Allen line: The family of John Moore 1741ish to 1816

 Once again, there is great confusion on line about John Moore.  He is stated as having been born in Dublin, Ireland in 1745, but it appears that his correct birth date may be 1741.  I regard his parents as "unknown" at this point, although some people say they are Thomas More and Christina Bishop.  I find a later couple with those names, but I haven't found any hints that even point toward someone with an appropriate birth date, let alone an actual document.  John first shows up in Greene County, Pennsylvania, married to Hannah Armstrong, the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Olifer Armstrong.  The Armstrong family goes back to the Borderlands between England and Scotland, and their history is fascinating.  This blog post is about the Moore family, though.  I wonder if it is possible that John Moore is actually from the Borderlands also, not from Dublin as so many trees state.  More research needs to be done.

Of course, part of the difficulty in writing about this family is that there were at least two John Moores in Greene County, Pennsylvania when our John was there.  I am basing much of this post on material found in "The Ten Mile Country and Its Pioneer Families" by Howard Leckey, with the caution that he was not correct about everything in his valuable book. I have seen several wedding dates for John and Hannah, at various locations, but until I learn otherwise, I am going with the date of 25 September 1761 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which at the time was Westmoreland County and which later became Greene County.  And of course, the Moores are credited with anything from 8 to 19 children.  Since Hannah Armstrong was born in 1744,  I am highly suspicious of anyone born after 1788 or so.  That leaves me with 8 children, most of who have at least some information available.

It may be that their first child was Catherine, born in 1764 and died in 1833 in Pike Township, Marion County, Indiana.  She married Alexis Jackson, son of Henry and Elizabeth Stump Jackson, and they had 13 children together.  They are John, Sally, Hannah, Edward, Israel, Mary, Alexis, Henry, Barbara, Thomas, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Eleanor.  Eleanor is our connection.

Jane was born "about 1770" and I know very little about her.   Her death date is given as 19 April 1854 in Kirby, Greene County, Pennsylvania, but I have not found records for that nor have I found any information regarding a spouse.  I would love to know her story, and I hope it's not a sad one.

Also born "about 1770" is son John.  It is possible that John and Jane are twins, but it is just as likely that we simply don't have accurate birth dates for them.  He died in 1859 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  His wife is said to be Susannah Shriver, but I couldn't trace her any further.  Their children are Elsie, Armstrong, John, Abraham, James, Thomas, Jane, and Sarah.

Armstrong was born in 1775 and died in 1843 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  His wife, sadly, is unknown at this time but he is believed to have fathered at least four children-Abner, Mary, Isaac, and Armstrong.

Margaret was born in 1778 and died in 1865 in Wetzel County, West Virginia.  She married James Morris, the son of Jonathan and Barbara Millard Morris and they are said to have had 21 children. Some died young, but Amos, Isaac, Anthony, Jonathan, James, Samuel, Nathan, Jesse, Moses, Miciah, Jacob, Mordica Lunkhorne, John, Hesekiah, Ruth, and Hannah liked to adulthood.  An article on Wikitree states that Margaret was a physician and a midwife and traveled through the country.  She would be a fascinating person to study further, the potential subject of a good novel!  

Anthony was born in 1782 and died in 1832 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  He married Francis Elizabeth Steele, as yet not further identified.  Their children are Catherine, Elizabeth, Hannah, Margaret, Hughy (Huey), John, Isaac, and Mary.  

Finally, there was Sarah, born in 1785 and died in 1855 in Belmont County, Ohio.  She married John Vanner, not yet further identified.  Known children are John, Joseph, and Daniel.  Again, there is more work to be done for this family.

This is seven children and presumably there are eight.  I'm missing a daughter.  There may be a Hannah Moore, based on family names, or possibly a Martha.  The Martha Mahala Moore born in 1800 is not a candidate, as far as I can see, because Hannah would have been 56 when she was born.  Honestly, the missing daughter is still a mystery and I'd love to find her.

I should mention that this family lived in a very tempestuous time and place.  John served in the Revolutionary War and it is likely that the sons also served, in the battles with the natives that preceded and led into the War of 1812.  I don't know whether the family ever had to escape to a more fortified location but it is certainly possible.  Also, what became Greene County was right in the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1787, which again was a troubling time.  Our ancestors and their children were not sissies!