Samuel Merrill was an early leading citizen of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

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Samuel was born in 1792 in Peacham, Vermont

Peacham, Vermont

Peacham is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 665 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.7 square miles , of which 46.7 square miles is land and 0.9 square mile is...

, the second son of Jesse and Priscilla Merrill. He attended Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

 for one year before moving to Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 to study law with his older brother James. In 1816 he moved to Vevay, Indiana

Vevay, Indiana

Vevay is a town in and the county seat of Jefferson Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,683 at the 2010 census.-History:...

. He was soon elected to the Indiana General Assembly

Indiana General Assembly

The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...

, where he served three consecutive terms as the representative of Switzerland County

Switzerland County, Indiana

Switzerland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 10,613. The county seat is Vevay.-History:Switzerland County was formed in 1814...

. Samuel married Lydia Jane Anderson in 1818 and had 10 children, including Catharine Merrill

Catharine Merrill

Catharine Merrill was one of the first female university professors in the United States.-Biography:Catharine was born in 1824 in Corydon, Indiana. Her father was Samuel Merrill, an early leading citizen of the state. She studied literature in Germany and taught in Cleveland, Ohio and...

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