Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Elizabeth (Powers) Piper, Plot Twist

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

Just when I think I've pinned things down, they go sideways.

The primary motivation for pursuing Elizabeth Piper's identity was the hope that some clue would lead me to the James S. Piper family on the 1850 census. Once I had identified Elizabeth's mother as Jerusha Ann (Smallwood) Powers aka Rusha Ann Powers aka Ann Powers, I searched for her on the 1850 census, hoping that the Pipers would be with her or near her.

This was the only Ann Powers in the District of Columbia in 1850:







This Ann Powers' household seems to be all wrong for what I know about Elizabeth Piper and her mother. Elizabeth Piper was the "only daughter" of Rusha Ann Powers. So, who was Mary Powers? A daughter? That would not fit, although it's possible that she is a daughter-in-law. That would mean that Rusha Ann Powers had a son or sons. Hm. Ann E. Powers is the daughter of whom? Probably not 60-year-old Ann Powers. She could be the daughter of Elizabeth Bray if Elizabeth was the remarried widow of another son of Ann's. Would she then be widowed again? This whole household just seems unlikely to be the correct one. At least at first blush, it seemed all wrong. 

Digging back into the Washington Congressional Cemetery records revealed more information about the plots where Elizabeth Piper and her mother, Ann Powers, were buried. I discovered that Elizabeth Bray owned both plots.

Elizabeth Bray had evidently owned Range 32 and 33, no. 177 and 178 since December of 1851. Elizabeth Piper was buried in October 1863, James A. Power in May 1877, and J.E. Anderson in March 1856.







Elizabeth Bray also owned Range 32, no. 177 and 178, where Ann Powers was buried in Dec 1857, Mary E. Powers in April 1905, J.T. Powers and child in December 1851, and John T. Power in December 1896.












Clearly, Elizabeth Bray was not a random boarder in Ann Powers' 1860 household, and clearly, the Ann Powers on the 1850 census was Elizabeth Piper's mother. This also suggests to me that Elizabeth Piper and her mother, Ann Powers, were connected to a large number of Powers in the District of Columbia. But how?

Focusing on Elizabeth Bray revealed that she was also a Powers: 








When Elizabeth Powers married Ebenezer Bray in 1843, she would have been 18 years old. It also dawned on me that she was the same age as Elizabeth Piper and was probably the same person. Yikes! So what happened to Ebenezer Bray?

Just two years later, Elizabeth Bray was asking the same question:











I don't know if Ebenezer Bray returned to her. I do know that on 15 April 1848, 34-year-old Ebenezer Bray enlisted. The native of Oxford, Maine, stood 6'1" tall with blue eyes and black hair. He was a schoolmaster who enlisted in Washington. He served in the 11th Infantry and was discharged a few months later in June of 1848 at Fort McHenry. 

In September 1848, a letter was waiting for Ebenezer Bray at the Washington, DC, post office. 

What happened to Ebenezer between 1848 and 1850? Did he die? Did he and Elizabeth divorce?

All of this, of course, throws an interesting monkey wrench into everything. If Elizabeth Bray and Elizabeth Powers are the same person, then she was not married to James S. Piper before 1850. In fact, she did not marry him until after December 1851. She also would not be the mother of William H. Piper. She likely had no surviving children. This opens the possibility that James S. Piper had another wife between Mary O'Hara and Elizabeth Powers. For several reasons that will be covered an upcoming post, I don't think Mary O'Hara was William's mother. 

This may be why Elizabeth Burch (Smallwood) Clubb was adamant that James S. Piper was not to have any of Elizabeth's inheritance. Too many marriages? Too many divorces? Or was it something else? 

When Elizabeth Burch (Smallwood) Clubb made her will and named only one nephew, John Smallwood, and one niece, Elizabeth Piper, as her heirs, she had other siblings and nieces and nephews who were living. I wonder if she selected Elizabeth Piper because Piper was her namesake? Could Elizabeth's name have been Elizabeth Burch Powers? 

Elizabeth Bray owned $400 of real estate in 1850 that needs to be located. 

