And Merryman was a resident of Cockeysville some 20+ miles away, ergo Taney and Merryman were NOT neighbors as you have dishonestly asserted.
"... had not [Merryman] been a citizen of [Taney's] own State, a neighbor, and a personal friend ..."
Were both citizens of Maryland? Yes. You can argue that Taney had moved to Washington, D.C., when he was nearly 80 years old, but for all reasonable purposes, Taney was a Marylander.
Was Merryman a "personal friend of Taney"? You have provided nothing to refute the claim and I have provided a list of reasons to believe that such was quite likely the case. You took exception to the Time's statement - prove it wrong.
Were Merryman and Taney neighbor's? You have taken the tact to suggest they must have lived near one another at the time of the trial. Taney would be proud of your narrow-minded approach. He was the master of the same when it came to constitutional interpretation. Just as Taney and Merryman can be considered citizens of the same state, they could as easily have been neighbors. There is nothing to preclude Merryman from having owned a home in the city of Baltimore. Many rich southern families maintained residences in the city and in the country. (Consider the historical fiction behind this thread!). You have taken exception to the claim - so disprove it.
Until you can disprove it, I'll go with Rehnquist and his documentation.