Charleston's Moody Man

Rev. John Mood (courtesy geni.com)

Charleston sets the mood in antiques with the help of one silversmith, Reverend John Mood. Even though I currently live in Charleston, I had never heard of the name John Mood before, and neither had a lot of other people. However, once I found out who he was, I could not resist digging a little deeper. Reverend John Mood was born on January 11, 1792 in Charleston SC. Silversmiths ran in the Mood family with John’s father, Peter Mood, also being a silversmith and John’s brother, Peter, was also in the trade.

An 1835 slave badge made
by the Mood brothers

John and Peter worked together in their shop called “Wholesale and Retail Dealers and Manufacturers of Silver and Gold Ware,” and were able to make a name for themselves when in 1832, they were contracted to make slave badges. These were badges made only in Charleston that slaves were required to wear. Made out of copper and tin, badges were handed out to the City of Charleston to slaves for a fee. These badges had the slave’s type of work on it and allowed those not being used on a plantation to find work in the city. With out a doubt, this was a very profitable contract for the Mood brothers, and two years later, they were contracted again.

However, there was one confusing aspect of making slave badges for John Mood. He was a Methodist and Methodists at this time were known for favoring abolition. So, what was such a fervent Methodist doing making slave badges? Well, that was a question Mood asked himself and prayed over with Bishop Francis Asbury. Together, they decided the best course of action was to illegally teach black ministers to read and write. Mood himself became a preacher and opened a Sunday school for the black children in his community. Mood showed his bravery and faith when, even though he was being threatened, he decided to maintain the school for years.

John Mood's ledger stone
(courtesy of Patrick Harwood)

Mood would maintain his shop with his brother until about 1841, when they ran into a little bit of financial trouble. An employee had managed to get the head clerk inebriated and then took off with the keys and stock. After this tragedy, Mood’s brother would move to New York, but Mood hadn’t finished his business in Charleston. He decided to restart his business “with no capital but an honest name, skillful hands and an abiding trust in God.” He would continue out his life in Charleston educating the black youth as a well known Reverend and silversmith until his death on March 1, 1792.