Meanwhile, I am no closer to locating James S. Piper on the 1850 census. 

I don't know all the connections between the Powers family members who are buried in Elizabeth Bray's plots. I did figure out that Mary Powers, who is living with Ann Powers in 1850, was a widow and the mother of Ann E. Powers, who married H.C. McCauley. All the others are still a mystery.  

Are you working on your FANS? If not, you are missing all the fun. 

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Monday, July 7, 2025

Col. James S. Piper's wife Elizabeth

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

The question of Elizabeth Piper's identity has been plaguing me for some time, and I've thrown myself into looking for her several times in the last year or so. Working on Col. James S. Piper, 1863 Part Three yesterday got me to thinking about who she might have been. 

Then I decided to experiment with my tentacle approach in FamilySearch's full-text search. I entered "Elizabeth Piper" in the name search box. Since the only known place of residence for Elizabeth and James S. Piper was Washington, DC, I entered just the word Washington in the keyword search box. My search was not confined to a time period or place. There were several results beyond the District of Columbia. Since Elizabeth Piper was born in Maryland in about 1820, I checked results from Maryland. The records coming in from Prince George's County, Maryland, looked the most promising.

I got very lucky with Orphan's Court proceedings. The estate of Elizabeth Burch Clubb was being settled down into the 1870s, and that generated a large number of documents that were very specific. On 14 August 1855, Elizabeth Burch Clubb, a childless, married woman, wrote her will even though her husband Horatio Clubb was still living. Granted, she wrote her will with his permission. She left all of her property to her husband, Horatio. Her property was substantial; she had purchased a farm with a dwelling house. At Horatio's death, the property was to be sold, and the proceeds were to be distributed to Elizabeth's niece, nephew, and step-daughter. The niece was Elizabeth Piper, wife of James Piper.  








"my niece Elizabeth Piper wife of James Piper of the City of Washington and only daughter of my sister R. Ann Powers the share or proportion to which my said niece would be entitled, to be subject to and under this express provise nevertheless that my said Executor shall not be compelled to pay into the hands of the said James Piper any part or portion of the money which I herein bequeath to my said niece, but that the same shall remain in the hands of my said Executor for her sole use and benefit, to be paid to her at such times and in such sums as she may require for her own personal and necessary purposes, and that any receipts or other writings witnessing the payments of  sums and signed by her, though covert, shall be sufficient discharges to my..."

The City of Washington or Washington City was a common reference to Washington, DC, during that time period. To my knowledge, there was only one couple named James and Elizabeth Piper in Washington, DC, at that time. This portion of Elizabeth Clubb's will suggests that Elizabeth Piper was probably an only child and that her mother, R. Ann Powers, was likely deceased; otherwise, it seems like R. Ann Powers would have received a bequest instead of her daughter. 

Elizabeth Burch Clubb wrote another will on 17 July 1867, without her husband's permission, stating that she was weak and feeble. In that will, she left everything to her husband Horatio, but did not mention any other heirs. This will would have superseded her previous will. 

By 17 September 1867, Elizabeth Burch Clubb's will was being probated.  In 1872, Horatio Clubb's estate was being probated and litigated. 

With these clues, I went into the FamilySearch tree and found Horatio Clubb and his wife, Elizabeth Burch Smallwood. Then I began searching individuals in the Smallwood family, trying to locate R. Ann Powers. Even though she was right under my nose, she was difficult to pinpoint because of her name.

In the will of Elizabeth Burch Smallwood's unmarried aunt, Elizabeth Wilson, that was written in Prince George's County, Maryland, on 12 August 1823, Elizabeth Wilson left a bequest to her sister Chloe Smallwood and to Chloe's children: Nathaniel Augustus Smallwood, Rusha Ann Powers, Elizabeth Burch Club, Lucy H. Smallwood, and named Aquilla W. Smallwood as executor. This information provided me with a first name for R. Ann Powers - Rusha. So why wasn't she in the family tree?

