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James Merritt
James (Jim) Merritt, a Northside native, joined the Colonial Drug sit-in of February 28, 1960 as one of the Chapel Hill Nine. He later fought in Vietnam, had a long career in public education, and in 2008 was appointed to the Chapel Hill Town Council after council member Bill Thorpe died.
Source: The Local Reporter: Jim Merritt (Orange Slices, February 9, 2021)
Orange County Indexed has not yet linked an indexed work directly to James Merritt. The biography and the dated events on this page provide sources about James Merritt’s life and work. Suggest a source.
Life and Orange County connections
Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 2 dated events in the chronology →
- The Chapel Hill Nine sit-in Nine Black young men held Chapel Hill’s first sit-in at Colonial Drug. People: Harold Foster, William Cureton, John Farrington, Earl Geer, David Mason Jr., Clarence Merritt Jr., James Merritt, Douglas Perry, Albert Williams Place: Chapel HillTown of Chapel Hill
- The Town of Chapel Hill unveils the Chapel Hill Nine marker at the Colonial Drug site On the sixtieth anniversary of the sit-in the town dedicated sculptor Stephen Hayes's stone-based marker at 450 West Franklin Street, naming the nine students; four of them, Dave Mason Jr., James Merritt, Douglas Perry and Albert Williams, attended the unveiling. People: David Mason Jr., James Merritt, Douglas Perry, Albert Williams Place: Chapel Hill · Also named: Stephen Hayes · Also mentions: 450 West Franklin StreetDocumenting the American South: Commemorative Landscapes, Chapel Hill Nine Memorial, Chapel Hill
Research sources
Sources and research tools for this person. For ready-made searches of other catalogs, see Search further. Research guide: Trace a family through historical records.
Background
- Marker: The Chapel Hill NineHistorical Marker Database (HMdb.org) Plaques and memorials outside the state program, with inscriptions and photographs
- Historical Marker Honoring Chapel Hill Nine to be Added to Franklin StreetChapelboro (97.9 WCHL) Local news coverage, interviews, and anniversary features
Records of the time
- DigitalNC newspapers: 148 Orange County pages naming James Merritt Searchable pages from historic Orange County newspapers
Collections and databases
- NC LIVE: prepared search for James Merritt Library card Search NC LIVE for this subject and Orange County. You can change the search terms. Sign in through your North Carolina library to access the materials.
- Ancestry Library Edition In the libraryOrange County Public Library Census, birth, death and marriage records, and more, free on the public computers at OCPL libraries
Local help
- Rebecca B. Wall Local History Collection, Orange County Public Library The county library’s local-history room at the Main Library in Hillsborough: books, journals, maps, and microfilm of county records from 1752
- Local History Help Hours and request formOCPL Local History Liaison Meet with the Local History Liaison at the Main Library, usually Mondays from noon to 3 p.m., or send a question using the online request form
Search further
Search other catalogs and collections for this name. Results may include other people with the same name and have not been reviewed by the Friends.
Books about James Merritt
- WorldCat (opens in a new tab) Library catalogs worldwide
- OCPL (opens in a new tab) Orange County Public Library
Find copies at other libraries
- Chapel Hill Public Library (opens in a new tab) Public library in Chapel Hill
- Durham County Library (opens in a new tab) Public library next door in Durham
- UNC Libraries (opens in a new tab) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Duke Libraries (opens in a new tab) Duke University, Durham
- NC Cardinal (opens in a new tab) The State Library of North Carolina and public libraries across the state
Photographs, papers, and newspapers
- DigitalNC (opens in a new tab) North Carolina newspapers, yearbooks, and photographs
- DPLA (opens in a new tab) Digital collections from libraries, archives, and museums across the country
Historical records and collections
- Chronicling America (opens in a new tab) Historical newspapers from across the country, through 1963
- Internet Archive (opens in a new tab) Digitized books, directories, and local histories
- HathiTrust (opens in a new tab) Full text of digitized books
- ArchiveGrid (opens in a new tab) Papers held by archives across the country
These searches use James Merritt’s name without birth or death dates, so results may include namesakes. Links open in a new tab.
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