Celia Weston COIT

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• _UID: D8CE18C0AA00487BB195D42F34114F1CE4F8

Family/Spouse: David Alexander BRIDEWELL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• Name: Merrill COIT
• _UID: EBCDF64C2841439FAE4D9116D043EACEB2ED

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Merrill, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the eldest o
f three boys.He was educated in Grand Rapids and worked during the summers on the roadselling bonds to banks, a line of work that he continued with aftergraduation from college. He graduated from Yale in the School ofArchitecture or possible the School of Fine Arts. At some point he movedto Chicago where he joined a young set with whom he attended dances andtheatre. While in Chicago he earned a good living and had himself in agood financial situation before he really set his sights on a wife. Hemet Eleanor in Chicago. However, there is no question that Merrill wasvery, very much in love with her.

Merrill was therefore 33 when he married, a relatively late age formarriage. Eleanor was 24 years old and was quite a lively catch forMerrill, who was a rather staid investment banker.

Eleanor and Merrill originally lived in an apartment in the Lincoln Parkneighborhood of Chicago. They had an Irish maid who helped with the homeat the beginning and upon babys birth became the nurse.
The nurse named the baby "Poochy" and when questioned about this sheanswered that "Sure and the isn't your pooch in which you keep yourvaluables?" Merrill was overjoyed at having a baby, something that showsin the pictures taken at the time.

Sometime during that time they moved to a house on Hampton Court and itwas here that little Elly was born the next year during a very hotsummer, and Celia 2 years later.

Just after little Elly's birth, but before Celia's, Merrill quit hisemployment because of what he belived to be dishonesty. It must havebeen difficult with a new family, but his moral and ethical standardsreally demanded this. About a year later he started work at thetimberbond house, Baker Fentress. He specialized in timber bonds, and athis death at age 50 was the treasurer of Baker Fentress.

After 2 or 3 years at Hampton Court, Merrill bought the house at 453Deming Place. It was about the time of this move that Dr. and Mrs.Babcock came to live with the family. The girls lived in a nursury onthe third floor next door from the nursery, while the grandparents andparents had their rooms on the second floor, where there was also a verylarge library. The first floor had the formal living room, dining room,kitchen, and small back yard.

His avocation and love were all toward art and painting, undoubtedly aninheritance from his grandfather Daniel W. Coit. He always travelledwith a sketchbook. When Eleanor and Merrill went on vacation he wouldpaint and many of the works hung on the walls of the family home. AtGreen Lake Eleanor would accompany him on his painting, and while hepainted she mended clothing. The only work that Merrill did that Momstill has is that of the head which is located over the Dutch Crate atthe Hearthstone. He was a member of the Paletine Chizel Club andcollected art as was his wont. Each of Merrill's family had portraitpainted.

After marriagethey belonged to the Tiptoppers Club, a dinner-dance club.He liked music and was a good dancer. Merrill played the piano,although he couldn't read music.

Merrill was deeply religious and interested in different thingsreligious. He attended and was treasurer for the Fourth PresbyterianChurch in Chicago (a social church), and Eleanor attended but with lessenthusiasm. The girls attended Sunday School there and would join theirparents when they arrived for the 11:00 service. They had their own pewas was customary. His beliefs was strongly held and did not allow formuch questioning. Although the Coit household had "help" they neverconsidered that they had servants.

On one occiasion the girls and Merrill attended Gypsy Smith's RevivalMeeting. After the meeting Gypsy Smith (from Cambridge, England.) wasinvited to the Coit's house for dinner. Later when Eleanor and the girlswent to Europe after Merrill's death, they visited Gypsy Smith inCambridge where despite being married he was extremely "attentive" toEleanor Coit.

During the depression, Merrill died suddenly of a heart attack. He hadcome home in the middle of the day feeling ill and went to take a bath.When something alerted the help to the fact that he had not gotten out ofthe bath, they went in search of him and found him dead. To Eleanor'slater dismay, they called the Fire Department who came immediately.

Despite the fact that Dr. Babcock had died much earlier, Wraxall stillworked for the family. Wraxall came to pick the girls up as usual, andWraxall somberly turned to the three of them and told them that theirdaddy had died. From school Wraxall drover them to pick up their mother.Eleanor had known that Merrill had angina, but not the children.

Albert married Eleanor Clinton BABCOCK on 2 Jun 1913 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Eleanor was born on 31 Dec 1888 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; died in Nov 1957 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _UID: CB0110FC6B3341BFBB79239A3DD60DE2694E

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With the suddenness of Merrill's death, Eleanor decided tha
t she and hergirls could not spend Christmas at Deming Place and she purchased ticketsto the Caribbean. Wraxall drove them to New Orleans where they took aboat to Cuba and British Honduras, returning home after Christmas.

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• _UID: DF47A09B92904E91B2C452D755AB0EA3B204

Charles married Clara Guernsey MERRILL on 16 Oct 1878 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Clara was born on 5 May 1850 in Kenosha, Wisconsin; died on 23 Dec 1915 in Grand Rapids, Kent County, MI.. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _UID: EFAF5E0F28EB4E74B9E321F9B8C4347FC5E4

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• FamilySearch ID: LZCR-483
• _UID: 923E5194F1F34AFABE73E5DBEFEF97C00350

Daniel married Harriet Frances COIT on 1 Sep 1834 in Norwich, Connecticut. Harriet (daughter of Levi COIT and Lydia HOWLAND) was born on 15 Aug 1805; died on 25 Oct 1878 in Norwich, Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• _UID: E66C587B7EBD45AB8DEE7507F05AC89CF544