PEORIA MAGAZINE December 2022

P E O R I A R E T R O

PEORIA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN EVER? Lydia Moss Bradley left a local mark like arguably no other

BY MADELEINE TROLINGER PHOTO BY RON JOHNSON

S ome 125 years since Lydia Moss Bradley established her Bradley University, the school continues to cultivate seeds of knowledge in its students with professors who care about their health and future, and with courses that allow them to develop a strong work ethic and versatile skill sets tailored to their majors. Those were Lydia’s goals, but more than anything, she wanted to foster independence in Bradley students. Now that Bradley is coming up on this milestone anniversary, it’s appropriate to ref lect on Lydia’s life story as a wealthy philanthropist and pioneer for women’s rights. Lydia Moss Bradley was born in Vevay, Indiana in 1816, the youngest of six children to Zeally Moss and Jenny Glasscock. At 22, her father served as a captain in the Revolutionary War, supplying soldiers with material necessities. At war’s end, he moved to Kentucky, where he realized that he did not wish to be a slave owner. He freed the slaves he had and moved to the newly established state of Indiana, where he became wealthy as an owner and seller of land. Lydia’s life in Indiana, however, was a humble one. She attended a makeshift

apprenticeship under JudgeMalin, who educated and introduced him to the world of business. Eventually, Tobias and Lydia began a relationship. On May 11, 1837, they married. They started their family in Vevay, where Lydia gave birth to her first child, Rebecca. All was well for a time. After her father Zeally’s death in 1839, Lydia and Tobias found a newplace to live, but not before tragedy struck the family. Rebecca died at age 5 from unknown causes. Little did the Bradleys know that this was only the beginning. In 1847, they moved to Peoria at the request of Lydia’s brother, William. By this point, they had collected a great deal of wealth from selling their farm and receiving a gift of gold from Lydia’s grandfather. They used the money to buy a plot of land, which included the future site of Bradley’s campus. During their time in Peoria, the Bradleys met Abraham Lincoln. Alas, more devastation was to befall the Bradley family. Their eldest son, Tobias Jr., died, as did their second daughter, Clarissa. At the time, Lydiawas pregnant with a third daughter, Laura. Despite their personal misfortunes, they still found much to look forward to in Peoria.

school set up in her teacher’s kitchen. She had to make do with what supplies were available and improvise where needed. Regardless, she learned many valuable skills common for girls living on the frontier, including butter churning, weaving and meat preserving. Around 1830, Lydia made her first ventures into the world of real estate. She traded a horse her father had gifted to her for a forested plot of land. She then chopped down the trees and sold her logs to her future husband, Tobias Bradley. He was not nearly as rich as Lydia, but at age 18 he entered into an

48 DECEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE