Moses Hart was born in Philadelphia in 1783. He was the son of Leah Nathan Hart and Jacob Hart, Sr. and the brother to 13 siblings, including Rebecca and Nathan. For much of his adult life, Moses lived in the Guadeloupe Islands in the Caribbean, where he was twice elected mayor of Pointe-à-Pitre. He was also a merchant, a Freemason, and a member of the “La Paix” lodge.

Moses married Cécile Vaillant and had two children, Emile and Jules, with her. Cécile passed away in 1814, at the age of 30. In 1822, Moses married Clémentine Louise Corot and had 5 more children — Antonine, Auguste, Charles, Léontine, and Arthur. Moses died in Paris, Ile-de-France, France in 1843.