Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: October 1998 Volume 36 Number 4, Page 129

In Memoriam: Frank Arthur Moorshead, Jr.

Page 129

A long-time member of the History Club, Frank Moorshead died on Friday, September 4, 1998 at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Balti­more after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 80 years old and had been living in St. Michaels, Md., where he moved following the death of his wife Liz in 1990, with whom he shared 48 years of marriage.

Born in Lansdowne, Pa. on June 24, 1918, he graduated from William Penn Charter School, and attended the University of Pennsylvania. He built a career selling machine tools and construction equipment for several area firms, retiring in 1983 from Ingersoll Rand Co. Frank's vast knowledge of men in the Philadelphia business community, which he often shared with club members, will be missed.

He will also be remembered for two articles he contributed to the Quarterly -- a biographical sketch of Berwyn bank president Joseph W. Sharp, and information on derivation of street names in the north Devon area. His interest in local history and genealogy led naturally to service as a volunteer with the Chester County Historical Society and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. At the time of his death, he was president of the Maryland Society of Pennsylvania, a group made up primarily of people who live in Pennsylvania but have an interest in Maryland.

Although he left his home in Strafford in 1995, he kept his ties here, so much so that he drove to Wayne whenever he needed a haircut, according to his son Tucker Moorshead of Centreville, Md. In addition to his son, he is survived by a daughter, Gwinn Derricott of Exton, Pa., a sister Hannah Turner of St. Michaels, Md., a brother John of Easton, Md. and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother Arthur.