TORBAY PRISON-SHIP

TORBAY PRISON-SHIP, OFF CHARLESTON

May 19, 1781

Sir:

Yesterday we transmitted to you a letter, enclosing a copy of yours, with a list of one hundred and twenty-nine prisoners of war, confined on board this ship, which we hope is forwarded to Major Gen Greene, agreeably to your promise, and make no doubt but that your feelings as a gentleman will, upon this occasion, induce you to do everything in your power to liberate, from a most injurious and disagreeable confinement, those against whom there can exist no charge of dishonor, and whose only crime, if such it can possibly be termed by men of liberal ideas,  is an inflexible attachment to what they conceive to be the rights of their country, and who have scorned to deceive you by unmeaning professions. In justice to ourselves we must say, that if the Americas have at any time so far as to divested themselves of that character of humanity and generosity, which ever distinguish them, we feel ourselves most sensibly mortified, but are induced, from the generous treatment of Cols. Lechmere, Rugely, Fenwicke and Kelsell, and their parties, and from a number of other instances which might be easily adduced, to believe, that the outrages which you complain of, must be the effect of private resentment (subsisting between British subjects and those who, after having availed themselves of the royal proclamation, have resumed their arms, in opposition to that government) and totally unsanctioned by any American officer, and which we are well convinced they would rather reprobate and would present punish in the most exemplary manner, could the perpetrators of such horrid attacks be detected.

In a war, circumstanced as the present, there will be some instances of enormities on both sides. We would not wish to particularize, but doubt not there are acts of cruelty frequently committed by the irregulars of your army, and are convinced, that on your part, as well as our own, they are generally to be attributed to an ignorance of the rules of warfare, and a want of discipline; but the idea of detaining in close custody as hostages a number of men fairly taken in arms, and entitled to the benefits of a solemn capitulation, is so repugnant to the laws of war, and the usage of civilized nations, that we apprehend it will rather be the means of increasing its horrors, than answering those purposes of humanity you expect.

As a most strict adherence to the terms of our paroles, and a firm reliance on your honor, have been the only reasons of our being in your power at present, we trust, that upon equitable proposals being made for our exchange by Gen. Greene, no objections will be raised, but every thing done to bring the matter to the most speedy issue.

As you have thought proper to publish your reasons for seizing upon our persons, we request our answer may also be inserted in the next Gazette. We are, sir,

Your most obedient servants,

Stephen Moore, and others.

Technology

I am a big fan of technology and genealogy is certainly easier now than it was 25 years ago.  Today we can search on Google, access databases such as Ancestry.com, and read blogs.

We used to be limited to writing letters instead of emails (which was much slower), visiting libraries instead of Google Search, and reading books instead of blogs.  Not that some of those methods are still helpful, such as reading earlier investigations in books, and searching microfilm and boxes of documents in libraries and archives.

Terri O'Neill is forever commenting on what a beautiful handwriting that Stephen Moore had, even transcribing documents for others.  But I want to tell you that Terri and I started all this before we had such technology.  We wrote letters.  Terri published her findings in her excellent  Moore, Stanford, Webb Chronicles before we had a blog.  I had always wanted to write a book on the Stephen Moore family, but with constant new information developing, a book quickly becomes dated and blogs can remain current.

Not only did Stephen Moore have a beautiful handwriting, but so does Terri and most of you have never seen it, because her work appears in printed form.  Here is a letter that Terri wrote me some 25 years ago about West Point.  Note her handwriting and her love for genealogy, when she said: "I wish I could devote more time to this stuff instead of mundane details like fixing meals & doing laundry!"

To see images above larger and more clearly, click on them and then choose "open image in a new tab."

Moore Family Bible Found and Robert’s Birth Date Confirmed

By Sandra Moore Shoffner, 2^nd great-granddaughter of Richard Henry and Sarah Harriet Moore. Photographs by Harry L Shoffner with the permission of Willard G Moore.

