This has worked so well for the Saginawians that I though I'd throw the hat into the ring for Merrill. My grandpa W. G. Shannon, penned a small book of his memories from the early days of Merrill on up to about the time he passed away in 1962. Our surnames were: SHANNON, GILLIE, WELCH, RYAN, MALLEK, METHOD, ROSS, PINKERTON, MCGILL DES RIVIERE, BIELBY and GAULEY. The Shannon farms were located on Fenmore Road and Shannon Road. At one time, grandpa owned the property on the corner of Fenmore Road and M-46, that until the 1920s was a cemetery. The original John Robert Shannon farmhouse still stands on Shannon Road, currently the McNier family farm. Our Shannon farm used to be owned by Ted and Bea Emery. The house had a beauty shop in it for a while until was eventually torn down around 1990, but it was a beautiful farm in its heyday. F. & A.M. Lodge 411 I have a photograph of the officers of Masonic Lodge 411 Merrill, from 1915 with the names: V.B. Thompson, J.L. Walking, W.G. Shannon, C.E. Johnston, E.H. Massecar, R.T. Maynard, A.F. Swartout, H.D. Packard, E.M. Ling and C.E. Smith. The old building was owned by Mr. Packard and the lodge sat above the drug store on the corner of Midland and M-46. Grandpa was the Past Master from 1917. If anyone has kin in the photo please contact me and I'll E-mail you a copy of the photo. I'd like to hear about the early days of Merrill as I'm sure others would. The book written by W. G. Shannon was titled "Looking Backward - The History of Jonesfield Township." It's about 29 pages long and chock-full of little-known stories about the locals and the township. It was an informal documentation but written from the heart. Grandpa was known as a "local historian" and "Pioneer Son." If you would like a copy of the book sent to you as an attachment, please send me a request under a separate E-mail addressed to me directly, so no one can collect the addresses of those subscribed to the MISAGINA-L and use them for spamming. Sincerely, Kevin O'Brien Laguna Hills, CA P.S. If you need research done in Merrill, contact Duane Miller [email protected] Great rates! Go Bubba 1!