Little is known about James William Moore. He was born about 1749, probably in North Carolina. The family’s strong affiliation to the Society of Friends suggests he was from Orange or Guilford County, NC. In the book, a History of Preble County, Ohio, page 116, James Moore is described as one of the founders of Camden, OH. It further states he was born in North Carolina where he fought in the war. James arrived in Preble County in 1804 where he thrived until his death in August 1826 [1]. Based on court documents listing his children, and federal census records from 1850-1880, it is apparent James migrated from North Carolina to Eastern Tennessee between 1783 and 1788. It is believed the area in which he resided is what is now called Grainger County, although during this early period it was still known as Jefferson County. He and his family remained in Tennessee until migrating to Preble County in 1804. In Preble County, James lived in Somers Township, in the village of what was then known as Dover (now Camden), OH, where he was a real estate promoter. He also owned and operated the only store, a combination general store and tavern [2]. It should be noted that only one source has identified James Moore by his middle name at this time [3]. James is believed to be buried in the Orchard Hill Cemetery (Old Camden Cemetery), in Camden, OH; Mary Moore, his wife, is believed to be buried in Henry County, IN, possibly in the Stoney Creek area.
At the time of his death in August 1826, his children were identified as
Mary (Moore) Sayres (b. 1770-1780, NC, d. before 1829, Miami County, OH),James’ land holdings were divided among his wife, Mary, and his descendents.
Martha “Patty” (Moore) Ledwell (b. about 1780, NC, d. before 1850, Butler County, OH),
John Moore (b. about 1782, NC, d. after 1862, Henry County, IN),
Samuel Moore (b. about 1783, NC, d. 11 October 1859, Wayne or Henry County, IN),
William Moore (b. about 1788, Jefferson/Grainger County, TN, d. 1853-1860, possibly Harrison County, MO),
James Moore (b. about 1789, Jefferson/Grainger County, TN, d. before 25 June 1832, Preble County, OH),
Thompson Moore (b. 27 August 1795, Jefferson/Grainger County, TN, d. 27 October 1864, Henry County, IN),
Jesse Moore (b. 1796-1800, Jefferson/Grainger County, TN, d. 1843-1848, possibly Macon County, MO),
Anderson Moore (b. 1797-1800, Jefferson/Grainger County, TN, d. unknown, possibly Butler County, OH),
Alfred Moore (b. 1804-1812, Preble County, OH, d. unknown), and
Wiley Moore (b. about 1808, Preble County, OH, d. before 1870, Miami County, IN, or Mercer County, MO).
Mary Moore, his wife, received 22.82 acres of land, which included the home, orchard, and all the wood land;
Samuel Moore received 1.26 acres which he sold to Samuel Frazier in 1830 [4];
the children of Mary Moore Sayre received 1.26 acres which they sold to their cousin, Harrison Moore in 1838 [5];
Thompson Moore received 1.26 acres (no record of sale found to date);
Alfred Moore received 1.75 acres which he sold to Alfred Lee [6];
Jesse Moore received 1.75 acres which he sold to Joseph S. Woodward [7];
William Moore received 1.75 acres which he sold to Alfred Lee [8];
James Moore (Jr.) received 1.75 acres (added to additional land holdings);
John Moore received 1.75 acres which he sold to his brother-in-law, John Ledwell, in addition to other acreage [9];
Martha Moore Ledwell received 1.85 acres (no record of sale found);
Wiley Moore received 1.9 acres (no record of sale found); and
Anderson Moore received 1.95 acres which he sold to his brother-in-law, John Ledwell [10].
James Moore was probably a Quaker at one time. His close ties with the Society of Friends Community in Tennessee and Ohio justify this belief. The same relationship existed between his children and the Quaker Community in Ohio and Indiana. What reason existed for him to be separated from the Quakers is not known, but perhaps it could have been because he was condemned for marrying out of unity or due to his military service during the American Revolution. The majority, if not all of James’ children married Quakers.
Mary married Thomas Sayres;It is known Alice Mendenhall, Sarah Stackhouse, and Alice Seybold were condemned by the Quakers for marrying out of unity. The relationship with Quakers can also be traced to the next generation, to include the marriage of Marshall Moore to Rachel Antrim, Hannah Moore to Nathan Davis, and others.
