Merrill Pingree Freeman

Born in Ohio in 1844, Merrill Pingree Freeman spent part of his childhood in Iowa and crossed the plains to California while still very young. University of Arizona and Arizona-related archival sources describe him as a longtime resident of the American West who later moved to Tucson in 1880.

In Tucson, he was active in civic and business life. Archival and historical sources say he served as Tucson's postmaster in the 1880s, worked in banking, became president of Consolidated National Bank for many years, and was involved with the University of Arizona as a regent.

Freeman is remembered as an author of Southwestern history and reminiscence. Project Gutenberg lists The Dread Apache: That Early-Day Scourge of the Southwest, and University of Arizona archival notes say his correspondence includes recollections of Apache conflicts and other frontier incidents that were later used in his publications. Some sources disagree on his death year, so the exact date should be treated with caution.