Moses Eastman (June 17, 1794 – May 24, 1850) was an American

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary great ...

based in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. He was also the founder of, and sole benefactor in, the construction of Savannah's

Unitarian Universalist Church Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

Early life and career

Eastman was born in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

, in 1794. He moved to Savannah around 1820 and joined the partnership of J. Penfield & Co., which comprised

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

native Josiah Penfield (1785–1828) and Frederick Marquand (1799–1882).Ladle
–

Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. This small city features a living history museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens, organize ...

He became a partner with Penfield in 1826. That partnership dissolved when Penfield died in 1828. Eastman then started out on his own, working under his own name. In 1830, Eastman was a city constable,Cutten, George, ''The Silversmiths of Georgia'' and in 1844 was appointed keeper of the Savannah city clock. After Eastman's death in 1850, George M. Griffen continued the business. Griffen had worked for Eastman as a

watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their par ...

. Some of Eastman's work was displayed in Savannah's

Telfair Museums Telfair Museums, in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, was the first public art museum in the Southern United States. Founded through the bequest of Mary Telfair (1791–1875), a prominent local citizen, and operated by the Georgia Histo ...

in 2010 during its "Silver in Savannah" exhibit."Telfair opens ‘Silver in Savannah’ exhibit"
– ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...

'', 5 March 2010 Silver has played a major part in Savannah's history since its founder Captain

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

arrived in 1733.

Personal life

Eastman married

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

native Elizabeth Tuthill (1799–1883) in 1834 in Savannah. Nine years later, they purchased 233 Bull Street, in the southwest residential block of

Chippewa Square Chippewa Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the middle row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and McDonough Street, and was laid out in 1815. It is south of Wright Square, west o ...

. Its construction was started the previous year by Samuel Philbrick. The couple later started building today's Philbrick–Eastman House, at 17 West McDonough Street, in the southwestern civic/trust lot of the square; however, by the time of its 1847 completion, it was purchased by John Stoddard (1809–1879), later president of the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and ta ...

Death

Eastman died on May 24, 1850, aged 55, in Savannah.CHATHAM COUNTY, GA - OBITS 1850 (Jan 1 to Dec 31)
Savannah Newspaper Digest He was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in East Concord, New Hampshire. After Eastman's death, his widow moved to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

in her native New Jersey. She survived her husband by 33 years and was buried beside him. In his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Eastman left $2,525 to build a parsonage (which formerly stood at 123 Abercorn Street on

Oglethorpe Square Oglethorpe may refer to: People *Oglethorpe (surname) Places * Bramham cum Oglethorpe, West Yorkshire, England * Brookhaven/Oglethorpe (MARTA station), a passenger rail station located in the Brookhaven neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia * Mount Ogl ...

) and a more substantial brick and mortar

. It was completed a year after his death.Savannah GA Historic Churches
– GoSouthSavannah The church was physically moved to

Troup Square Troup Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the fourth row of the city's five rows of squares, on Habersham Street and East Macon Street, and was laid out in 1837. It is south of Colonial Park Ceme ...

in 1860.''Savannah in the Old South, Walter J. Fraser (2003), p. 196

References

External links

A spoon made by Eastman from the 1830s
– OldSouthSilver.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Eastman, Moses 1794 births 1850 deaths American silversmiths People from Savannah, Georgia People from Concord, New Hampshire