Charles E. Moss, clerk of the county court of De Kalb County, Mo., was born in Tama County, Iowa, May 5, 1856, and is the son of Henry C. and Sarah A. Moss. The father was born in Southern Ohio, near the town of Adelphi, May 18, 1821. He moved to Williams County, Ohio, when a small boy, where he resided until 1855, when he removed to Tama County, Iowa, and in December, 1868, to De Kalb County, Mo., and in the fall of 1879 to Rooks County, Kas., where he died October 8, 1885. Previous to his removal to Missouri he had been quite successful, but reverses overtook him later in life. The mother was born in Juniata County, Penn., January 26, 1824. She is the daughter of Thomas Shorthill, a native of Ireland, who immigrated to this country when eleven years old; she is now living in Maysville with her son. To the parents twelve children were born, nine of whom are living. Charles E. was the seventh child, and when four years of age he was run over by a reaper in Iowa, which injured his right leg and arm, and from the effects of which the leg was amputated January 17, 1880. He was reared on the farm, and until his eighteenth year attended the public schools. He then began teaching school, and with the money earned attended the Iowa State Normal College and the St. Joseph (Mo.) Normal Business College; he taught for one year (1881) in the latter school. Previous to 1880 he read medicine for two years, and intended to complete the study but the loss of limb prevented. He was elected assessor of De Kalb County in the fall of 1880, but owing to the adoption of township organization in that county he could not serve as such. He was elected clerk of the county court in 1882 as a Republican, being the only one elected on that ticket; he was also re-elected in 1886. On November 19, 1882, he was united in marriage with Miss Lucy L. Todd who was born in De Kalb County, January 15, 1859; she is the daughter of William Todd (deceased). They have one child, a son (Roy), born November 7, 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Moss are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church North.
Source: History of Andrew and DeKalb Counties, Missouri (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888), pp. 575-576.