Dr. William Xerxes MOSELEY

HAIRSTON.org ID#2570, b. 23 December 1835, d. 9 November 1914
Father*John Townes MOSELEY1,2,3 b. 14 Jul 1798, d. 11 Dec 1883
Mother*Mary Wortley MONTAGUE1 b. 8 Jun 1808, d. 21 Sep 1883
Birth*Dr. William Xerxes MOSELEY was born on 23 December 1835 in Kemper, Mississippi.1,2,4 
He was the son of John Townes MOSELEY and Mary Wortley MONTAGUE.1,2,3 
Census 1850Dr. William Xerxes MOSELEY appeared on the 1850 census of John Townes MOSELEY on 11 November 1850 in Kemper, Mississippi.1

 
Graduation* In 1859 William graduated from the University of New York with a degree in Medicine. In 1863 he was a surgeon with the Confederate Army.2 
Census 1870Dr. William Xerxes MOSELEY appeared on the 1870 census of John Townes MOSELEY on 6 July 1870 in Macon, Noxubee, Mississippi; John T. Mosely 72 farmer b. VA, Mary W. 62, William X. 35 Physician, Martha A. 27, Thomas 8, Margaret M. 5.5

 
Marriage*Dr. William Xerxes MOSELEY married Mary Victoria CRAWFORD, daughter of Rev. Peter CRAWFORD and Maria Carter MONTAGUE, in 1874.2,4 
Census 1880*Dr. William Xerxes MOSELEY appeared on the census of 1 June 1880 in De Soto, Louisiana.6

 
Biography*"William X. Moseley, M. D., is a well known physician throughout this region. and since 1878 has been a resident of Keatchie. He was born in Noxubee County, Miss, December 23, 1835, his parents, John T. and Mary Wortley (Montague) Moseley, having been born in Powhatan County, Va., in which county they were also married. In 1830 he removed to the State of Mississippi, but did not bring his family thither until five years later. When a young man he left home, his father being a talented attorney, to go to Richmond, Va., where he worked on one of the leading papers as a printer, but soon after gave up that trade for more congenial work, that of tilling the soil, and afterward turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, then to the banking business, and in later years again became a farmer, the remainder of his days being spent on a plantation, surrounded by his family and many friends. He was a self-made man, was highly educated, and was an able financier. He was charitable, kind-hearted and generous, and his death, which occurred in 1883 at the age of eighty-four years, was lamented by all. From the time he first voted until the last time that he went to the polls he never scratched a Democratic ticket, and was an earnest advocate of secession from first to last. He was a member'of the I. O. O. F., and in his religious views was liberal.
His wife died also in 1883 at the age of seventy-four years, she being a member of an old and prominent Virginian family, members of which had become celebrated for their brilliancy as educators and politicians and for their bravery and intrepidity as soldiers. She traced her ancestry back to the sixteenth century. She was a devoted member of the Missionary Baptist Church for many years, and as a wife and mother was faithful, loving and kind. She was highly educated and talented, and retained her fondness for good literature until the day of her death. Although she lived over the allotted age of mortals, she never showed in the slightest degree the “ravages of time,” and could recite page after page from the best poets.
Their union resulted in the birth of ten children, of whom William X. Moseley was the fifth child but the eldest of three sons. He was given excellent educational advantages in his youth, and in 1857 graduated with B. A. degree from the University of Mississippi, after which he at once turned his attention to the study of medicine, and entered the medical department of the University of New York, being graduated in 1859 as an M. D. He practiced his profession near his boyhood’s home until the breaking out of the war, when he was one of the first to offer his services to the confederacy, and was attached to the medical department at Richmond as assistant surgeon in C01. Perrin's regiment. He afterward became surgeon, and being the senior surgeon held that position for some time in Gen. Jackson’s brigade, the most of the time being in charge of the surgical wards.
Soon after the war be located in Noxubee County, Miss., where he remained until 1872, when he came to Summer Grove, near Shreveport, La., and as above stated in 1878 to Keatchie. He has made his home in this place up to the present time, and has built up an extensive practice both in this State and in Texas. His fame has gone out far and near, and as a consequence he is very frequently called in by other physicians for consultation. He has never figured conspicuously in politics, owing to the fact that his time has been fully occupied with his practice, but he has always voted for the success of the Democracy, and is very bitterly opposed to the rechartering of the Louisiana State Lottery.
In 1874 he was married to Miss Mary V. Crawford, a daughter of Rev. Peter Crawford, who was a well-known Baptist minister for many years, and an educator of decided ability. He was one of the founders of the Judson Institute at Marion, Miss, and was the president of other noted schools in Louisiana and Mississippi. He is one of the men who made Keatchie Male and Female College what it now is, one of the first schools in the State. His daughter, Mary V., has been an instructor in this institution for the past thirty years. Her marriage to Dr. Moseley has resulted in the birth of six children: Mary Wortley, John T., William X., Jr., Annie H., Peter C. and Patty B. Both the Doctor and his wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a Royal Arch Mason."7 
Census 1900*He appeared on the census of 2 June 1900 in Natchitoches, Louisiana.8

 
Census 1910*He appeared on the census of 21 April 1910 in De Soto, Louisiana.9

 
Death*He died on 9 November 1914 in De Soto, Louisiana, at age 78.4,10 
Burial*He was buried in Keatchi Cemetery, De Soto, Louisiana.4 

Family

Mary Victoria CRAWFORD b. 28 Oct 1850, d. 26 Nov 1922
Children

Sources (www.HAIRSTON.org)

  1. [S1850] 1850 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  2. [S158] Montague, George William, History and Genealogy of the Montague Family of America, Press of J.E. Williams, Amherst, Mass, 1886.
  3. [S3216] Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi: Embracing an authentic and comprehensive account of the chief events in the history of the state and a record of the lives of many of the most worthy and illustrious families and individuals. Vol. 2, (1891). Chicago: Goodspeed Pub. Co. - https://hdl.handle.net/2027/chi.102898882, Hathi Trust Digital Library.
  4. [S48] Find A Grave Website with Photo - only listings with photos of grave markers that are contemporary to the deceased individuals death are acceptable for genealogical proof.
  5. [S1870] 1870 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  6. [S1880] 1880 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  7. [S157] Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana. Southern Publishing Company, 1890.
  8. [S1900] 1900 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  9. [S1910] 1910 Federal Census - National Archives and Records Administration - Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.
  10. [S3111] Louisiana, Statewide Death Index, 1900-1949, Provo Utah, Ancestry.com.
Last Edited24 Nov 2021