Then I went back to reread the 1811 will of John Smallwood, father of Elizabeth Burch Clubb. What was  I missing? Then I saw her - Jerushan Smallwood. Oh, good grief. On the FamilySearch tree, she was Jerusha Ann Smallwood. Rusha Ann! 

In 1823, all the heirs of John Smallwood signed a bond with husbands signing in right of their wives. Horatio Clubb signed for Elizabeth Burch (Smallwood) Clubb, and Thomas Powers signed in right of his wife Rusha Ann Powers. 

Rusha Ann Powers' inheritance from Elizabeth Wilson was an eight-year-old slave named Elizabeth, who was to be freed when she reached the age of 33. In 1847, Elizabeth Greene filed suit for her freedom against Rusha Ann Powers of the District of Columbia. Elizabeth Greene would have been 33 in 1847. 

This placed Rusha Ann Powers and probably her daughter, Elizabeth, in the District of Columbia in time for Elizabeth to meet and marry James S. Piper. They would have married prior to William H. Piper's birth in about 1848. 

The 1853 Washington DC City Directory lists a Mrs. Powers, widow, living on the north side of E street between 6th and 7th streets. That is roughly the same address as James S. Piper and a family. Was she living in an apartment in the same building? Was she living in a house next door? Did she own the property??




So far, I do not know when Thomas Powers died. I cannot find Rusha Ann or Jerusha Ann or Jerushan Powers on the 1850 census. However, I found out when she died. I did not know it until now, but I've had it in my notes for a long time.

In the records for the Washington Congressional Cemetery, J. S. Piper paid $3 to have a grave dug for Mrs. Ann Powers on 17 December 1857. 








James S. Piper was not paying to have a random woman's grave dug; he was paying for the burial of his mother-in-law!

Eventually, I found Ann Power's death notice in the Alexandria Gazette, published on 23 December 1857. 















The records for the Washington Congressional Cemetery indicate that Mrs. Ann Powers was buried in range 33, no. 178. When Elizabeth (Powers) Piper died in 1863, she was buried next to her mother.

There is more research to be done at a later time - there is some indication that a woman named Mrs. Ann Powers was running a tavern on 7th Street in Washington, DC, in about 1843. 







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Col. James S. Piper, 1863 Part Three

 ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

The letter that James S. Piper wrote on September 26, 1863, detailed what happened after he wrote his last letter at Harper's Ferry on September 14, 1863.
























"Washington Sept 26, 1863

Captain Todd

Provost Marshal

Sir

I am sorry to inform you that I am compelled to avail myself of your kind offer that in case my wife was no better to report to you in writing. She is scarcely alive and cannot remain in her present condition many days, I will report in person on Wednesday next, or sooner if possible.

With your permission I will state my case all of which I am willing to qualify to, I went south before the war. I had never held a commission or served in the ranks of rebel army.

I have made four attempts prior to this to get home but was always stopped by the rebel pickets, I came into the lines on the 23 Aug. 1863 at Charlestown Va reported immediately to the Provost Marshal he sent me the next day to Genl Lockwood at Harpers ferry at the ferry I was not confined in the Guard House from there I was sent to Baltimore to Col Fish and was released by Capt French Sept 15th

Respectfully

Jas S Piper"

I am not sure why James S. Piper states that he was not confined to the Guard House at Harper's Ferry when he wrote two letters from there, and in the first, he complained about being confined there in filthy, crowded conditions, unless he simply misspoke in this letter. If he was deliberately misspeaking, then he may have been trying to build a case that he could be trusted to remain at large.

From the newspaper clippings, we know that he was arrested three days before this letter was written and taken before Capt. Todd. He was released because of Elizabeth Piper's failing health, with the understanding that he was to report back in a couple of days. On September 26, he would have been due back before the Provost Marshal. Clearly, he did not intend to report at that time. The newspaper clippings tell us that he was incarcerated in the Old Capital Prison by October 1, 1863. It is clear that Piper's letter of Sept 24 to Capt. Todd was used in the first paragraph of the Evening Star's article of October 1. That is the article that contained Piper's letters to his wife. This reinforces my opinion that Capt. Todd made Piper's letters available to someone at the Evening Star. Those letters are probably the reason Piper was confined to the Old Capital Prison, even though Elizabeth's health condition was continuing to deteriorate. 

