The Ellis B. Merry Personal Papers were assembled by Merry during his lifetime and include a number of documents from his years spent at the National Bank of Detroit. The collection, as arranged by his stepdaughter, Jean Dodenhoff, focuses primarily on his business activities, personal interests and travels. Materials found here include business and personal correspondence, journals, lists, some legal documents and publications, commendation certificates, travel itineraries, chronologies, reports, and memorabilia. There are a significant number of photographs documenting the boards of directors on which he served as well as the bank-related activities in which he participated. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Business Activities; Personal Activities; Personal Journals; Travel; and Photographs.
Ellis Boyd Merry, the son of Earl D. Merry (1882-September 1957) and Lillian (Eck) Merry, was born in Kalamazoo, MI on January 30, 1907. Having moved with his family to Pontiac, MI soon after his birth, he attended school in that city with two brothers, William James and Henry A. and one sister, Katherine. By 1931, Ellis Merry had received a bachelor of arts followed by a law degree from the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, he immediately joined the Detroit law firm of Buckley, Ledyard, Dickinson & Wright, which had among its clients the National Bank of Detroit. In 1937, he took a leave of absence from the law firm to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in the Michigan State Banking Department under Charles T. Fisher. In 1944, having decided to shift from law to finance, he became a Vice President in the Loaning Division of National Bank of Detroit. He served as the Bank's Senior Vice President from 1958 to 1964, as its Executive Vice President from 1964 to 1968, as its Executive Committee Chairman from 1968 to 1969 and as its Board of Directors Chairman from January 1, 1970 to February 1, 1972. During his tenure, Merry significantly expanded the National Bank's global involvement and traveled extensively on international business.
Though retiring in 1972, Merry continued to serve as a National Bank of Detroit Director until 1979. Throughout his career, he also held directorships with companies such as McLouth Steel, the Ambassador Bridge Corporation, Grand Trunk Western Railroad, the Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Western American Bank of London, England. After his retirement, he remained on the boards of several companies including Douglas & Lomason and Sheller-Globe into the mid-1980s.
On October 2, 1937, Merry wed a Canadian from Toronto, Lorraine Armstrong (1915-1955). She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bryon M. Armstrong and had one brother, Frank L. Armstrong. The Merrys eventually settled in Grosse Pointe, MI. where they were active in Grosse Pointe Memorial Presbyterian Church. Following his wife's demise in late October 1955 after a long illness, Merry, on December 7, 1956, married Grosse Pointer Mrs. Elizabeth (Austin) Whitehead (1904-1981), whose first husband was Thomas Cram Whitehead (1893-1954). The couple continued to live in Grosse Pointe Farms. The new Mrs. Merry was active in community organizations such as the Junior League of Detroit and often accompanied her husband on his many business trips. An interest in amateur radio begun as a teenager became a primary interest of Merry as an adult, especially after leaving the National Bank. Two years after his second wife's death on September 23, 1981, Merry, on April 16, 1983, wed Martha Jean (Miller) Dodenhoff (8/28/1909-10/21/1999) whose first husband was Dr. Charles F. Dodenhoff (12/21/1907-8/30/1974). With his new bride, Merry continued to live in Grosse Pointe Farms, and the couple traveled frequently until his death on July 3, 1988.
