N. Moser of “Copyright N. Moser, N.Y.” was Norbert George Moser, photographer, electrician, sailor and publisher of Real Photo Postcards, most noted for his naval views. And, though certainly Moser would not have taken all the photos that show his copyright, one assumes he would have taken quite a few, since his time in the U.S. Navy numbered about twelve years. Below, a brief time-line:
1885 – Born September 17, 1885 in Pierceton, Indiana, son of Gabriel Moser and Mary Palmer.
1910 – A crop from the 1910 U. S. Federal Census showing Norbert G. Moser, born Indiana, father born Germany, mother born Illinois, occupation chief electrician, sailor, serving on the U.S.S. Virginia, Hampton Roads, Virginia (the naval base).
Circa 1913 – 1919, could be December 1913, per prior post. Above, an awesome view, entitled “Quarter Deck Seas” one of many photos to also appear as a Real Photo Postcard, copyright N. Moser, N.Y. Did Norbert Moser take the actual photo? Probably his navy service record would need to be ordered to get a full timeline of what ships he served on and when, in order to get a better idea. This one is described as: View looking aft on the main deck of USS Vermont (Battleship # 20), while she was steaming in heavy seas during the Nineteen “teens”. Note man standing by the ladder leading to the quarterdeck whaleboat.
1914 – May 23, 1914, Chelsea, MA, married Julia R. Hall, a Medford MA dressmaker, born about 1889 in Gardner, MA, daughter of Stephen A. Hall and Clara P. Adams. Norbert Moser’s residence address at the time of marriage was the U.S. Naval Hospital, where he is listed as an electrician.
1916 – Above, a clipping from The Topeka Daily Capital. August 5, 1916, Saturday p. 5. (Newspapers.com)
1917 – Served as chief electrician at the Naval Recruiting Station for a few days, and then on board the U.S.S. New Jersey, April 9 and discharged October 15, 1917 at Yorktown, VA.
1918 – WWI Draft Registration Card shows wife Julia, residence 1088 E. 36th St., Brooklyn NY, occupation self-employed electrician and photo work, and work address room 406 of the World Bldg., NYC.
1920 – U.S. Federal Census for N. Hempstead, Nassau County, NY. Photographer, own business. Wife Julia, born MA about 1888, children Robert, born KS about 1916; Mary, born MA about 1918; Ruth born NY about 1919.
1921 – Above, three of Moser’s ads, including one showing the well-known Vermont in Storm view, from a May 1921 publication of Our Navy. (Great reading if you have the time!)
1930 – U.S. Federal Census – single, living in Chicago, agent of commercial photography.
1940 – U.S. Federal Census – divorced, still living in Chicago, listed as a photographer and employer in the commercial photography field.
1942 – WWII Draft Registration Card – own business, 180 W. Washington St., Chicago.
1970 – Died in Los Angeles (county if not city) December 26, 1970.
Sources: Year: 1910; Census Place: USS Virginia, Hampton Roads, Virginia, Military and Naval Forces; Roll: T624_1784; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0123; FHL microfilm: 1375797. (Ancestry.com)
NH 101060 “Quarter Deck Seas” Vermont (BB-20). Naval History and Heritage Command. Catalogue #NH 101060. From the album of Francis Sargent, courtesy Commander John Condon, 1986. (web accessed November 24, 2016).
“Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4XQ-VFP : 17 February 2016), Norbert G Moser and Julia R Hall, 23 May 1914; citing Chelsea, , Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,409,948.
Ancestry.com. New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Registration State: New York; Registration County: Kings; Roll: 1754497; Draft Board: 58. (Ancestry.com)
Year: 1920; Census Place: North Hempstead, Nassau, New York; Roll: T625_1128; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 60; Image: 1009. (Ancestry.com)
Our Navy, the Standard Publication of the United States Navy, May 1921. Volume 15. (Google eBook).
“United States Census, 1930,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XS5N-RBP : accessed 20 November 2016), Norbert J Moser in household of Mae B Reeck, Chicago (Districts 1751-1976), Cook, Illinois, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1808, sheet 21A, line 11, family 224, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 491; FHL microfilm 2,340,226.
Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T627_1019; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 103-3100. (Ancestry.com)
“United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1KC-YV3 : 7 April 2016), Norbert George Moser, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
“California Death Index, 1940-1997,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP28-K2X : 26 November 2014), Norbert G Moser, 26 Dec 1970; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
.. this is very informative and interesting information about my grandfather
…Robert Moser
Interesting article. Robert, am working on a history of Pierceton, Indiana and also have a directory of Indiana photographers. I would love to talk to you. My email is info@indianaalbum.com. Joan Hostetler
Hey Joan, thanks for the interest. I sent Robert an email for you, to let him know. I’ll include your website address here for others to see: https://indianaalbum.com/
Hi Robert,
I’m so glad you found the post! Thanks for commenting.
Anne
Excellent work, thank you for going the extra mile to say so much about Norbert Moser’s life. I found Mr. Moser while doing research on the International Film Service (IFS), a Hearst company that licensed photos for many uses back in the 1910s. Moser’s own byline appears alongside the IFS name, so I assume he either provided or coordinated some significant non-military pictures, including former boxing champ Jack Dempsey. He also won a photo competition held by “American Photography” in 1916 with a photo titled, “Which is the counterfeit?” (You can find it in the Hathi Trust digital archives by searching on that title and his name.)
My research hopes to understand the source IFS used for a number of trading cards showing baseball, boxing, and movie actor, as sold from 1919 into the mid-1920s. The known photo of Jack Dempsey with a combined Moser and IFS byline gives me some hope that he provided their originals. Have you seen photos from one of those subjects with Moser’s name or (C) on them? Thanks in advance for any help.
Hi Matthew, thanks so much for your comment. Checking just now – I see a great article from the U.S. Naval Institute on Moser that references IFS (you’ve probably seen this) but I’ll search a little more in the next few days and update in comments if I find anything. In searching Newspapers.com (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 15, 1923) there are a couple of photos taken near Shelby, Montana, that are copyright N. G. Moser from Underwood and Underwood, New York. Interesting as the article reports they were taken a few days before the Jack Dempsey-Tom Gibbons fight (July 4, 1923). Tom Gibbons, it says, was adopted into the Blackfoot Tribe. One of the photos is of Chief Curly Bear. I’ll email you and send you screen shots if you haven’t seen them.
Anne