Jerry,
As far as I know there's no connection from the American made Merlin titanium frames to the English made Merlin traditional lugged steel frames made by Bob Jackson. My sole knowledge on this frame is limited to a paragraph in The Custom Bicycle stating that when Bob Jackson was young he raced on Merlin bikes which dated back to 1912. When Merlin retired Bob Jackson bought the rights to the name and continued to make frames under this name.
Jim Rudolph