Dorothea Waters Moran: Visionary Benefactor

Born in Brooklyn, New York on March 19, 1895, to Walter Nathan Waters and Ada Belle Valentine Waters, Waters Farm held a special place in the heart of Dorothea. As she penned in “Twice Told Tales”, “Waters Farm in West Sutton has always been a part of me, even though I never lived there all year round.” Dorothea Waters was a poet, musician, an advocate for women’s rights, and an executive secretary in New York City. Although her father did not believe in the value of education for women, Dorothea was very well educated, studying at the New York College of Music, Miami University of Ohio, and Middlebury College in Vermont. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Alden, his wife Priscilla Mullins, and her parents. Dorothea married Lt. Commander Charles Moran in 1945. He was an attorney, historian, and the last president of the Nevada, California, Oregon Railroad. After the death of her father Walter, she became owner of the farm and spent her summers there until her death in 1987. Dorothea was the last living descendant of six generations of the Stephen Waters family that settled in West Sutton. Extensive genealogical research has identified many relatives of the Waters family that reside in Sutton and across the United State of America, including some of our most beloved volunteers.

With an aim towards preserving Waters Farm and the collection of items placed in her care, she worked with cousin and friend Ralph “Bud” Gurney and, in 1974, donated the acreage, the house, and all of its “contents-furnishings, diaries, documents, letters and photographs” to the Town of Sutton. Dorothea Moran, who passed away in 1987 at the age of 92, said “This is my home and not a museum. This is where all my family’s roots are; it’s a home.”