Slomon Moody

Slomon Moody
Born	February 16, 1834 Horatio, South Carolina
Died	March 20, 1898 (aged 64) Ocala, Florida
Alma mater	Charleston Medical College
Occupation	Physician, farmer, businessman
Spouse(s)	Carrie Howse (m. 1860; d. 1864) Patience Howse (m. 1864; d. 1869) Eliza Pearson (m. 1870)
Children	12 Samuel Moody Edward Moody Carolina Murrell John Moody Elizabeth Moody Sloman Moody Vincent Moody Charles Moody Dell Moody Maxey Dell Moody Joseph Moody Sarah Moody
Parent(s)	Slomon Moody Susan Moody
Relatives	Maxey Dell Moody Jr. (grandson)

Slomon William Moody (February 16, 1834 – March 20, 1898), also known as S. W. Moody, was a physician, farmer, and city treasurer of Ocala, Florida.^[1][2] Slomon was one of Ocala's first physicians and settlers of the town. He is also the father of Maxey Dell Moody who founded the oldest family owned construction equipment business in the United States, M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. According to the Ocala Evening Star, Moody was "one of the landmarks of Ocala" and "one of Ocala's best physicians of the years gone by."^[3][4][5][6]

Early life and Ocala

Sloman Moody's house in Ocala around 1888.

Slomon William Moody was born on February 16, 1834 to Slomon Moody, Jr. and Susan Collins in Horatio, South Carolina. His grandfather Slomon Moody, Sr. was a plantation owner in Sumter County, South Carolina. When his grandfather died in 1834 his land was divided among his sons James, William, Charles and Slomon, Jr with his oldest son Burrell Moody becoming sole executor of the Moody estate. A codicil to Slomon, Sr.'s will included Slomon William listed as "one yet unborn".^[7] When Sloman's uncle Charles Moody died he was given an inheritance of around $500 and other debts owed to Slomon.^[8] By 1850 Sloman decided to become a physician and went to the Charleston Medical College in Charleston, South Carolina.

After graduating Slomon moved to Ocala in 1854 to begin his profession as a physician.^[9] When he arrived to Ocala, being that the town was founded in 1846, he was known to be one of the earliest physicians in the town.^[10] He was also known to be the second oldest citizen of Ocala following Robert Bullock. In 1863 Sloman was granted a lot along Silver Springs Boulevard.^[11] Slomon married Carolina "Carrie" Howse, the daughter of the first sheriff of Ocala Edmund Howse,^[12] on April 3, 1860. However, on January 23, 1864 Carolina died unexpectedly. Slomon remarried to her sister Patience Ann Howse but she died five years later on April 19, 1869.

While Slomon was a practicing physician he also ran a successful drug store in Ocala. His reputation as a skillful physician brought great demand to his services that even those living 50 miles away still requested for him.^[13] Slomon's store and his practice later became known as S. W. Moody & Son with his son Samuel working with him.^[14]

Later career, family and death

Tombstone of Slomon Moody. His name is misspelled as Sloman.

Slomon remarried for a final time to Eliza Pearson, the daughter of a Confederate Captain named John William Pearson in 1870.^[15] Pearson died in the Civil War when he was leading Company B of the Ninth Infantry Florida, then part of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, through a cornfield at the Battle of Globe Tavern. Eliza Pearson graduated from Columbia College in 1865 majoring in French and Music. After Eliza graduated she moved back to her hometown just before the burning of Columbia by William Tecumseh Sherman's Union forces on February 17, 1865.^[16] John's hometown, and Eliza's, was Orange Springs, Florida only 30 miles north of Ocala. In 1873 Eliza gave birth to her first son named John Pearson Moody named after her father. In 1877 Eliza gave birth to Slomon Moody who became a Private in the Spanish–American War.^[17] In 1883 Eliza had Maxey Dell Moody who would establish his own business called M. D. Moody in 1913. Maxey's business would stay in operation for 100 years as the oldest family owned construction equipment distributor in the United States under Maxey Dell Moody Jr. and Maxey Dell Moody III.^[18]

Around 1874 Slomon became ill and gradually ceased his practice due to his illness. He then transitioned to a successful orange farmer. He cultivated and experimented with oranges leading him to become a reputable authority figure on oranges. In December 1885 Slomon shipped a crate of oranges to John Clayton in Liverpool, England.^[19] Slomon decided to invest all of his savings in orange cultivation which then ruined him when the Great Freeze of 1894–1895 destroyed much of the citrus crop of Florida. Financially ruined he returned to his practice but by January 11, 1898 Sloman became very ill.^[20] On March 20, 1898 Sloman dies in Ocala leaving behind twelve children.^[21]

Notes

References

• Weaver, Delores Barr and J. Wayne Weaver (2001). Jacksonville: Crown of the First Coast. Towery Publishing, Inc.