Joseph D. Moody (November 14, 1841 – November 17, 1909) was a U.S. dentist and served as president of the Historical Society of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. Moody was born in

Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Ashland County, Ohio, United States, 66 miles southwest of Cleveland and 82 miles northeast of Columbus. The population was 20,362 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Stat ...

in 1841. He attended school in Ashland. On November 2, 1861, he enlisted in Co. I,

42nd Ohio Infantry The 42nd Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 42nd Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio September through November 1861 and mustered in for th ...

of which regiment

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

was colonel. For nearly a year, he acted as Garfield's private secretary. Serving for 37 months, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, and mustered out with that rank. After leaving the service, he studied dentistry with Dr. Barcklay in

Dalton, Ohio Dalton is a village in Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census indicated a population of 1,830. History Dalton had its start in 1855 with the merging of three neighboring rival villages in Sugar Creek Township named Dover (est. 1817 ...

, and later completed his course in the Chicago Dental College. In 1869, he married Kate Cameron in

Jesup, Iowa Jesup is a city in Buchanan County and partly in Black Hawk County in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,508 at the time of the 2020 census. It was named for Morris Ketchum Jesup, president of the Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad. Th ...

, and, after a few years, removed to

Mendota, Illinois Mendota is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, in the state's north-central region. The population was 7,061 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Mendota is located approximately 85 miles w ...

, where they lived for 20 years. During this period, Moody, in addition to his professional duties, was active in

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

work, both in the county and in the state, taking especial interest in the better training of Sunday School teachers, and being the county secretary for some years. For several years he served as president of the city board of education. In 1893, they moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and he built up a large and lucrative practice. Moody was prominently identified with Sunday School work, and was for a number of years superintendent of Sunday School normal work in Southern California. He served as president of the Southern California Dental Association, and was at the time of his death lecturer in the Dental Department of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. He was a member of the Los Angeles Academy of Science. He became a member of the Historical Society of Southern California in 1893 shortly after locating in Los Angeles. He was elected one of the Directors of the Society in 1894. He filled the office of President during the years of 1897 and 1898; also the office of Vice-President several terms, and was a member of the Board of Directors at the time of his death. He contributed a number of valuable historical papers which were published in the Society's collections, among them, "Echoes from the American Revolution." Some African Folk Lore," "How a Woman's Wit Saved California," "Some Aboriginal Alphabets" and "Sequoyah." He died in 1909, his remains taken to Mendota for interment.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Joseph D. 1841 births 1909 deaths People from Ashland, Ohio Historians from Illinois People from Wayne County, Ohio People from Jesup, Iowa People from Mendota, Illinois 19th-century American historians 19th-century American male writers 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers University of Southern California faculty Historians from Ohio Historians from California 19th-century American dentists American male non-fiction writers Historians from Iowa