Moses Taft

Moses Taft 2nd (January 16, 1812 – April 2, 1893) was born at Uxbridge, Massachusetts. He was significant as an early American Industrialist and financier in the historic Blackstone Valley, and a member of the Taft family.

Birth parents and family

Moses Taft was the second child to Luke Taft and Nancy Wood Taft. Moses married Sylvia Ann Wheelock daughter of Jerry Wheelock and Sukey Day, on 27 April 1834 at Uxbridge. He later 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

Board of Selectmen.^[1] He was a member and officer of the First Congregational Society of Uxbridge, and of the Uxbridge Lodge of International Order of Odd-fellows.^[1] He was widely known as a successful manufacturer and financier, and was closely allied to the prosperity of this town."^[1]

Significance of his local industries

He was an important industrialist in the

Uxbridge. 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, and The Great Gatsby

.