Fredrick
Merrick, A.M, M.D.
Starling Medical
College located at the state capital was chartered by a special act
passed January 28 1848 The board of trustees organized under the charter
electing William S Sullivant president RW McCoy treasurer and Francis
Carter secretary The following gentlemen were chosen January 29 1848
members of the faculty Henry S Childs MD John Butterfield MD Richard L
Howard M I Jesse P Judkins MD Samuel M Smith MD Frederick Merrick AM and
Francis Carter MD During the first year the number of students was one
hundred and sixty and the degree of MD was conferred on thirty two
persons and honorary degrees on six
MERRICK, Frederick,
educator, was born in Wilbraham, Mass., Jan. 29, 1810 ; son of Noah and
Statira (Hays) Merrick ; grandson of Deacon Chili-t,l) B. and Lucina (Smith)
Merrick. and a descendant of Thomas and Elizabeth (Tilley) Merrick, 1630.
Frederick Merrick was brought upon his
father's farm, attended Wesleyan academy, Wilbraham, Mass., and matriculated
at Wesleyan university, Middletown, Conn., in the class of 1834, but left
just before graduation. He was married, in 1836, to Fidelia S. Griswold, of
Suffield, Conn. ; was principal of the Conference seminary at Amenia, N.Y.,
1836-38, and professor of natural science in Ohio university, 1838-42. He
joined the Ohio conference in 1841, was stationed at Marietta, Ohio,
1842-43, and was financial agent of Ohio Wesleyan university, 1843-45,
having been one of the first advocates of a Methodist Episcopal college in
Ohio, and an organizer of the university opened in 1844. He was professor of
natural sciences there, 1845-51 ; professor of moral philosophy, 1851-60 ;
and president of the university, 1860-73, when he resigned owing to failing
health and was made professor emeritus. He was auditor of Ohio Wesleyan
university, 1845-85, a trustee, 1877-94, and a lecturer on natural and
revealed religion in the university, 1873-94. His influence and effort
secured Thompson Chapel, a library building valued at $15,000, a library
book fund of $10,000, the Prescott cabinet, valued at $10,000, and a large
tract of land near the campus. He was a member of Committee of Revision of
Hymn Book in 1848, a delegate to the general conference of the Methodist
Episcopal church in 1860, 1864 and 1876, and a trustee of the Ohio State
Industrial school for girls, 1869-78.
He received the degrees:
A.M. from Wesleyan university, 1837, and
M.D. from Starling Medical college, 1850, and
declined that of D.D. offered by Wesleyan university, 1860, and that of
LL.D., by De Pauw, 1864. He contributed to the Ladies' Repository;
edited : Sermons on Miscellaneous Subjects by the Bishops of the
Methodist Episcopal Church and Senior Preachers of the Ohio and North Ohio
Conference (1847), and is the author of Formalism(1865);
Religion and the State(187o), and reports of the Reform School for Girls
(186978. He died at Delaware, Ohio, March 5, 1894.
(The personal edited research
notes of Michael Echols, the source of which may or
may not be completely documented)