Martha married John Ledwell;
Samuel married Alice Mendenhall;
William married Rachel Brown (second marriage);
James married Sarah Stackhouse;
Thompson married Alice Seybold;
Jesse married Martha Hammer;
Alfred married Sarah Sawyer; and
Wiley married Hetty Emmerson.
There is some interest in two additional Moore families in Preble County. In 1820, Seaborn Moore was living in Somers Township within Preble County. On the 1820 Federal Census, Seaborn’s name is listed immediately below the name of James Moore (Sr.). Seaborn Moore (b. 19 Jun 1794, Wrightsborough, GA, d. 21 Mar 1873, Dallas, IA), was the son of Alexander Lackey Moore and Phebe Edwards. In neighboring Gratis Township, there are two additional Moore’s of interest, Mordecai, another son of Alexander Lackey Moore, and Dempsey Moore (relationship not known). Dempsey Moore, although his relationship cannot be shown, is a unique name. This name also shows up again in the descendents of James Moore through his son Samuel. On the 1830 Federal Census, Mordecai is still found in Gratis Township along with Cyrus Moore (relationship not known, but possibly the eldest son of Mordecai). A possibility exists that these additional Moore families in Preble County are related in some way to James “William” Moore. If Alexander Lackey Moore (b. 1760, Orange County, NC, d. 25 March 1827, Wayne County, IN) and James Moore Sr. are related, it would be as cousins or nephew-uncle.
It is reported that Alexander Moore received 200 acres in Preble County through a military warrant for his service during the American Revolutionary War. It is further reported that Alexander split this acreage, giving 100 acres to James. If this can be verified, it should help to further show the relationship between these families.
The Quaker spouses married to James’ children were condemned by the Society of Friends for marrying out of unity. One can only speculate that James at one time was a Quaker and was condemned for either marrying out of unity or for his service during the Revolutionary War. It is known that James lived in North Carolina before 1783, based on the birth of his son, Samuel. It is known that James removed to Tennessee before 1788, based on the birth of his son William, finally settling in Preble County by 1804. What happened to this family during the period 1783 to 1788? When did they leave North Carolina and when did they arrive in Tennessee? These are important questions which, thus far, have been unanswered.
The ancestors of Alexander Lackey Moore were Quakers in Orange County, North Carolina, who migrated to the Friend’s Community in Wrightsborough, Georgia, in the 1760’s. They remained there until sometime during the late 1790’s to early 1800’s when they migrated into Preble, Miami, Butler and Warren Counties in Ohio. The migration out of North Carolina separated many Quaker families. Families such as the Mendenhalls split between migration directly to Georgia while others migrated into Tennessee. Some Quaker families migrated from Wrightsborough, Georgia, to the Lost Creek Monthly Meeting House in Jefferson County, Tennessee (now Grainger County) after the failure of the Friend’s community in Wrightsborough.
If James Moore had been condemned by the Quakers, there would be little reason for him to migrate from North Carolina to Wrightsborough, Georgia, as he would have been unaccepted in the large Quaker community. It is more likely James migrated directly from North Carolina to Jefferson County, Tennessee. James Moore’s sons, John and Samuel married in Jefferson County, Tennessee, near Lost Creek Monthly Meeting House in 1803 and 1802 respectively. Samuel’s wife, Alice Mendenhall, was condemned for marrying out of unity by the Lost Creek Monthly Meeting House. It cannot be proven whether John’s wife, Elizabeth Galyean, was a Quaker or not as no records of Galyean have been found in Quaker files. At this point, perhaps it should be stated that another of James’ son’s, Thompson, married Alice Seybold in Preble County. Alice was a Quaker who was born in Wrightsborough, Georgia. She too was condemned for marrying out of unity.
In 1818, James Moore, Isaac Sutton, and James Black, petitioned the Preble County Commissioners to establish Dover. The petition included “forty lots located along the Hamilton-Eaton road running through the flat portion of the valley on the west side of the Seven Mile Creek. Their plan included two side streets and four alleys, with the center of the townsite located at the spot where the dirt road made a thirty-degree correction to the north. Their petition to the county commissioners specified that the streets were to be “three rods wide” (49.5 feet) and that the lots were to be “four rods in front extending back eight rods” (66 X 132 feet) [11]. The commissioners approved the petition and the beginnings of what is now Camden, Ohio, emerged and James Moore became known as one of the founders of Camden.
