After the national tragedy in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, the nation's oldest mission lost its insurance coverage because of its high-risk location. If it couldn't secure new coverage, hundreds of needy New Yorkers would be deprived of basic needs. Merriam Insurance filled that void and provided the shelter with comprehensive coverage thanks to its expertise in writing policies for churches, missions and shelters. 

But the agency wasn't established on securing coverage for social services. Charles E. Merriam founded the agency in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1895 after starting his insurance career selling life insurance policies for New York Life. He was a natural, selling 1,158 paid policies for a total value of $1,932,847, an accomplishment considering typical policies during the Great Depression averaged $25 to $50 a year. He secured policies every month of his career except for July 1896.

Charles W. Merriam joined his father in the early 1900s and added property-casualty insurance and surety bonds to the family business. His son Charles entered the agency business in 1948 and succeeded his father as owner in 1961. And his son, Brian Merriam, joined the agency in 1983 as a producer and succeeded his father as owner and president in 1989. All told, the agency has been under family ownership for four generations and nearly 120 years.