<NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO ALL whom it may concern, that ALBERT MERIAN, of this city, having signed our firm by power of attorney, HAS ABSCONDED, probably for the United States, with large sums of money; that the said power of attorney has been withdrawn from said Albert Merian this day, and that, in consequence, no bills or notes signed or indorsed by him will either be accepted or paid hereafter.

EMANUEL LA ROCHE SON.

Basle, Switzerland, Dec. 23 1865.>

The particular reason for thinking this could be our Albert Merian is this post:

< 1864 A three-man delegation from Basel, headed up by Albert Merian, makes a surprise visit to the Chess Club. Merian makes a particular impression among the Zurich players, in part by playing a match «blindfolded».>

Merian vs Steinitz, 1884 (kibitz #35)

There's another issue - is there one chess-playing Merian or two? See also Merian.

The subscription list for the Swiss Home (https://www.sbsny.org/about/history) published in the <Courrier des Etats-Unis>, 1883.05.02, p2, has two Albert Merians listed. One donated $50 and the other $2. It looks like one of the two leaves New York on the "Normandie" according to the passenger list published in the <Courrier des Etats-Unis>, 1883.09.05, p3. The third is an Albert L. Merian listed in the 1870 census as 20 years of age and being at school (US born, so probably not your man); Son of a Halsey and Harriet Merian.

To make matters even more murky, in July 1870 a "Mr. Merian" given as being from Brooklyn is a member of a Brooklyn team (Munoz, Merian, Gilberg, Brenzinger, Perrin and Barnett) playing against a New York team (Phelan, Jones, Delmar, Wernich, Mackenzie and Marache).

I checked the 1870 and 1880 census records for a Merian living in Brooklyn and I turn up Alfred Merian, age 43, Merchant, born in Switzerland. His 15 year old daughter was born in Switzerland (1865) but his oldest son, 13, was born in New York (1867). It appears he may have arrived around the time Albert Merian fled from Switzerland with the money.

Merian Albert CHE Basel, (ausgew. USA)

(ausgewandert = emigrated).

<Albert Merian, tried his skill in composition, but his modest efforts did not come up _to the standard of his contemporaries.
He too did not stay at home, but emigrated to
America.>

I doubt the utility of this piece of information.

NY State census 1875:

<You're saying the ostrich feathers proved to be a vital clue?>

Vital clue seems too strong. Perhaps just a corroborating clue.

Being that Albert was a listed member of the Brooklyn Chess Club in 1869 and lived in Brooklyn at that time, he's clearly the member of the Brooklyn team. I'm not sure why the <Brooklyn Standard-Union> gives Alfred Merian and I'm willing to close the book on Alfred as it's probably just a case of someone's faulty memory and they confused Alfred with Albert.

Albert Merian, 34, b. in Switzerland, Silk Imp.
Ida Merian, 29, Wife, b. in Switzerland
Albert Merian Jr, 8, Son, b. in Switzerland
Oscar Merian, 2½, Son. b. in Kings NY
Ida Merian, ½, Daughter, b. in Kings NY
Mary Kieffer, 22, Servant, Germany

New York state census 1892 (Queens, Long Island City, Ward 3, E.D. 4):

Peter A Merian, 51, b. in Switzerland, Feather Manufacturer
Ida, 46, b. in Switzerland
Albert, 25, b. in Switzerland, Feather Manufacturer
Oscar, 19, b. in US, Feather Manufacturer
Ida, 17, b. in US
Peter, 8, b. in US
Elsa, 7, b. in US

"Legend says he spoke 6 languages". "Spoke 6 languages, including Chinese. He entered a Chinese laundry and spoke in Chinese. The owner was so shocked, he dropped his iron."

"Played chess against a mannequin and won." "Supposedly an article in newspaper about it? Was a Wechsler and Wechsler dept store, which eventually became A&S."

"Moved to country when wife dying of TB, in hopes her health would improve. Ida's will left the land to her children in Rockland Co, Oscar lost the land later to back taxes." (Ida died in 1898)