Moses Robbins Wickersham
BIRTH: 18 Jan 1815 in Greensboro, Henry County, Indiana, USA
DEATH: 26 Oct 1892 (aged 77) in Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minnesota, USA
Plot: Section 38-4, Lot A
Embedded Files
Dr. Moses R. Wickersham was one of Mankato’s earliest settlers and a man of wide-ranging influence whose life spanned medicine, publishing, abolitionist work, and early civic development. Born in Indiana to a family of Quaker heritage tracing back to early Pennsylvania settlers, he was raised among pioneers and developed a strong intellectual and moral foundation from an early age.
He received his early education in Greensboro, Indiana, and pursued medical training under Dr. Iddings and at a medical institution, supporting himself in part through business work in Cincinnati and St. Louis. He began his medical practice in his hometown and quickly became known for his industry, perseverance, and love of learning.
A committed opponent of slavery, Dr. Wickersham played an active role in the Underground Railroad, operating a station in his own home and assisting fugitives on their path to freedom. In the mid-1840s he moved to New London, Indiana, where he continued his medical work under challenging frontier conditions. His interests soon expanded into journalism and public discourse. He edited a Free Soil newspaper in Indianapolis and later became proprietor of The Pioneer, a paper he moved to Kokomo and renamed the Tribune, which would eventually evolve into the Gazette Tribune.
After several years in publishing and mercantile pursuits, declining health led him to seek a more favorable climate. He arrived in Mankato, Minnesota, in May 1856, with his family joining him later that year. There he resumed medical practice and established the city’s first drug store in partnership with his brother, Jason F. Wickersham. He was also instrumental in bringing Mankato its first newspaper, encouraging its establishment in 1857.
In 1862, Dr. Wickersham was appointed physician to the Winnebago Indians and accompanied them to their Nebraska reservation, serving for a period before returning to Mankato. He was a founding member of the Minnesota Valley Medical Association and remained active in professional and civic affairs for many years.
In later life, Dr. Wickersham gradually withdrew from his medical and business pursuits, devoting himself to horticulture on his property along South Byron Street. There he cultivated gardens and vineyards, enjoying a quieter life. He was remembered as a thoughtful, unassuming man, widely respected and well liked within the community.
Dr. Wickersham passed away at his home at 607 South Byron Street on October 27, 1892, between four and five o’clock in the afternoon, following a brief illness of pneumonia. He was seventy-eight years of age. His funeral was held from his residence and was well attended, reflecting his long-standing role in the community.
He was survived by four children: Mary Ellen Williams, Sarah G. Wickersham, Benjamin Price Wickersham, and Ernest Caleb Wickersham. One daughter, Lydia Maria Child Porter, preceded him in death. His wife, Anna, had passed away in 1888.
Dr. Wickersham’s life reflects the breadth of early American frontier experience—physician, editor, abolitionist, entrepreneur, and pioneer—leaving a lasting mark on the early development of Mankato.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse