Moses Wilder (1736-1814)

Marian and Agnes Wilder were the daughters of

Moses Wilder (May 4, 1736 – March 30, 1814 )

Born at Lancaster, MA, or “Turkey Hill”, South Lancaster (also apparently known as Lunenburg MA), which was the site of a farm owned by his father, Colonel Oliver Wilder. Oliver’s mother was Mary Fairbanks, a descendant of the Jonathan Fairbanks family of Dedham, MA. Moses’s childhood life is unknown. He first appears in records as a boy of 18 as a Massachusetts colonial militiaman during the French and Indian War. His regiment was commanded by his father, Oliver, and his company appears to have been commanded by a cousin, Nathaniel Sawyer. When he was 18, his company was detached out of the body of the regiment, to meet General Montcalm of the French after the massacre at Fort William Henry in 1754. (this is the Indian massacre portrayed in “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper, as well as the movie of the same name. The company marched as far as Springfield, MA, before being ordered to return as the threat to Massachusetts was over. Three years later, Moses married Submit Frost, of Groton, MA. They were married by Moses’ father, who was a justice of the peace. Moses and Submit had five children. Submit died January 19, 1772 at about age 35. Seven months later, Moses married Eunice Forbush (also seen as Furbush, Furbish, Forbes), of Harvard, a village adjacent to Lancaster. It’s worth noting that widowed people remarried within time frames that to modern sensibilities would seem abrupt, but mourning periods were often brief out of the necessity of providing for children and preserving households. Moses is next seen in April of 1775 as a militiaman who marched during the “Lexington Alarm”, the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It appears that his unit, while activated, was too far from the battle to participate. However, his service is noted by DAR and warrants eligibility to their organization if anyone would be interested, but as Aunt Alice once said…”I wouldn’t…” Among the children Moses had with Eunice is our ancestor, Abel Wilder. Moses Wilder died March 30, 1814 at Lancaster..

The Moses Wilder farm lands or farmhouse may still exist in Bolton, MA (near Lancaster and Harvard, MA). Of interest is the fact that the lands are apparently bounded by or close to both Wilder Hill Rd., and Forbush Rd., Forbush being the name of Moses’s second wife, Eunice, who is also our ancestor.