Merritt family papers, 1894-1980

Fred Tracy Merritt was born on September 9, 1870 in Janesville, Wisconsin, to William H. and Maria Noyes Merritt. After obtaining a law degree from the University of Wisconsin, Merritt practiced law in Minneapolis until 1900, when he moved to Alaska to serve as the U.S. Commissioner and Deputy Clerk of the U.S. District Court in Nome and St. Michael. The Merritt family then lived in Centralia, Washington, for two years before moving to Seattle in 1907, where Fred was a prominent attorney. Over the course of his career he worked as an attorney for the Union Pacific Railway, as a practicing member at Bogle, Merritt, & Bogle, and as a consultant and attorney for other firms, including Skeel, McKelvy, Henke, Evenson & Uhlman. He also served as the president of the Seattle Bar Association. Additionally, Merritt was an active member of the Inglewood Country Club, the Rainier Club, the College Club, and the Arctic Club, as well as fraternal organizations including the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America.

On June 26, 1895, Merritt married Elizabeth (Bess) Sherrill, the daughter of Rev. John and Julia P. Sherrill, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Elizabeth Sherrill Merritt was born in Neosho Falls, Kansas, before attending high school in Minneapolis and, later, the Detriot Seminary for Girls, from which she graduated with a major in music. She was an active member of the Ellisport Women's Club, the Woman's Century Club, and the Sigma Chi Mother's Club at the University of Washington. She died in Seattle on September 13, 1964. Fred T. Merritt died in 1963. Fred and Bess Merritt had three children--Mildred L., Fred S., and Ruth M.--all of whom were educated in Seattle Public Schools. Their five grandchildren were Frederick and Richard Merritt and Mildred Jean, Marilyn, and Beth Novak.

Fred Sherrill Merritt was born in Minneapolis on June 16, 1899 and studied at the University of Washington. Like his father, Merritt was an attorney. He married Constance Dorothea Seibert on June 26, 1924 and died in 1984 in Lacy, WA. Fred and Constance had two children, Frederick and Richard.

Ruth Adelia Sherrill was born on April 30, 1885 in Litchfield, Minnesota, to parents Rev. John and Julia P. Sherrill. Her older sister was Elizabeth Sherrill Merritt. Sherrill's father was the pastor of the Presbyterian Church, and her faith was important to her throughout her life. She attended Central High School in Minneapolis before enrolling at Macalester College in St. Paul. Following her graduation in 1907, Sherrill taught high school in Minnesota and Washington for thirty-three years. While teaching at Monroe (WA) High School, Sherrill was offered the position of principal but resigned to care for her aging parents. She also taught Sunday school and was an active member of the missionary societies at the University Presbyterian Church. Sherrill died on March 1, 1980.