ATDTDA (2): Reverend Moss Gatlin (49.18)

[Tim Strzechowski]

Up on the stage now was a lectern flanked by a pair of gas lamps with Welsbach mantles, at which stood a tall individual in workmen's overalls, identified presently as the traveling Anarchist preacher the Reverend Moss Gatlin (p. 49).

 
In keeping with Pynchon's penchant for naming charachers based on foliage:

 
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1-10 cm tall, occasionally more. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems. At certain times mosses produces spore capsules which may appear as beak-like capsules borne aloft on thin stalks. 
 
[...]
 
Mosses are found chiefly in areas of low light and dampness; any area of the world. Mosses are common in wooded areas and at the edges of streams. Mosses are also found in cracks between paving stones in damp city streets. Some types have adapted to urban conditions and are found only in cities. [...]
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moss
 
Nothing comes up in a quick search for "Moss" as a Christian name, but plenty of surnames, including (but not limited to) the well-known Kate, as well as "Boss Moss" (for those of us who came of age with Saturday morning cartoons circa 1973):
 
http://www.retrocrush.com/100monsters/98.html
 
http://www.lavasurfer.com/bchof/hof-freakies.html
 
 
Re: "Gatlin":
 
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~rickman/
 
http://gatlinbrothers.musiccitynetworks.com/
 
 
The Pynchonwiki suggests a comparison between Rev. Moss Gatlin and M&D's Rev. Wicks Cherrycoke.  Does anyone here see any parallels?