MOSHER Family History, Part I
The search for our Poole-Mosher family began with Susan Maria Poole4, her sister Caroline, and, according to family oral history, their half-brother Jacob, who all arrived in Coulterville, Mariposa County, California, from Massachusetts, on October 19, 1859. The following year she and her siblings were enumerated with "John and M. Russell," who traced back to Dartmouth County, Bristol County, Massachusetts, where, in 1850, Susan and her siblings were enumerated with Mariah Poole and some young men from the Reed and Russell families.
Upon review of various census records and Caroline's obituary, the children were likely born in 1843 (Susan), 1847 (Jacob), and 1848 (Caroline), which indicated that if family tradition held then Caroline was also a half-sister; however, as it turns out, the three were all full siblings.
DNA matches with Mosher descendants led to research that showed the Mariah Pool in the 1850 census correlated to Mariah (Mosher Poole) Reed5, the widow of Israel Reed (Sr.) and Jacob Poole (Sr.)3 who went on to marry John R. Russell and moved to California.
The main Poole family of Dartmouth was Sirbinus and Lurena Poole2, whom, with a lead from a DNA test match, I now believe to be Susan's grandparents. From there we looked at son Jacob Poole3 who was first married to Hannah Weaver until her death in 1840, after which Jacob remarried to the widow Mariah (Mosher) Reed5. Jacob and Mariah had a few children before Jacob's death in 1848. Mariah and her children from both marriages were found in the censuses of 1850 along with a Russell family. At this time they were enumerated next to Abiathar Poole, Mariah's elder stepson. John R. Russell of the Russell family was widowed in 1854 and the following year he and Mariah wed. They were enumerated in the Massachusetts state census of 1855 next to Abiathar Poole.
The main discrepancy between oral family history and what I have since learned from the records, is that Susan was a half-sister to Jacob and Caroline. In view of Susan's birth in 1843, after the death of Hannah Weaver and a year after Jacob's marriage to Mariah, it is mostly clear that Susan, Jacob, and Caroline were all children of Mariah and Jacob and perhaps that the half-siblings recalled were those of the Reed boys, who also migrated to California by 1860.
- Part I - 1st Generation: Daniel Mosher1 (~1674-)
• and 2nd Generation: Constant Mosher (Sr.)2 (1713-) - Part II - 3rd Generation: Ebenezer Mosher3 (1739-1824)
- Part III - 4th Generation: Isaac Mosher4 (1779-)
- Part IV - 5th Generation: Mariah Mosher5 (~1804->1860)
- Part V - 6th Generation
Daniel MOSHER (Sr.)1 (~1674->1726)
1. Daniel Mosher (Sr.)1 was reportedly born about 1674 in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Mary and had as many as 11 children:
1A. | Benjamin Mosher | 19 Apr 1706 | -- | -- |
1B. | Daniel Mosher (Jr.) | 1 Jul 1709 | -- | -- |
1C. | Micha Mosher | 27 Sep 1711 | -- | -- |
1D. | Constant Mosher (Sr.)2 | 11 Sep 1713 | (> 1759) | (> 45) |
1E. | Rachel Mosher | 14 Jun 1715 | -- | -- |
1F. | George Mosher | 9 May 1717 | -- | -- |
1G. | Ephraim Mosher | 28 Dec 1718 | (1813-1814) | (95) |
1H. | Roger Mosher | 30 Mar 1720 | -- | -- |
1I. | Hugh Mosher | 17 Mar 1722 | -- | -- |
1J. | Patience H. Mosher | 29 Jun 1724 | -- | -- |
1K. | Mercy Mosher | 12 Oct 1726 | -- | -- |
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
Benjamin MOSHER (1706-)
1A. Benjamin Mosher was born on April 19, 1706, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Abigail Maxfield and had as many as seven children. After Abigail's death Benjamin remarried to Dorcas Sherman around 1753 and had one more daughter:[Dartmouth]
1A1. | Priscilla Mosher | 22 Sep 1729 | -- | -- |
1A2. | Edith Mosher | 27 Dec 1731 | -- | -- |
1A3. | Job Mosher | 30 Apr 1734 | -- | -- |
1A4. | George Mosher (Sr.) | 11 Oct 1740 | 8 Aug 1825 | (84) |
1A5. | Abigail Mosher | 13 Oct 1743 | -- | -- |
1A6. | David Mosher | 31 May 1749 | -- | -- |
1A7. | Lydia Mosher | 10 Dec 1751 | -- | -- |
1A8. | Patience Mosher | 17 Sep 1768 | -- | -- |
Abigail (Maxfield) Mosher probably died soon after the birth of Lydia.
