“Died at his residence in Portsmouth, Ohio, December 15, 1871, Moses Gregory, in the 71st year of his age.”
“As Mr. Gregory was one of our oldest citizens, and had been identified with interests of Portsmouth from his early childhood. till the day of his death, it becomes necessary to give him more than passing notice. Mr. Gregory was born the 24th day of March, 1801, near Chillicothe, in Ross county. His mother1 married her second husband, Mr. Henry Sheely, who was a soldier in Wayne’s army, when he defeated the Indians in the North-West, which gave security to the early settlers of Ohio. They came down the Scioto river in a keel boat, and settled in this place on the first of April, 1805. Portsmouth, at that time, consisted of a few log cabins, with neither stores nor, groceries, or business of any kind. Yet Mr. Gregory lived to see it grown up to what we at this time regard as a very respectable city. ‘All of which he saw and part of which he was.'”
“His chances for getting an education were very limited. Nothing but the old-fashioned subscription schools existed at that time; but he managed to pick up enough of the ordinary branches of education to enable him to transact the common business of the country. He learned the tannery business in the tan yard of Aaron Kinney, but not liking that business, he went on to the river, and followed keel-boating, to Kanawha Salt Works and other places, and likewise running flat boats to New Orleans, loaded with corn from Scioto Valley. As soon as he was old enough, he turned his attention to politics, and was Deputy Sheriff under William Carey, in 1825. William Carey was a candidate for re-election in 1826, but died just three days before the election, and Mr. Gregory came out as a candidate and was elected in his stead. He served as iff four years, and in 1833 was elected Auditor of Scioto county, which office he held ten years. He then wished to be relieved from the drudgery of that office, (it was not profitable then, as now) and his friends concluded to send him to the Legislature of Ohio. Whilst a member of that body, one of those revolutionary movements was entered into by the Whigs of that body for the purpose of stopping legislation. The State had to be re-districted under the census 1840, for the purpose of electing representatives to Congress. The Democrats had a majority, and could Gerrymander the State to suit themselves. This the Whigs did not seem disposed to submit to, and as there was no alternative they ‘absquatulated,’ as it was called in the slang phrases on that day, and left the Democrats without a quorum.
“However, Mr. Gregory did not approve of that proceeding, and appeared in his seat as usual. But as they could not get a quorum together they had to break up and go home. He was afterwards elected to the Senate, in which he served two terms. This ended his political career. He then engaged in other pursuits. He was a very good practical civil engineer and surveyor. He built a railroad for the Gliddens2 from Junior furnace to the river, which operated for a number of years in conveying iron from the furnace to the river. In 1849 the California gold mines were discovered, and Mr. Gregory was engaged to lead a company of picked men sent out by the Gliddens for the purpose of mining in a scientific manner. But unfortunately for the enterprise, when they arrived in California at Mr. Glidden‘s expense, they scattered, and every man went for himself. Mr. Gregory remained there a year; and as it was his nature to do all the good in his power wherever he might be, he assisted in organizing a Methodist Church and a temperance society out of the discordant materials as they existed in that chaotic state of society. On his return he finished several sections of the S&HVRR3 and as the company failed to pay him for his work, it came near breaking him up. He sold his town property and retired to a farm, where he expected to end his days. But growing old, and being unable to carry on his farm properly, he sold it and returned to Portsmouth, where he was elected Justice of the Peace, which office he held until sickness prevented his attending to the duties of his office. He joined the Order of Free and Accepted Masons at an early period of his life. The brotherhood attended him in his last sickness, which was very lingering and painful, and buried him according to the usages of that honorable and ancient fraternity. His funeral was preached at the Bigelow Chapel, by the Reverend Mr. Manley, and his remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of friends.”4
- Elizabeth Hays
- Joseph & Obadiah Glidden
- Scioto & Hocking Valley Railroad
- Obituary. (1871, December 23). Portsmouth Times, p. 2.
