Moses Taft 2nd (January 16, 1812 – April 2, 1893) was born at
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston and south-southe ...
. He was significant as an early American Industrialist and financier in the historic Blackstone Valley, and a member of the famous
Taft family.
Birth parents and family
Moses Taft was the second child to
Luke Taft
Luke Taft (3 June 1783 – 7 April 1863) was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens in 19th century New England.
Family
Luke Taft was a fifth-generation descendant of Robert Taft I, of the American Taft family. Robert Taft I had se ...
and Nancy Wood Taft. Moses married Sylvia Ann Wheelock daughter of Jerry Wheelock and Sukey Day, on 27 April 1834 at Uxbridge. He latter married Emeline Newell Taft (Wing) who was the daughter of Timothy Taft and Polly Marsh, on 12 January 1858 at Uxbridge.
Early life and career
Moses Taft, 2nd, was a 19th-century figure from
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston and south-southe ...
. Moses Taft's father,
Luke Taft
Luke Taft (3 June 1783 – 7 April 1863) was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens in 19th century New England.
Family
Luke Taft was a fifth-generation descendant of Robert Taft I, of the American Taft family. Robert Taft I had se ...
, was an early
woolen
Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...
mill
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
*
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Textile mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
in
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston and south-southe ...
. The
Blackstone River Valley is the earliest industrialized region in the United States. Moses Taft was born in
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...
,
Worcester County, Massachusetts
Worcester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts while also being the largest in area. The largest city and tra ...
, January 16, 1812.
He attended local district schools, the
Uxbridge Academy
The Uxbridge Common District is located in downtown Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic buildings in this district include the Uxbridge Academy, Uxbridge Free Public Library, the Debora ...
, and the Friends school in
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
, taught by Thomas Fry.
His training path prepared him for the manufacture of "satinets".
He consistently pursued manufacturing, both independently, and with Samuel W. Scott, in
Burrillville, Rhode Island.
Next he worked with James W. Day, as Taft, Day & Company, and later after Mr. Day left, the firm became known as Taft & Capron.
His other manufacturing interests were in Caryville, Northborough, and Southborough,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
and at
Proctor, Vermont
Proctor is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,763 at the 2020 census. Proctor is home to the Vermont Marble Museum and Wilson Castle.
History
In the early 19th century, small high-quality marble deposits w ...
.
Mr. Taft was president of the Blackstone bank, and the Uxbridge Savings Bank.
Taft represented Uxbridge in the
Massachusetts state legislature
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
in 1847,
and was frequently called to serve on the
Board of Selectmen.
He was a member and officer of the First Congregational Society of Uxbridge, and of the Uxbridge Lodge of International Order of Odd-fellows.
He was widely known as a successful manufacturer and financier, and was closely allied to the prosperity of this town."
Significance of his local industries
He was an important industrialist in the
Blackstone Valley
The Blackstone Valley or Blackstone River Valley is a region of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was a major factor in the American Industrial Revolution. It makes up part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and Nationa ...
, America's first industrialized region. Moses Taft built a woolen mill on the
Blackstone River
The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...
at
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...
, .
The mill ran 24/7 during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.
Union Blue Uniforms were made at Moses Taft's Mill in historic
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...
. Moses Taft was a descendant of the famous
Taft family in
America which had its roots in Uxbridge. By the mid-1850s the mills of Uxbridge were producing 2.5 million yards (2 million square meters) of cloth yearly. Some of the earliest improvements of textiles, and their industrial processes occurred in the Uxbridge Mills including the Moses Taft mill, also known as the Calumet Mill. In later years after 1910, this historic mill became known as Wheelock Mill or Stanley Woolen, and then became part of the
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, and was also used in the production of several movies including
Oliver's Story
''Oliver's Story'' is a 1978 American romance film, romantic drama film and a sequel to ''Love Story (1970 film), Love Story'' (1970) based on a novel by Erich Segal published a year earlier. It was directed by John Korty and again starred Ryan O ...
, and
The Great Gatsby
''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...
.
Citations from the Blackstone Daily
![StanleyWoolenMillUxbridgeMA 079](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/StanleyWoolenMillUxbridgeMA_079.jpg)
Uxbridge Walking Tour 146 Mendon is the site of the Stanley Woolen Mill, originally known as the Central Woolen Mill in Calumet Village.
It is mostly vacant, yet a portion of the huge wooden buildings house a spacious antique store and is the subject of future visioning sessions by State, federal and local partnerships.
In 1852, Moses Taft built the mill and leased it to Israel Southwick and Richard Sayles.
During the Civil Way, 24-hour production of indigo blue uniform cloth was ongoing before the mill was sold to Robert and Jacob Taft in 1865.
Soon after, they built a dam at Rice City Pond which considerably increased the water power.
In 1866, an steam engine was installed and production continued to rise dramatically as the mill started producing fancy cassimeres as the name changed to the Calumet Woolen Company.
Arthur and Stanley Wheelock bought the mill after 1905 and during World War I, a half million yards of khaki for the US government was produced as well as cloth for the French and Italian governments.
This was the longest running family-owned woolen mill in the US until it closed in 1988.
See also the link for
Wheelocksville.
Death and afterwards
Moses Taft 2nd died April 2, 1893, at
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...
,
Worcester County, Massachusetts
Worcester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts while also being the largest in area. The largest city and tra ...
, at the age of 82. The Moses Taft Mill is now also known as the "
Central Woolen Mills District" and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
See also
*
The Tafts of Mendon and Uxbridge
The Taft family of the United States has historic origins in Massachusetts; its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions such as U.S. Representative (two), Governor of Ohio, ...
*
Taft family
Notes
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taft, Moses
1812 births
1893 deaths
People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
American textile industry businesspeople
People of the Industrial Revolution
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American businesspeople