Moses and Eliza Merrill

Due to the corruption of some traders selling whisky (about which Moses Merrill wrote from a trading post where whisky was sold: {2} “This is not the house of God, nor the gate of heaven. It is rather the house of Satan and the gate of hell. Two kegs of whisky were carried from the house this morning by Indians. They well trade their horses, their guns and even their blankets for this poisonous drink.”) a new mission was built eight miles west of Bellevue in 1835. During this time the Merrill’s were blessed with another baby boy, whom they named Samuel Pearce. Soon after, the atmosphere at the Oto mission became dangerous. Traders, angry with the Merrill’s for attempting to keep the Indians away from alcohol, told the superstitious natives that God was angry with them for letting the missionaries stay. Deaths were blamed on the Oto learning to read. Things got so bad the farmer and blacksmith (who had been sent by the United States to teach the Indians) moved out in fear for their lives. Still the Merrill’s stayed.

Drinking soon became a regular part of daily life at the mission. This led to the death of Chief Itan, the respected Chief of the Oto. After his death, closeness with the Oto became more difficult. Moses chose to go on an annual buffalo hunt in 1838, feeling that his participation would help relations with the Oto, help him learn the language better and, make his preaching more effective. He contracted tuberculosis on this particular hunt. When he decided he could not take the disease any longer, he journeyed to Ft. Leavenworth for treatment.

With Moses gone, Eliza and Samuel lived in constant fear. Neighbors moved out quickly and soon they were alone. Upon his return, Moses found that the village could barely be described as such. Finally, unable to take the burdens upon him, perhaps one of them being heartache, Moses died (February 6, 1840) and was buried. Soon after, Eliza packed up Samuel and their things and moved back east. Within two years, the Oto abandoned the mission, considering it to be “bad ground” because of the violent death of Itan.

Moses was mourned not only by his wife and children, but also by the Oto who called him “Tapoothka,” the one who always speaks the truth.

Today, Camp Moses Merrill in Linwood, Nebraska is dedicated to Moses and Eliza Merrill and

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