E.S. Merriam

Quick Facts

Significance:

Boston Vigilance Committee

Place of Birth:

Unknown

Date of Birth:

Unknown

Place of Death:

Unknown

Date of Death:

Unknown

Place of Burial:

Unknown

Cemetery Name:

Unknown

E.S. Merriam served as a member of the 1850 Boston Vigilance Committee. 

In October 1850, E.S. Merriam joined with many others calling for a public meeting at Faneuil Hall to protest the recently enacted Fugitive Slave Law. At this meeting, participants formed the third and final iteration of the Boston Vigilance Committee, an organization that assisted freedom seekers coming to Boston on the Underground Railroad. According to the published membership list, Merriam served on the Boston Vigilance Committee.¹

On the membership list, Merriam's address is simply listed as Chelsea, a town adjacent to the City of Boston. Unfortunately, lack of any further details inhibits the ability to establish a clear identity and any biographical information for Merriam and his contributions to the Vigilance Committee.

While the identity of E.S. Merriam has yet to be confirmed, he either lived or worked locally in Chelsea at the time of the creation of the Vigilance Committee in 1850. If you are a researcher or descendant of an E.S. Merriam of Chelsea that may have participated in the Boston Vigilance Committee and can provide any further details related to his work with the organization, please e-mail us. 

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Footnotes

1. "Members of the Committee of Vigilance," broadside printed by John Wilson, 1850, Massachusetts Historical Society.