Independent Enterprise
Thursday, September 09, 1943
Pioneer Matron Buried Friday
Family funeral services for Mrs. Ruth Ann Moss, pioneer Payette resident, who died Monday, Will be held at the Landon Funeral home Friday afternoon at 2:30. Bishop Franklin Peterson of the L. D. S. church will conduct the services and burial will be in Riverside cemetery.
Mrs. Moss, a resident of Payette for the past 61 years, was born in Salt Lake City on October 21, 1859 and was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Barnes. Her father came from England and then to Utah coming there before the first hand cart procession. He helped to cut and lay the corner stone of the L. D. S Temple in Salt Lake. She was married to Frank C. Moss at Salt Lake on Nov. 20, 1880 and in 1881 they moved to Long Valley near Cascade where they lived for 9 months while the Moss Brothers, Frank C. Moss and A. B. Moss had the contract for hewing the ties for the present Union Pacific railroad which was being built from Kelton, Utah to Huntington, Ore. The ties were floated down the Payette river to the present site of the present railroad bridge across the river. While at Long Valley, Mrs. Moss and her sister-in-law, Mrs. Celia Moss were the only white women there. They moved to Payette in April of 1882 where the Moss brothers established the first post office which was known as Boomerang and a commissary which later developed into the Moss Mercantile company. Mr. Moss was the first state senator from Ada county when Idaho became a state. There were only three counties in the state and Ada county composed the entire southern part of the state. Mr. Moss passed away April 17, 1927.
Mrs. Moss was a charter member of Harmony Rebekah lodge of Payette. She was the mother of six children all of whom survive her and are Edward A. Moss of Portland, Frank Moss of Nampa, Mrs. Florence Walker of Payette, James C. Moss of New Plymouth, Staten Moss and West Moss both of Payette. She is also survived by two brothers, Richard S. Barnes of Kaysville, Utah and Lorenzo D. Barnes of Rupert, Idaho, and by ?? grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
