Upon returning to the States in 1919 after the war, Merrill worked short stints as a newspaper journalist in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Michigan, and New York City through 1922. While working in New York he married Katherine Marie Towell.
After returning to the United States in 1919 following World War I, Merrill held short-term jobs as a newspaper journalist in Washington D.C., Detroit, Michigan, and New York City until 1922. While working in New York, he married Katherine Marie Towell.