Edward Moseley
Encyclopedia
Edward Moseley was the Surveyor General of North Carolina
from about 1710 and the first colonial Treasurer of North Carolina
starting in 1715. He was responsible (with William Byrd II
) for surveying the boundary between North Carolina and Virginia
in 1728. He was also Speaker of the North Carolina House of Burgesses
(the lower house of the legislature) for several terms, as he was consistently re-elected by the people's party. He briefly acted as Governor of North Carolina
while Gov. George Burrington
was traveling out of the province.
An Anglican, Moseley supported the rights of Dissenters, including Quakers, in the colony. He also supported the growth of the Anglican Church.
Moseley was a public-spirited individual who temporarily suffered the vagaries of colonial justice. He was banned from holding public office for several years because of his attempt to obtain evidence linking Colonial Governor Charles Eden
to the pirate [Edward Teach], known as Blackbeard
. Moseley and his colleagues had forcibly entered the office of the colonial secretary in 1718 in search of incriminating evidence and had been surrounded by the governor's agents. Angry words were exchanged. When Moseley's case came to trial the following year, he was accused of uttering "seditious words" against the governor when the governor's agents surrounded him. Despite at least one member of the jury being a former legal client of Moseley's, Governor Eden's attorney obtained a conviction.
Returning to public life after his time out of office, Moseley again became Treasurer of North Carolina in 1735, a position which he held until his death.
, in the eastern Chowan District of North Carolina. They had two sons. He was brother-in-law to Maurice Moore
, who was also prominent in the colony, and became allied with the Lillingtons and other powerful families.
He then married Ann Hazell, and they had a large family of sons and daughters.
His descendant William Dunn Moseley
was the first elected governor of the State of Florida
.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
from about 1710 and the first colonial Treasurer of North Carolina
North Carolina State Treasurer
The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Janet Cowell....
starting in 1715. He was responsible (with William Byrd II
William Byrd II
Colonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
) for surveying the boundary between North Carolina and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1728. He was also Speaker of the North Carolina House of Burgesses
Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
The Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the members of the house when they convene for their regular session in January of each odd-numbered year...
(the lower house of the legislature) for several terms, as he was consistently re-elected by the people's party. He briefly acted as Governor of North Carolina
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
while Gov. George Burrington
George Burrington
George Burrington was the governor of the Province of North Carolina, from January 1724 to April 1725, and again from February 1731 to 1734....
was traveling out of the province.
Career
Moseley became a planter, with extensive landholdings and numerous slaves. Remembered for his generosity to community and church, Moseley may have been best known for his detailed map of the North Carolina colony, which he published in 1733. It was a lasting contribution to its settlement.An Anglican, Moseley supported the rights of Dissenters, including Quakers, in the colony. He also supported the growth of the Anglican Church.
Moseley was a public-spirited individual who temporarily suffered the vagaries of colonial justice. He was banned from holding public office for several years because of his attempt to obtain evidence linking Colonial Governor Charles Eden
Charles Eden
Charles Eden was the second Governor of the separate Colony of North Carolina.-Public service:Eden was appointed Governor of North Carolina on 13 July 1713. He is best known for his actions to end piracy in the area...
to the pirate [Edward Teach], known as Blackbeard
Blackbeard
Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
. Moseley and his colleagues had forcibly entered the office of the colonial secretary in 1718 in search of incriminating evidence and had been surrounded by the governor's agents. Angry words were exchanged. When Moseley's case came to trial the following year, he was accused of uttering "seditious words" against the governor when the governor's agents surrounded him. Despite at least one member of the jury being a former legal client of Moseley's, Governor Eden's attorney obtained a conviction.
Returning to public life after his time out of office, Moseley again became Treasurer of North Carolina in 1735, a position which he held until his death.
Marriage and family
In 1705 Moseley married Anne Walker, the widow of Gov. Henderson Walker and daughter of Gov. LillingtonLillington
Lillington may refer to:Places:* Lillington, Dorset, a hamlet in north west Dorset, England* Lillington, Warwickshire, a part of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England* Lillington, North Carolina, a town in North Carolina in the United States...
, in the eastern Chowan District of North Carolina. They had two sons. He was brother-in-law to Maurice Moore
Maurice Moore
Maurice Moore was an Irish republican who fought in the Irish War of Independence and was executed in April 1921 after capture in the aftermath of the Clonmult Ambush.Moore was born at Ticnock, Cobh, County Cork in 1897...
, who was also prominent in the colony, and became allied with the Lillingtons and other powerful families.
He then married Ann Hazell, and they had a large family of sons and daughters.
His descendant William Dunn Moseley
William Dunn Moseley
William Dunn Moseley was an American politician. A Democrat and North Carolina native, Moseley became the first Governor of the state of Florida, serving from 1845 until 1849 and leading the establishment of the state government.-Early life and education:He was born at Moseley Hall in Lenoir...
was the first elected governor of the State of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.