Elizabeth Piper died on 5 October 1863. Her funeral was held at her residence on the corner of 7th Street and E Street on October 6. It is likely that James S. Piper was still incarcerated in the Old Capital Building at this time and was not present for her funeral.









Elizabeth Piper was buried in the Washington Congressional Cemetery, range 33, lot 178. 

James S. Piper remained incarcerated through the end of the year. At some point, he was transferred to Carroll Prison.

What became of William H. Piper at this point? As a fifteen-year-old, it is doubtful that he remained by himself in the Piper home. Did he go to live with his uncle, Dr. John R. Piper, who was living nearby? Did he go to live with his mother's relatives? Who were they? Did some other extended family come to live with him?

This also makes me wonder who had been caring for Elizabeth during the time that she was ill. James S. Piper was only there briefly. She would have been seriously ill for some time before he received word that she was ill, and it would have taken him some time to travel to Charlestown, where he was initially confined for two weeks. 


Col. James S. Piper, 1863 Part Two

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Sunday, July 6, 2025

Col. James S. Piper, 1863 Part Two

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

After receiving word that his wife was seriously ill, Col. James S. Piper presented himself at the federal line at Charles Town [West Virginia] in late August 1863, where he took an Oath of Allegiance in order to make his way home to Washington, DC. Initially, Piper was not confined. However, after the Provost Marshals changed, he was confined to the guardhouse at Harper's Ferry.

Shortly afterward, he began writing letters in his defense with the goal of gaining his freedom.

The following letter was written from the Harper's Ferry Guard House on September 3, 1863:




































"Guard House
Harpers Ferry
Genl Lockwood          Sept 3, 1863
Dr Sir
About ten days since I came into the lines and reported myself to the Provost Marshal at Charlestown on the following day Col Cloudsley of the 9th Md Vols brought me before you and you told me my case would be attended to in a day or two. At the request of Col Cloudsley I was not confined in the Guard house until there was a change made in the Provost Marshall since that time I have been incarcerated in this loathsome place which is crowded and filthy.

I will briefly state my case. I have been engaged in business in the south have never been in the Rebel army. I have made several attempts to come home since the war, but was always unsuccessful untile [sic] this time. I was born and raised in the city of Baltimore and have a family there. I have two sons that are old enough for the service and expect they are or will be in the service after the last enrollment.

I am a loyal citizen and willing to take any obligation that is required of me to prove my loyalty.

Since my confinement [sic] I have been informed that I have been charged with being in Baltimore and engaged in the riots of the 19th of April 1861 and of recruiting men for the rebel service. I was in Alabama at the time of the riots in April 61, and never recruited any men for the rebel service, and the men that I am charged with being engaged with in recruiting, I was not acquainted with. An alibi is always hard to prove but the above charges having no foundation to base them on I am satisfied that I can establish my innocence.

Had I entered either service I would not have occupied a very subordinate position. Gen Kealy and myself were Captains in the same regiment in the Mexican War. I was this superior and after the death of Col. Watson I for a time commanded the Regt and as officers of experience in the beginning of the War were in demand had I entered the rebel service it would have been generaly [sic] known.
Very Respectfully
Your Obt Ser
Jas S Piper"

This letter proves that the James S. Piper who was arrested and confined by the Provost Marshall at Harper's Ferry was Capt James S. Piper of Baltimore who fought in the Mexican War. It also further confirms that he was the James S. Piper who was in Alabama at the onset of the Civil War. 

The two sons whom he references are probably his eldest sons, James S. Piper Jr. and Horatio N. Piper. William H. Piper, who was 12 years old on the 1860 census, would have been about 15 to 16 years old at this time and too young to enlist.  

A letter that James S. Piper wrote on 9 September 1863 to Provost Marshal Col. Fish states that Piper came to the federal line at Charles Town on August 23. Piper was still confined in the Guard House at Harper's Ferry when he penned another letter on September 14.

