He was a son of Charles Merrick and Susanna Lawrence.
______________________________________________________
After establishing a brick making and masonry business in 1843 the Merricks convinced the Wesleyan Methodist church to promote abolitionism. Sylvanus and his two sons established a secret depot and enlisted transporters of runaway slaves. In a four month period they hosted 44 passengers from Plymouth, New York. They depended on free train passes supplied by Horace White, an executive of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad. Oct 1, 1851 a group of 30 men, including the Merricks stormed the jail where Jerry was being held. In the legal furor that resulted from the “Jerry Rescue” Sylvanus fled to Illinois.
From:
The Underground Railroad; an encyclopedia of people, places and operations by Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
______________________________________________________________________
Sylvanus Merrick died in Syracuse Friday, aged 96 years. He was one of the most active in rescuing Jerry, a fugitive slave, in that city in 1851. Jerry was captured in Syracuse while on his way to Canada, and taken before a magistrate. A posse of citizens charged on the court, some of whom seized the slave and carried him out over the heads of the crowd. It was Mr. Merrick who slammed the door in the face of the Marshal when he attempted to pursue, while another citizen seized the Marshal by the beard and threw him to the floor. By the delay thus caused Jerry was engaged to escape. Mr. Merrick was indicted, but by a wrong name, and before the error could be repaired he had gone to Illinois, where he remained until the excitement had passed away.
Auburn NY Cayuga County Independent, 1884
______________________________________________________
After establishing a brick making and masonry business in 1843 the Merricks convinced the Wesleyan Methodist church to promote abolitionism. Sylvanus and his two sons established a secret depot and enlisted transporters of runaway slaves. In a four month period they hosted 44 passengers from Plymouth, New York. They depended on free train passes supplied by Horace White, an executive of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad. Oct 1, 1851 a group of 30 men, including the Merricks stormed the jail where Jerry was being held. In the legal furor that resulted from the “Jerry Rescue” Sylvanus fled to Illinois.
From:
The Underground Railroad; an encyclopedia of people, places and operations by Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
______________________________________________________________________
Sylvanus Merrick died in Syracuse Friday, aged 96 years. He was one of the most active in rescuing Jerry, a fugitive slave, in that city in 1851. Jerry was captured in Syracuse while on his way to Canada, and taken before a magistrate. A posse of citizens charged on the court, some of whom seized the slave and carried him out over the heads of the crowd. It was Mr. Merrick who slammed the door in the face of the Marshal when he attempted to pursue, while another citizen seized the Marshal by the beard and threw him to the floor. By the delay thus caused Jerry was engaged to escape. Mr. Merrick was indicted, but by a wrong name, and before the error could be repaired he had gone to Illinois, where he remained until the excitement had passed away.
Auburn NY Cayuga County Independent, 1884
He was a son of Charles Merrick and Susanna Lawrence.
______________________________________________________
After establishing a brick making and masonry business in 1843 the Merricks convinced the Wesleyan Methodist church to promote abolitionism. Sylvanus and his two sons established a secret depot and enlisted transporters of runaway slaves. In a four month period they hosted 44 passengers from Plymouth, New York. They depended on free train passes supplied by Horace White, an executive of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad. Oct 1, 1851 a group of 30 men, including the Merricks stormed the jail where Jerry was being held. In the legal furor that resulted from the “Jerry Rescue” Sylvanus fled to Illinois.
From:
The Underground Railroad; an encyclopedia of people, places and operations by Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
______________________________________________________________________
Sylvanus Merrick died in Syracuse Friday, aged 96 years. He was one of the most active in rescuing Jerry, a fugitive slave, in that city in 1851. Jerry was captured in Syracuse while on his way to Canada, and taken before a magistrate. A posse of citizens charged on the court, some of whom seized the slave and carried him out over the heads of the crowd. It was Mr. Merrick who slammed the door in the face of the Marshal when he attempted to pursue, while another citizen seized the Marshal by the beard and threw him to the floor. By the delay thus caused Jerry was engaged to escape. Mr. Merrick was indicted, but by a wrong name, and before the error could be repaired he had gone to Illinois, where he remained until the excitement had passed away.
Auburn NY Cayuga County Independent, 1884
______________________________________________________
After establishing a brick making and masonry business in 1843 the Merricks convinced the Wesleyan Methodist church to promote abolitionism. Sylvanus and his two sons established a secret depot and enlisted transporters of runaway slaves. In a four month period they hosted 44 passengers from Plymouth, New York. They depended on free train passes supplied by Horace White, an executive of the Syracuse and Utica Railroad. Oct 1, 1851 a group of 30 men, including the Merricks stormed the jail where Jerry was being held. In the legal furor that resulted from the “Jerry Rescue” Sylvanus fled to Illinois.
From:
The Underground Railroad; an encyclopedia of people, places and operations by Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
______________________________________________________________________
Sylvanus Merrick died in Syracuse Friday, aged 96 years. He was one of the most active in rescuing Jerry, a fugitive slave, in that city in 1851. Jerry was captured in Syracuse while on his way to Canada, and taken before a magistrate. A posse of citizens charged on the court, some of whom seized the slave and carried him out over the heads of the crowd. It was Mr. Merrick who slammed the door in the face of the Marshal when he attempted to pursue, while another citizen seized the Marshal by the beard and threw him to the floor. By the delay thus caused Jerry was engaged to escape. Mr. Merrick was indicted, but by a wrong name, and before the error could be repaired he had gone to Illinois, where he remained until the excitement had passed away.
Auburn NY Cayuga County Independent, 1884
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