Sunday, March 8, 2009

The following is a short biograph of Henry Eugene Moore who was my Great Great Grand Father

Henry Eugene Moore
(June 2, 1840 - August 27, 1911)

Henry Eugene Moore was born on June 2, 1840 in Michigan. He died on August 27, 1911 at the age of 71 in Lock Springs, Missouri. His death certificate listed his occupation as Hotel Keeper and cause of death as “killed from a fall”. His death certificate also states that his father’s name was John Moore who was born in Ohio, and his mother’s maiden name was Rebeka Nerwis or Nerwin (It is difficult to read the hand writing on the Death Certificate). She also was born in Ohio. It lists his 2nd wife’s name as Leah Moore.

Henry married his second wife, Leah Mary McKracken , who was born in Pennsylvania. Her Father was James McKracken and her mother’s maiden name was Martha Stewart also from Pennsylvania. The 1910 census of Lock Springs lists their house hold as Homer E. Moore (age 27), William P. Moore (age 20), Bulah S. Moore (age 15), Mabel F. Moore (age 27 – daughter in law – probably Homer’s wife), and Irene B. Ferguson (age 55). Evidently they all worked in the hotel.

Henry’s nick name was “Doc”. I don’t think that my Dad or anyone knew how he got that name. My dad did say that Doc owned a saloon and lived upstairs above the saloon. Evidently his living quarters had a balcony or porch over the entrance to the saloon. Pretty much like you might see in a western movie. Supposedly, Doc fell off the balcony one night and died. The speculation was that he may have been drinking and that might have led to the fall. However, the death certificate just states that he was a hotel keeper. It doesn’t say he was a saloon keeper, and it doesn’t say that he fell from a balcony. So who knows the real story?

I tried to find information on John Moore. I did find the 1850 census of the town of Marengo Michigan that shows John Moore (age 41 – born 1809) with his wife Betsy (age 35 born 1815), daughter Lydia (age 12 born 1838), son Henry E. (age 9, born 1840), daughter Elaine (age 4 born 1846), and Lydia Moore (age 70 born 1780). Perhaps Lydia Moore was John Moore’s mother. John Moore was listed as a farmer in the census. Ohio became a state in the union in February 1803, so it appears that John Moore was born in the Ohio approximately 6 years after it achieved state hood.

Henry Moore enlisted as a private in the 5th Michigan Calvary Company C from September 20, 1862 until July 3, 1865 and fought in the Civil War. He is listed as age 19 upon enlistment from Marengo Michigan. His length of service is listed as 2 years, 9 months and 14 days. He received a pension which may mean that he was wounded in the war. He was 21 when he entered the military and was 24 when he left.

The 5th Michican Calavary was organized at Detroit in Aug. 1862, leaving the State on December 4th with 1,144 officers and men. Proceeding directly to Washington it joined the Michigan Brigade, then being formed, composed of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Michigan Cavalry, to which the First Michigan Cavalry was subsequently added. General Custer assumed command of the brigade while on its march to Gettysburg, where it had its first opportunity to distinguish itself under fire. The brigade sustained the heaviest loss at Gettysburg of any cavalry brigade in that battle. The Fifth was commanded there by Colonel Alger, who had served previously as a Major in the Second Michigan Cavalry, from which he was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Sixth, and thence to the Colonelcy of the Fifth; he was one of the ablest cavalry officers in the Army. The loss of the Fifth at Gettysburg was 8 killed, 30 wounded, and 18 missing; Major Noah H. Ferry was killed there. At Hawes's Shop, out of 151 engaged, 55 were killed or wounded. The regiment met its heaviest loss in the cavalry affair at Trevilian Station, where in addition to the killed and wounded 136 Were taken prisoners,— the regiment having charged too far through an opening in the enemy's line, and being cut off from the brigade it was obliged to cut its way out.

The 5th Michigan Calvary was formed with 1909 men and was in the following battles during the Civil War:
  • Hanover
  • Gettysburg
  • Falling Waters or Hoke's Run
  • Williamsport
  • Mine Run
  • Wilderness
  • Todd's Tavern
  • Yellow Tavern
  • Haw’s Shop
  • Snicker's Gap
  • Deep Bottom
  • Opequon
  • Trevilian Station
  • Dinwiddie Court House
  • Five Forks
  • Appomattox Station
  • Appomattox Court House


Their losses during the Civil War were

  • Killed & Mortally Wounded
    Officers 6
    Men 135
  • Died of Disease
    Officers 3
    Men 322
The officers were:

Alger, Russell A. Colonel
Clark, John E. Major
Copeland, Joseph T. Colonel
Dake, Crawley P. Major
Ferry, Noah H. Major
Gould, Ebenezer Lieutenant Colonel
Hastings, Smith H. Colonel
Hickey, Myron Major
Lee, Edward M. Lieutenant Colonel
Mann, William D. Lieutenant Colonel
Norvell, Freeman Major, Colonel
Purdey, Stephen P. Major
Trowbridge, Luther S. Major
Wallace, Robert C. Major

It appears that after the war, Henry went back to Michigan and married Elisa Jane Cyphers if he wasn't married before joining the 5th Michigan Calvary.

I believe the photo below is a picture of Henry Moore with his 1st wife, Elisa Jane Moore who was born Elisa Jane Cyphers. The Cyphers family moved from Michigan to Missouri by covered wagon and Henry and his wife Elisa went with them. I think that they had two children at the time. The story is that Elisa died on the trip from Michigan to Missouri and was buried in a along the way in a farmer’s family cemetery lot. Henry left the children with his father in law and mother in law to raise in Grundy County Missouri, and he moved on to Lock Springs Missouri to make his fortune. I don’t know the age of the children at the time, but evidently he was not in a position to raise them.






Henry evidently moved on to Lock Springs Missouri and married Leah Mary McKraken and started a second family their that we really don’t know much about, only the names in the 1910 Lock Springs census.

My father says that our Moore family is descended from the children that Henry Moore left with the Cyphers family to raise. One of Henry Moore’s children with his first wife Eliza was Franklin Moore also known as Dan. He was my great grand father. I will try to write about him including his picture in a later blog.

2 comments:

Sean said...

This is a really neat post Dad! I enjoyed the background a lot. It's fun to learn some of the stories of our ancestors and share them with my kids. I told Gage and Ian that Henry was their Great Great Great Grandpa and they couldn't believe it.

Cro Stink-root said...

Yeah, it's great to have all this written down, and with a picture to go with it too.