Camden People - Isaac Merrick

ISAAC MERRICK was born around 1843, possibly in England. He lived in Camden as early as 1869, at 230 Division Street, then in 1870s at 424 Mt. Vernon Street. By 1878 he had moved to French's Court, which ran west from 1121 Broadway to the rear of the Kaighn School and was gone by 1906, in South Camden. In the 1880s Isaac Merrick moved with his wife Margaret "Maggie" Merrick to "Boggs Row", a row of frame buildings (possibly 1711 to 1719) on Mulford Street, between Van Hook Street and Central Avenue in the late 1870s. He worked primarily as a laborer, and for several years at a Catholic cemetery in Camden or possibly in Gloucester City. He and his wife were childless, but around 1880 they adopted Sallie Harrigan in Philadelphia.

Isaac Merrick was described as a man who did not drink to excess, but was of "bad character", and he appears to have had an obsession with underage girls. He was convicted of assault in 1887 and served five months in prison for assaulting a girl, then exhibited a pattern of questionable behavior towards his adopted daughter.

On January 7, 1888 Isaac Merrick shot and killed Sallie Harrigan, then took his own life. His wife moved to Pine Street after the killings, then as best can be determined disappeared from Camden

	Philadelphia Inquirer January 9, 1888 Mulford Street - Central Avenue Boggs Row French's Court Alfred Reed Sallie Harrigan Thomas Harrigan Howland Croft

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