Milemarker

A newsletter by The Old Petersburg-Addison Historical Society

Genealogy

by Genie Younkins

Moses A. Ross can rest in peace again as the monument he erected for his family in 1893 is now restored to its original height in the Newbury Cemetery. It had been broken and lain in pieces for many years. The cemetery workers were not even sure what it originally looked like until a copy of an old photograph was located.

Ross's remains lie near the stone in the Mitchell Vault, as well as his wives, the daughters of John and Diana Mitchell, and several of his children. After Ross's first wife, Dianna, mother of two of his children, died in 1839, Moses married her sister, Cynthia, who bore him eleven children. The Ross Stone records the death of two infant daughters, 15-month old Hiram, 7-year old Sophia, and 18-year old Cornelia.

The Mitchell Vault was built in 1840 by Cynthia Mitchell Ross and her siblings for their families. At least 33 family members are interred in the vault. It had collapsed in the early 19 hundreds but now has been restored.

Ross's parents, though not buried at the cemetery, are recognized on the Ross monument. His mother, Elizabeth LeMaire Ross, was born on the ship Virginia as her parents were traveling from France to America to escape the horrors of the French Revolution. She died when Moses was three months old and his father, Robert, a 1812 War veteran, placed him in the home of his grandparents at Masontown.

The marking "Aiteann" signifies the badge of the Ross clan and points to their Scotch-Irish heritage.

Moses A Ross was an extraordinary citizen of Petersburg (Addison). He owned and operated a successful store along the old National Pike. He was postmaster, magistrate, justice of the peace, school director, surveyor and General of the Addison Infantry. He was a member of the Sons of Temperance and of the Methodist Church, serving in all of the lay offices over the years. During Lincoln's administration, he served his country as a state representative and sent three of his sons to serve the Union cause in the Civil War. In 1883, he compiled a family history, which has been a valuable resource for his present-day descendants.

******Note: Pictures from the newsletter article are not included here due to their large

size