EDWARD H. MEAD was appointed to the Camden Fire Department to take the place of Charles F. Daubman, who resigned from Engine Company 1 in September of 1871. He was promoted to Stoker on May 8, 1872, but resigned from the Fire Department on May 28. He was reinstated on March 18, 1873 by Chief Henry F. Surault. Edward H. Mead was removed from service with the Camden Fire department on May 7, 1874. He was replaced by Charles H. Hagerman. Edward Mead was reappointed to the Fire Department in April of 1876, replacing Charles Sawyer as an extra man with Engine Company 1. Edward Mead was replaced in April of 1877 by James Dunn.

Edward Mead was the son of a shoemaker, Harvey Mead and his wife Julia Ann Glastry Hoffman Mead. He was born in Pennsylvania on July 2, 1840. The family moved to Camden's South Ward in the late 1840s. When  the 1860 census was taken, Edward H. Mead was working as a shoemaker and living at home with his father, step-mother Lucetta, and younger sister Catherine. Two older brothers, george and William, were no longer living at home when the census was taken.

When the war broke out between the Northern and Southern states, Edward H. Mead came to his nation's call. He enlisted as a Private on 25 April 1861 and was placed in Company G, 4th Infantry Regiment New Jersey on April 1861.

The Fourth Regiment--Militia, was commanded by Colonel Matthew Miller, Jr., serving under him were Lieutenant Colonel Simpson R. Stroud and Major Robert C. Johnson. This regiment was mustered into the U. S. service at Trenton, April 27, 1861, to serve for three months, and left the state for Washington, D. C., on May 3, with 37 commissioned officers and 743 non-commissioned officers and privates, a total of 777. On the evening of May 5 it reached the capital, and on the 9th it was ordered to go into camp at Meridian hill, where, within a few days the entire brigade was encamped, and where, on the 12th, it was honored by a visit from the president, who warmly complimented the appearance of the troops. On the evening of May 23 it joined the 2nd and 3d regiments and about midnight took up the line of march in silence for the bridge that spanned the Potomac. This bridge was crossed at 2 o'clock on the morning of the 24th, the 2nd was posted at Roach's spring, and the 3d and 4th about half a mile beyond on the Alexandria
road. On July 16, a guard was detailed from the 4th for a section of the Orange & Alexandria railroad, which it was important to hold; one company from the regiment guarded the Long bridge; still another was on duty at Arlington mills; and the remainder of the regiment, together with the 2nd, was ordered to proceed to Alexandria. On July 24, the term of service having expired, the 4th returned to New Jersey and was mustered out at Trenton, July 31, 1861. The total strength of the regiment was 783, and it lost by discharge 6, by promotion 2, by death 2 and by desertion 7, mustered out, 766.

Edward H Mead was among those who mustered out with Company G, Fourth Infantry Regiment New Jersey on July 31, 1861 at Trenton, NJ.

On January 27, 1864 Edward H. Mead was married to Beulah L. Simons.

In 1864 he went back into the Union Army, enlisted in Company I, New Jersey 3rd Cavalry Regiment on March 24, 1864.

