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Chronology
I.	Henry Mercer’s Childhood: 1856-1875
1856 June 24: HCM was born in Doylestown in Henry Chapman’s town house (now known as the James-Lorah House). His lifelong nickname was “Harry,” although in his youth his family often called him “Hal.”
The James-Lorah House, on the corner of North Main and Broad Streets, was HCM’s birthplace.
1858-1861 Willie Mercer resigned his commission in the Navy and moved with his wife and family to Claverack, N.Y., to try to make a living farming. He returned, unsuccessful, to Doylestown in 1861, where he managed his father-in-law’s farm.
1862M865 For some or all of this period, Harry’s education was turned over to Thomas Hughes, whom he later described as his “old Scotch tutor.” Hughes, Mercer remembered, “told historic stories to excite wonder and reverence for the past and its glories — such as how Cortez betrayed the Inca of Peru and how the Roman general, Sertorius, swam the Rhine with his armour on.” Harry enjoyed looking at and showing off his grandfather Chapman’s portfolio of prints, especially the ones of castles on the Rhine.
1865-1869 Attended William Tennent School (Hartsville, Bucks County), as a boarder.
In 1870. Henry ascended this early 19th century tower, located on the , grounds of the rented Florentine villa of his Aunt Lela.
1870 May through October: accompanied his mother, Aunts Lela and Fanny, and their servants in Europe. Uncle Bigelow’s death the previous spring necessitated his wife’s return to Florence to pack up their rented villa; however, she and her party visited most of the continent as well. Determined to show her sisters the Rhine castles, Elizabeth led them thence through the midst of the Franco-Prussian War. Their itinerary took them from Liverpool to London to Paris, Baden-Baden, Munich, Innsbruck, and through the Brenner Pass to Florence, by way of Milan. After concluding their business in Florence, they travelled on to Venice, Vienna, Prague, Dresden, Berlin, Amsterdam, The Hague, Cologne, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt and Heidelberg; then on to Brussels, Ostend, and across the English Channel to London.
Harry’s father joined the group in August for the concluding months in England and Scotland, which included visits to Edinburgh, Chester, the Lake District, the colleges of Oxford, and many other historic sites. In London, the Crystal Palace was a major attraction; also, Mary and her son took drawing lessons for a few weeks. Harry’s enthusiasm as a sightseer and museum-goer was demonstrated by a long, descriptive letter to those at home.
While they were away, construction began upon Aldie, Elizabeth’s present to her sister Mary. Aldie, as built,’was a large, comfortable mansion, located on a sizeable tract bounded on two sides by the Dublin Pike (now “Old Dublin Pike”) and Easton Road (North Main Street), in Doylestown. Judge Chapman’s farm was very near, just across the Pike.
HENRY CHAPMAN MERCER: AN ANNOTATED CHRONOLOGY