Thomas Lewis Moberly (1855 - 1937)

Born 26 Jan 1855 in Owensboro, KY

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Ellen (Mathews) Fritz — married 25 Nov 1877 (to 23 Sep 1884) in Gresham, York, Nebraska, USA

Husband of Martha Lucina (Gudgel) Moberly — married 21 Jun 1885 in Osceola, Polk Co., Ne

Descendants

Died 18 Mar 1937 at age 82 in Saint Francis, Cheyenne, KS

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jerry Smith [send private message]

Biography

Thomas Lewis (T. L.) Moberly was my maternal great grandfather. He died when my mom was 12 years old.^[1]

From the autobiography of Beulah (Moberly) Smith^[2] "The Life and Times of Beulah Mae Moberly Smith" 1925 - 2017

"My father Earl married his first wife Martha Ellen Van Dike, (b. 22 October 1890 in Chase, Nebraska) on 28 October 1909 in Alma, Nebraska. They had four children. Willard was born on 4 August 1910 and Ellen on 10 August 1912 in a Sod House near Cherry Creek close to St Francis, Kansas. Irene was born 4 August 1914 and Thomas on 26 January 1917 at Armel, Colorado about five miles west of Cherry Creek, Kansas. Martha died of child birth after her fourth child at her father's home near Armel, Yuma County, Colorado. My sister Ellen said Papa told her that the afterbirth did not come and he wanted to call the doctor, but his mother assured him it would come and it would be alright, but it never came and she died twenty days later. The baby was born on Grandpa Moberly’s birthday' and in his honor, the baby was named 'Thomas Lewis, Jr.

The Grandparents adopted him with the agreement from Earl that he would not interfere with their parenting. Because if this we didn’t see much of Papa’s side of the family. My widowed father married my mother, eighteen year old Florence Evangeline Rowley, (b. 18 March 1899) on 12 September 1917 at Hale, Yuma County, Colorado by Justice of Peace Roy Brooks. Papa was ten years older than Mama and she was eleven years older than his son Willard. Being a step mom was not easy for Mama. Papa would not let Mama cut Ellen and Irene’s long thick hair but she was required to comb it out for the girls which the girls did not appreciate for Florence was a little hard on them. Mama didn’t even try to parent Willard as he was so close to her age she didn’t dare. Julia was born on the 4th of July 1918 at Armel, Colorado. Papa and Mama moved to the sand hills on a farm owned by Grandpa Rowley at Vernon Marion near Wray, Yuma County, Colorado. Mama said “this is the closet to hell I’ll ever be.” Hazel was born there, 21 December 1921. Mama went to her parent’s farm six miles north of Hale in Yuma County, Colorado before I was born. She had lost three children before me, all boys. I was born on 16 October 1925 at my grandparent’s farm. The same place Mama was born. She was 26 years old and Papa was thirty six years old when she had me. I weighed less than five pounds and could sit in a tea cup.  When I was about fourteen months old we lived in Armel, Colorado. Papa’s brother, Elmer Merle lost a four day old daughter, Naomi Bell Moberly b. 10 February 1927. Papa went to Saint Francis to the funeral on the eleventh. She’s buried at St. Francis Cemetery. Uncle Marion Moberly had married a girl from Fruita, Grand County, Colorado, Ethel Stevens. He owned a dairy at Cedaredge, Delta County, Colorado. He sold the dairy to papa and moved to Idaho. Papa lost the dairy in 1930. Mama never forgave Uncle Marion for selling the dairy to papa, because she blamed him for losing it due to the Great Depression of 1929. We moved to the Rock House (since added onto) at the top of Cedar Mesa in Cedaredge, Colorado in 1926, when I was about one year old.

Aunt Mable says Charles is not T.L.'s child . She says T.L. left Sarah because he found her with another man. T.L. was working on the railroad at the time. Stella was 4 years old. Charles Mathews is buried in the Sterling cemetery, Sterling, CO, Mable says.Thomas divorced Sarah on Sept 23, 1884.

Sources

1. ↑ Gerald Smith
2. ↑ "The Life and Times of Beulah Mae Moberly Smith"

• Findagrave Thomas Lewis Moberly

• 1860 Federal Census, Record Type: Census, Household: Lewis Bland Moberly , Record Info: census, Film: Series M653 Roll 364 Page 790

• 1870 Federal Census, Record Type: Census, Household: Lewis Bland Moberly , County: Washington County, State: Iowa, Record Info: Census

• 1880 Federal Census, County: York County, State: Nebraska, Film Number: T9-0757

• 1900 Federal Population Census Image, County: Cheyenne County, State: Kansas

• 1920 Federal Census, County: Cheyenne County, State: Kansas, Page: Page 2B, Film Number: T625_527; ED 6; Image 0107

• 1930 United States Federal Census, County: Cheyenne County, State: Kansas, Film Number: T626_694; Page 5B; ED 18; Image 1184

• Death Certificate, Record Type: Death Certificate, Name Of Person: Thomas Lewis Moberly , State: Kansas, Number: 12A

• Fifty Years of Life Together: Fifty Years of Life Together, Location: Cheyenne County Kansas, Page: unknown

• Moberly Martha Lucina Obituary: Moberly Martha Lucina Obituary, Location: Cheyenne County Kansas, Page: unknown

• Moberly Thomas Lewis Marriage Record, Record Type: Marriage Record, Second Party: Martha Lucina Gudgel

• Moberly Thomas Lewis Marriage Record, Record Type: Marriage Record, Second Party: Sarah Mathews

• Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio, published in 1886.

• Owen Ancestors

• T. L. Moberly Passes: T. L. Moberly Passes, Location: Cheyenne County Kansas, Page: unknown