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Copyright 2011-2017 John N. Lupia III
Albert Forrest Mosier (1866-1892), was born the fifth child, the third son of George C. Mosier (1817-1901), a farmer and an immigrant from Hanover, Germany, and Christiana Fehrman Mosier (1834-1915), a native of Canada of a German father and French mother.
His father George eventually sold the 320 acre family farm at Union Township, Porter County, and settled in Valparaiso where he worked in the real estate market. He then moved with his family to Hebron, Porter County, Indiana, where Albert lived with his family at their home. His father became a well to do real estate investor and owner and served as Justice of the Peace in the three townships he lived in. Albert became employed with the Panhandle Railway which served as a food, freight and passenger transport system bringing foodstuffs and goods as well as passengers to and from Hebron.
Little to nothing is known about Albert Forrest Mosier.
He worked as a railway conductor for the Panhandle Railway, which from 1887-1898, was a predecessor of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway subsidiary Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway in Texas. As a sideline he was an agent for the American Bicycle Company, and sold coins and rubber inking stamps. He is a very similar character to John Gideon Laidacker (1867-1927), another railway worker who also sold coins, bicycles, antique guns, and other antiques as a sideline.
Fig. 1. Photo circa 1910, Panhandle Railway Depot, Hebron, Porter County, Indiana, where Albert Forrest Mosier worked as a conductor. Courtesy Indiana GenWeb Project, Porter County Indiana, Porter County Photographs & Historical Images, Steven R. Shook copyright holder. (SOURCE : www.inportercounty.org/PhotoPages/Hebron/Railroads/Hebron-Railroads001.html)
The whereabouts of his coin stock, or other possessions are a blank. Anyone with additional information on him please write john@numismaticmall.com
Fig. 2. Letterhead of Albert Forrest Mosier, Dealer in Coins, Bicycles, and Rubber Printing Stamps, Hebron, Indiana. He is writing to his sister Rose Mosier McNay (1858-1901), and reports illnesses and deaths in his letter. Apparently he is not well and dies 7 months 3 weeks after writing this letter. Courtesy Lupia Numismatic Library. Estimate $300 - $400.
He may have been connected with U. S. Brewer, proprietor of Central Card and Pen Supply Company, Valparaiso, Indiana, for the rubber inking stamps.
In his letter to his sister Rose he tells her their mutual friend Eason Wilcox (1826-1892) has just died and his daughter Mattie is grieving out of control. He also mentions Frank Sweeney and Mrs. Garner were buried today. Frank Sweeney was the Grand Master of the Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association. He also says Jim Essex was brought in from Chicago and buried last week. Apparently he was another trainman and friend. He also mentions their brother George is still at the same place.
In his letter to his sister Rose he tells her he is run out of morphine. He also ran out of another medicine and did not feel inclined to buy more. However, he does tell her he is buying Keeleys Cure. This was a medicine designed by quack doctor Leslie Keeley of the Keeley Institute to cure alcoholism. Apparently Albert F. Mosier was an alcoholic and it took his life at an early age.
He died on September 8, 1892. He is buried in the Hebron Cemetery, Hebron, Porter County, Indiana.
"HEBRON, Ind. -- Died, at the home of his parents Sept. 8th, Albert F. Mosier in the 28th year of his life. The funeral was conducted by the Rev. Findley, at his late home. Mr. Mosier had been ailing for the past two years, and finally terminating in his death. He was an operator, having worked at this place for the Panhandle railroad and at various other places on the line, as well as in Wisconsin. He was unmarried and leaves a father, mother, two brothers and a sister to mourn their loss. His remains were laid to rest in the cemetery south of town. Mrs. Lucy Summers, of West Superior, Wis., attended the funeral here of her brother, A. F. Mosier." The Tribune, September 16, 1892, page 4
It is ironic that the obituary omits his sister Rose Mosier McNay to whom the letter is address shown in Fig. 2. It was through researching Rose McNay that the biography, small as it may be, was even made possible. Special thanks to Judy Ewen (Albert's great great maternal cousin) for her kind assistance with the reference to the obituary.
Bibliography :
Weston A. Goodspeed, and Charles Blanchard. Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana: Historical and Biographical, Illustrated. (Chicago, Illinois: F. A. Battey & Company, 1882) : 323-324
The Tribune, September 16, 1892, page 4
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