Lydia Leonard

Daughter of William Moulton (b. 1720), it is believed she may have made some silver objects prior to her moving to Marietta, OH, in 1789. Several LM marks, have been found in the Newburyport area to support this possibility.

In 1788, William Moulton moved to Marietta. His wife Lydia, his daughters Lydia and Anna, and his son Enoch (sometimes reported as Edmond) joined him there in 1789. Here, Moulton continued his employment as a silver and goldsmith. By this time, he also had taught his daughter Lydia the trade. At this time, it was almost unheard of for a woman to know a formal trade. Lydia, however, proved herself to be a skilled craftsperson, and this father and daughter provided residents of what is now southeastern Ohio with numerous products, primarily eating utensils. These two smiths traveled by wagon selling their wares.

At this point in time, Marietta was still part of the frontier. Residents in this portion of the United States were struggling to create homes and ordered lives in the West. Craftspeople like William and Lydia Moulton helped residents of the Northwest Territory acquire needed equipment, as well as the finer necessities of life, bringing European culture to the frontier.

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/

• Born: 11 Feb 1757, Newburyport MA
• Died: abt 1823, Marietta OH
• General notes: Silversmith

Biography

• from Ohio History - Lydia Moulton

Lydia Moulton was an early settler of Marietta, Ohio. A group of real estate speculators, the Ohio Company of Associates, founded Marietta, originally known as Adelphia, in 1788.

Moulton was born on February 11, 1757, in Newbury (sometimes reported as Newburyport), Massachusetts. Moulton's father, William Moulton, was a gold and silversmith. In 1762, he moved his family to Hempstead, New Hampshire, where he diversified his business interests, becoming an extensive landholder, as well as continuing his work with silver and gold.

In 1788, William Moulton moved to Marietta. His wife Lydia, his daughters Lydia and Anna, and his son Enoch (sometimes reported as Edmond) joined him there in 1789. Here, Moulton continued his employment as a silver and goldsmith. By this time, he also had taught his daughter Lydia the trade. At this time, it was almost unheard of for a woman to know a formal trade. Lydia, however, proved herself to be a skilled craftsperson, and this father and daughter provided residents of what is now southeastern Ohio with numerous products, primarily eating utensils. These two smiths traveled by wagon selling their wares.

At this point in time, Marietta was still part of the frontier. Residents in this portion of the United States were struggling to create homes and ordered lives in the West. Craftspeople like William and Lydia Moulton helped residents of the Northwest Territory acquire needed equipment, as well as the finer necessities of life, bringing European culture to the frontier.

Notes

• Suspected of making some silver on the basis of several objects bearing LM marks which have been discovered in the Newburyport area and which could have been made during the years she lived in that town before moving to Ohio in 1789. Documentation for this assertion is still being sought. 3

Sources

1. Flynt, Henry and Fales, Martha Gandy, The Heritage Foundation Collection of Silver.

Links

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~silversmiths/makers/silver...
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=coffinfam...