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John Abercrombie Merritt was named for his mother's brother, then fighting with Lee in Va., and Dr. Charles F. Abercrombie, on whose farm he was born (6 mi. southwest of Columbus GA on the Alabama side across Chattahoochee River). The Abercrombies were prominent Columbus businessmen, three brothers including Anderson who was a notable brick manufacturer. JAM's father, Lucius Manlius Merritt, had remained in Pensacola and was one of several citizens who stayed to hand over the city formally to the Union troops when the Confederate troops left. He was a political prisoner, and was held at Fort Pickens for several months. Lucius was eventually allowed to join his family (including infant John Abercrombie) who had gone to stay with other family members in New Orleans, and later became a blockade runner. At the end of the Civil War, the family returned to Pensacola.