Merline family celebrates sesquicentennial in Oconto County

Hosts Jay and Sharie Merline are all about local history

OCONTO — The Merline family recently celebrated a 150-year reunion in Oconto on Aug. 10, hosted by Jay and Sharie Merline and their family at Oconto City Park.

A potluck meal was held with dinner prayer by the Rev. John Bergstadt, a Merline family descendant. Merline photo albums were also shared. Balloon creations and face painting was provided for the kids by Jay and Sharie Merline. Door prizes were also given by families.

Jay and Sharie Merline have written a new book, “Merline Family Reunion, Special Edition,” which has special stories of Merline ancestors and things they faced. One story tells of George Merline working on a dam in Mountain, plagued with thousands of snakes.

A chapter about the Oconto Sesquicentennial Chapter features John P. Merline and George Merline, who were brothers and wrote about Oconto Early settlers, the first settlement of Catholics, the first school, the Peshtigo fire, Pensaukee tornado in 1877 and the flood in June 1880 where Oconto was under water.

There are still copies available for $26 each, from the Merlines at merlinesmagic@gmail.com.

The original spelling of Merline was Moerlein, which is descended from Moors. The authors, Jay and Sharie Merline also are involved in many things to preserve their local history. Jay is on the board for Oconto County Historical Society, vice president of Suring Historical Society, and vice president of Oconto Falls Heritage Center.

Jay is also president of the Oconto County Genealogy Society, and Sharie is secretary. She also received the Kay Stewart award in 2009 for a lifetime achievement in family history.

The couple maintains regular pages on Facebook Oconto History, the Suring Historical Society, History of Spruce, Marinette County History Preservation, Oconto Falls Area Heritage Center and most recently the new Coleman History page.

Jay and Sharie have been married almost 35 years, have five children together and also own a family entertainment business, Merlines Magic.