Genealogical and Family History
of the
STATE OF MAINE

Compiled under the editorial supervision of George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D.

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
New York
1909.

[Please see Index page for full citation.]

[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]

[Many families included in these genealogical records had their beginnings in Massachusetts.]

MOSES In the early records of the New England Colonies mention is made of persons bearing the name of Moses. As far back as 1637 there were three colonists named John Moses. The earliest mention is of John Moses, of Plymouth, a Welshman, who settled in that town in 1632. Another John Moses, his son, probably born in England, was of Windsor, Connecticut, where he is first mentioned in 1647. The third John Moses was of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and extended mention of him is made below. The name Moses was often spelt Moysis, Moises, Moyses and Mosses. (I) Sergeant John Moses, a Scotchman (Scotsman!), of Portsmouth, of Piscataqua, as it was then called, received his first historical mention in a deed dated April 6, 1646, the introductory lines of which are as follows: "Witness these presents that We Geo. Cleve and Richard Tucker of Cascoe Bay in New England gentlemen for and in consideration of Seaven yeares Service as an apprentice pformed unto us by John Moses now of Puchatag River we have granted & confirmed unto him the Sd John Moses his heyres and assigns one hundred acres of land. In Cascoe bay." &c. The statement above indicates that he was in New England and entered the service of Cleeve and Tucker as early as 1639. Jan. 13, 1652, [trans note; should that be 1632?] John Moysis was granted fifteen acres; Dec. 5, 1636, five acres. In the distribution in 1660 of lands to "all such as were reputed inhabitants and free comyners unto the year 1657." John Moses received eighty-three acres. In the list of subscribers, 1658 to 1666, given by Brewster, to "Maintenance of ye Minister," the first name on the list is that of John Moses, who subscribed one pound. He was a deacon in the first chuch in the town. John Moses appears in 1665 as one of the signers of a petition favoring the jurisdiction of Massachusetts over New Hampshire. He is mentioned several times in early histories as Sergeant Moses, and he may have been sent to America as a solider by Sir Ferdinando Gorges. His settlement was on the south side of Sagamore creek, where he had forty-two acres of land runnin back toward Bellahac brook, to which forty-three acres more were added by the grant of Feb. 3, 1660. This old homestead of the Moses family is situated in the suburbs of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and in 1906 could be reached only by private roads. At the time mentioned it had been continuously in the family name and been occupied by direct descendants of the first proprietor for two hundred and sixty years. The family then had every deed and will touching the title to this land, even the certificate of the first survey. The house then standing was the third over the original cellar. Jan. 6, 1679, John Moses conveyed to is son Aaron one-half of his plantation with certain live stock, to be managed by said Aaron, who was to pay to his father one-half of the profits or increase of the land and cattle. In a deposition made Oct. 6, 1696, John Moses stated he was seventy years old. John Moses married, about 1667, Ann Jones, widow of John Jones; who his first wife was does not appear. Children by 1st wife: Aaron, a daughter, Elizabeth and Sarah. (II) Aaron, son of John Moses, was born at Sagamore creek; there is no record of his death. The town and provincial papers furnish evidence of his being a public man who held various civil affairs in town and state, and that he was a lieutenant in Captain Tobias Langdon's company, and was one of the members of a court martial called by Governor Usher at Newcastle, Sept. 29, 1696. He married, in 1677, Ruth, born June 3, 1660, daughter of Henry Sherborn. It is assumed that he married (second) Mary, whose family name in unknown. After his death in 1713 his widow Mary was appointed administratrix of his estate. In 1733 his son James was appointed to complete its settlement. Children: James, Joseph, Josiah, Mark, Martha, Hannah, Abigail and Sarah. A son Aaron, and a daughter Elizabeth (Moses) Smith, are mentoned as having died without issue previous to winding up the estate Sept. 10, 1734. (III) Josiah, son of Aaron Moses, was a tanner, and was constable in 1736. He first lived in Portsmouth, and in 1728 