Easton Moseley
1827-1900
Easton Moseley, who was named after his uncle Easton Whitten [brother to his mother, Elizabeth (Whitten) Moseley] , was born in Shelby County, Illinois in March of 1827. He relocated to Taney County, MO with his parents. It was in Taney County (Taney County Newspaper gleanings) he married Margaret Scribner in about 1849. Margaret was the daughter of Curtis S. Scribner and Sina (Merryman) Scribner.
Margaret died in about 1877 and in 1885, Easton married Susan Orr.
The children of Easton & Margaret:
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After the death of Nathan and Mary Elizabeth Moseley Wright, Easton and Susan (wife #2) brought the orphaned children, Charles and James Wright to live with them. When Easton and Susan divorced in 1888 in Taney County, it was necessary for Easton’s son Roland (and Mary’s older brother) to come from Rosston, Texas, by train, and take the young boys back to Texas where he and his wife, Mary Ann raised these youngsters to adulthood.
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The following article appeared in the Taney County News on October 4, 1888.
Quite a lively battle was witnessed near the Forsyth Square Wednesday evening in which Easton Moseley & William Morgan was the belligerents. A perfect shower of stones were thrown by both parties but neither was seriously hurt. A woman was said to have been at the bottom of the fracas.
There was a follow-up article in the same newspaper on October 11, 1888.
Easton Moseley got a divorce from Susan Orr, and the late Mrs. Moseley became Mrs. Wm. Morgan forthwith.
Sometime later, on March 20, 1890 in the Taney County News, there was this article.
Mrs. Wm Morgan [Susan Orr, the second wife of Easton Moseley] who lived on Beaver Creek, died last Sunday of la grippe [flu]. Dr. Johnson was called to see her but she was in a dying condition when he reached her and beyond the aid of a physician.
One week later, on March 27, 1890 this article appeared.
An inquest was held last week over the body of Mrs. Morgan, the wife of William Morgan, who lived four miles north of this place [Taneyville]. The lady died some two weeks ago and the physician who was called in a short time before her death pronounced her poisoned and the coroner summoned a jury and the body was disinterred and her stomach examined by Drs. Johnson of Forsyth and Williams of Cedar Creek who found evidence of poison in the shape of holes, etc.
It is supposed a warrant has been issued for Morgan’s arrest. At least he and a girl, who it was said was very intimate with him and who by the way, was the daughter of his wife, by a former husband, skipped out on last Friday night, while it was raining.
(There is no further mention of this incident in future editions of the newspapers, which ceased publishing within a year of this issue and the court records in Taney County, have nothing on this matter.
Easton and Susan would have no children together. Easton would later marry (wife #3) Mary E. Robertson on Oct 22, 1893 in Taney County. Easton is alive in the 1900 Taney County, MO census, but does not appear in the 1910 census, so it can be assumed he died during this period.
On June 27, 1890, the U.S. Congress passed a law making orphans and destitute widows of Union military veterans eligible for a pension.
On March 21, 1891, Enos Stanley (Nathan’s former father-in-law) filed a petition in Taney County Court requesting that he be appointed the legal guardian of Effie, Charles and James Wright the minor children of Nathan Wright. He was subsequently appointed their guardian on March 23, 1891.
Stanley was the grandfather of Effie, Nathan's daughter by his second marriage, who had lived with Stanley since the death of Effie’s mother, but had no relationship to Charles and James who had been living in Rosston, Texas with their Uncle Roland Moseley for the previous two years.
Stanley's application for the pension required that he obtain affidavits from neighbors of Nathan's in the Bradleyville area that attested to Nathan's service as well as the events surrounding his death. He spent the next several months gathering these documents.
After he collected his proof, he submitted them to the government and a pension was approved on March 23, 1892 for the three minor children of Nathan Wright. Enos Stanley, as the appointed guardian of these children, received the first check in March 1892 (which included retroactive payments from June 1890). Each of the three children was awarded $12.00 per month as an orphan’s pension.
Upon hearing that pension payments are being made to orphans of Civil War veterans, Roland Moseley decided to file a petition in Gainesville, Texas on May 24, 1892 asking that he be appointed the legal guardian of Charles and James Wright, since their father has served in the Army, and they had been living with him in Texas since 1888. Since Roland had never formally been declared the guardian of these two children, he was required to post a bond with the court of Cooke County, Texas in the amount of $300. The was then appointed their guardian on November 17, 1892
As their guardian, Roland made an application with the government for the orphan’s pension not knowing that Enos Stanley had already filed for the pension and was in fact already receiving the money.
