Mike Moser "I Say" Published March 18, 2005

The one day everyone's Irish

I wore my obligatory green yesterday in honor of St. Patrick's Day. I wonder how many who participate in the wearing o' the green know who St. Patrick is, or what he did?

Better yet, I wonder how many are really Irish.

We Americans love a party, so it really doesn't matter if you are Irish or not; just join in. For a day, Americans are Irish.

I actually can claim a bit of Irish blood. Not Moser, obviously.

Years ago I embarked on a mission of learning more about my roots and I discovered many intriguing things. I was able to trace the Moser line back to 1720 in Lancaster County, PA, where John Moser (no middle name) was first recorded on this soil. At that time there were nearly as many Mosers in Lancaster County as there were Smiths.

And as luck would have it, John Moser married a Catherine Smith. I have since been unable to learn anything fact-based about either. However, a distant cousin who still lives in an area of Ohio where my ancestors migrated after the Revolutionary War and I have reached the same conclusion.

The Mosers were German and probably refugees of the Mennonite persecution in that country.

Further proof is a will dated in the late 1700's that left cash and acres of land for the building of a Mennonite Church and cemetery in Washington Village, OH, a place that no longer exists except in memories.

To bring my genealogical journey full circle for this column, my grandfather's mother was a Hunter whose family came to this country in the 1700s from County Tyronne, Ireland.

I know they were Irish because the Hunters have held a grudge against the Mosers ever since my great-grandfather got his bride in the family way when she was of the age of 16. The Hunter reaction was a buggy chase through the countryside, shots being fired and a public trial that held most of the front page of the Mansfield, OH newspaper.

County Tyronne is farming land in the northern part of Erie and the Hunters were farmers, as were the Mosers.

I have not done much genealogical work on the Hunters but someone in that clan has and they claim ancestry back to Abraham Clark, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Clark was one of the poorest members of the Continental Congress, being a surveyor by trade.

He was not originally elected to represent New Jersey but was in the replacement group to replace the British-leaning first delegation that was recalled because of their Tory attitudes.

Of course an Irishman would not have favored the British during the Revolutionary War.

I am very envious of my brother, Dr. Steven Moser, who is in the music department at Southern Miss. When band director, he took the Southern Miss band to Dublin, Ireland on a couple of occasions to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade. What an experience that must have been.

If you haven't looked into your family tree you should. You might be surprised at what you find. I have been amazed at the perils and trials of the Mosers who tread this earth before me. There are plenty of genealogists in Cumberland County who would be happy to help you get started. And who knows, you might even find some Irish in your blood so that next year you can join in the wearing 'o the green with Irish pride.

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Mike Moser is the editor of the Crossville Chronicle. His column is published periodically on Fridays.