Early federal census records show James and those sons still living in his home and sons, William, Thompson and James Jr., were involved in agriculture, presumably as farmers in Somers Township. James Sr. was also known as a real estate promoter and owner/operator of the combined general store/tavern until his death. As licenses were still issued for the tavern until 1833, it is probable James Jr. assumed the responsibilities of the general store/tavern as the licensing ceased after James Jr.’s death. In Gratis Township, James’ son, Jesse, was a constable [12] at one time, in addition to being a farmer.
Mary Moore married Thomas Sayres, a Quaker, on December 26, 1810, in Preble County. Mary was listed as deceased by 1829 [13]. Thomas Sayres was noted on the 1820 Federal Census in Union Township, Miami County, OH. It is presumed that is where she died. Her husband, Thomas, remained in Union Township through 1830, and possibly died there sometime before 1840. At least two of their children, Abigail and Joel were living in Warren County, OH, as late as 1838 when they sold their portion of their mother’s inheritance of land from James Moore Sr. to Harrison Moore [14]. Joel later migrated to Henry County, IN, where he died between 1848 and 1849.
Martha Moore married John Ledwell, a Quaker, on June 9, 1810, in Butler County. Martha died before 1850, probably in Milford Township, Butler County, where her husband remained until his death before 1860. The children of Martha Moore and John Ledwell remained in Butler County through 1880 with some of the descendents finally moving back to Preble County in the 1900’s.
John Moore married Elizabeth Galyean on November 23, 1803, in Jefferson/Grainger, TN, and soon after moved to Ohio with the family. Before 1830, John and family had migrated to Henry County, IN, where both he and his wife died sometime after 1862. They are buried in the Moore Cemetery in Stoney Creek, Henry County, IN [15]. Most of their children are also buried in Moore Cemetery. Of particular note in this family is their daughter, Margaret Jane Moore who married Wilson Brewer on April 6, 1837, in Henry County, IN. After migrating to Howard County, IN, before 1850, Wilson Brewer went on to become on of the founders of what is now Webster City, Iowa. Margaret Jane Moore and Wilson Brewer are both buried in the Brewer Park Cemetery in Webster City, Hamilton County, IA.
Samuel Moore married Alice Mendenhall, a Quaker, on May 25, 1802 in Jefferson/Grainger, TN, moving to Ohio by 1804. Unlike his siblings, Samuel settled in Clinton County, and helped to build the first cabin where Wilmington now stands. Two years later he removed to Miami County, and lived there during the War of 1812. He was personally acquainted with General William Henry Harrison, and was employed in transporting provisions to the army stationed in the northern part of the state, and was familiar with many of the scenes that transpired during the campaign. He removed to Wayne County in 1816, and resided in the vicinity of Economy nearly forty years. [16]
William Moore reportedly married Catherine Cotener about 1810 in Preble County, however no marriage record can be found. To this marriage, at least six children were born during the period 1812 to 1831. Prior to 1830, William and family removed to Henry County, IN, living near his brother John. William purchased 80 acres of land by 1833 [17]. William’s first wife apparently died before 1845 in Henry County as noted by William’s second marriage to the widow Rachel Adams (nee Brown), a Quaker, on September 13, 1845. William and Rachel sold their land in Henry County, IN, to Jacob Clapper on 25 Nov 1853 for $2,500. Researchers believe they migrated to Harrison County, MO, between 1853 and 1860. William either died along the way or in Harrison, MO.
James Moore Jr. married Sarah Stackhouse, a Quaker, on July 21, 1812, in Butler County, OH. James Moore Jr., like his father, was involved in real estate. In 1830, he sold a plot of land to the trustees of the Newcome Presbyterian Church for $25.00 [18]. James probably assumed the responsibilities of his father’s general store and tavern until his death. James and his family remained in Preble County. James died before June 25, 1832 [19]; he and his wife are presumed to be buried in the Orchard Hill Cemetery (Old Camden Cemetery), in Camden, OH.
Thompson Moore married Alice Seybold, a Quaker, on October 10, 1813 in Preble County, OH. Prior to 1830, Thompson removed to Henry County, IN, settling first in the Stoney Creek area, and then finally settling in the Blue River area where he died. In Henry County, Thompson owned and farmed on 80 acres of land which he purchased while in Preble County, OH [20]. Thompson and his wife are both buried in the Kissinger Cemetery, Blue River Township, Henry County, IN.