Evidently, he was released shortly afterward so that he could go to his wife in Washington, DC, where he was arrested again at the end of September. 

James S. Piper wrote several letters in his defense from 1863 through early 1864. These letters can be found on Fold3 and on FamilySearch. I am only going to reference a few key letters. 









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Friday, July 4, 2025

Col. James S. Piper, 1863 - Part One

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025 

1863 was a turbulent and eventful year for the family of  James S. Piper. For that reason, it will be covered in parts. 

In 1861, James S. Piper, former Captain of the Mexican War and Colonel of the Walker Expedition in Nicaragua, headed from Alabama to Maryland with the intent of joining the Confederacy there. In 1862, his wife was arrested in Washington, DC, and his letters to her were seized. 

In September of 1863, Piper was arrested at his house in Washington, DC after he made his way north with the intent of rejoining his sick wife. 

This first newspaper clipping places the Piper house at the corner of E and Sixth Street. 










A second clipping places the Piper house at the corner of E and Seventh Street. It also notes that Piper had taken an Oath of Allegiance at Harper's Ferry in order to pass through the federal line. 











None of these newspaper clippings notes that he was a former, well-known resident of Washington, DC.














The Evening Star of Washington, DC, printed excerpts from the letters that were seized during Elizabeth Piper's arrest in 1862. These excerpts revolve around Piper's activities in 1861 and do not include the family information that must have also been included in the letters. Captain Henry Baldwin Todd was named Provost Marshal to Washington, DC on 18 February 1863. He gained access to the Piper letters, and when James S. Piper was arrested in September of 1863, Todd made the letters available to the Evening Star. To date, I have not been able to locate any Provost Marshal records regarding Elizabeth's arrest or the letters themselves.


































































A transcription of the letters in chronological order with commentary:

"Harper's Ferry, May 17, '61--
. . .Our regiment has not been mustered into the service yet, on account of some of the companies not having the full number of men, but they are all full but two companies, and on Monday or Tuesday we will be in full service, and then they will elect Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major. I have a number of opponents for the command, but I am a long way ahead of all of them...We will let the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers run red with the blood of southern freemen.
Direct your letters to Col. J.S. Piper, Winchester, Va., and put in another envelope and direct the outside one to Jno. W. Heard, Editor of the Herald, Fredrick, Md."

On April 16, 1861, James S. Piper arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, from Montgomery, Alabama. He was intent on joining a group of Maryland volunteers for the Confederacy. One month later, he was cooling his heels at Harper's Ferry, where he had presumably already raised a company. Once they had the required number of men, officers would be elected. Piper was over-confident that he would be elected Colonel.  His confidence was probably based on his previous military experience in Nicaragua. His hope that the blood of the Potomac would "run red with the blood of southern freemen" offers us a chilling insight into his view of slavery. Instructing Elizabeth to address her letters to him by the title Col. J.S. Piper offers us an insight into his view of his own stature, since at this point, the election for officers had not been held yet. He is clearly still clinging to his previous military rank. It's worth noting that the Walker Expedition was not an overtly sanctioned U.S. military operation, so the highest U.S. military rank Piper had was that of Captain. John W. Heard, the editor of the Fredrick Herald, was an open and controversial Confederate sympathizer. The federal authorities confiscated his newspaper, and it was suspended in September of 1861. Is it possible that a letter from Elizabeth to James S. Piper was found in the newspaper office, and that prompted the federals to put her under surveillance? In September 1862, John W. Heard continued his efforts to support the Confederacy by posting recruiting posters all over Frederick, Maryland, including next door to the Provost Marshal's office. Heard evidently raised a unit and joined the Confederate army. By January 1863, he had been arrested for treason and taken to Baltimore, Maryland. 

This Civil War map shows the proximity from Harper's Ferry to Frederick, Maryland and to Winchester, Virginia. 

