Abraham Merritt
This is my many-times great-grandfather, Abraham Merritt, author of The Moon Pool, and Seven Footprints to Satan. Although I cannot confirm he is my great-grandfather, he was born and raised in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where my family is from, and the records my family has lists one of the earliest Merritts as an 'A. Merritt.' His writings influenced writers like H.P. Lovecraft and L. Ron Hubbard and a feature film called The Devil Doll, was made, based on his story, Burn Witch, Burn. Over the years, he collected a library of occult literature that spanned well over 5000 volumes, and was often found in his garden, tending plants often associated with the dark arts. He died suddenly of a mysterious heart attack in his summer home in Florida in 1943-- he was only 59 years old. I now know where my talent comes from, and there is no doubt in my mind that his blood courses through my veins.
