Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1876-04-27
Obituary,


obituary.
MRS. LxpGA MosLGY JEssuP.
From the Hswp&sn Ttmss wes,asld, Mas.
Tho Philadelphia papers bring tidings Of
the death OF Mrs. Lydia Mosley Jessup,
native, and during . large part Of her life,
. resident Of westneld.
The Mosley family, to which Mrs. Jessup
belonged, hxve been connected with this
town from Its first settlement. The REQ
ords Of the town show that the ancestor
Of the present Mosleys bought here in 1866
several large tracts Of land, the greater
portion Of which lay in the southei1y part
Of Westfleld. formerly known ~ South
cupied by AxariAh Mosley, and now owned
by Franklin Bliss. Our present trottipg
park, also called " Moslsy Park" occupies
. part Of this old family estate. Colonel
David Mosley ~, great-grAndson OF this
first settler, WAS commissioned as msgis-
trate Of the county OF Hampshire, within
our province Of the Massachusetts Bav,
ia New England, by George H., in l749.
The original commission, with Its quaint
bearings Of the Mosley family, il still to be
seen hanging on the wall IN one OF the old
homesteads Of the town. Mrs. Jessup,
lately deceased, was great-grand-daughte
Of this Colonel David Moslsy ~, and sis
ter Of our late Senator, Colonel David
Mosley (IIl.)
1t ID not often In this country, that home
stesds are handed down from generation to
generation, a. this Mosley homestead has
been, In unbroken succession for over two
hundred years, In fact from the early colo
nial times and few are the homes among
us, within whose walls have been witnessed
such gatherings - used to grace this home
in the olden time, or where 20 large fam-
lily circle could be brought together on
Thanksgiving day and other festive occa.
sione, the M0sleys having been connected
by marriage with many colonial families
possessing histories AZ old - It's own,-
the AdAnses, the Belchers, the Collinses,
the LeverettS, the Wolcotts, the Winthrops,
the DAvenports, the MAthers, the salton-
stalls, the Chsunceys, the Ingersolls, and
many others.
The daughters Of Col. David Mosley (l)
all married men Of mark. Margaret WAS
the wife Of John Ingersoll, who WAS 4 men,
Der Of the body that framed the Constitu-
ton Of Massachusetts in 1880 He was >
descendant Of jon Ingersoll. Of Hartford,
Ingersoll, Of Philadelphia, and Major Chas.
lngersoll, member Of Parliament Of Upper
Canada, whose mother was Eunice MOsley
Of this town. Mercy, another daughter OF
Col David Mosi~y ~, was married to .
lawyer Of extensive practice, Hor.
John Phelps, . graduate Of Yale, OF the
class Of 1853. Their great granddaughter,
Anita Phelps, married John Ice Carroll, 4
descondent Of the signer, Charles Carroll.
Rhoda,s third daughter Of Col. David Mos
ley ~ married one Of the most noted physi- |
clans Of his day, DR.. .Chas. MAther, OF Hart
ford,a graduate Of Yale OF the class Of l763,
aud . d. scendent Of 4 brother Of the IA. |
nous Cotton Mather. Grace, fourth |
daughter of the same Col David Mosiey |
~, married . well-known statesman OF |
that day, Hon. Samuel Mather, cousin to
the preceding, and also graduate Of Yale,
Of the class Of 1866.
niscences Of this historic family. When |
Isaac Arlington was "Speaker, Assistant, |
Councillor, Secretary, and Chief Justice |
(so goes the record, Of the State OF Mass
schusetts, we hnd him using upon his |
documents.0 State the seal OF his wife, |
Ann Mosley bearing the arms Of the Mos
Icy family. Her brother, Capt Samuel |
Mosley is spoken Of, in the history Of the |
tim. times as 80 gallant sol soldier Of the hsvolu-
was captain III Col. Israel's Putnsm'a regl- |
ment at the battle Of Bunker Hill. III Ia
ter days, Frances, sister of Capt. Will |
liam Mosley, married Major William Shep-
herd, ron Of General Shepherd, who was
one Of Washingtons aids. Another sister,
Mary, married Joshua Green, Judge OF the
Supreme Court Of Massachusetts. In the
present generAsion, = son Of Commodore
Perry, OF Lake Erie fame, married into .
branch Of this family, his wife being sister
to Edward 8. Mosley, Of Newburyport. 30
1t would seem that, from the earliest days
Of the New England colonies down to the
present time, the name Of Mosley has been
linked by marriage, Is well as associated |
In its own right with the known statesmen
and representative men Of their time.
