How about joining the 255 members of the Australian Genealogists group on Genealogy Wise.

Hello Michael

I am in Perth.

Have not got beyond the following in looking at the Merritt family

John Merritt

Birth:
About 1829 in Chatham, Ontario, Upper Canada
Death:
14 Aug 1886 in Drouin West, Victoria, Australia
Sex:
M
Father:
Stephen Merritt b. About 1800 Carpenter
Mother:
Ruth Emily Baker b. About 1800
Immigration: About 1853 Australia
Occupation: Farmer
Married: Catherine McDonald (Wife) b. About Oct 1838 in Laois, Ireland

Wondering if it is possible to go the other way and find Merritt who went to USA/Canada in time to have a Child John at Chatham Upper Canada?

Does this fit with your research in any fashion?

Cheers

Kieran Merritt

Pity there is no obvious link, back to scouring the webpages for a clue.

John Merritt's birth about 1829 has been difficult to document. The records in Upper Canada were not kept by any Government authority in the early parts of 1800, and I have asked the local genealogy society but they have not come up with anything.

Have not been able to locate either of the people John mentions on his marriage cert as his parents, Stephen Merritt and Ruth Emily Baker. So I could not help but check if you had a link in this direction.

The other angle I can think of is that a Merritt went to America and ended up in Canada as part of the Loyalist movement when the Brits and the Americans fell out over tea.

But there are many many reasons why John may have been born in Chatham Upper Canada and its pretty futile to guess.



Cheers

Kieran