Moses Chess Diaries and Papers
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Forty-two diaries written by Moses Chess from the years 1853 to 1895 are available online. His diaries record activities around Allegheny County as a farmer, land surveyor, businessman, and landlord, as well as his personal life. It supplies a large account of his transactions, the organizations and societies he was a member of and whose meetings he attended, and the daily weather. The 1867 travel diary records his trip to Europe, including observations of the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
What's in the entire collection?
The collection consists of forty-two diaries of Moses Chess from the years 1853 to 1895, as well as other personal records belonging to Chess and his family. These include a volume containing a family genealogy and real estate ledger, as well as three property deeds involving Chess and his family.
About Moses Chess.
Moses Chess (1823-1895) was a farmer and land surveyor who lived in Chartiers Township (now in East Carnegie and today's 28th Ward of Pittsburgh), Allegheny County. Chess found commercial success as a farmer and merchant, coming to own a large amount of land. He served as president of the Agricultural Society of Allegheny County and was one of the first directors of the Western Pennsylvania Exposition Society. He was a member of and attended meetings for various other organizations, including a Horticultural Society, the Knights of Pythias, and the Iona Club. He was Presbyterian, connected to the West End Presbyterian Church and Mt. Pisgah Church.
Chess studied civil engineering and worked as a land surveyor throughout Allegheny and Washington counties, as well as working as a teacher. By the 1850s, he had begun taking part in the local coal mining business as well as freight transport along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, as well as taking on hired farm workers and serving as a landlord around the Chartiers area. He continued with his various businesses through the late 19th century and played an active role in introducing reforms related to agriculture, industry, and social welfare in the area.