San
Joaquin County
Biographies
CAPTAIN WILLIAM S. MOSS
It is interesting to chronicle the
life histories of the pioneers who, leaving their comfortable homes and
surroundings in the east, braved the dangers of the overland trip across the
plains, not afraid to push their way across the trackless waste infested with
savage Indians to aid in the conquering of the wilds of the Pacific Coast. Such a pioneer was the late Capt. William S.
Moss, large landowner and prominent publisher.
Of Scotch descent, he was born in Virginia, where his parents, Zela and Janet (Glasscock) Moss, were planters.
In the early days Captain Moss came
out to Illinois, where he became a large landowner and also owned several boats
that plied on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, making his headquarters at
Peoria, Illinois. Later he was one of
the builders of the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad, which became a part of the
Burlington System. In 1856 he made his
first trip to California, where he spent some time, and becoming very favorably
impressed with the country he concluded that as soon as he could dispose of his
holdings satisfactorily he would return and make California his home. Having large interests in the vicinity of
Peoria it was several years before he could bring his plans to a successful issue,
but when this was accomplished he started across the plains with his family in
an ox-team train, bringing with him a herd of several hundred cattle and
horses. Arriving here he purchased about
10,000 acres in San Joaquin County, near Stockton, which holdings he later
naturally increased. At the same time he
became interested in San Francisco property and had a fine country residence at
San Leandro, Alameda County. He founded
the San Francisco Examiner, then an evening paper, which forged to the front
and was the leading Democratic paper in Northern California, selecting for his
editor Philip A. Roach, famous as an editorial writer on the coast. Captain Moss was very prominent in Democratic
politics and continued as proprietor of the Examiner until he sold it to
Senator George Hearst.
The first marriage of Captain Moss
united him with Miss Mary Choate who passed away in Illinois, the mother of
three children: Mrs. Anna W. Jack, Mrs.
Henrietta W. Griffith and Louis Moss, all now deceased. On the occasion of his second marriage, which
occurred at Peoria, Illinois, he was united with Miss Caroline Buttrick, a
native of Massachusetts, whose parents, John and Sarah (Farrar) Buttrick, were
early settlers of Peoria, Illinois. Miss
Buttrick attended a Ladies’ Seminary in Massachusetts and was a woman of
education and culture who left the imprint of her noble character on every
community where she resided. She passed
away at their San Leandro home leaving four children: Mrs. Mary Percival, William S. and Bradley,
both deceased, and Mrs. Caroline McDougald. Captain Moss was a prominent Mason, being a
Knight Templar and a Shriner. Removing
to San Joaquin County, he took up his residence on his ranch near Stockton, and
there he passed away on March 28, 1883, his death closing the career of one of
the most interesting figures in early day history, a man loved and honored by
all who knew him.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
767. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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