"Harper's Ferry, June 5, 1861--The day of grace of Lincoln's myrmidons is nearly at an end. Their race is run, their doom is sealed, and retribution awaits them. . .Don't despond, the God of battles is on our side, and victory is nearly ours. We are impregnable at this point; all of the army of Lincoln would be nothing to attack this place. . . I would send for you and have you with me, only we are under marching orders. . . Don't despair; I can't tell you all I know, if I could it would make your heart glad. The day is not far distant when every foot of Southern soil will be free from the polluted footsteps of the Northern hordes."

This letter shows that Piper's sentiments were firmly with the Confederacy. His statement that he cannot tell her everything that he knows, but the information would make her heart glad, echoes Macbeth's words to Lady Macbeth: "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,/Till thou applaud the deed."

"Winchester, July 14--
. . . I have received my appointment in the Confederate army, and have been assigned by the Commanding General to various duties. . . When we left Harper's Ferry I was in command of a squadron of mounted rangers. I have since been assigned to duty with a Kentucky battalion. . . I would not take the second place, that of Lieutenant Colonel in the Maryland volunteers. I am better off and better satisfied as it is."

To date, no enlistment records have been found for James S. Piper in the Confederate army. Later, when he claimed to have never enlisted or volunteered in their army, that seems to be the truth. However, he served in other ways. However, I don't know how he could have been in charge of a squadron without being enlisted. It's clear that the only reason he did not serve was that he was not elected Colonel. 

"Battle of Manassas. My horse was killed by a cannonball early in the fight. I soon got a Yankee horse and was well fixed." 

The First Battle of Bull Run, aka the First Battle of Manassas, was fought on July 21, 1861. It would be possible for James S. Piper to present as a civilian rather than a soldier. Plenty of civilians took picnic lunches and witnessed the First Battle of Bull Run. Taking a "Yankee horse" suggests that he was with the Confederate military. 

"Dec. 31, '61-- Come to Richmond as soon as you can. . .Gen Winder will tell you where to find me. [signed] Col. J. Smith Piper." 

Traveling through federal lines may have been easier during the first year of the war, but would have probably still required permission from the Provost Marshal. The journey itself would have been by railroad or by road. General John Henry Winder was the Provost Marshal and commander of prisons in Richmond. Since Elizabeth Piper was still in Washington, DC in 1863, it seems unlikely that she made this trip. The signature of this letter is important. It suggests that James S. Piper's middle name was Smith, although family tradition says that it was Samuel. Locating the original letters would settle this issue. 

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Saturday, June 21, 2025

Samuel Moore's Connections

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

The next step in my research of the Moore siblings was to place them in the same county at the same time. What was their origin? I found the following Moore siblings married in Jefferson County, Alabama:

Wiley Moore married Nancy Pierce on 29 April 1823

Bryant Moore married Rebecca Anderton on 11 April 1826

Abel Moore married Sarah Morris on 14 January 1827

I could also place the majority of them in Alabama in 1850. They had removed from their various places of residence in the 1830s - Pulaski County, Georgia; Dooly County, Georgia, and Jefferson County, Georgia - to move to Russell County, Alabama.

The 1850 census sheds some light on their ages, their birthplaces, migration patterns, and possible naming patterns.