The government replied that their records show these boys, and their half-sister Effie were under the guardianship of Enos Stanley of Taney County, Missouri, and they must deny Roland's request and would continue to send the pension to Enos Stanley until such time they receive notice that Stanley is either dead or has been removed as guardian. The government closed their letter by saying they were filing his application without further action.
At this point, Roland wrote to Enos Stanley in Missouri and asked that the portion of the pension funds belonging to Charles and James be forwarded to him. Stanley responded that he would forward these funds immediately. However, months past and Roland never received a cent from Enos Stanley.
On May 10, 1893, Roland retained an attorney in Taney County for the purpose of bringing legal action to compel Enos Stanley to release the pension funds. Stanley, apparently feeling the pressure of the legal system, decided to give $35.35 to his granddaughter (Nathan's daughter), Effie Jane as a one-time payment to settle any claim she might have to any of the pension funds he had received over the past several years.
When he made
this settlement with Effie Jane, she was over 16 years of age, married and no
longer eligible for an orphan’s pension and actually had no legal right to the
money. This appears to be the only direct payment he ever made to her. However
it should be remembered, Stanley and his wife took Effie when she was an infant
and raised her in their home until she married.
On June 3, 1893, Mr. J.C. Johnson, who was a pension agent for the U.S. Government, was appointed by the Taney County Court to investigate the Stanley/Moseley matter.
A few days later Mr. Johnson reported to the court that Enos Stanley was in fact wasting the funds and referred to him as "decidedly crooked," and included the statement, "Stanley is at his old tricks." Mr. Johnson recommended to the court, that since Charles and James Wright were not living in the Stanley household, Mr. Stanley should be removed as guardian of these children. Upon this recommendation, the Pension Board in Topeka Kansas, on June 30, 1893, ordered that no further pension funds be sent to Enos Stanley.
On June 17, 1893, just prior to the Pension Board's decision, Enos Stanley notified the court that he was transferring all the money due Charles and James Wright to Roland Moseley in Rosston, Texas.
After several more months with no payment being receive from Stanley, Roland Moseley found it necessary to take the train from Gainesville, Texas to Forsythe, Missouri in order to bring suit against Stanley to recover the pension funds due Charles and James.
This civil action was filed with the Taney County Court and the trial date was set for November 11, 1893. On the first day of trial, Stanley failed to appear, so the judge issued a citation to Enos Stanley, that was served by the sheriff the same day, demanding that Stanley appear in court the following day and show cause why an attachment should not be issued against him for failing to come forward and settle his accounts as the former curator of the estate of Charles & James Wright.
On the next day, Stanley appeared in court and pleaded he had no money and there were no funds remaining from the prior payments to the Wright children. Moseley's attorney objected, contending Stanley had wasted the estate and the expenses that Stanley had charged against the estate were unreasonable.
The court took the testimony under advisement and handed down their decision on January 8, 1894, ordering Enos Stanley to hand over $131.48 to Roland Moseley. (Editor's note: If Charles and James were each due $12.00 per month, the money that should have been accruing in their account over the past two and one-half years should have been $720.00)
Moseley accepted this payment to settle the suit and the money was delivered to him on January 9, 1894.
While Moseley was in Taney County he wanted to settle all matters regarding the estate of Nathan & Mary Wright, so he filed a petitioned with the courts, and was granted permission to sell the Wright farm on Beaver Creek. This property included a one-half interest in 100 acres (the other half being owned by Nathan's older brother, James Curtis Wright), and 40 acres owned solely by Nathan, which abutted the other 100 acres.
On November
25, 1893, Roland Moseley reported to the court that he had sold the children's
one-half interest in one hundred acres and their whole interest in the forty-acre
parcel to James Curtis Wright for $300.00. Payment was made in the form of $150.00
cash and a note for $150.00 at 8% interest to be paid, one year later, on November
25, 1894.
Roland Moseley concluded his business in Taney County and returned by train to Gainesville, TX.
