Moses Chambers

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Moses CHAMBERS (son of Abner CHAMBERS and Jemina WALKER)22, 23, 24, 25, 26 was born March 23, 1788, and died April 20, 1858 in Person County, NC.He married Lucy on Abt. 1810.

Includes NotesNotes for Moses CHAMBERS: Moses,the eldest of three sons of Abner Chambers and Jemima Walker Chambers, was born March 23, 1788 four months before North Carolina's delegates met to discuss ratification of the new United States Constitution.NC marriage bonds show parents, Abner and Jemina as married in 1789.Date of birth for Moses came from "Grave Index" at NC Archives at Raleigh. Moses married Lucy (maiden name unknown) around 1810 since he appears on the 1810 census with a wife.  They had 8 children - 4 sons and 4 daughters. Moses became involved in Person County politics for a short time, serving as a representative to the General Assembly from 1836 to 1840.He was also one of the two Person County delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1835 that met to reform the state constitution. Moses was a farmer, merchant, and plantation owner beginning his acquisition of land in 1812.From that time until his death, his main interest was land - which he bought and sold constantly.Person County land records show he owned land on Mayho, Castle, Blue Wing and Marlowe's Creeks, on Flat River as well as receiving a state land grant for one hundred acres on Adams Creek in 1828.In addition, he owned lots in Roxboro adjacent to the courthouse.Tax records show he owned 3,626 acres in 1841, which was the largest amount of land he had at any time.  The 1850 agricultural census shows only four individuals in the county with more land devoted to agriculture than Moses.At that time he owned sixteen hundred acres mostly around Flat river in the southern part of the county. To work this land, he had 27 slaves - 17 females and 10 males ranging in age from six months to 64 years. Moses plantation was unique among those of his neighbors.While they raised tobacco as a cash crop, Moses raised corn, wheat, rye, oats and barley.He and hisson, William had licenses to sell "spirituous liquors" in the 1830's and 1840's so it is likely that the crops raised on Moses' plantation were used for this purpose. It was on the Flat River that Moses made his home in later years.The home place site is located off US 501 almost at the Durham Co. line and is where Moses and his son, Benjamin are buried.Today the land is owned by the descendent of Albert Blalock, who purchased the land upon Moses death. Moses died at age 70 on 4/20/1858 without writing a will.His estate consisted of over 900 acres of land, 16 slaves and a considerable amount of personal property.The court appointed James Holeman, Sr. as administrator.Hedied before rendering a final accounting of the estate and the administration then passed to his son, James.In 1861 the Civil War began.This, plus the unsettled conditions existing in the county during Reconstruction, and lengthy court litigation over exactly what the estate had contained at Moses death, as well as how it was to be divided, made settlement difficult.Therefore, final settlement was not made until 1891, 33 years after Moses's death. All of Moses's children except John made their homes in Person Co.John migrated to the Tuscaloosa, Alabama area as a young man and never returned to live in Person Co.However, the other sons carried on the family tradition and farmed.William spent most of his life in the Allensville Township, while Samuel and Benjamin lived near their father in the Flat River Township.Census records would seem to indicate that Benjamin probably managed his father's land since there are no records of him owning land. The above information is based on census records, and Person Co deeds, tax lists and court records per Anne Howard Chambers. One census record showed Moses owning 30 slaves. Moses did make an "Indenture" Jan 2, 1858, for the sum of $1.00, and in considerationof the natural love and affection which he has and bears to his daughter, Mary Ann Hamlet, six slaves, plus their children and their increases to John E. Chambers, son, in trust for the sole, separate and exclusive use and benefit of the said Mary Ann Hamlett, during her life, free from the control,contracts an liabilities of her present or any future husband. From "Letters to Editor" (Roxboro Courier) - Foushee - abt. 1917  In 1854, a charter was granted incorporating "the town of Roxboro" which included new laws. The new corporation by-laws forbade the sale of liquors on Main Street.Moses however, opeated a bar and sold liquor on this street in defiance of this ruling of the town Aldermen and was indicted.At the trial, Chambers introduced a witness, an old resident, who was asked by Josiah Turner, council for Chambers, to locate Main Street.This witness said that Main Street ran through Roxboro from South Boston to Hillsboro, which caused quite a laugh in the court house at the expense of the town authorities who were prosecuting the suit.The Aldermen lost the suit.This witness, by the way, was a good customer of Chambers' bar room. Another story from same source (the period from 1852 to 1860: On one occasion during court week, General Chambers, who was keeping hotel, finding his house full of guests and no coffee to serve could find in the whole town nothing but a cheap, shabby-looking, small grain, greenish coffee, which he parched and served.To his surprise, the guests, one and all, praised the coffee and inquired the price and brand.This circumstance was said to have made this coffee famous and it is still sold as "seed tick" coffee. More About Moses CHAMBERS and Lucy: Marriage: Abt. 1810 Children of Moses CHAMBERS and Lucy are:+Benjamin CHAMBERS, b. November 15, 1823, Person County, NC, d. March 26, 1858, Person County, NC. Nancy CHAMBERS, d. date unknown. Elizabeth CHAMBERS, d. date unknown. Lucy CHAMBERS, d. date unknown. Mary Ann CHAMBERS, d. date unknown. William CHAMBERS, d. date unknown. John CHAMBERS, d. date unknown. Samuel CHAMBERS, d. date unknown.