George N. Merrill was born on November 5, 1827 in Norridgewock, Maine. He was an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was a citizen of Jackson, NH for 41 years. He married Clara in 1894. Both he and his wife were painters. The White Mountain Echo of August 15, 1885 reported that Merrill kept an art studio in Jackson, NH, and again discussed the studio on July 16, 1892. Merrill worked in pastels and oils. His first studio was at the corner of Wilson Road Black Mountain Road in the remains of the Old Jackson Baptist Church. A Bronze marker placed by the Jackson Historical Society marks the spot.
He painted with Asher B. Durand, Samuel Colman, Aaron Draper Shattuck, George Inness, and his special friend, Albert Fitch Bellows. He was also associated with Daniel Huntington as well as the Selingers, Emily and Jean Paul, when they took over Frank Henry Shapleigh‘s studio at the Crawford House.
In 1909 Merrill was the first recipient of the Boston Post Cane, given to Jackson’s oldest resident.
Merrill died after an eight month stay at the New Hampshire Soldiers Home in Tilton, NH on May 6, 1912.
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References
The Granite State’s Boston Post Canes
Mayer, Paul
New Hampshire Scenery