John George Merrin
John George Merrin was the oldest son of John A Merrin and his wife, Catherine Mary Kavanagh. He was the oldest brother of my great-grandfather, Charles Michael Merrin.
John George is not directly related to me however he's an interesting character and originally there was a bit of a mystery about him which I was trying to solve by writing this page. I have since solved the mystery which involved a man with exactly the same name who lived and died in Orange, NSW. I now have both men's death certificates on file and know which John George Merrin was a member of my Merrin family.
John George Merrin was born in 1863 in Carcoar (NSW BDM). He married (Elizabeth) Eliese Clark in Carcoar in 1894 (NSW BDM) and the couple had five children together.
The children were:
Fleetwood Linley, born 1895 in Nyngan (commercial traveller, married to Jessie, divorced 1932, died 29 Dec 1965, buried with father). Note: John Linley Merrin (born 1927) buried at Castle Hill is probably a son;
Glen Roy, born 1896 in Grafton (journalist, died 26 Feb 1960, buried with father);
Mona, born 1903 in Sydney;
Hazel, born 1908 in Sydney;
Keith, born 1913 in Sydney;
Much of what I've found out about John's life comes from newspaper articles about his career as a journalist and, later, as a newspaper owner and proprietor. It seems he may have been a bit pompous and self-important and, occasionally, dishonest. He was also not above writing very scathing articles about his competitors.
Here is a summary of his movements and career:
In 1912, John was living at 18 Duxford Street, Paddington, when he registered the death of his father, John A Merrin. He was still living at the same address in 1913 when he was made an honorary magistrate. The snippet below is from the Sydney Morning Herald of 2 May 1913.
John George is not directly related to me however he's an interesting character and originally there was a bit of a mystery about him which I was trying to solve by writing this page. I have since solved the mystery which involved a man with exactly the same name who lived and died in Orange, NSW. I now have both men's death certificates on file and know which John George Merrin was a member of my Merrin family.
John George Merrin was born in 1863 in Carcoar (NSW BDM). He married (Elizabeth) Eliese Clark in Carcoar in 1894 (NSW BDM) and the couple had five children together.
The children were:
Fleetwood Linley, born 1895 in Nyngan (commercial traveller, married to Jessie, divorced 1932, died 29 Dec 1965, buried with father). Note: John Linley Merrin (born 1927) buried at Castle Hill is probably a son;
Glen Roy, born 1896 in Grafton (journalist, died 26 Feb 1960, buried with father);
Mona, born 1903 in Sydney;
Hazel, born 1908 in Sydney;
Keith, born 1913 in Sydney;
Much of what I've found out about John's life comes from newspaper articles about his career as a journalist and, later, as a newspaper owner and proprietor. It seems he may have been a bit pompous and self-important and, occasionally, dishonest. He was also not above writing very scathing articles about his competitors.
Here is a summary of his movements and career:
- In 1896 and 1897 John George Merrin was living in Grafton where he owned and edited the South Grafton Times.
- On 10 February 1899 it was reported that he had "severed his connection with the Windsor Australian".
- He moved to Sydney in 1900 where he worked as a reporter on the staff of the Australian Star.
- On 18 May 1901, he purchased the Walgett News and moved from Sydney to Walgett to run the newspaper.
- On 8 June 1901 it was reported that he had moved from Mudgee to Walgett to edit the Walgett News and that he had moved around a dozen newspapers over the previous twelve months.
- On 6 December 1901, John George Merrin commenced a libel action against Frank Adams, the owner of a competing newspaper. The court found in his favour but damages were minimal as the defence tendered an article John George Merrin had written in Grafton and the judge noted that "the libel complained of by plaintiff was milk-and-water compared with the article published by him of a fellow journalist in Grafton."
- On 25 November 1904 it was reported that a sequestration order had been made against "the abovenamed bankrupt", John George Merrin.
- On his death in 1927, it was reported that he was the "proprietor and managing editor of the Farmer and Grazier" and that he had been connected with the publication for over ten years.
In 1912, John was living at 18 Duxford Street, Paddington, when he registered the death of his father, John A Merrin. He was still living at the same address in 1913 when he was made an honorary magistrate. The snippet below is from the Sydney Morning Herald of 2 May 1913.
Residences according to the Sands Directories
1903: George Merrin, 70 Lennox Street, Newtown
1905: George Merrin, 84 Lennox Street, Newtown
1906-1917: George Merrin, 18 Duxford Street, Paddington
1918-
1922-1927: J G Merrin, 36 Sir Thomas Mitchell Road, Bondi
1927: 6 St Clair Flats, Bondi Road, Bondi
1905: George Merrin, 84 Lennox Street, Newtown
1906-1917: George Merrin, 18 Duxford Street, Paddington
1918-
1922-1927: J G Merrin, 36 Sir Thomas Mitchell Road, Bondi
1927: 6 St Clair Flats, Bondi Road, Bondi
By 1921, when he registered the death of his sister, Carrie, he was living in Bondi.
On 24 May 1914, a newspaper article in a Perth paper accused John George Merrin of using his position as manager of the New South Wales Farmer and Grazier Association to help a watch company sell watches to farmers, presumably for some sort of fee. The article included a very sarcastic letter from John which the newspaper had received in reply to an enquiry they had sent to him about the matter. John does not come out of the exchange looking very good.
Death and Burial
John George Merrin died, apparently unexpectedly, on 13 October 1927 at his residence, 6 St Clair Flats, Bondi Road, Bondi. He died of heart disease. John was 64 years old, however the age given on his death certificate is 56 and, in the death notice in the Sydney Morning Herald, it is 58. He was buried in the Catholic section of Waverley Cemetery.
John's wife, Eleise Mary Merrin, died on 12 March 1951 at her home, 11 Edward Street, Bondi (NSW BDM, SMH). She is buried with her husband, mother and two of her sons - Fleetwood and Glen Roy - at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney.
John's wife, Eleise Mary Merrin, died on 12 March 1951 at her home, 11 Edward Street, Bondi (NSW BDM, SMH). She is buried with her husband, mother and two of her sons - Fleetwood and Glen Roy - at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney.