Frank Moser & Julia Donner Documents

                         1893  PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD            p 717-8

RANK MOSER, who owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 18, Decatur Township, one mile East of Decatur, on Williams Street, is one of the representative farmers of the community. He has a good home, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place indicates that the owner is a practical and progressive man, who carefully supervises his farm. His residence is a substantial one, and it is supplemented by all the necessary buildings. The many improvements and the well-tilled fields make this one of the valuable and desirable places in the neighborhood.

   Mr. Moser is a native of Germany. He was born in Baden on the 16th of September, 1843, and is a son of Joseph and Josepha (Beirly) Moser. The father spent his entire life in the village of Kappel, where he controlled a vineyard. He also served in the German army. His death occurred when our subject was a lad of eleven years, but his wife survived until 1881, dying at the age of eighty-one years. Both were members of the Catholic Church. Their family numbered nine children: Frederick, who died in Germany; Connel, a farmer of Summerville, N. J.; George, who died in 1890; Frank, of this sketch; Celia, Francisca and Barbara, who live in Germany; and Joseph and Josepha, who died in infancy.

   In his parents' home Mr. Moser spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and, in accordance with the laws of his native land, attended school between the ages of six and fourteen years. During his boyhood he was employed in his father's vineyard and worked hard. He remained at home until twenty-three years of age, and in 1867 he started for the New World on a vessel which sailed from Havre, and after seventeen days reached the harbor of New York, having experienced some severe weather.

   Mr. Moser at once began work in New Jersey, obtaining his situation in three days. He spent two years in that State, and on the 3d of May, 1869, in Newark, N. J., he married Miss Julia Donner, who was born in West Prussia, and when a young lady of nineteen years came to America. Their union was blessed with the following children: Frederick, Joseph, George; William, who died at the age of a year and a half; Annie Mary and Mary; Frank (who is deceased) and Millie, twins; Julia; Eddie, who died at the age of four; Charles, also deceased; Albert, Lewis, Clara, Minnie, Rosa Louisa, Bertha, John and Margarette. The children were all born and reared in this county, and have been educated in English and German in the public and parochial schools, and so far none have left the parental home.

    It was in 1870 that Mr. Moser started for the West, and after three weeks he went to Decatur, where he worked in a foundry for three years, after which he spent a year and a half as an employee in a furniture factory. During the succeeding three years he worked in an iron foundry, and for seven years carried  on a dairy. He at first had but one cow, but his business steadily increased and he afterward kept fifty cows. He met with good success during his career in Decatur, and aside from so rapidly increasing his business, he bought a lot and erected a house in the city. About nine years ago he removed to the farm, and has since successfully carried on agricultural pursuits. He cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Grant, and has since voted with the Democratic party. Himself and family are members of the Catholic Church.

MRS. FRANK MOSER

    75, DIES SUNDAY

                ------------

Old Resident Confined to

        Bed Ten Weeks

    Mrs. Julia Moser, wife of Frank

Moser, living two miles out on East

William street, known to all of the

old residents of Decatur and vicin-

ity,  died  at  noon  Sunday  at  St.

Mary’s hospital.  She was seventy-

five years old in September.  Her

death was caused by complications

incident to old age.  She had been

confined to her bed for the last ten

weeks.

    Mrs. Moser’s maiden name was

Julia  Donner.   She  was  born  in

Schoenlanke,  West  Prussia,  Ger-

many, Sept. 7, 1848. She came to the

United States when she was nine-

teen years old,  she first settled in

Newark, N. J., and there she and

Frank Moser were married May 3,

1869.  They celebrated their golden

wedding anniversary four years ago.

     40 YEARS IN SAME HOME

    Soon after their marriage they

moved  to  Monticello,  but  forty

years ago they moved to the present

homestead.   At  that  time the  city

of Decatur was a considerable dis-

tance to the west.  Now the city has

grown east until part of the Moser

farm is inside the city limits.  Mr.

and Mrs. Moser have always been

noted for their hospitality and thou-

sands of people have attended pic-

nics in the Moser grove.

   Mrs.  Moser  was  devoted  to her

home  and  her  family.  She  was a

good  neighbor and in times of sick-

ness in  the  neighborhood her serv-

ices  were  freely  given.  She was a

devout  member of  St. James Cath-

olic church.

                  MOTHER OF 19

   She was  the  mother  of  nineteen

children.   Five  died  in infancy, and

Albert  Moser  died March 16, 1918.

With her husband the following chil-

dren  survive her:   Fred  and  Lewis

Moser of McLeansboro, Mrs. A. W.

Harpstrite of Spring Fork, Mo., Mrs.

Frank  Hayden  of  Petersburg,  Mrs.

Charles Gillen of Warrensburg, Mrs.

Harry Hackett of Gary, Ind., Mrs. Ed

Quintenz, Mrs. Charles Boehm, Mrs.

J. V. Keck, Mrs. R. A. Harpstrite,

Mrs. R. S. Hornback, John Moser and

Miss  Clara  Moser, all of Decatur.

   The  children  were at  her  bedside

when the end came.  There are thirty-

nine  grand-children  and  two  great

grand-children.   The  body  was  re-

moved to the  Moran & Sons  under-

taking  establishment  and  prepared

for burial.

             FUNERAL WEDNESDAY

    The  funeral  will  be  held  at  9

o’clock Wednesday  morning  at  St.

James’ church.  The burial will be in

Calvary  cemetery.   The  family  re-

quests that no flowers be sent.

                 Decatur Review - Mon, Oct. 1, 1923

FRANK MOSER, 81,

  DIES OF INJURIES

                              ------------

Prominent  Farmer  for

        Forty Years

                              ------------

HIT  BY  AUTOMOBILE

                              ------------

Had 19 Children,  Largest
       Family in County

    Frank  Moser,  eight-one  years  old

and  living   in  the   2800  block  East
William, a retired farmer, died  in  St.
Mary’s hospital Tuesday afternoon of
injuries  received when  he was struck
by  a  Ford  roadster Monday while on
his  way  to  Decatur.   He  was  taken
to  St.  Mary’s  hospital where  it  was
found  that   he  had  a   fractured  hip.
It was  thought  that  he  also  suffered
internal  injuries.

   The  car that  struck  Mr. Moser was
driven  by  Miss  Booher of Cerro Gor-
do, employed  in  Decatur.   Her  father
came  in to  Sheriff  Underwood  Mon-
day evening  and  told  the sheriff that
his  daughter  struck  Mr.  Moser.  Mr.
Booher   was  then  going  to  the  hos-
pital  to  Mr.  Moser.    The  accident
happened  while Mr. Moser was walk-
ing  along  the hard road on  East Wil-
liam  street.

   Frank  Moser  was  one  of  the most
prominent  farmers  in  Macon  county
having  been  on the  farm  east of De-
catur  for more  than  forty  years.  He
prospered  and  acquired  considerable
land.

                      CHILDREN

   The children who survived are Fred
and  Lewis  Moser,  of  McLeansboro;
Mrs.  A.  W.  Harpstrite    of    Spring
Fork, Mo., Mrs. Ed Quintenz, Decatur,
Mrs.  Harry  Hackett,  Gary, Ind.,  Mrs.
Charles    Gillen,    Bearsdale,    Mrs.
Charles  Boehm,  Decatur,  Mrs.  Rich-
ard  Harpstrite,   and   Mrs.  Roy  Horn-
back,  Decatur,  Mrs.  John  Keck,  De-
catur,   Clara   Moser,   Decatur,   John
Moser, Decatur, and  Mrs. Frank  Hay-
den  of  Petersburg.

            HAD  LARGE  FAMILY

   The  Moser  family  was  one  of the
largest  in  Macon  county.  Nineteen
children  were  born,  five  of  whom
died in infancy.  Mrs. Moser died in
October 1923, at the age of seventy-
five.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Moser were
born  in  Germany.  Both came to this
country,  Mrs. Moser  when  she  was
nineteen  years old.   They  were  mar-
ried  in  New  Jersey  and  celebrated
their  golden  wedding  anniversary in
1919,  six  years  ago.

   Soon   after   their   marriage   they
moved  to  Monticello  and forty-one
years  ago  moved  to  the  farm  two
miles east of Decatur  on the William
street  road.   They  lived  there  until
their  last  illness,  both  dying  in  the
St. Mary’s  hospital.

              IN CITY LIMITS

   Part  of  the  land  in  their  farm  is
now  city   property   within  the  city
limits.  A. E.  Staley  recently  bought
part of the  Moser l and  for an  outlet
of the Staley  conduit  and  for recrea-
tion   grounds   for   the   Staley   em-
ployees.

   Frank  Moser  was  born  in  Baden
Germany, Sept. 6, 1843.  He came to
America  in  1867 and  located in Ne-
wark,  N.  J.   After  working  on  a
farm  he  went  to  New  York  where
he ran an engine.  He  got  $5  a week
and  it  cost  $4.50  to  live.  That was
only  fifty  cents  less  than  he  made,
but  there  in  lies  the  secret  of  his
success.  He  always  made more than
he  spent.  Even  after  he came to De-
catur  he  worked  for  $7.50  a  week
but  at  that  managed to save and get
along  in  the  world.

               WAS  A FARMER

   He  was  a farmer in every sense of
the word.  He liked the business  and
he  thought  that  the  farm  was  the
only place to raise a  big family.  For
quite a  while  he  conducted a  dairy
south of Decatur.  He  saved enough
money from his earnings while work-
ing in a foundry  and other  places in
Decatur to  establish  himself in that
business.  He  made  it pay him well,
but the  work  was hard  and  he was
called  upon  to do so  much  that he
feared  the strain  was  telling  upon
…….

                 Decatur Review Tues, Jan 6, 1925