Merriman Colbert Harris | |
---|---|
Born |
Beallsville, Ohio, USA |
July 9, 1846
Died | May 8, 1921 Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan |
(aged 74)
Nationality | United States |
Occupation | Missionary, educator |
Merriman Colbert Harris (July 9, 1846 – May 8, 1921) was a Missionary Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1904, who was active in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Japan.
Merriman was born July 9, 1846 in Beallsville, Ohio, the son of Colbert and Catherine Elizabeth (Crupper) Harris. Merriman married Flora L. Best October 23, 1873, in Meadville, Pennsylvania. They had two daughters, Florence and Elizabeth.
Merriman served for three years as a soldier in the 12th Ohio Cavalry in the American Civil War (1863–65), attaining the rank of corporal. Following the end of the war, he attended the Washington Academy in Ohio, and the Harlem Springs Seminary. He then attended Scio College, earning the B.A. degree (1873) and the M.A. degree (1877) from Allegheny College.
Merriman entered the ministry of the Pittsburgh Annual Conference of the M.E. Church in 1869, serving as a pastor and a missionary. He was sent to Japan in 1873 and was stationed at Hakodate on the northern island of Hokkaido. During his first stay in Japan, his converts included Kanzo Uchimura, Inazo Nitobe, and Akira Sato.