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John Merrick at the age of 58. From John Merrick: a Biographical Sketch by R. McCants Andrews (p. 46, 1920). Image from HathiTrust, original University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
John Merrick was born enslaved on September 7, 1859. He went on to become an entrepreneur, a community leader, and a philanthropist based on income initially generated from his barbering establishments in Durham, NC. He was the personal barber for the prominent James Buchanan Duke family, with his early establishments catering to white clientele. Before and after Reconstruction, African American barbers were important figures in Black Wall Streets across the country and emerged as entrepreneurs in other fields in the early 20th century, including real estate, banking, and insurance.
Merrick joined with other prominent businessmen to bring needed services and middle-class jobs to the Durham community that were not available due to segregation and discrimination. He served as a co-founder, along with Aaron McDuffie Moore and C.C. Spaulding, of North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association, later known as North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Merrick served as its first president and was succeeded by Spaulding. Merrick was also involved in the creation and management of the Mechanics & Farmers Bank, the first Black bank in Durham, as well as the Merrick-Moore-Spaulding Real Estate Company, which was established to provide property insurance for the black community. Merrick formed the Bull City Drug Company and was president of Lincoln Hospital. These companies reinvested in the African American community in Durham, NC, bringing it social and economic prosperity, growing other businesses, and providing middle class jobs and opportunities. The area drew college graduates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the early 20th century.
Merrick learned to read and write in a Reconstruction school and lacked the formal education of a businessman, but he supported Black literacy and scholarship for children and adults by funding rural schools and the College for Blacks in Durham, now known as North Carolina Central University. Through his philanthropy, a public library was open to serve black children in the community.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.
Aaron Mcduffie Moore by 
Black Business in the New South: A Social History of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company by 
Entrepreneurship and Self-Help among Black Americans by 
The History of Black Business by John Merrick, a Biographical Sketch by The Negro as a Business Man by North Carolina Mutual Story: a Symbol of Progress, 1898-1970 by The following resources created and digitized by the Library of Congress can be used to find out more about the man as well as the events of the day.
Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers
Fire Insurance Maps at the Library of Congress: A Resource Guide by 
Occupational Folklife Project (OFP) , American Folklife Center (AFC), Library of Congress
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Online Checklist by Included here are research guides and blogs from the Library of Congress on the subject of African American business and entrepreneurship as well as genealogy that can be helpful in researching businesses and individuals. See the Index of Library of Congress Research Guides for other relevant guides.
African American Family Histories and Genealogies: A Resource Guide by 
African Americans in Business and Entrepreneurship: A Resource Guide by 
Business and Labor History: Primary Sources at the Library of Congress by 
Business History: A Resource Guide by 
Doing Historical Company Research: A Resource Guide by Additional works on this topic in the Library of Congress may be identified by searching the Library of Congress Online Catalog under appropriate Library of Congress subject headings. Choose the topics you wish to search from the following list of subject headings to link directly to the Catalog and automatically execute a search for the subject selected. Please be aware that during periods of heavy use you may encounter delays in accessing the catalog. For assistance in locating other subject headings that may relate to this subject, please consult a reference librarian.