The Jessup family has been associated in
. like honorable manner with the history
and the early settlement Of Long Island.
But Mr.. Augustus f. Jessup, husband of
the esteemed lady whose death has called |
forth these "reminiscences, WAS, for con-
siderable portion Of his life, resident Of |
this town, and his name became identified |
with what WAS then one OF it's leading ill., |
tsrests. Some notice, therefore, Of him and |
his family seem pertinent to the present &C.
ession.
Mr.. Jessup was also Of Puritan descent,
being, on the mothers side, grandson Of
Connecticut, who after serving during the |
Revolution, represented his town in the
General Assembly Of that State for over
thirty years. A nephew of this General
Angustaz Coliins, oliver woIeutt (son Of
Oliver Wolcott the Signer, and Lorraine
Collns)wss the first Secretary under WASH
ington.
have never been made public, form an
every way suitable appendage to these re-
minisoences.
While MIR. Jessup was 6tting for College
al the Academy in this town, his father,
Hr. Edward Jessup, lost his property by
speculAtions in lead mines and by unprofit-
able investments in "The Glsss Works"
The son gave mp his College career, and
went to Philadelphia, employing himself
there In teaching, and at the same time
continuing course of scientific study un-
der the celebrated Judge Cooper, after
wards President Of Columbia College,
South Carolina. Mr.. Jessup WAS then uu-
der twenty, Mt an age when much depends
upon the influence and associations that
surround one. At distance from home,
his own master, he WAS left to choose his
own associates, unchecked by parental au-
thorty. The young men with whom he
was most intimate at that time tell the
character Of the BOY, for he was but boy
then. These special friends Of Ills youth,
who continued his friends through life,
were Alfred Dupont, Of Wilmington, Della
ware, Samuel Morton, Afterwards 80 distin- |
guished a. physician aud as a man Of
science, and Benjamin Gerhard, the emf
nent lawyer. At the age OF nineteen, Mr..
Jessup WAS made an honorary member Of
the Academy OF Natural Sciences in Phils-
delphis, the youngest honorary member
ever admitted into that body.
Some Of his scientific essays published
at that time were reprinted in England, aud
also translated into the scientific journals
OF Germany. Not long after this, he was
sent by the United States Government az
scientist In Maj. Longs Expedition over
the Rocky Mountains, with the rank and
pay Of major in the United States army.
Somewhat later, his knowledge Of chemis-
try led him to make experiments in the
manufacture Of paper, and in. consequence
Of his success in these experiments he es-
tablshed his celebrated paper-mills here in
Westtield. The financial crisis Of 1887 and
1889 swept away all the fruits OF his labor,
aud once again he found himself start
ing anew In life. His indomitable energy,
however, led him TO "try, try again." And
advantage from his wisdom in the choice
of early friends. The Damon to his
PythiAs was Mr.. Alfred DUPONT, who came
forward in this emers ency, and advanced
to Mr.. Jessup, ~ capital for renewing his
business, the sum OF forty Thousand dol
lars, refusing to take from him any mort
gage, note, bond, or evidence Of debt
whatever, from the time Of lending the
money to the time Of its return. Mr. jess
sup recorded this act in his family Bible u
something almost without 2 parallel, and
could never refer TO N-wltnout bringing
tears to his eyes. MIR. Jessup, with the
capital thus placed at LTD disposal, estab-
lished his well known paper mills on the
Brandywino. near Wilmington, and con-
tinued to make his home there until his
death, some sixteen years since. His en-
terprise there WAS eminsntly prosperous,
and realized for himself aud his children
an ample fortune.
1t il but meet, before closing these
sketches, to say few words ~ to the per-