Benjamin and Dorcas filed their intention of marriage on April 14, 1753, in Dartmouth.[Dartmouth]
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
Constant MOSHER (Sr.)2 (1713->1759)
1D. Constant Mosher (Sr.)2 was born on September 17, 1713, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Sarah Sherman1 and had ten children:
1DA. | Zilpha Mosher | 28 Jul 1738 | -- | -- |
1DB. | Ebenezer Mosher3 | 25 Oct 1739 | (> 1781) | (> 42) |
1DC. | Susannah Mosher | 17 Nov 1741 | -- | -- |
1DD. | John Mosher (Sr.)Δ | 31 May 1744 | -- | -- |
1DE. | Constant Mosher, Jr. | 17 Nov 1746 | (> 1773) | (> 27) |
1DF. | Michael Mosher (Sr.) | 6 Jan 1749 | (< 1807) | (< 57) |
1DG. | Lemuel MosherΔ | 13 Mar 1753 | (1820-1830) | -- |
1DH. | Seth Mosher | 26 Mar 1754 | -- | -- |
1DI. | Timothy Mosher (Sr.) | 28 May 1757 | (> 1786) | (> 28) |
1DJ. | Deborah MosherΔ | 16 Aug 1759 | 1828 | (68) |
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
George MOSHER (1717-)
1F. George Mosher was born on May 9, 1717, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Hannah Wing and had six children:[Dartmouth]
1F1. | Samuel Mosher | 9 Mar 1742 | -- | -- |
1F2. | Joanna Mosher | 9 Apr 1744 | -- | -- |
1F3. | Mary Mosher | 14 Mar 1748 | -- | -- |
1F4. | Edward Mosher | 23 Jan 1751 | -- | -- |
1F5. | Abraham Mosher | 14 Dec 1752 | -- | -- |
1F6. | Hannah Mosher | 19 Sep 1755 | -- | -- |
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
Ephraim MOSHER (1718-~1814)
1G. Ephraim Mosher was born on December 28, 1718, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts.[Dartmouth] He, or another Ephraim, son of Nicholas, reportedly married Eunice and had four children. The other reportedly died around 1747 in Dartmouth and this Ephraim reportedly moved to Belgrade, Kennebec County, Maine, and died around 1813 or 1814.
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
Roger MOSHER (1720-)
1H. Roger Mosher was born on March 30, 1720, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Phebe Sherman in 1746 and soon after had one son. Roger later married Lydia Bedon and had one more son:[Dartmouth]
1H1. | Jesse Mosher | 11 Sep 1746 | 28 Apr 1824 | (77) |
1H2. | Abner Mosher | 5 Aug 1770 | -- | -- |
Roger and Phebe filed their intention of marriage on May 20, 1746, in Dartmouth. Their son Jesse was born 16 weeks later.[Dartmouth]
Roger and Lydia filed their intention of marriage on November 4, 1763, in Dartmouth.[Dartmouth]
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
Hugh MOSHER (1722-)
1I. Hugh Mosher was born on March 17, 1722, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Elizabeth and had at least one daughter:[Dartmouth]
1I1. | Mercy Mosher | 24 Apr 1743 | -- | -- |
- Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
Mercy (MOSHER) TRAFFORD (1726-)
1K. Mercy Mosher was born on October 12, 1726, in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. She and Phillip Trafford filed an intention of marriage in Dartmouth on July 20, 1749.