Does anyone know any details on the death of Boston die-sinker Joseph Merriam?

Broadstruck

I found the following and wondered if there's any further details known?

5 Jul 1894 Suicide by Pistol - Joseph W. Merriam of Atherton place, one of the best known citizens of Boston, commited suicide by shooting himself through the brain in the rooms of the Emergency Hospital.

He was 59 years old.

DCW

Not him, Frank.

First off, the die sinker is Joseph H. Merriam. Secondly, his business disappears in the 1870's. I have an advertisement that lists W.C. Brigham as the new owners of the business of the "late Merriam."



Little is known about the death of this famous die sinker. I plan on researching his life in earnest, because like many others I am captivated by his work

Broadstruck

Guess I found the wrong Boston obituary as the ANS museum still mentions "Merriam was a prolific engraver who committed suicide after the war."

Broadstruck

Then there's this The Numismatist article which mentions 1880's.

yosclimber

I found these on familysearch.org , which match his father's name:
------
Name: Joseph Harry Merriam
Birth Date: 1833
Age: 36
Spouse's Name: Julie Ann Elenora Cross
Spouse's Birth Date: 1851
Spouse's Age: 18
Event Date: 16 Jun 1869
Event Place: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Father's Name: Joseph
Mother's Name: Emilie
Spouse's Father's Name: Richard
Spouse's Mother's Name: Jerusha T.
------
Name: Joseph Henry Merriam
Gender: Male
Death Date: 26 Sep 1871
Death Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island
Age: 39
Birth Date: 1832
Father's Name: Joseph Merriam
Mother's Name: Emily Merriam
------
There is also an 1855 Census records for Joseph H. Merriam in Boston, MA, born 1833, living with unrelated people.
And an 1860 Census record for J H Merriam, Boston, living with unrelated people.
Finally, a record for Joseph H Merriam as a Private in the Civil War, from Massachusetts, 1861-65. (no age given)

His wife Julie remarried in 1874, so she was alive when he died in 1871.
=======
And for his brother:
------
Name: John C. Merriam
Birth Date: 1830
Age: 42
Spouse's Name: Mary Little
Spouse's Birth Date: 1839
Spouse's Age: 33
Event Date: 24 Feb 1872
Event Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
Father's Name: Joseph
Mother's Name: Emily
Spouse's Father's Name: Thomas
Spouse's Mother's Name: Elizabeth
=====
father and mother marriage:
-----
Name: Joseph Merriam
Spouse's Name: Emily Clark
Event Date: 15 Dec 1828
Event Place: Weston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

yosclimber

Born: 30 Sep 1832, Lowell, MA
https://www.geni.com/people/Joseph-Merriam/6000000029488779811
Burial at Swan Point Cemetary, Providence, RI:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144686676/joseph-henry-merriam

More details on his oldest brother and business partner, John Clark Merriam:
https://www.geni.com/people/John-Merriam/6000000029488766446

Zoins

@yosclimber said:
I found these on familysearch.org , which match his father's name:

---

Name: Joseph Harry Merriam
Birth Date: 1833
Age: 36
Spouse's Name: Julie Ann Elenora Cross
Spouse's Birth Date: 1851
Spouse's Age: 18
Event Date: 16 Jun 1869
Event Place: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Father's Name: Joseph
Mother's Name: Emilie
Spouse's Father's Name: Richard
Spouse's Mother's Name: Jerusha T.

---

Name: Joseph Henry Merriam
Gender: Male
Death Date: 26 Sep 1871
Death Place: Providence, Providence, Rhode Island
Age: 39
Birth Date: 1832
Father's Name: Joseph Merriam
Mother's Name: Emily Merriam

---

There is also an 1855 Census records for Joseph H. Merriam in Boston, MA, born 1833, living with unrelated people.
And an 1860 Census record for J H Merriam, Boston, living with unrelated people.
Finally, a record for Joseph H Merriam as a Private in the Civil War, from Massachusetts, 1861-65. (no age given)

His wife Julie remarried in 1874, so she was alive when he died in 1871.
=======
And for his brother:

---

Name: John C. Merriam
Birth Date: 1830
Age: 42
Spouse's Name: Mary Little
Spouse's Birth Date: 1839
Spouse's Age: 33
Event Date: 24 Feb 1872
Event Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts
Father's Name: Joseph
Mother's Name: Emily
Spouse's Father's Name: Thomas
Spouse's Mother's Name: Elizabeth
=====
father and mother marriage:

---

Name: Joseph Merriam
Spouse's Name: Emily Clark
Event Date: 15 Dec 1828
Event Place: Weston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

I wasn't quite sure how to read this.

According to Dick Johnson, Merriam sold his company, Merriam & Company, circa 1875.

Do we know if the die sinker's full name is:

• Joseph Harry Merriam
• Joseph Henry Merriam

Or do we not now the die sinkers full name as of now?

DCW

@Zoins said:
According to Dick Johnson, Merriam sold his company, Merriam & Company, circa 1875.

Do we know if the die sinker's full name is:

• Joseph Harry Merriam
• Joseph Henry Merriam

Or do we not now the die sinkers full name as of now?

Merriam died on September 26, 1871. His full name was "Joseph Henry Merriam." As I am preparing a book on this subject, Ive come across some interesting facts about this mysterious man who died at the age of 39. Most notably, he died in an insane asylum and was committed there by his brother and his own wife.
Here is his death certificate:

yosclimber

@Zoins said:
According to Dick Johnson, Merriam sold his company, (Merriam & Co.), circa 1875.

According to the Boston Directory (see photo above from article), from 1865-1868+ the business was under his brother's name (John C. Merriam), aka Merriam & Co.
So it was probably John C. Merriam who sold the company in 1875.

@DCW, I hope you can figure out if Joseph Henry Merriam served in the US Civil War (the record might have been for the other Joseph H. Merriam).
Could be that stress from the war or maybe industrial exposure to lead or something in his business led to his commitment in the asylum and eventual death from "General Paralysis".
Tragic that it was only 2 years after he got married. But maybe he already needed someone to help him at that point.

DCW

I dont believe he served in the Civil War. I have read speculation that he served in the US Navy, even with specific ships sited. But he is not listed in any official military records I have seen. "Merriam" is a very common name, and there are several Joseph Merriams on the muster rolls of various regiments in the Army. So far, none of them are pointing to our guy.
As to Merriam & Co., I have to believe that the business involved both brothers, along with W.N. Weeden, another diesinker of the day. It dissolved after Merriam's death and was succeeded by Brigham at the same location. (18 Brattle St.)
Tokens and medals were not Merriam's main business by the way, and you may have ascertained this by how rare his material is. He was a producer of stencils and embossing presses, which earned him a living.

RogerB

The note about "general paralysis" and "duration longer than 1 year" suggests a stroke. If cerebral damage was from a fall, the death cert would commonly have the word "accident."