Moses, Sr. arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 10, 1753 with his wife, Catharina, and two young sons, Michael and Albrecht, on the British ship Beulah. He and his family were likely part of an organized British government encouraged emigration movement to the English Colonies in North America by Germans known at the time as Palatines.

Palatine Germans were generally Lutherans from the Middle Rhine region of present-day Germany. This fairly wealthy area of Europe was repeatedly invaded by French troops from the late-17th century into the 18th, resulting in continuous military conflict and financial upheaval. In addition, religious and political conflict between Protestants and the more governmentally-powerful Catholics made life there increasingly dangerous and uncomfortable. The British government encouraged Palatine Germans from this area to emigrate to their growing colonies in North America with the promise of religious freedom and a chance to live a more peaceful life. Not incidentally, they were also useful in creating a buffer between the English populations in the cities and towns and the native peoples that were being pushed out of those areas.

Moses, Sr. identified himself as a tailor and was wealthy enough to have purchased some property prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, possibly in the Amityville area of what is now Berks County. On April 13, 1772, he purchased a 137-1/4 acre tract along the Monocacy Creek near Amityville for £480 7s 6d (equivalent to about $117,000 today), and based on local tax records, seems to have engaged in some farming. He lived on that land for the remainder of his life, and was buried next to a church he helped to build nearby.