Henry W. Merriam

Last updated April 06, 2019

Henry Wilson Merriam (20 June 1828 – 26 October 1900) was an American Industrialist and owner of the H. W. Merriam Shoe Company, a 19th- and early-20th century manufacturer of shoes for ladies and children founded in New York City, and after 1873 operated in Newton, in Sussex County, New Jersey.

Newton, officially the Town of Newton, is an incorporated municipality located in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is situated approximately 60 miles (97 km) by road northwest of New York City. It is one of fifteen municipalities in the state organized as a town, and the municipal government operates under a council-manager structure provided by the Faulkner Act, or Optional Municipal Charter Law. As the location of the county's administrative offices and court system, Newton is the county seat of Sussex County.

Sussex County is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area and is part of the state's Skylands Region, a term promoted by the New Jersey Commerce, Economic Growth, & Tourism Commission to encourage tourism. As of the 2017 Census estimate, the county's population was 141,682, making it the 17th-most populous of the state's 21 counties, a 5.1% decrease from the 149,265 enumerated in the 2010 United States Census, in turn an increase of 5,099 (3.5%) over the 144,166 persons enumerated in the 2000 Census. Based on 2010 Census data, Vernon Township was the county's largest in both population and area, with a population of 23,943 and covering an area of 70.59 square miles (182.8 km²).

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is located on a peninsula, bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, particularly along the extent of the length of New York City on its western edge; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on the southwest by the Delaware Bay and Delaware. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by area but the 11th-most populous, with 9 million residents as of 2017, and the most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states; its biggest city is Newark. New Jersey lies completely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey was the second-wealthiest U.S. state by median household income as of 2017.

Biography

Henry W. Merriam was born on 20 June 1828 at Merriam Hill in Mason, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire to Elisha J. and Lucy R. (Lane) Merriam.^[1]^[2] Merriam was graduated from the Appleton Academy, a private school in New Ipswich, New Hampshire.^[2] On 16 June 1859, Merriam married Frances P. Gulliver (1839–1897), the daughter of George F. and Mary (Bush) Gulliver, of North Brookfield, Massachusetts.^[1] During the American Civil War, Merriam manufactured shoes and boots for the Union Army. After the war, he focused on the production of ladies' and children's shoes.^[1]^[2] In 1873, to avoid trouble with labor unions, Merriam moved his company to Newton, in northwestern New Jersey.^[1]^[2] Merriam was always held in high esteem by his employees, establishing a building and loan association to provide mortgages to his workers, and served on the boards of the First Presbyterian Church of Newton and the Merchant's National Bank.^[1]^[2] In 1892, to celebrate his 64th birthday, Merriam "distributed ten thousand dollars among those in his employ as a testimonial of his appreciation of their faithful performance of duty."^[1]^[2]

Mason, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Mason is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2010 census. Mason, together with Wilton, is home to Russell-Abbott State Forest.

Hillsborough County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 400,721. The population was estimated at 407,761 in 2016. Its county seats are Manchester and Nashua. Hillsborough is northern New England's most populous county as well as its most densely populated. Hillsborough County comprises the Manchester-Nashua, NH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn constitutes a portion of the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New Hampshire is the 5th smallest by area and the 10th least populous of the 50 states. Concord is the state capital, while Manchester is the largest city in the state. It has no general sales tax, nor is personal income taxed at either the state or local level. The New Hampshire primary is the first primary in the U.S. presidential election cycle. Its license plates carry the state motto, "Live Free or Die". The state's nickname, "The Granite State", refers to its extensive granite formations and quarries.

Merriam died on 26 October 1900 in Newton, New Jersey and was buried in Newton Cemetery.^[2]^[3]

Newton Cemetery is a cemetery in Newton, in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1860, the 24.05 acres (9.73 ha) cemetery is in current use and is owned and operated by the Newton Cemetery Company.

The Henry W. Merriam House, built in 1883, is an example of high Victorian architecture and was placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on 11 September 1970 and on the National Register of Historic Places on 18 December 1970.^[2]^[4] After Merriam's death in 1900 the house was donated to the Presbyterian Board of Relief for Disabled Ministers and the Widows and Orphans of Deceased Ministers.^[2]

The Henry W. Merriam House is located in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. Owned by industrialist Henry Wilson Merriam (1828-1900), the owner of the Merriam Shoe Company, the house was built in 1883 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1970. It is Newton's prime example of high Victorian architecture.

Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles. The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture, and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture.

The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 Ricord, Frederick W. (editor), Biographical Encyclopedia: Successful Men of New Jersey. (New York: New Jersey Historical Publishing Co., 1896), 1:47
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wright, Kevin. The Merriam Home at Newton, NJ: The Pearl of the Kittatinny. (). Retrieved 24 June 2013.
↑ Gravestone of Henry W. Merriam (1828–1900) and Frances Merriam (1839–1897) in Newton Cemetery, on Lawnwood Avenue, Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey. Visited 2 May 2013.
↑ National Register of Historic Places Reference No. 70000396, New Jersey Register of Historic Places Reference No. 2613 according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation Office, New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Sussex County Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine . (10 January 2010), 12. Accessed 24 June 2013.

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[RicordBioEncycNJMen-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ricord, Frederick W. (editor), Biographical Encyclopedia: Successful Men of New Jersey. (New York: New Jersey Historical Publishing Co., 1896), 1:47

[WrightNewtonNJMerriam-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wright, Kevin. The Merriam Home at Newton, NJ: The Pearl of the Kittatinny. (). Retrieved 24 June 2013.

[3] Gravestone of Henry W. Merriam (1828–1900) and Frances Merriam (1839–1897) in Newton Cemetery, on Lawnwood Avenue, Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey. Visited 2 May 2013.

[4] National Register of Historic Places Reference No. 70000396, New Jersey Register of Historic Places Reference No. 2613 according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation Office, New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Sussex County Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine . (10 January 2010), 12. Accessed 24 June 2013.