The telling of this tale is not complete without providing a preliminary look at Thomas G. Moses’ family, his primary network of support. They are the ones who witnessed first hand his talent, love, work ethic and sense of humor. Moses’ typed manuscript records his artwork from 1873-1931, but he actively worked until the age of 78 in 1934. Today’s installment provides a familial context for the future events that I will describe, as well as the significance of his design and painting of the Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection in 1924.
Thomas G. Moses and Ella Robbins celebrated fifty-five years together of “happy married companionship” in 1933. Their sons and daughters, with the respective wives, husbands and families all returned home to Oak Park. The celebration occurred on October 31. The couple was married in 1878 and they had four children, one of who would follow his footsteps into the theatre business and another who would work in the gas industry with his brother Frank.
Very little personal interaction with his children or grandchildren appears in Moses’ typed manuscripts or his few remaining handwritten diaries. It is in his letters and postcards that a love of family and fears of age are revealed.
On July 26, 1931, Moses wrote a letter to his eldest son, Pitt. In it he expressed his love for his wife, writing: “The domestic side of my life has been a very happy one in choosing a wonderful mate, and who has not only been a good mother to our four healthy children, but a very good help in sifting out many financial difficulties that are bound to come into our lives.” His love for Ella was unquestionable. I will never forget transcribing the single sentence in his 1931 diary that documented her return to his side after a long absence. He simply wrote, “Living again.”
Moses lost many precious moments with his family over the years when he was traveling. He missed his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and wanted them to know he disliked the extended separations. He sent a Halloween card to his granddaughter Doris in 1930. It provides a little insight into Moses’ acknowledgement of his continued absence from loved ones.
In the card, Moses he wrote, “My Dear Doris, Here is wishing you all the luck in the world for a good time during Halloween. I believe you will have frosty weather as we are getting it. Many thanks for your most welcome letter. I am not staying away from home because I like to. I would like to take a train tonight for Chicago. It will be a month more before I can get home. I can’t even get a decent movie for an evening, so my hotel room is all I get. Love from Grandfather Moses.” He was seventy-four years old and still missing out. Three years later he would write, “Tears come to my eyes whenever I think of ‘Peggy Louise’ that I have lived to be a great-grandfather, and not have the pleasure of her companionship in the years that the love of children is so essential.”
Moses’ manuscript does not always include personal family matters, as it was to be a book, “Sixty Years Behind the Curtain Line.” Information from his small handwritten diaries was compiled into a typed manuscript. It was simply titled “My Diary,” as it was left unfinished. His story continued, however, as he kept recording daily activities. The technical information pertaining to work, business relationships and various artistic projects make his story a fascinating one, but it is the overall tone and his perspective that engages the reader.
I previously addressed Moses’ desire to leave something for his relatives and fellow scenic artists. Moses repeated this request at various points in his writings. Although the current version of his typed manuscript ended in 1931, his final two years are preserved in handwritten diaries. Although badly damaged, I am in the process of transcribing them to catch glimpses of his final thoughts. He has the wisdom of age, but there is desperation to tie up loose ends, both personally and professionally.
But why compile a typed manuscript at the age of 75? 1931 was a turning point for Moses as he was forced to face his rapidly deteriorating health. As I read the pages, I think of someone grasping at straws. There is the desire to stay just a little bit longer, to take care of everything, and to leave this life without burdening anyone. It makes me think about pregnant women who go into “nesting mode” just before the birth of a child. My nesting involved finishing cleaning our house after my water broke. I wanted everything in order prior to my departure to the hospital, to prepare a place for another.
Many prepare for a final departure from the world as well. These are the same ones who hate to leave any loose ends behind. They understand that others will soon take over their responsibilities. In a sense, they too are “nesting,” but no longer for their own use. They are preparing a place for those who will remain, their family members who are left behind. Tomorrow I will look at some of his final preparations as they provide a context for his journey.
To be continued…
