Finding The Parents of Thomas W. Moore: Part 1

Thomas W. Moore

b. 26 Jul 1823 in Indiana

d. 18 Jul 1893 in Beechgrove, Tennessee

m. 1848 to Nancy Ashley (b. 29 Jan 1828, d. 14 Mar 1884)

I have particular interest in tracking down the parents of Thomas W. Moore because Moore is my own surname. Thomas is my 3rd great-grandfather.

I have definitely made progress on this line within the last few months. It was only just recently that I discovered that Thomas and Nancy were buried in Manely Cemetery. However, it was saddening to learn that the cemetery is overgrown from lack of maintenance, and most of the headstones are damaged, destroyed, or missing.

Thomas W. Moore first shows up in the 1850 census living with the Ashley family in Coffee County. His occupation is listed as a school teacher. One could assume that he came to Tennessee to fill a position at the local school. He is 27 at the time of the census and lists Indiana as his place of birth. Thomas is the only "Moore" born in Indiana that is living in Coffee County at the time. This leads me to believe that he may have come to Tennessee alone.

Tracking down the parents of Thomas has been difficult due to the abundance of the Moore surname. A search for "Moore" in the 1820 census living in Indiana returns 97 household matches. We can assume that one of these is probably the family of Thomas. However, Thomas is born in 1823. So, we cannot rule out the possibility that the family moved to Indiana between 1820 and 1823. In this case, we would be analyzing within an incorrect result set.

There are 97 "Moore" families and 12 "More" families recorded in the 1820 federal census living in the state of Indiana. This increases in 1830 to 236 "Moore" families and 27 "More" families. It is likely that the father of Thomas is within these lists, but it takes much effort to dissect the heap of data.

One clue that we have is that in the 1880 census, Thomas W. Moore cites Ireland as the nativity of his father, and New Jersey, his mother.

After analyzing data and comparing census data across many decades, I feel that the parents for Thomas W. Moore could possibly be John and Sarah Moore from Switzerland County, Indiana. (It is timely to note that because of the uncertainty surrounding this theory, I have not updated my tree with this information).

John Moore

b. abt 1774 in Ireland

d. abt 1853

m. Sarah Moore (b. abt 1786 in Long Island)

In the 1850 census, we find John living with Sarah Moore in Switzerland County, Indiana. He is a farmer by trade. Two children are present: Charles (b. abt 1829) and Rossana (b. abt 1827).

He is also living next door to Henry Moore (b. abt 1813, m. Almira). Interestingly, Henry notes Long Island as his place of birth. The proximity of this household, in addition to Henry's place of birth, support the theory that Henry is the son of John and Sarah.

Thus, we have identified three Moore's nine children:

Henry (b. abt 1813 in Long Island)

Rossana (b. abt 1827 in Indiana)

Charles (b. abt 1829 in Indiana)

The Data:

1820 Census: John Moore in Switzerland County, Indiana

3 males under 10 (born 1811-1820) // Henry, Male A, Male B
2 females under 10 (born 1811-1820) // Female C, Female D

1830 Census: John Moore in Switzerland County, Indiana

1 male under 5 (born 1826-1830) // Charles
1 male age 5-9 (born 1821-1825) // Male E
1 male 10-14 (born 1816-1820) // Male A
2 males 15-19 (born 1811-1815) // Henry, Male B
1 female under 5 (born 1826-1830) // Rossana
1 female 5-9 (born 1821-1825) // Female F
2 females 10-14 (born 1816-1820) // Female C, Female D

(It should also be noted that there are presumably only 4 "Moore" households in Switzerland County in 1830: John, Erastus (born in NY, lived close by, possibly a brother), Orson, and Roderick).

1840 Census: John Moore in Switzerland County, Indiana

1 male 10-14 (born 1826-1830) // Charles
1 female 10-15 (born 1826-1830) // Rossana
1 female 15-19 (born 1821-1825) // Female F

(It should be noted that there are presumably 8 "Moore" households in Switzerland County in 1840: James, John, Erastus, Henry, James, John, John, and William. This number has doubled since the previous decade)

1860 Census: Sarah Moore in Switzerland County, Indiana

Sarah Moore is living alone, age 73. New York is listed as her birth location.

1870 Census: Sarah Moore in Switzerland County, Indiana

Sarah Moore is living with the Chandler family (head: Elizabeth, b. abt 1818 in New York). If we assume that Sarah has moved in with her daughter, then Elizabeth is the identity of Female C. This is supported further by Elizabeth Chandler's 1880 census record, which records her father's nativity as Ireland, and her mother's, New York.

Analysis:

All of the children that appear on the 1820 census are presumably alive in 1830.

Henry, Male A, Male B, Male E, Female C, Female D probably moved out and perhaps married between 1830 and 1840.

Thomas W. Moore could be the identity of Male E (born between 1821 and 1825).

Children of John and Sarah Moore:

1. Henry (b. abt 1813 in Long Island)

2. Male B (b. 1811-1814)

3. Elizabeth (b. abt 1818 in New York)

4. Female D (b. 1816-1820)

5. Male A (b. 1816-1820)

6. Female F (b. 1821-1825)

7. Male E (b. 1821-1825) // Possibly Thomas W. Moore

8. Rossana (b. abt 1827 in Indiana)

9. Charles (b. abt 1829 in Indiana)

Conclusion:

While unlikely, Thomas W. Moore's parents could be John and Sarah from Switzerland County, Indiana. John migrated to New York from Ireland around 1800-1810. He met Sarah in Long Island, where they were married. After having 3-5 children in New York, they moved to Switzerland County, Indiana.

Before age 17, Thomas W. Moore makes his journey to Tennessee.

Next Steps and Arguments:

Thomas W. Moore could appear on a 1840 census record as a head. This has not yet been found.

At 17, Thomas would have been extremely young to move away from his parents and move to Tennessee. It would make more sense if Thomas had appeared on the 1840 census record under John and Sarah.

I want to research this family further to see if I can find any other connection to the Tennessee area. Also, I imagine I could possibly uncover some information on this family while living in New York.

[Update 1]

I have recently discredited this theory in favor of another, which I begin detailing in Finding The Parents of Thomas W. Moore: Part 2.