[1] Upon returning to the States in 1919 after the war, Merrill worked short stints as a newspaper journalist in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Michigan, and New York City through 1922.
These articles were collected and expanded to form Merrill's long string of non-fiction books.
[1][2] A prolific writer, he was best known for his articles in the Sunday paper on history and folklore of the Genesse Valley and the Finger Lakes of upstate New York.
[4] Sometimes called the "Poet Laureate of Upstate New York",[5] he authored a number of books, most of which are collections of his articles.
[citation needed] Merrill died July 15, 1974, and is buried in the Brighton Cemetery at the end of Hoyt Place in Rochester.