord. There are a great many things for Latter-day Saints to do, and we know what is best to be done if we will only sit down and think about it. (M. W. Merrill 1900, 31)
At the occasion of Elder Merrill’s death, the following was written about him.
Apostle Merrill is one of those positive characters who do not yield to floating opinions and momentary prejudices. His convictions grow by experience and observation, and when once formed are not easily removed. His life has always been characterized by the greatest earnestness and sincerity and the simple and unaffected manners of his intercourse with men constitute one of the greatest charms of his personality. He is further a man of strong attachments, and his friendship when once bestowed is of the most enduring quality. His great sympathies and generous nature make his advice frequently sought by his brethren, and he is perhaps nowhere stronger in the Church today than in the capacity of a private adviser and counselor to those in misfortune as well as to those who need guidance in the affairs of life. (Tanner 1900, 678-679)
The Improvement Era also related:
He himself was a wise counselor, a good and honest man, thrifty, full of zeal, a worker from the beginning, who possessed superior physical, and practical power, strong character, indomitable will and splendid ability in discipline. He was true to his testimony, to the end, and had abiding faith in the gospel and in the work of the Lord. He had experienced many remarkable spiritual manifestations, and possesed a sympathetic and generous nature, supplemented by an earnestness and sincerity that constituted one of the leading charms of his personality. (Anderson 1906, 424)
Conclusion
What kind of man was Elder Marriner W. Merrill? He was a man of great testimony. He was a hard worker. He was patient and willing to work for everything that he had. He was a loyal husband and had a strong testimony of polygamy. The incident about preaching politics also shows us that deep down, he was a shy man, which also explains his embarrassment when called upon to pray in public at a young age. He didn’t always know what to say, but he tried his best to act according to his convictions.
He wasn’t perfect, but he tried to improve himself at all times. He wasn’t called to travel great distances, and spent most of his adult life in Cache Valley, but he faithfully fulfilled his callings in his own little corner of Zion. He was a man who practiced what he preached. He was the kind of example that we could all follow.
Anderson, Edward H. 1906. "Events and Comments: Passing of Apostle M. W. Merrill." The Improvement Era, March: 423-424.
Lyman, Edward Leo. 2010. Candid Insights of a Mormon Apostle: The Diaries of Abraham H. Cannon, 1889-1895. Salt Lake City: Signature Books.
Merrill, M. W. 1892. "A Wonderful Release." The Juvenile Instructor, October 15: 629-630.
—. 1901. "An Inspired Promise Fulfilled." The Juvenile Instructor, October 1: 579-580.
Merrill, Marriner W. 1898. Sixty-Ninth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company. 13-16.
—. 1899. Seventieth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 14-16.
—. 1900. Seventieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 29-32.
—. 1900. Seventy-first Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 27-29.
—. 1901. Seventy-First Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 23-26.
—. 1902. Seventy-Second Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 39-42.
—. 1902. Seventy-Third Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. 62-65.
—. 1898. Sixty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Publishing Company. 37-40, 78-80.
—. 1890. The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, May 5: 276.
—. 1890. The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, December 1: 754-755.
—. 1892. The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, November 14: 721-722.
Merrill, Melvin Clarence. 1937. Utah Pioneer and Apostle: Marriner Wood Merrill and His Family. Self-published.
Tanner, J. M. 1900. "Lives of Our Leaders--The Apostles. Marriner W. Merrill." The Juvenile Instructor, October 15: 673-679.
The Instructor. 1956. "Little Deeds from Big Lives: They Sought His Will." November: 330.