sold out there and moved to Islington creek, where he was living as late as 1761. He married, Nov. 12, 1719, Abigail Nelson, of Portsmouth. Their cildren, according to the records of the North and South Church, were: Abigail, George, Mary, Nathaniel and Daniel. (IV) George, son of Josiah and Abigail (Nelson) Moses, was born in Portsmouth, where he was baptized July 5, 1722. He was the founder of the Scarborough group of the Moses family. The deed records show that "Josiah Moses, tanner, wife Abigail, and George Moses, cordwainer," owned two small lots on Islington creek, Portsmouth. They mortgaged and redeemed these lots, George finally becoming owner of one of them, Oct. 4, 1754. "George Moses of Scarborough, York county, Massachusetts, cordwainer, and wife Frances," convey the other lot and the home in which Josiah then lived. George Moses removed from Portsmouth and settled on a farm owned by Joseph Prout on Scottow's Hill, Scarborough, in 1754. Children: Mary, Sarah, George, Anna, Katherine, David, Josiah and Nathaniel. (V) George, son of George and Frances Moses, was born at Portsmouth and baptized March 22, 1747. He was a soldier in the revolution from Scarborough, being a private in Captain Samuel Knight's company. He enlisted July 18, 1775, and was in service five months, three weeks and six days, the company being stationed at Falmouth (now Portland) for the defence of the seacoast. He was also in Capt. Benjamin Larrabee's company, Colonel Mitchell's regiment, which marched July 9, 1779, on the Penobscot expedition. This term of service was two months and three days, ending Sept. 12, 1779. He married Aug. 27, 1772, Anna Harmon. Children: William, John, Anne, Abigial, Aphia and Josiah. (VI) William, son of George and Anna (Harmon) Moses, was born Dec. 29, 1772, died Sept. 29, 1829. He resided in Scarborough until 1805, when he removed to Buxton, whence in 1822 he went to Eaton, New Hampshire, where his remaining years were spent. He married Jan. 31, 1796, Anne Milliken, born Dec. 31, 1774, died July 30, 1856. She married (second) Samuel Berry, of Buxton. Children: Cyrus, Abraham (died young), Frances, William, George, Mary Fenderson, Horace, Edward and Eliza Ann. (VII) Cyrus, eldest child of William and Anne (Milliken) Moses, was born Sept. 2, 1796, died Feb. 11, 1885. He was a farmer and shoemaker, and resided in Eaton, and Freedom, N. H., Parsonfield, Saco and Standish, Maine. He married March 20, 1819, Eunice Underwood, born April 2, 1798, died June 23, 1891. Children: Martha J., Abram, Tryphena, David W., John, Thomas Gannett, William C., Eliza Ann and Alonzo. (VIII) Abram, second child and eldest son of Cyrus and Eunice (Underwood) Moses, was born March 24, 1821, died Sept. 2, 1905. For years he was a shoemaker employed in the shops of Cornelius Sweetzer, of Saco, where he always resided. He became a Republican when that party was formed, and always took a lively interest in its progress. He married in Saco, Dec. 3, 1842, Mary Ann Foss, of Saco, born Jan. 31, 1823, died Sept. 5, 1887. Children: George, Mary Ann, Ellen Augusta, Charles Malcolm, and Cordelia Ada. (IX) Charles Malcolm, fourth child and only son of Abram and Mary Ann (Foss) Moses, was born Aug. 25, 1851. He was educated in the public schools of Biddeford, and at the age of seventeen years began life as a clerk in a hardware store. Later he was bookkeeper and paymaster in the office of the Saco Water Power Machine Company, which position he had for twenty-nine years. For two years, 1878-80, while living in Biddeford, he was mayor of that city. In 1884 he was one of the presidential electors for the state of Maine, and in 1892 a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Minneapolis. In 1898 he was appointed appraiser in the custom house in Portland, and in January, 1900, he had performed his duties so successfully that he was appointed collector of the port, and has since filled that office with credit to himself and to the people and the government he represents. Since Jan., 1898, he has resided in Portland. In politics he is a Republican, and has taken an active interest in public affairs since he was old enough to know what politics means. He is a member of Dunlop Lodge, No. 47, of Biddeford, Free and Accepted Masons; York Chapter No. 5, Royal Arch Masons, of Saco; Maine Council, No. 7, Royal and Select Masters; Bradford Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar. Charles M. Moses married, in Saco, Jan. 17, 1872, Lillian J., of Saco, born March 22, 1852, daughter of William H. and Frances (McKenney) Deering. One child: Katherine M., born at Old Orchard, Aug. 17, 1881.