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Roland Moseley, as guardian, filed various reports with the courts of Cook County, TX accounting for the money he was now receiving from the government as pensions for these two boys. As the guardian and administrator of the estate, he charged the estate a commission of 5% (as was his right) for all funds that he either received or disbursed. He also charged the estate $3.50 per month per child for their room and board. He later amended this to $3.00 per month per child when the boys reached age 13 and 10 respectfully, stating the reduction was because the boys were now old enough to "provide some help on the farm".
In his October 1899 Guardian Report, Moseley reported to the Cooke County, Texas Court, that the estate had a balance of $807.41.
As each child became 16 years old and no longer eligible for the orphan’s pension, the payments from the government stopped.
There is no record of what happened to the money left in the estate as each child reached the age of majority, but one could assume each child received a lump sum settlement from Moseley since he had proven to be a most honorable guardian and father to these two little boys.
Here are some facts regarding the kind uncle who went to Missouri and brought these two orphan boys to Texas and raised them with his family.
Roland & Mary Ann Moseley
Roland Moseley was born on January 8, 1854 in Swan Township, Taney County, Missouri. He was the son of Easton and Margaret Scribner Moseley, and the older brother of Mary Elizabeth who married Nathan Wright. He married Margaret "Mary" Ann (Morgan) Woodward in ca 1871 in Taney County, Missouri. Mary Ann was married previously to Mr. Woodward and they had two children with Mr. Woodward.
Roland and Mary Ann left Taney County in 1875 and came to Rosston, Texas (just outside of Gainesville). They arrived with one son, Lafayette and the two daughters Jerusher Ann and Mary Jane from Mary's previous marriage.
Their Children:
Jurusher A. Woodward b:1866 MO
Mary Jane Woodward b:1869 MO
Lafayette "Fate" Moseley b: Nov 5, 1871 MO
Alvis O. Moseley b: Jul 10, 1875 TX
Alice M. Moseley b:1878 TX
Claude Oswalt Moseley b:1883 TX
Burton Aaron Moseley b:Jul 1889 TX
The following article was taken from:
"1972 CENTENNIAL BOOK of ROSSTON, TEXAS"
"E.R. (Elijah Roland) Moseley and Mary Ann Morgan Woodward were married in Taney County, Missouri. They came to Texas in about 1875 with one child Lafayette Benton. Three more children were born in Rosston, Alice, Claude and Burt. All three are still living. Alice of Atoka, Oklahoma is 94 years of age. Claude of Arlington, Texas is 90 years of age and Burt who resides near Rosston is 84 years of age."
“Lafayette married Arizona Summers. They had three children, Sylvester Roland, Rilla and Clyde. Claude Oswalt married Lucille Rhine. They had two boys, Coy Elmore and Lloyd Oswalt. Alice married William Robert Robertson. To this marriage were born ten children -- five are now living, Oneida, Jim, Beatrice, Bonnie and Lahoma."
"Burt Aaron married Sarah Elizabeth Wilson on December 11, 1912 in Gainesville. To this union were born four children, Inez, Mary Ruth, John Roland and Edwina. Sarah Elizabeth, "Lizzie", died in 1920."
"Burt never remarried. He became both mother and father to four small children, a job he did well and never faltering in his duty. He was a very witty man. Someone once mentioned to him about going to a cellar when a storm was raging, Burt said, "I would run to a black-eyed pea patch, it has saved my life more times than a cellar".
"When one of the Committee on the history of Rosston went to get information from him, he talked very freely for almost two hours, and it was getting late in the afternoon, Burt being 84 years old, began to get tired and in a very tactful way said "I've got to go gather my eggs and feed my bantam chickens".
"Burt Moseley recalls that his father, Roland Moseley, worked at the flour mill for the Ross brothers. The mill, run by oxen, had an inclined wheel. As the oxen stepped on the wheel, the wheel turned, setting the mill in motion for grinding the grain to make flour and meal."
Burt tells
of an encounter his father, Roland Moseley had with Sam Bass, the highwayman,
train, bank and stage coach robber, and all around outlaw, when he was sent
to get the leader of the oxen team who wore a bell around his neck
"Early one morning Roland went off into the dense timber to follow the sound of the bell and to bring the oxen in to tread the mill. He came into an opening in the timber, and there were four men mounted on their horses with guns drawn on Roland. One of the men recognized the young man and knew he was a local boy, so guns were lowered. Roland remembered always the barrels of the guns that to him looked as big as saucers."
Rosston Cemetery
Cooke Co., Texas