Jesse Moore married Martha Hammer, a Quaker, on October 20, 1820, in Preble County, OH. After the establishment of Gratis Township around 1811, Jesse was the constable of the township. While in Preble County, Jesse purchased 80 acres of land in Randolph County, IN in 1824 [21] and 80 acres in Henry County in 1826 [22]. Prior to 1835, Jesse removed to Henry County, IN, and by 1843, removed to Macon County, MO, where he died.
Anderson Moore married Sena Waller, possibly a Quaker, on October 19, 1823, in Butler County, OH. Little information is known about Anderson, other than he was also listed as Andrew in some documents, and he lived near his father-in-law, Ashbell Waller, in Union Township, Butler County, OH. Sena (Waller) Moore is noted in her father’s Will probated in 1848, but no further information can be found. Anderson is known to have had at least one child, a son, born between 1823 and 1825 based on the 1830 Federal Census.
Alfred Moore married Sarah Sawyer, possibly a Quaker, on September 27, 1822, in Butler County, OH. Little is known about Alfred other than he removed to Delaware County, IN, before 1830, and had three children, two sons and a daughter, all born between 1823 and 1830.
Wiley Moore married Hester Emmerson, a Quaker, on July 3, 1824, in Preble County, OH. Prior to 1830, Wiley removed to Henry County, IN, where he had purchased 80 acres of land [23]. . By 1850, he removed to Miami County, IN, where he purchased 80 acres of land [24], where he remained until at least 1860. Wiley died before 1870, however it is unknown if he died in Miami County, IN, or in Missouri. In 1870, his wife, Hester (“Hetty”) was living in Holt County, MO, in the home of Benjamin Watson. Also living in the home was her son, Anderson and his wife, Lovenia Catherine Showalter Moore, a Quaker.
[ 1] Court of Common Pleas, September Term 1829, Preble County Courthouse, OH
[ 2] Main Street Blues, The Decline of Small-Town America, Richard O. Davies, Ohio State University Press, 1998 page 28
[ 3] Main Street Blues, The Decline of Small-Town America, Richard O. Davies, Ohio State University Press, 1998, page 23.
[ 4] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 14-54, dated 13 Nov 1830.
[ 5] Preble County Courthouse Deed Records 22-427, dated 2 Jan 1838, and 24-52, dated 24 Oct 1838.
[ 6] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 12-368, dated 25 Feb 1830
[ 7] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 11-320, dated 23 Dec 1830
[ 8] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 12-367, dated 29 Dec 1830
[ 9] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 11-317, dated 14 Jun 1830
[10] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 11-318, dated 2 Oct 1829
[11] Main Street Blues, The Decline of Small-Town America, Richard O. Davies, Ohio State University Press, 1998, page 23.
[12] History of Preble County, page 266.
[13] Court of Common Pleas, September Term 1829, Preble County Courthouse, OH
[14] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 22-427, dated 2 Jan 1838, recorded 5 Jan 1838.
[15] Cemetery Records of Stoney Creek Twp, Henry Co, IN, page 78
[16] Obituary of Samuel Moore, from Centerville Indiana True Republican, Oct.
20, 1859, p. 3.
[17] Bureau of Land Management document 10928, dated 17 Apr 1833.
[18] Preble County Courthouse Deed Record 40 and 41, dated 30 Mar 1830, recorded 26 Jan 1839.
[19] Probate Court, Preble County, OH, in the name of James Moore, dated 25 Jun 1832.
[20] Bureau of Land Management document 6018, dated 20 Apr 1825
[21] Bureau of Land Management document 4867, dated 20 Apr 1824
[22] Bureau of Land Management document 7075, dated 1 Sep 1826.
[23] Bureau of Land Management document 14625, dated 20 Oct 1834
[24] Bureau of Land Management document 18044, dated 10 Apr 1849.
The above is by Ted Crayne, 2006
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* Butler County OHGenWeb * Preble County OHGenWeb * Genealogical Records of Preble Co - search * Miami Valley Genealogical Index - search The Richard Moore of Wrightsborough GA line with photos * Richard's son, Mordecai (1727-1794) had a son Alexander Lackey Moore (1760 NC-1827 IN) * Alexander Lackey and Phoebe Edwards Moore's children Jane Moore (1793-1809) * more MOORE info * SC Quaker Meeting Surnames 1772-1820 include Richard and Dempsey Moore, leaving for the West Branch Monthly Meeting in Ohio, 1809 * Dempsey Moore, NC |
