New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire

Merill Todd and his mail delivery Beetle were a familiar sight on New Boston roads.
Merrill was a WWII veteran, a husband, a father to Sharon and Sandy, and a Selectman.

Merrill Todd — A Life in Pictures

One of the earliest photos of Merrill is this Todd family portrait taken in front of his parents' home on Pine Echo Road c.1912.


Merrill is sitting on his mother's lap; Clara is in a white dress.
His father Herbert stands behind them in the top right corner.
Merrill's grandparents Elizabeth and John Todd are seated left of Clara.

Todd family genealogy
Samuel Todd (1786-1880) and his wife Betsy Starrett were among the first Todds to settle in New Boston in the early 1800s. Their sons included Merrill's grandfather John M. Todd (1835-1918), the white-haired gentleman with the watch chain, and James Page Todd (1822-1917). We don't know if James appears in the family photo above; I mention his name only because his great-grandson Bob Todd described James's California adventures in our Gold Rush page.

John M. Todd married Elizabeth Fletcher (1841-1919); their son was Herbert Samuel Todd.

Herbert Todd (1864-1942), who was born in New Boston during the Civil War, married Clara Louise Merrill (1889-1934) in 1910. Herbert had met Clara when she was working at The Tavern, New Boston's finest hotel. He was a painter and paper hanger. Herbert and Clara's children were Merrill, Elizabeth, Charles ("Chobie"), and Frederick Todd.

A brief biography of Merrill Todd
Merrill John Todd (1911-1996) was born in Lunenburg MA, possibly while Clara was staying with her family. He arrived in New Boston when he was two months old.

Merrill Todd attended New Boston schools, graduating in 1928.
He enlisted in the Army in the following year.

After Merrill graduated from New Boston High School, he attended Hesser Business College in Manchester for a while. Money was scarce, however, so he enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18. Honorably discharged two years later, Merrill worked at a variety of jobs on a chicken farm, in a lumber yard, and as a truck driver.

Eleanor Kane in 1939

On December 27, 1942, Merrill Todd married Eleanor Kane, daughter of Mary Elizabeth Goodale and Albert Stearns Kane, who lived on High Street. (Eleanor's brothers Howard and Bernard Kane operated Kane's Luncheonette in New Boston.)

Merrill Todd served in the USAAF during World War II.

Two days after he married Eleanor, Merrill was called to service in the second World War. He was inducted the following week at Fort Devens MA, received basic training in Miami FL, and was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Force Training Command at Colorado State College.

Merrill was sent to the Dobodura Airfield in New Guinea north of Australia until late summer 1944, when he went to the Philippines. Corporal Todd was honorably discharged in November 1945.

While in the Pacific, Merrill made jewelry for Eleanor from Australian coins.


30 High Street

When Merrill returned to New Boston, he and Eleanor purchased "Bricktop", a brick house at the top of High Street near Eleanor's parents' house. The Todds renovated the house and its barn. Merrill wanted to build a fireplace when he converted the barn to living space, but he knew nothing about brick-laying, so he went to the library and read as many books as he could find.

The Todd daughters Sandra and Sharon in the barn before it was renovated, and Merrill at work.

Merrill's VW near Nellie Chancey's house on Wilson Hill and on Cochran Hill Road.

Merrill Todd worked for the New Boston Post Office for many years. He delivered mail six days a week in his red VW Beetle. The Postal Service's unofficial motto, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night," does not mention mud, but more than half of New Boston's roads were (and still are) unpaved.

The photo at the top of this page shows the red VW between snow drifts. In his album Merrill captioned this photo: "New Boston toboggan slide — no place to go but up a tree if you meet someone!"

After he retired from the Post Office in 1973, Merrill served as Selectman for the Town of New Boston for three years. This followed years of volunteer work for the School, the Town, the Community Church, and the American Legion.

Photo: as a New Boston Town Selectman, Merrill Todd helped dedicate the library addition in 1981.

Merrill built a new house on Thornton Road with his second wife Jane. He enjoyed candle-pin bowling and the Boston Red Sox. He kept a daily diary in which he recorded what he grew in his garden and how many gallons of maple syrup he'd made.

Two entries from Merrill's diary

Merrill John Todd died on December 31, 1996. He shares a memorial stone in Weare NH with Martha Jane Kendrick Todd. In 2022 Merrill's daughters Sharon Todd-Elliott of New Boston and Sandra Nichols of NY donated to the Historical Society Merrill's World War II uniform and other memorabilia.

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