Andrew Jackson Moses

Andrew Jackson Moses, one of twelve children born to Isaac Clifton Moses and Hannah Lazarus Moses, grew up in Charleston. A prosperous merchant, Andrew married Octavia Harby in 1839, and in 1845 he purchased a forty-two-acre plot in Sumter, where they would raise their children, who eventually numbered fourteen. After the birth of the eleventh, Andrew wrote in the family bible, “Heaven spare her and make her the last one.” Their house, which later came to be known as the Williams-Brice home, today houses the Sumter County Museum.

Though Andrew rejected the idea of southern secession, despite owning sixteen slaves, Octavia was avid supporter. Still, when the war came, Andrew joined the home guards, serving near Georgetown. Five of his sons joined the Confederate Army, one of whom, Joshua, died in combat.

Andrew Jackson Moses

c. 1840