In 1961,Thomas Moss’ granddaughter Haroldine purchased a home in Altadena California. Thomas Moss was one of the three lynching victims of the 1892 Peoples Grocery. Moss and his wife were best friends with Ida B Wells, and their friendship inspired her anti-lynching campaign after his violent murder in Memphis. Wells and Moss’ widow left Memphis heeding Moss’ last words “Tell my people to go West, there is no justice for them here.”
Thomas Moss’ daughter Maurine, had a daughter named Haroldine. Haroldine passed her California home onto her son Robin and his wife Valerie in 2009. That home recently was lost in the 2025 California Eaton Fire. If you would like to help rebuilt the ancestral home of the Moss family, they have set up a GoFundMe that goes directly to this historic family.
LSP member Jenn Bennie had a conversation with Robin and Valerie’s son Robert (Thomas Moss’ great-great grandson) about his family’s historical legacy and impact to one of the most influential women in America, Ida B Wells. Click here to watch that recording.
Without the love and friendship of Thomas Moss, there would be no Ida B Wells. Let’s remember their family’s legacy to give and/or learn about this important event in American History.
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