Moses Carver
Encyclopedia
Moses Carver was a settler and foster father of George Washington Carver
.
Moses Carver and his brother Richard migrated to southwest Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841
allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.
As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.
Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary, a thirteen-year-old slave girl, from a neighbor.
Mary later gave birth to several children, among whom was Jim and George. Towards the end of the Civil War, George and his mother were abducted, probably by bushwhacker
s. George was brought back, costing Moses a prize horse, but his mother was never seen again. After slavery was abolished in Missouri (1865), Moses and his wife Susan continued to raise Jim and George on the farm.
In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederate
s by being a Unionist
, and Unionists by owning slaves.
George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri
. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.
The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument
by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service
maintains 210 acre (0.8498406 km²) of the original 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) farm.
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
.
Moses Carver and his brother Richard migrated to southwest Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841
Preemption Act of 1841
The Preemption Act of 1841, also known as the Distributive Preemption Act , was a federal law approved on September 4, 1841. It was designed to "appropriate the proceeds of the sales of public lands.....
allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.
As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.
Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary, a thirteen-year-old slave girl, from a neighbor.
Mary later gave birth to several children, among whom was Jim and George. Towards the end of the Civil War, George and his mother were abducted, probably by bushwhacker
Bushwhacker
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts...
s. George was brought back, costing Moses a prize horse, but his mother was never seen again. After slavery was abolished in Missouri (1865), Moses and his wife Susan continued to raise Jim and George on the farm.
In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
s by being a Unionist
Scalawag
In United States history, scalawag was a derogatory nickname for southern whites who supported Reconstruction following the Civil War.-History:...
, and Unionists by owning slaves.
George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri
Neosho, Missouri
Neosho is the most populous city in and the county seat of Newton County, Missouri, United States. Neosho is an integral part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.
The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument
George Washington Carver National Monument
George Washington Carver National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located about two miles west of Diamond, Missouri; the national monument was founded on July 14, 1943, by Franklin Delano Roosevelt who dedicated $30,000 US to the monument...
by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
maintains 210 acre (0.8498406 km²) of the original 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) farm.