MSS 859 Thomas Moseley Papers

              MSS 859
Thomas W. H, Moseley Papers
1/ 4 c u b i c f o o t
Standard i n v e n t o r y
C o l l e c t i o n Synopsis
Provenance: The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y a c q u i r e d t h e Thomas 1.
H. Moseley Papers as a g i f t o f W i l l i a m P, Moseley o f Richmond,
V i r g i n i a , g r e a t grandson o f Thomas W. H. Moseley i n May 1984.
P e t e r Lundskow processed t h e c o l l e c t i o n i n January 1985.
P r o p e r t y r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y owns t h e p r o p e r t y
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n .
C o p y r i g h t s : W i l l i a m P. Moseley has d e d i c a t e d such c o p y r i g h t s as
he possesses i n t h i s c o l l e c t i o n t o the p u b l i c . C o n s i d e r a t i o n o f
a l l o t h e r c o p y r i g h t s i s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f t h e a u t h o r and
pub1 i s h e r ,
Access: T h i s c o l l e c t i o n i s open under t h e r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s
o f t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
C i t a t i o n : Researchers a r e r e q u e s t e d t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, and t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y i n a l l f o o t -
n o t e and b i b 1 i o g r a p h i c r e f e r e n c e s .
B i o g r a p h i c a l sketch: Thomas W i l l iam Henry H a r r i s o n Moseley was
born i n Montgomery County, Kentucky, on November 28, 1813.
Moseley was named f o r W i l l i a m Henry H a r r i s o n under whom h i s f a t h e r
f o u g h t d u r i n g t h e War o f 1812. Moseley l i v e d a c o m f o r t a b l e c h i l d -
hood u n t i l h i s f a m i l y l o s t t h e i r f o r t u n e i n t h e p a n i c o f 1820. A t
s i x t e e n Moseley l e f t home t o make h i s own l i v e l i h o o d a t a s e r i e s o f
j o b s a t i r o n f u r n a c e s a l o n g t h e Ohio R i v e r .
I n 1838 Mosel ey d i s c o v e r e d and p a t e n t e d an improvement i n . hydro-s
t a t i c pump machinery, g i v i n g him the l i f e l o n g nickname t h e
" Kentucky Pump- maker," That sane y e a r Moseley m a r r i e d Mary Ann
Beckner ( 1824- 1888) o f F l e m i n g s b u r g , Kentucky, He r e p e a t e d l y
t r i e d and f a i l e d t o market h i s pump improvement i n Kentucky, so
i n 1841 he moved t o Columbus, Ohio, where he was more s u c c e s s f u l
w i t h t h i s i n v e n t i o n and o t h e r s such as a window sash l o c k .
Moseley a l s o took up t h e p r o f e s s i o n o f c i v i l e n g i n e e r i n g and
h e l p e d w i t h c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e L i t t l e Miami R a i l r o a d from
C i n c i n n a t i t o Columbus. D u r i n g t h i s same p e r i o d , Moseley was
v e r y i n v o l v e d i n Whig p a r t y p o l i t i c s w i t h b o t h p r e s i d e n t f a l
campaigns of Henry Cl ay. H i s p o l i t i c a l i n v o l v e m e n t b r o u g h t
him an appointment a s Ohio A d j u t a n t General by Governor
Mordecai B a r t l e y , which c o n t i n u e d from 1844 t o 1851 under
Governors W i l l i a m Bebb and Seabury Ford.