PCA Archives
Benedict F. Mosier was born 8 Dec 1833 in Alsace Loraine, France, possibly in is father’s hometown of Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin. He was the second son of Christian Mosier and Ann Wenger.
Shortly after Benedict’s birth, the Mosiers sailed from France, arriving in New York City on June 7th, 1834. From there, they traveled to Holmes County, Ohio, where several more children were born. According to family lore, they may have been Mennonites; Strasbourg was a center for Protestant sects not particularly welcome in Roman Catholic France.
The Mosiers were in Iowa by 1858, when Benedict wed Mary Ann List. Soon thereafter, the young couple moved to Tyler Township, Hickory County, Missouri. There, they had ten children born between 1860 and 1875, six of whom survived to adulthood. The Mosiers were farmers and, apparently, successful ones.
In the summer of 1861, Mosier enlisted in Company C, 8th Missouri State Militia Cavalry,vii serving in Captain William C. Human’s company. The mission of the regiment was to prevent Confederate forces from establishing a foothold in southwestern Missouri. The soldiers went on numerous scouting patrols and engaged in a few skirmishes. Since Mosier’s duties kept him fairly close to home, he was able to make periodic visits to his family.
As the Mosier sons grew up, they began to migrate west. Benedict and Mary Ann accompanied them to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1884. Their son Sydney died on 30 May 1886 and was buried in City Loosley Cemetery.
Late in life, Mary Ann developed heart problems. While driving home on December 14, 1897, she apparently suffered a stroke. A neighbor moving cattle noticed that the horse and buggy had stopped in the road and came to her aid, but attempts to revive Mary Ann failed. She too was buried in City Loosley Cemetery.
Benedict Mosier joined the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and, in 1904, applied for a pension based on his Civil War service. After his wife’s death, he went to live with one of his children in Mendocino, California. Plagued with eczema in his final years, he ultimately sold his property in Mendocino and returned to Phoenix, where he died on 4 October 1908. He was buried in the family plot in City Loosley. - by Donna Carr
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