# Elliott Merrick

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**Elliott Merrick** (May 11, 1905 – April 22, 1997) was an American writer best known for his memoirs about [Labrador](/source/Labrador).[1] He was also an editor, teacher, farmer and sailor. In addition he wrote for magazines, including *[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)* and *[Reader's Digest](/source/Reader's_Digest)*.[1]

Elliott Tucker Merrick III was born into an affluent family in [Montclair, New Jersey](/source/Montclair,_New_Jersey), and graduated from [Phillips Exeter Academy](/source/Phillips_Exeter_Academy) and [Yale University](/source/Yale_University).[1][2] He worked at his father's firm, [The National Lead Company](/source/NL_Industries), for a year before deciding he wanted a more outdoor-oriented life.[2] He took a job as a teacher at the remote [Grenfell Mission](/source/Grenfell_Mission) (a medical missionary station) at [Indian Harbour, Labrador](/source/Indian_Harbour,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador).[1] He then transferred tonearby [North West River](/source/North_West_River) where he met his soon to be wife, Kate, a nurse from Australia.[2] He wrote about his time there in *Frost and Fire* (1939). He penned Kate's memoir, based on her memories of Labrador, titled *Northern Nurse* (1942). The book was quite successful spending time on [*The New York Times* Bestseller List](/source/New_York_Times_Bestseller_List).[1]

His first book *True North* (1933), is a diary about living in [Goose Bay, Labrador](/source/Goose_Bay,_Labrador).[1][3] He wrote a memoir *Green Mountain Farm* (1948) about farm life in northern Vermont, where he lived with his wife and children during the depression of the 1930s.

He taught English at the [University of Vermont](/source/University_of_Vermont). He was an editor for the [Office of War Information](/source/Office_of_War_Information) and worked with the merchant marine during World War II. These experiences informed his book *Passing By* (1947). He was later employed by the [United States Forest Service](/source/United_States_Forest_Service) in [Asheville, North Carolina](/source/Asheville,_North_Carolina) for 22 years, working as a science editor and publications officer.[1] After retirement he spent time with his wife sailing, from which was published posthumously *Cruising at Last: Sailing the East Coast* (2003).[1]

During the last years of his life Merrick was close friend with the outdoor writer [Lawrence Millman](/source/Lawrence_Millman), who wrote a short biographical remembrance in 2020.[4] He said Merrick "looked to [Thoreau](/source/Henry_David_Thoreau) for guidance", and *[Walden](/source/Walden)* was his "bible". Merrick once said, "Nature, love it or leave it, is all we've got."

## Works

Source:[5]

**Fiction**

- [*From This Hill Look Down*](https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.$b301846) (1934)
- *Ever the Wind Blows* (1936)
- *Frost and Fire* (1939)
- *Passing By* (1947)
- *The Long Crossing and Other Labrador Stories* (1992)

**Nonfiction**

- [*True North*](https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uva.x000962377) (1933)
- *Northern Nurse* (1942)
- *Green Mountain Farm* (1948)
- *Cruising at Last: Sailing the East Coast* (2003)

## References

1. Wolfgang Saxon (May 1, 1997). ["Elliott Merrick, 91; Wrote Stories Set in Labrador"](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/01/arts/elliott-merrick-91-wrote-stories-set-in-labrador.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

1. ["Collection APL 191 - Kate and Elliott Merrick collection"](https://arc.anla.nf.ca/kate-and-elliott-merrick-collection-2). *arc.anla.nf.ca*. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

1. ["Review: True North"](https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8032-8164-6). *[Publishers Weekly](/source/Publishers_Weekly)*. February 1, 1989. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

1. Millman, Lawrence (May 3, 2020). ["Elliott Merrick: A Remembrance"](https://thoreaufarm.org/2020/05/elliott-merrick-a-remembrance/). *[thoreaufarm.org](/source/Wheeler-Minot_Farmhouse)*. Retrieved June 15, 2022.

1. ["Merrick, Elliott"](http://s-libweb2.uncg.edu/dp/nclitmap/details.aspx?typ=auth&id=2283). *North Carolina Literary Map*. University of North Carolina Greensboro. Retrieved February 23, 2020.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elliott Merrick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Merrick) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Merrick?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.