In Book #104, page #130 of the North Carolina Land Grant Files, Rodeham Moore received a sixty-acre land grant in Surry County, North Carolina, entered on November 13, 1793. Rodeham and his wife, Elizabeth Gallahue, were likely born around 1750 in Prince William County, British Colonial Virginia.
Patrick County marriage records show that their son, William Jesse Moore (1771–1819), married Jane Dalton Hanby (1783–1817) on December 11, 1798. Jane was the daughter of Jonathan Hanby and Sarah “Sallie” Matilda Dalton, both of Patrick County. According to the History of Patrick County, Virginia, William obtained the rank of Major in the War of 1812. He served with the 18th Regiment of Virginia Militia under Colonel Samuel Staples.
William and Jane had nine children before Jane’s passing in 1817. William died just two years later, leaving many of their children to be raised by guardians, aunts, and uncles. Based on newspaper articles, census records, and marriage documents, their children were:
Hardin Hanby Moore (b. 1800)
Elizabeth Moore (b. 1802)
Samuel Dalton Moore (b. 1804)
Alfred Cleon Moore (b. 1805)
John Moore (b. 1807)
Leathy Redd Moore (b. 1809)
Madison Tyler Moore (b. 1811)
William Tyler Moore (b. 1814)
Polina Jane Moore (b. 1816)
A newspaper clipping from the December 9, 1820, edition of the Richmond Enquirer confirmed that William and Jane had nine children. The article stated:
“Petitions were presented from Hardin Henry Moore and the other eight children and liens of William Moore, deceased, praying the passage of an act in cooperation with one expected to be passed by the Legislature of North Carolina to authorize the division of the entire real estate of their father, lying partly in North Carolina (Surry County), and partly in Virginia (Patrick County), into nine equal parts, and to assign to each of the said children one of the said parts.”
William and Jane, along with their son Hardin Henry Moore and his wife, Ann Scales Moore, are buried in the old Rodeham Moore Cemetery, located west of the Ararat River, a few hundred yards south of Road 675 in Ararat.
Researching the children of William and Jane has been challenging, as many of them moved west or south. Elizabeth and John likely settled in Tennessee, Leathy Redd and Polina in Mississippi, and Madison Tyler in Louisiana. William Hanby Moore and Samuel Dalton Moore remained in Surry County, North Carolina, while Hardin Henry Moore stayed in Patrick County, Virginia.
It appears that once their father’s estate was divided into nine parts, six of the children sold their shares to William, Samuel, and Hardin before venturing to new lands in the recently acquired Louisiana Purchase.
One of the best-documented children of William and Jane was Alfred Cleon Moore (b. 1805). According to Dwight Clint Moore’s published research in New River Notes, Alfred was a respected and relatively wealthy man.
“Orphaned by the age of 14, he was raised by his uncle and guardian, Gallahue Moore, just over the North Carolina state line in Surry County. Gallahue later became a North Carolina state legislator (1825–1826), while young Alfred attended Madison Academy and eventually the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”
“Alfred’s career was impressive. His 1890 obituary noted that he studied law under Powell Hughes and was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives at just 23—one of the youngest legislators in state history. He served three terms (1828–1830), earning his law license in 1829.”
“During his final term, Alfred met Ann Frances “Nancy” Kent of Wythe County, Virginia. They married in March 1830, and their first child, Margaret Lucinda Emily, was born on December 1 of that year—right in the middle of the three-month legislative session. Shortly after, Alfred moved his family to Wythe County and chose not to seek re-election.”
His military career was equally distinguished. In May 1839, he was appointed Colonel of the 35th Virginia Military Infantry, 19th Brigade, 5th Division. Colonel Alfred Moore resigned from the Army because of health reasons in 1863 at the age of fifty-seven.
We will spend the remainder of our research on Hardin Henry Moore, the oldest child of William and Jane, who chose to raise his family in Patrick County. From what I can gather, Hardin married Miss Anne Eliza Scales in Patrick County in 1822. Anne Eliza was the daughter of Nathaniel Scales of Rockingham County, North Carolina. Hardin was the very first postmaster at the Ararat post office which was established on May 21st, 1825. In 1833, the post office was discontinued, but was reestablished in 1848 with Hardin’s father-in-law, Nathaniel Scales as postmaster.
Hardin died in 1844, at the age of forty-four, leaving Anne Eliza to raise the following children on her own:
Caroline Matilda (b.1824)
Nathaniel Scales (b. 1826)
Joseph H. (b.1832)
Hardin F. (b.1834)
William T. (b.1835)
Hugh Lawson (b.1836)
Anne Elizabeth (b.1838)
Edward E. (b.1839)
Nathaniel Scales Moore married Miss Susan Perkins in 1855 in Patrick County. According to the History of Patrick County, Virginia, the county court of May 1864 appointed Nathaniel to purchase iron from Barksdale Stovall & Company, swap it for corn grown in Georgia, and arrange for the corn to be shipped back to Patrick County to feed the indigent. He also served as the salt agent for the county during the war. Nathaniel was appointed postmaster of Laurel Fork in 1885 where he became a successful dry goods merchant and tobacconist.
Joseph H. Moore remained at home with his mother, managed the family farm, and served as postmaster at Ararat post office for a time.
Hardin F. Moore enlisted in the 58th Virginia Infantry, Company H at Patrick Court House on the 5th of September 1861. His enlistment rank was Sergeant. Hardin was promoted to Lieutenant on May 1st, 1862. He was captured at the Battle of Antietam at Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 17th, 1862. Hardin was eventually exchanged for prisoner William A. Sampson of the 66th Ohio. Hardin survived and returned to Patrick County.
William T. Moore married Paulina Agnes Clement, and they raised a large family in Ararat. Following in the footsteps of his maternal grandfather, his father, and his brother, William served as postmaster of Ararat post office. According to Patrick County death records, William and Paulina both passed away in 1892.
Hugh Lawson Moore enlisted in the 6th Virginia Infantry on May 1st, 1862, in Great Bridge, Virginia. Hugh was wounded at the Battle of Second Manassas and was killed in battle at Petersburg on May 15th, 1864.
Anne Elizabeth Moore married John R. Stoops on March 4th, 1864. Private Stoops had enlisted in the 50th Virginia, Company K. Tragically, Private Stoops was mortally wounded and died in a Confederate hospital in Richmond, Virginia on the 16th of June 1864, only three months after their marriage. Anne married James Thomas Washington Clement on the 9th of November 1865. Anne and James raised a large family in Ararat.
Edward E. Moore, the youngest child of Hardin and Anne Eliza Scales Moore, also fought for the Confederacy. His marble tombstone states that he was a member of the Stonewall Brigade. Edward married Miss Lydia Orndorff of Shenandoah, Virginia on the 9th of October 1865. Edward and Lydia chose to farm and raise their family at Hayfield, Frederick County, Virginia.
Next week, we will devote our research to the oldest child of Hardin and Anne Eliza Scales Moore, Miss Caroline Matilda Moore. Caroline and her husband, Henry Jefferson Moore, raised their large family in Ararat, Virginia. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or (276) 692-9626.
