chief among those to buy the entire order. Nor was he satisfied
with the usual fraternal features, for he soon made it known
that he would not have anything to do with it if it were not a
business proposition. Merrick declared: “Well, I ain't no
society man. By shrewd advertisement of the payment of
death dues the order grew. A few years later, Mr. William
Pearson, one of the leading men in the present Durham group,
became the guiding spirit in the order. When he took charge,
the collections amounted to fourteen dollars a month. Under
his skill and management, the order, which is essentially an
insurance company, has grown until it numbers 21,000 members in eight states.
We come now to the greatest achievement of the Durham group and no doubt the greatest monument to Negroes' business enterprise in Americathe North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. The first organization of this company in 1898 consisted of seven men who paid in fifty dollars each to meet immediate expenses. At first the enterprise did not flourish and some became discouraged. It was then that Mr. Merrick and Dr. Moore bought in the interests of the others and, with the present president, Mr. Spaulding, brought the company to its present development. Space in Dr. Moore's office was rented for the work of the company, which was then known as the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association. Mr. Merrick took charge of the financial direction; Dr. Moore became medical examiner; and Mr. Spaulding, promoter. The payment of the first death claim of forty dollars caused such a crisis that the promoters had to call a meeting and pay part of the sum from their own pockets. This was heralded abroad. By 1905 it was able to pay salaries after erecting an $8,000 office building in 1904. At this time another man, Mr. John Avery, became associated with the company. He is another example of those Americans who have begun their careers as poor farm boys and in a generation found themselves in managerial chairs of million dollar enterprises. Mr. Avery is now the secretary of this company, having an annual income of over two million dollars.
The growth of the company has been continuous and well