Russell County, Alabama -

738 - 738

Joseph Barber 44 M Farmer $100 b. NC

Arsena Barber 38 F b. NC

Rebecca Barber 15 F b. NC

William Barber 12 M b. NC

Samuel Barber 9 M b. AL

Sarah Barber 7 F b. AL

George Barber 4 M b. AL

Mary Barber 3 F b. AL

Robert Barber 1 M b. AL

Edward Barber 1 M b. AL

740 - 740

Samuel Moore 40 M Farmer $300 b. NC

Ann Moore 36 F b. NC

Lorenza Moore 13 M b. GA

Elizabeth Moore 11 F b. GA

Mary Moore 8 F b. AL

747-747

Abel Moore 48 M Farmer $1200 b. NC

Caroline Moore 34 F b. NC

Amanda Moore 3 F b. AL

John Moore 1 M b. AL

754-756

Bryant Moore 51 M Farmer $500 b. NC

Rebecca Moore 43 F b. GA

Cintha Moore 23 F b. GA

Pulaski County, Georgia -

532-532

Mathias Moor 27 M. Farmer $1,000 b. GA

Nancy Moor 47 F b. GA

Abel T Moor 19 M Laborer b. GA

W. R. Moor 17 Laborer b. GA

The 1850 census reveals that these Moore siblings were born in North Carolina. I know from other research that Joseph Barber's two eldest children were born in Georgia, not Alabama. The Pulaski County, Georgia household with Mathias Moor as head of household is the household of deceased brother Wiley Moore. Lorenzo D. Moore was deceased long before 1850. Mary Ann Moore is missing from this group. It is likely that she married, and her surname is unknown. In reviewing the census records for these families, I noticed a discrepancy between Bryant Moore's household in 1850 and 1860, which needs to be researched further. 

The Moore marriages in Jefferson County, Alabama, suggest to me a group of siblings coming of age. Would they have moved from North Carolina to Georgia as young adults or with their parents? With that in mind, I moved to the nearest census that might show them still living in Jefferson County after they had married, and which might contain an older Moore's household. 

On the 1830 census for Jefferson County, Georgia, these Moore households were living near each other:

Abel Moore 00001-00011

Samuel Moore 0112001-210101

Briant Moore 00001-10001

Within two households of Abel Moore:

Caswell Moore 1100001-000001

Within two households of Briant Moore:

Clementina Barrow 00002-00201001


1830 Jefferson Co., GA Census












Wiley Moore does not seem to be on the 1830 census, so he may have been living in another household. 

Of the elder Moores, Samuel Moore is a better candidate than Caswell Moore to be the father of the Moore siblings. Even though they are in the same age range, Samuel's household includes individuals in the right age range to be some of the Moore siblings. Arsena (Moore) Barber, born in about 1812, would have been 18 years old in 1830. Samuel's household has a female in that age range, but Caswell's does not. Samuel B. Moore was born about 1810 and would have been about 20 years old in 1830. Samuel has two males in that age range, while Caswell has none. There are also additional children in Samuel's household who may have been Lorenzo D. Moore and Mary Ann Moore. However, nothing definitively links Samuel to the Moore siblings. My goal right now is to research Moores who appear in records with the Moore siblings or with Samuel Moore in order to create additional Moore family groups that will hopefully connect to each other. 

With that in mind, I jumped-started my research using the Family Search full-text search. I entered "Samuel Moore" in the name search box and "Jefferson County" in the keyword search box. Then I narrowed my search down to North Carolina as the place. Two entries for Samuel Moore of Jefferson County, Georgia, turned up in Pitt County, North Carolina. 

On 16 January 1824, Samuel Moore of Jefferson County, Georgia, sold 45 acres of land in Pitt County, North Carolina, to William Moore. That land was located north of the Tar River in the middle of land owned by other Moores. Adjacent properties belonged to William Moore, Stanley Moore, Martin Moore, and Abel Moore. I do not think that this Abel Moore is the same Abel Moore who was a newlywed, living next to Samuel Moore in Jefferson County, Georgia, in 1830. I do, however, think that it is significant that the name Abel was repeated. The most important part of this deed is difficult to read. That 45 acres was part of a piece of land that belonged to the heirs of? Moore dec'd. Ack! The name could be David or something else. It's buried in the binding of the deed book. 

These individuals turn up in the 1823 division of the lands of Richard Moore dec'd. Those named are Henry Moore, Martin Moore, Samuel Moore, whose land is by the Speir and Barrow tracts, Elizabeth Moore (daughter or widow?), Stanley Moore, Ellis Moore, William Moore, Churchwell Moore, Patience Cowan. References are made to Abel Moore and Allen Moore, but they do not seem to be heirs. 

In 1824, Samuel Moore of Jefferson County, Georgia, acted as power of attorney to sell property in Pitt County, North Carolina on behalf of Caswell Moore and Clemmy Barrow, widow of William Barrow - both of them were also residents of Jefferson County, Georgia. The property in question was Caswell Moore and Clemmy (Moore) Barrow's inheritance from their brother James Stewart Moore of Pitt County, North Carolina. They were the children of Obediah Moore. Samuel Moore was not a child of Obediah's. These Moores are likely to be his cousins. 

