Horace Harby

Horace Harby (1846-1905) was born in Sumter, South Carolina to merchant Andrew Jackson Moses (1815-1877) and Octavia Harby (1823-1904). As a young man, he volunteered for the Confederate Army and fought in Company C of the Palmetto South Carolina Artillery (Culpeper’s Artillery), of which his brothers Joshua Moses (1839-1965) and Perry Moses (1944-1916) were lieutenants. During the war, Joshua died at the Battle of Fort Blakeley, and Horace was captured and imprisoned at Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island. After the war, Horace returned to Sumter, where he initially worked as a clerk. In 1873, he entered the livestock business, selling horses and mules. He continued in the livestock business until 1900. In 1881, Horace joined his brother Henry J. Harby (1858-1938) to form Harby Brothers. The pair sold wagons and parts for the Wilson, Childs & Co. Wagon Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as horses, mules, and farm supplies. Harby Brothers remained in operation until 1883. After he retired from the livestock business, Horace became president of the Sumter Savings Bank, serving in that role until his death in 1905.