Merryman inherited from his uncle - Nicholas Bosley, not his father. His direct family was not prominent. My ancestor was one of the "first" residents of my county - that does not make him a prominent member of society. But please, by all means, please enumerate these "prominent", leading citiznes of Baltimore for us. In 1861, Merryman was 37 years old. He was not a lawyer, banker, jeweler, Governor, mayor, assemblyman, senator or representative. He was a farmer. He was elected to political office in 1874, long after the death of Chief Justice Taney.
P.S. I noted in another post that the City Baltimore was not part of Baltimore County after 1851.
As if that made a difference? You cannot provide documentation of the alleged friendship, of any home owned in Baltimore City near the Taneys. In the 1850 & 1860 census, John Merryman lived 20 miles away. My wife's grandparents in the early 1900's drove by carriage just once a month to the nearest town (13 miles).
Even aside from that, what could Merryman possibly have in common with Roger Taney, a man almost 40 years his senior? Was Taney a farmer? Did Merryman attend meetings of the Supreme Court?
"Farmer" Merryman was an officer in the Towson Guards (Baltimore County Horse Guards) and in the State Agricultural Society. Both positions suggest money, connections, and status.
I provided documentation. You haven't refuted it.