WHITE, MOSES (25 Feb. 1791-1 Sept. 1881), early settler and very active in Cleveland's early religious life though a layman, was born in Warwick, Mass., son of Jacob and Catherine (Penniman) White. He trained as a tailor, and with his wife, Mary (Andrews), came to Cleveland in 1816 and operated a tailor shop for several decades. Discouraged by the absence of organized religion in Cleveland, White, with ALFRED KELLEY and Noble H. Merwin, worked to promote Christianity in the early settlement. White himself publicly professed his faith in Christ in 1816. The three men retained visiting ministers or, in the absence of clergy, conducted their own services. As part of the Sunday school movement, in 1819 White helped organize the first religious school in Cleveland, serving as its secretary. In 1833, he was a charter member of FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH of Cleveland, serving as a deacon for almost 50 years. White had 8 children, only two of which survived to adulthood: Eliza, Charles, Edna, Sarah, Annie, George, Judson, and Minerva. White died in Cleveland and was buried in ERIE STREET CEMETERY.
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