Moses Guild, Jr. (1756-1829)
Abigail Everett Guild (1760-1822)
Nathaniel Guild (1678-1774) and Mehitable Hartshorn Guild (1683-1771) had ten children, eight of whom lived to adulthood. Their youngest child, Aaron (1728-1818) is well known to Norwood residents. There is a stone marking his adventures in front of the Morrill Memorial Library. Less well known, but perhaps even more significant to South Dedham residents, was Aaron’s brother, Moses Guild (1725-1789).
Born on May 14, 1725, Moses Guild married Rhoda Man (1735-1797) on December 9, 1752. Moses and Rhoda had several children, including Moses Guild, Jr. who was born on July 20, 1756. Moses Guild died on September 29, 1789 and is interred in a crypt beside that belonging to Rev. Jabez Chickering.
Moses Guild, Jr. grew up in South Dedham and became a farmer of considerable wealth. At the age of 20, he answered the call on April 19, 1775, and mustered in Dedham to face the British army in the opening skirmish of the Revolutionary War.
On August 17, 1787, Guild married Abigail Everett (1760-1822) and together they had a large family including Moses Guild’s namesake, Moses Guild III (1792-1857) (lot 53). In addition to his farm, Guild saw an opportunity and founded a fleet of freight wagons that ran between Boston and Providence over the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike (today’s Washington Street) which opened around 1805. The freight wagons and equipment were stored in a wooden structure (in the area of today’s Guild Square Park) across from his home, an impressive house later referred to as the “Corner House,” which was situated at the corner of modern Washington and Guild Streets.
Moses Guild, Jr. died on November 9, 1829 at the age of 73; the cause was “old age.”
He is buried in Old Parish Cemetery alongside his wife, who predeceased him on August 11, 1822 of a lingering illness. Their matching gravestones were carved by Samuel Tingley, Jr. of Attleboro.
Moses and Abigail Guild's gravesite was one of the first recovered, reset, and restored by OPPV.
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