UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP (X) Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person HARTMEYER, JOHN W. 2100 EAST WILLARD STREET MUNCIE, IN 47302 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol FIRST MERCHANTS CORPORATION FRME 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) ###-##-#### 4. Statement for Month/Year July 1997 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) (X) Director ( ) 10% Owner ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) First Merchants Bank, N.A. 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | | Transaction | or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | | | | | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | Date |Code|V| Amount | D | Price | End of Month |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock | | | | | | |840 |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |105 |I |Spouse-Cust.-- Son Dean St| | | | | | | | | |utz | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |105 |I |Spouse-Cust.-- Son Wm. Stu| | | | | | | | | |tz | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,850 |I |Spouse | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,800 |I |Hartmeyer Inc. | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |25,875 |I |Al Pete Meats, Inc. | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |4,050 |I |Al Pete Enter. Inc. | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |675 |I |Cust.-Step Son Dean Stutz | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |675 |I |Cust.-Step Son Wm. Stutz | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | | |1,350 |I |Cust.-Grandson Andrew Lutz | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con- |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction | rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer | | | rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |Price of| | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva- | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu- | | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity |Date |Code|V| Amount | |ble | | | |Month |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Non-Employee Director |31.25 |07-01|A |V|600 |A |01-01|06-30|Common |600 | |2,400 |D | | Stock Option (Right to| |-97 | | | | |-98 |-07 | | | | | | | Buy) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: Reporting person resigned as a director of First Merchants Corporation effective midnight December 31, 1996. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON John W. Hartmeyer (Confirming Statement on File) DATE July 31, 1997