ANNUAL REPORT. 



3'1 



the fine orchards that he planted remain a monument to his 

 skill and industry. He was possessed of a kindl\ nature and 

 a mind richly stored with wit and wisdom. He will be missed 

 by a large circle of friends and fellow fruit growers. 



The following- sketch of Mr. Merriman's life and work 

 is taken from a local paper: 



The funeral of Mr. Josiah H. Merriman, aged seventy- 

 seven years, was held at two o'clock this afternoon from the 

 chapel of the First Congregational Church, of which he was 

 for many years a member and a deacon. Rev. Fosdyke B. 

 Harrison, the pastor, conducted the service. Interment was 

 in Oak Hill cemetery. 



Mr. ]\Ierriman was a son of Anson Merriman and the 

 deceased was a direct descendant of Nathaniel Merriman, who 

 came to New Haven from England, and who surveyed and 

 laid out the town of Wallingford. Anson Merriman lived in 

 the Shuttle Meadow section of the town and his son, Josiah, 

 died in the house where he was born. A widow and one 

 daughter, Mrs. Elijah Rogers, survive him. The deceased 

 was one of the first in this section to engage in the growing 

 of peaches. He was also a grower of tobacco and one of 

 the first exporters of apples to England. 



In the seventies Mr. Merriman went West and invested 

 in Illinois land, but the investment did not prove as profitable 

 as he had expected. During the early eighties he was en- 

 gaged in agricultural pursuits in Dakota. Upon his return 

 here he engaged more extensivel)- than ever in fruit grow- 

 ing and for many years his was the largest peach orchard of 

 this vicinity. 



Mr. ]\Ierriman was a member of Union Grange, Unity 

 Council, O. U. A. M., and the Connecticut Pomological So- 

 ciety, of which he was one of the organizers. Beside a widow 

 and daughter, he leaves a brother, Alfred H. ^^erriman, of 

 Plantsville. 