The Third New Jersey Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 36th New Jersey Volunteers was recruited during the winter of 1863-64, and was mustered into the U. S. service on Feb. 10, 1864,
as the "First United States Hussars," though the name was not long retained. It left Trenton on March 29, 1,200 strong, marching by way of Philadelphia and Wilmington to Perryville, Maryland,  where it embarked on steamers and proceeded to Annapolis, being there attached to the 9th army corps. The enemy being gradually compelled to fall back before the operations of Grant, the regiment pushed forward with its brigade- 3rd brigade, 1st division, Cavalry corps- sharing in the operations at Ashland, Old Church and other points, and showing the highest soldierly qualities in all the combats in which it participated. Up to the middle of July its total losses in killed, wounded and missing amounted to 76. On July 16, the command was transferred to Lighthouse Point but on the 25th it returned to its old position, and two days later lost several men from guerrillas while on picket, 1 being killed, 2 wounded and 2 captured. At the baffle of Winchester its total loss was 130 men the killed including 1 captain and 1 lieutenant. In the operations at Summit Point the regiment lost 6 killed, 25 wounded and 14 missing At Kearneysville its loss in wounded and missing was 30 men, and in the affair on the Berryville turnpike in September its loss was 1 killed. After this affair, the regiment lay quiet until the 19th, when it participated in the battle of the Opequan, suffering some loss, but not sufficient to disturb the elation over the grand achievements of the day. It was again engaged at Front Royal, losing some men, and on the 28th, being in the cavalry advance, it once more encountered the enemy at Waynesboro, where it suffered a loss of 10 in killed and wounded, but fought with its accustomed gallantry. In the retrograde movement which followed, a movement designed to draw the enemy once more within effective striking distance, the regiment again proved its efficiency at Bridgewater, losing 9 men, at Brock's gap, and at Tom's Brook, where it had a severe engagement with the now pursuing foe, its loss in that affair being 8 men. Finally reaching Cedar Creek, it went on picket, where it remained until the 13th, when it had a sharp fight, losing two men. In the memorable battle of Cedar Creek it was early placed in
position, but was only moderately engaged. In the subsequent operations in the Valley it had an honorable part, being engaged on the Back road and at Mount Jackson in the loss of the command in the latter affair being two men, killed and wounded. In the spring of 1865 it was variously employed in the vicinity of Petersburg until the last grand assault upon the enemy, when at Five Forks, fighting again with the scarred veterans who had swept Early from the Shenandoah Valley, it displayed conspicuous gallantry, sharing in all the perils as well as the splendid achievements of that memorable and glorious day, on which the power of the Rebellion was finally and forever broken. The loss of the regiment was only 8 wounded, including Lieut.-Col. Robeson. Joining in the pursuit of the flying foe, it had 1 officers wounded in a skirmish on the 6th, but was not again heavily engaged. In due time Lee surrendered and the Confederate armies dissolved, when the
regiment proceeded to Washington, and thence to Trenton, where it was mustered out. The total strength of the regiment was 2,234, and it lost during its term of service by resignation 17, by discharge 83, by promotion 47, by transfer 276, by death 145, by desertion 439, by dismissal 8, not accounted for 187, mustered out 1,032.

Private Edward H. Mead mustered out on June 24, 1865 at Baltimore, Maryland. He did, in due time, return to Camden. He was living in Burlington, New Jersey when the 1870 Census was taken, with his wife Beulah.

Fire Department records state that Edward Mead was living at 1 Yeager's Court in 1871 when he was appointed to the Fire Department. When he was promoted to Stoker in May of 1872 he was living on Pine Street. No address is given for the date upon which he was reinstated, however he was living at 342 Division Street into early 1874. He was living at 618 Pine Street when reappointed in April of 1876. Edward H. Mead was at 814 South 4th Street when the 1878-1879 Camden City Directory was compiled. He moved to 569 Pine Street in time for 1879-1880 edition, and was living at 514 Roberts Court when the 1881-1882 edition was compiled.

In the 1880 census Edward H. Mead, shoemaker, born 840 in Pennsylvania, is living in Camden with a 38 year-old wife named Julia and a 9 year old son, Edward Mead Jr. By the time the 1883-1884 Directory was being compiled, Edward H. Mead had moved to 614 Roberts Street, rear. He stayed at 614 Roberts Street through the beginning of 1892, then moved to Cramer Hill. Edward H. Meade worked as a shoemaker over the river in Philadelphia during the 1880s and 1890s.

The 1900 Census shows Edward H. Mead as having remarried in 1883 to Abigail Merembeck, and that there were two sons, Grover Cleveland Mead and Winfield Hancock Mead, as well as brother-in-law Joseph Merembeck, at home. They were living at 1214 Main Street in Cramer Hill, this street was re-named North 26th Street shortly after the Census was taken. Joseph Merembeck had been active in political and civic affairs in Cramer Hill in the 1890s, before that section had been annexed to Camden in 1899.

The Mead family is not listed in the 1906 Camden City Directory. Edward H. Mead had apparently moved to 122 Montgomery Avenue in Holly Beach, New Jersey (present-day Wildwood), where he was living with his wife Abigail "Abbie" Mead. Next door at 126 Montgomery Avenue lived son Edward H. Meade Jr., and Edward Jr.'s wife and son. Edward H. and Abbie Meade were still there in January of 1920, at 116 Montgomery Avenue. They both passed in the 1920s.