Home > United States of America > Kentucky > Grayson County > Millwood > Vol Layman Cemetery > Keith Merrill

Keith Merrill

Birth	:	2 Apr 1887 Minnesota, USA
Death	:	8 Jun 1959 Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA
Burial	:	Vol Layman Cemetery, Millwood, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate	:	37.4425011, -86.3902969
Description	:	Keith Merrill served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. He became involved with the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the U.S. Army (MFAA) in 1945 when the United States made the controversial decision to ship German owned paintings from the Wiesbaden Collecting Point to Washington. A native of Minneapolis, Merrill graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School, and served in the National Guard from 1915 to 1917. He then entered consular service with the Department of State, assigned to posts in London, Madrid, and Sydney, Nova Scotia. In 1924, he returned to Washington,... Read More	Keith Merrill served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. He became involved with the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the U.S. Army (MFAA) in 1945 when the United States made the controversial decision to ship German owned paintings from the Wiesbaden Collecting Point to Washington. A native of Minneapolis, Merrill graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School, and served in the National Guard from 1915 to 1917. He then entered consular service with the Department of State, assigned to posts in London, Madrid, and Sydney, Nova Scotia. In 1924, he returned to Washington, later becoming Chief of the Foreign Buildings Office. He left the Department of State in 1937, and the following year became secretary-treasurer of the construction firm John W. Harris Associates, working out of their New York office. He remained in New York until 1941. Merrill joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1942 as assistant to the Navy liaison officer to the Board of Economic Warfare. In 1945, he transferred to the Foreign Economic Administration, assigned to the headquarters of the United States European Theater in Frankfurt. That same year he was recruited to assist with preparation and shipment of 202 German-owned paintings to Washington for safekeeping, serving as deputy to Lieutenant Lamont Moore of the MFAA, and joined by Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander John H. Rhodes. The paintings arrived at the National Gallery on December 8, 1945. They remained there in storage until 1948, when they began an exhibition tour of thirteen American museums. After the first exhibit closed at the National Gallery in May, fifty-two of the most delicate panels were shipped back to Germany, followed by another fifty-four in September, and the remainder in March, 1949. Merrill, who had been discharged from the Reserve in 1946, was recalled to active duty to oversee and accompany each of these shipments, as well as two others that were loaned by foreign governments in appreciation of the U.S. efforts in Europe. The first was Michelangelo's statue, the David-Apollo, which was loaned to the National Gallery by the Italian government. He handled delivery to the National Gallery in 1948, then returned it to Italy the following year. From Italy he traveled to London to coordinate a shipment of artwork from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and in May of 1952 returned the works to Bremerhaven. This was his last service to the U.S. military before final retirement. After the war, Merrill was an active trustee of The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, to which he donated 225 rare and historic books from his personal collection. During their years of travel and overseas posts, he and his wife, Katharine, built a collection of art that included paintings, sculpture, tapestries and enamels. Works from their collection were included in an exhibit at Washington's Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1952, and were featured in an exhibition at St. John's Church in Washington, D.C. in 1954. They donated engravings and other artwork by artists such as James McNeill Whistler and Augustus John to the National Gallery of Art and the Corcoran Gallery, and aquatints by Arlent Edwards to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. On June 8, 1959, Keith Merrill passed away at Avalon, his home in the Prides Crossing section of Beverly, Massachusetts. He was 72 years of age. Source: Monuments Men Foundation (Provided by FAG contributor Truman Bratteli)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Keith Merrill's memorial?
Keith Merrill's memorial is located at: Vol Layman Cemetery, Millwood, Grayson County, USA.
When did Keith Merrill death?
Keith Merrill death on 8 Jun 1959 in Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Keith Merrill's memorial?
Latitude: 37.4425011
Longitude: -86.3902969

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Katharine Ayer Merrill

(1890 - 1981)

Siblings

May Merrill Shepard

(1880 - 1977)

Children

Dr Keith Merrill Jr.

(1918 - 2007)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Wells Cemetery
Millwood, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4532100, -86.3914700

2. First Apostolic Church Cemetery
Millwood, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4396690, -86.4081690

3. Old Caney Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4212458, -86.3932417

4. McDonald Cemetery
Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4240877, -86.3748228

5. Layman Memorial Gardens
Millwood, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4342003, -86.4191971

6. Black Rock Church of Christ Cemetery
Black Rock (Leitchfield), Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4612630, -86.3552550

7. Sanders Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4402000, -86.3438000

8. Richland Cemetery
Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4596558, -86.3459091

9. Clark Barton Cemetery
Millwood, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4354869, -86.4402892

10. Kefauver Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4771996, -86.3641968

11. Si Hughes Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4027910, -86.4061350

12. Taylor Cemetery Old
Sadler, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4352280, -86.3354980

13. Hopewell Cemetery
Caneyville, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4827560, -86.4171620

14. Frank-Embrey Cemetery
Caneyville, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4496250, -86.4490819

15. Williams Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4289017, -86.3296967

16. Claggett United Baptist Church Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4882510, -86.3647650

17. Cravens Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4923693, -86.3772753

18. New Freedom Cemetery
Leitchfield, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4210470, -86.3314790

19. Byers Cemetery #1
Caneyville, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4301720, -86.4579340

20. Sapp Cemetery
Caneyville, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4626700, -86.4574400

21. Miller Cemetery
Caneyville, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4515080, -86.4636111

22. Shrewsbury Cemetery
Shrewsbury, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.3823800, -86.3823700

23. Prewitt Cemetery
Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.5038986, -86.4124985

24. Wilson United Baptist Church Cemetery
Caneyville, Grayson County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4063270, -86.4593960