Arthur Moseley (1649-1702), Norfolk County, Virginia

Arthur Moseley, Library of Virginia, Richmond

​Twenty-ninth in a series of biographical sketches whose descendants belong to the First Mississippi Company; in honor of the 400th anniversary of the July 30, 1619, meeting of the first representative governmental body in America at the 1617 Church on Jamestown Island
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Arthur, the son of William and Susannah (Burnet) Mosely, was born in about 1636 in Delft, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands, and came to Virginia with his parents in 1649 at age 13. His portrait, painted when Arthur was age 10 or 11 by an unknown artist in Rotterdam, was brought to America by the family. The actual portrait, missing since the early 1900’s, shows him with dark eyes and hair.  His father, who owned a plantation on the Elizabeth River, died in 1655, leaving Arthur his plantation and property on Broad Creek, where Arthur lived until he moved to Norfolk town in 1690.

Arthur married twice and possibly a third time, and which of his eleven children belong to each wife is not known.  The children by his first wife, Sarah Joan Hancock, whom he married about 1600, may have been the mother of Arthur (c. 1661 - c. 1728), William (c. 1663 - c. 1714), Edward (c. 1667 -1715), George (c. 1671 - 1718), Susanna (c. 1673 - c. 1700), and Mary Ann (c. 1674 - c. 1722). When Sarah Moseley died between 1665 and 1677, Arthur married Anne Hargrave before June 5, 1678.  Anne Hargrave Moseley was probably the mother of five children: Joseph (1680 - 1712/13), Benjamin (1682 - 1717), Amos (c. 1685 - after 1746), Anthony (c. 1689 - c. 1735), and Luke (1690 - 1742).  Arthur Moseley’s will, dated 1 Feb 1700 and proved in 1702, mentions not only all the children above but also Benjamin, Arthur, George and Amos.  Arthur's damaged will does not list his children chronologically, making it difficult to place each wife with her children.

In 1676 at the time of Bacon’s Rebellion, Arthur became a Burgess for Lower Norfolk, was licensed to keep an Ordinary in Norfolk Town, and appears to have served intermittently as a justice of the peace for many years. Before 17 Sep 1692, he was forced to become a naturalized British citizen to make the titles for his land, originally purchased while he was an alien, official.

The Moseley's were one of the most prominent families in Virginia in the 17th century and owned what was, perhaps, the largest and most interesting collection of (family) portraits in Virginia.
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First Mississippi Company Descendant of Arthur Moseley: Charles David Hill
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