Moses (Charles) Porter Phelps

Portrait of Moses (Charles) Porter Phelps

Moses (Charles) Porter Phelps was born August 8, 1772, to Charles Phelps and Elizabeth Porter, starting the third generation to have lived at Forty Acres. Called “Porter” by the family, he spent his childhood in Hadley before leaving at age seven to attend school in Northampton and, later, Joseph Lyman’s grammar school in Hatfield. A week after his 15th birthday in 1787, he began his studies at Harvard. While there, Porter studied with the philosophers advocating for Calvinist liberation, which likely influenced his decision to switch his belief to the new Unitarian Philosophy in the early 19th century. In 1791, Porter graduated from Harvard second in his class and changed his name to Charles Porter Phelps.

He then moved to Newburyport to live and study law with Theophilus Parsons, where he met Theophilus’ niece, Sarah Davenport Parsons. After Sarah’s grandmother passed away in 1794, she moved from Boston to Newburyport, where the pair grew closer, and by 1795, they were engaged.

After being admitted to the bar, Porter moved to Boston and opened his own practice. However, he felt he was unsuccessful as a lawyer, barely earning enough to pay his expenses. In April 1799, he closed his office and went home to Hadley. There, he spent the summer overseeing renovations of his father's home to expand the property and make it suitable to accommodate two families. Charles planned to marry Sarah Parsons and move to Hadley with her the following spring.

Charles and Sarah were married in Newburyport on January 1, 1800. However, Charles' career plans changed, and the Phelps chose to stay in Boston, where Charles formed a business partnership with Edward Rand. They operated a merchant business from No. 3 Cadman's Wharf, Boston, until Mr. Rand was killed in a duel in the summer of 1801. Charles continued his export business, largely trading in slave economy goods until 1816 when he began his political career as a Boston Representative to the State Legislature. By the end of that year, he had received a large profit from his business and chose to use the money to build a house on his share of the ancestral Hadley property. This house still stands as Phelps Farm today. 

To great sorrow, Sarah contracted Typhus fever and passed away on the move to her new home.  Her cousin, Charlotte Parsons, came to help a devastated Charles raise his and Sarah’s five children. Charles and Charlotte married in 1840, parenting four more children—many did not survive youth. Charlotte died in 1830, and in 1833, Charles married for a third time to Elizabeth Judkins, who brought her two daughters with her to Phelps Farm. 

Charles Porter Phelps died on December 22, 1857, at the age of 85, having served ten terms as Hadley Representative in the legislature and senator of the Hampshire district.