That gives me a lot to play with. I had previously thought that Samuel Moore might be the son of Samuel Moore Sr., so this is unexpected, but pleasantly so. Now it's time to stop and build out the tree branch for Richard Moore and his family on Family Search and see what turns up. 

Joseph Barber and the Moore Family

Moore Siblings

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Thursday, June 12, 2025

Moore Siblings

    ©  Kathy Duncan, 2025

In my search for the family of Joseph Barber's wife Arsena, I found a tentative group of Moores who were all selling the same 40 acres of land to Armistead Richardson of Richmond County, Georgia, in 1836. All the deeds were filed in Floyd County, Georgia. That group includes Samuel B. Moore, Mary Ann Moore, and Joseph Barber of Dooly County, Georgia; Abel Moore and Bryant Moore of Sumter County, Georgia; and Wiley Moore of Pulaski County, Georgia.

Samuel B. Moore, Mary Ann Moore, and Joseph Barber sold their portion of Lot no. 860 for $100, so they each received $33. Abel Moore and Bryant Moore sold their share for $50, or $25 each. Wiley Moore sold his share for $20. Armstead or Armistead Richardson paid a total of $170 for Lot no. 860. In 1839, Richardson sold Lot no. 860 along with other lots to his son-in-law William S. Simmons. The Williams S. Simmons Plantation house, also known as the Montgomery Farm, of Cave Springs, Georgia, was built in 1840 on Lot no. 870 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

This potential group of siblings likely inherited 40 acres of land from either their father or a bachelor brother. Who was that person? I had two clues about that piece of land: 1.) it was 40 acres, and 2.) it was Lot no. 860. Those clues suggested that the land might have been as part of a Georgia Land Lottery. I quickly found that the 1832 Georgia Gold Lottery consisted of 40-acre lots, which were available to bachelors over 18 years old (1 draw); widows (1 draw); a family of orphans  (2 draws); married men, who were heads of a family  (2 draws). In addition, participants were required to be three-year residents of Georgia and U.S. citizens. 

Then I looked for Lot no. 860 in the Gold Lottery, which I found on Family Search, along with the name of the original owner.















Lot no. 860, consisting of 40 acres, was granted to L. D. Moore of Mashburn's District in Pulaski County, Georgia.

I went back through my documentation for Joseph Barber and found someone I had forgotten about: Lorenzo D. Moore. In 1833, Joseph Barber of Pulaski County, Georgia, granted a power of attorney to Lorenzo D. Moore of Pulaski County, Georgia, to act as Joseph's representative in his claim to his grandfather, Thomas Mashburn's estate in Onslow County, North Carolina. That document was filed in Onslow County, North Carolina.

The Floyd County, Georgia land that Lorenzo D. Moore won in the Gold Lottery ended up with his heirs: Samuel B. Moore, Mary Ann Moore, the wife of Joseph Barber, Abel Moore, Bryant Moore, and Wiley Moore. Of these heirs, Bryant Moore, born  c. 1799, was one of the eldest. Joseph Barber's wife Arcena Barber was born c. 1812. A rough idea of the siblings' birthdate range gives me a clue as to whether Lorenzo D. Moore was their brother or their father. The real clue, however, is in Lorenzo's name. He, like hundreds of baby boys born in that period, was named after the Methodist itinerant minister, Lorenzo Dow. Dow traveled from Georgia and North Carolina back to New England in 1810. A brief search of North Carolina newspapers in Genealogybank reveals that Dow had extensive preaching engagements in 1811. His itineraries were published several times. I would say that Lorenzo D. Moore would not have been born much earlier than this and was probably born a little later. Therefore, Lorenzo D. Moore would have been one of the siblings. Lorenzo's name also gives me a clue as to possible church denomination records for the Moore family - Methodist. 

Now I have a large group of siblings in various locations to connect to potential parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's actually a lot to work with.  

Joseph Barber and the Moore Family

Samuel Moore's Connections



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