Aaron Merchant
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| Name at Enlist | Aaron Merchant |
| Birth Name | Aaron Merchant |
| Lived | ca. 1829 – 25 Dec 1862 |
| Birth Place | New York |
| Birth Country | USA |
| Resident of Muster-In | Beloit, Rock County, WI |
| Company at Enlistment | G |
| Rank at Enlistment | Private |
| Muster Date | 13 Dec 1861 |
| Cause of Death | Wounds |
| Death Location | Mississippi River Island No. 10 |
| Burial Location | Mississippi River National Cemetery at Memphis, Shelby County, TN |
| Mother | Elizabeth Ann Olmstead |
| Mother Lived | 1806-1890 |
| Father | Arlo James Merchant |
| Father Lived | 1803-1855 |
Aaron Merchant was born about 1829 in NY to Arlo James Merchant and Elizabeth Ann Olmstead. His parents married in 1824 in CT. He was one of at least 16 children, including: Enoch (1825), Gordon (1826), Marinda (1830), Dewitte (1832), Oliver (1833), Rebecca (1835), Silas (1836), Alice (1837), Abel (1838), Lewis (1840), David (1841), Arlow (1842), Milla (1844), James (1845), and Norman (1850).
In 1850, the family was living in Catharine, Chemung County, NY and his father was working as a blacksmith. The family relocated to Winnebago County, IL shortly thereafter. Arlo died in 1855 and is buried in Winnebago County. In 1860, Aaron, his mother, and brother Norman lived in Winnebago. (His mother later remarried to Morris J. Upright).
Merchant joined the WI 15th Infantry, Company G. The men of the company called themselves the “Rock River Rangers.” The army listed Merchant as living in Beloit, Rock County, WI, age 31, and unmarried. He enlisted for three years on October 7, 1861 at Beloit, and mustered at Madison, WI on December 13, 1861 as a Private (Menig). He was killed at Mississippi River Island No. 10 on December 25, 1862 when a cannon he was helping load accidentally fired. He was buried in Mississippi River National Cemetery at Memphis, TN. His mother filed a pension in his name as Elizabeth Upright in 1881.
Sources: Series 1200: Records of Civil War Regiments, 1861-1900, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, boxes 76-9, 77-8; Regimental muster and descriptive rolls, 1861-1865, Wisconsin Adjutant General’s Office, vol.20, p.102; Det Femtende Regiment, Wisconsin Frivillige [The Fifteenth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers], Ole A. Buslett (Decorah, IA, 1894), p.538; Civil War Pension Index, Roll #T288_322; 1850 Census, Roll: M432_486, Page: 89B, Image: 183; 1860 Census, Roll: M653_240, Page: 59, Image: 59, Family History Library Film: 803240; U.S. and International Marriage Records; findagrave.com.