Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1823 - 1904 (81 years)| Name | Octavia HARBY [4, 5] | |
| Birth | 4 Feb 1823 | Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina  [6] |
| Gender | Female | |
| HIST | Do you know: Octavia Harby Moses Sumter woman remembered for blessings she gave others in many ways Octavia Harby Moses was born in Charleston in 1823 and moved to Sumter with her husband in 1842. PHOTO PROVIDED Posted Friday, March 21, 2025 6:00 am BY ALAYSHA MAPLE alaysha@theitem.com Some of history's most influential figures never sought the spotlight, yet their impact continues to shape the world today. Women and men across generations have driven progress through resilience, education and quiet but powerful leadership, leaving behind legacies that deserve to be remembered. Among them is Octavia Harby Moses. Octavia, the daughter of Rachel Mordecai and Isaac Harby, was born in 1823 in Charleston. Her father was one of the founders of Reform Judaism in America, and she was an observant Jew and would host her family members on the Sabbath throughout her life. Following the death of her mother in 1827 and her father in 1828, Octavia married a Jewish man, Andrew Jackson Moses, in 1839 before the couple moved from Charleston to Sumter in 1842. In 1845, Andrew purchased 42 acres of land and built a house on the property in 1848; the original house is where Sumter Museum stands today. Over the next 27 years, she gave birth to 17 children and would be a grandmother to 39 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren in her lifetime, according to Diana Roof, Temple Sinai Jewish History administrator. The family's home played a pivotal part in the religious life of the community. Isaac Harby, son of Octavia and Andrew, wrote that because there was not a synagogue in the community, religious education and worship services were the responsibility of the home. "On each Sabbath morning and on the religious holidays, an assemblage of the family would be found at the home where they had come together for the reading of prayers, at the conclusion of which each in turn would receive her blessing with a kiss," he wrote. But Octavia's generosity and devotion extended beyond the warm walls of her home. At the beginning of the Civil War, the couple disagreed on which side to stand for. Andrew sided with the Union, and Octavia was for secession, Roof explained. When South Carolina seceded from the Union, Andrew changed his alliances, and he and his five oldest sons signed up to fight in the war. Here on the home front, Octavia joined the Women's Aid. Described by Ruth Edens in "It Takes a Heap O' Livin'" as an energetic and creative person, Octavia was instrumental in the Civil War, turning her creativity into a tool of care. Sumter served as supply and railroad repair center for the Confederacy during the war and its churches and courthouse as hospitals for wounded soldiers. Octavia knitted socks, prepared lint for dressing wounds and sent blankets and other resources to Confederate supply centers. When short on supplies, Octavia cut up her window curtains to make dresses, brewed imitation coffee from okra seeds and parched peanuts and crafted hats from corn shucks, according to The Forward, a nonprofit Jewish publication. While caring for Confederate soldiers during the war, their home was also a place of solace for family and relatives that fled from Charleston to seek refuge in Sumter. "Octavia Harby Moses was a multi-faceted individual. No task was too menial, and none too difficult," Edens wrote. At 80, Octavia put a pen to her past, writing memoirs about meeting every train that brought soldiers through town. About walking from home to take food to Confederate soldiers as they passed through. About how her compassion extended to Union soldiers as well. "I organized a sewing society, to cut and make garments for them. Many boxes of clothes and provisions were sent off, not only to my own sons but to any others who needed them. I made a point to try and meet every train that brought soldiers through our town and, with others, frequently walked from my home, sometimes at two o'clock in the morning, to take food to our men as they passed through," wrote Octavia in "Recollections." "I cut up my carpets and piano cover for them, sent my blankets, etc. We did not count such things as privations; I have always said that I knew no privations during the war." Following the war, Octavia formed "The Ladies Monumental Association." According to Roof, the association sought to erect a monument in honor of deceased Confederate soldiers of Sumter. Octavia was president and remained so until her husband died in 1877. The monument is on Washington Street between Liberty Street and Hampton Avenue. "She was the family matriarch and a strong influence on her family. She was the one who ensured her family observed Shabbat. Her children fondly remember receiving her blessing with a kiss," Roof expressed. "May her memory be for a blessing." [6] | |
| _UID | 51B0AE5902EE4DA1901560883A75A8DCA6D4 | |
| Death | 15 Dec 1904 | Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina [7] |
| Person ID | I62424 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 21 Mar 2025 | |
| Father | Isaac HARBY, b. 9 Nov 1788, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina d. 14 Dec 1828, New York, New York (Age 40 years) | |
| Mother | Rachel MORDECAI, b. 1781 d. 1827 (Age 46 years) | |
| Marriage | Dec 1810 [4] | |
| _UID | 5320CB3DF37C42CD9DF78A46B55178452003 | |
| _UID | 5320CB3DF37C42CD9DF78A46B55178452003 | |
| Family ID | F43944 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Andrew Jackson MOSES, b. Jul 1815, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina d. 3 Apr 1877, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 61 years) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| _UID | 26F64AC58761465EBE4CB3FB59EE8C91D354 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| _UID | 26F64AC58761465EBE4CB3FB59EE8C91D354 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Family ID | F43943 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Modified | 23 Mar 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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