The elusive Moore family Bible belonging to the family of Richard Henry Moore (son of Portius) and his wife, Sarah Harriet Moore (daughter of Robert), has recently reappeared after being hidden way for 45+ years. We believe this version of the Bible, with a copyright date of 1891, contains the marriage, birth, and death dates transcribed from the “original” Bible by their only surviving daughter, Sarah Jane Moore (1840-1917), and later passed on to her brother, Dr Henry Fletcher Moore (1849-1934). The consensus is that since the first entry on the Marriages page below (above the names of Robert and Sarah Moore) reads: “our grand parents on mamas side,” the names could only have been transcribed by Sarah Jane (granddaughter of Robert and Sarah/Sallie [Bailey] Moore). See the following photographs showing the Marriages page:

Top of Marriages Page

Detail of Marriages Page
(Note Robert's birth date)

Several Moore kin were very interested in seeing this version of the Bible to verify the birth date of Robert, eldest son of Lt Col Stephen Moore, a date that has been disputed and debated by numerous Stephen Moore family historians and genealogists for decades. Robert’s birth year has been recorded as 1762 and 1769 in various Moore family Bibles and histories. You can read all the details concerning this ongoing debate here on David’s blog, just click to read all posts labeled Robert 1762 birth date. His birth date of Nov 5, 1762 is clearly written on the Marriages page above, but not on the Births page.

Before this Bible was recently discovered, it was last seen at the home of Mattie Thompson Moore, who took possession of it in 1957, after the death of her husband, Charles Fletcher Moore, Sr, eldest son of Dr Henry Fletcher Moore by his second wife, Maggie Davis. Mattie T Moore lived on Anthony Street in Burlington, and the Bible was seen there by several people (including me) in the late 1960s.I had the Bible for a few weeks until my father, Richard Fletcher Moore, insisted I return it, much to my chagrin. I had gotten quite attached to that Bible, not knowing the importance it would play in my life further down the road.

The Bible eventually ended up in the possession of Wayne T Moore after the death of his mother, Mattie T Moore, in 1992. We discovered this fact after corresponding with Wayne’s brother, Willard G Moore, over a period of years. It seemed that it had been in Wayne’s attic for quite some time. When asked about the information that was contained in the Bible, Willard provided us with a handwritten and a typed transcription done by Wayne and Willard’s older brother, Dr Charles Fletcher Moore, Jr, sometime before his death in 1994.

My husband, Harry, and I recently decided to give Willard a call (March 14, 2013) to see if we could visit and present him with a complete copy of his Moore pedigree along with a copy of the article about our West Point trip to find the Red House. We also asked if he had had any luck locating the family Bible and he answered that he had it right there on his coffee table! Therefore, Harry and I grabbed our cameras and rushed over to Willard’s house in Gibsonville, NC, and photographed the Bible pages while asking Willard about his side of the Moore family. Willard has lived in the same house in Gibsonville since the 1960s, and Wayne recently moved into The Village at Brookwood, a retirement community in Burlington. Both brothers are doing well and we want to thank them for sharing the family Bible with us.

Photographs below: Cover, Title page, Copyright (1891) page, Births page, Deaths page

Cover

Title Page

Births Page

Deaths Page

Trip to West Point in Search of Lt Col Stephen Moore’s Homesite

Since I am relatively new to David’s blogspot, Stephen Moore of Mt Tirzah Family, I will introduce myself. My name is Sandra Moore Shoffner and I am a 4^th great-granddaughter of Stephen Moore. I am a recently retired medical/pharmaceutical editor. I grew up in Burlington and currently live in Mebane, both towns being in Alamance County, NC. Mt Tirzah in Person County is about a 45-minute drive from my home in Mebane. My 2^nd great-grandmother, Sarah Harriet Moore (widow of Richard Henry Moore [son of Portius]) remarried and left Person County for Alamance County sometime after 1850 with her son, my great-grandfather, Henry Fletcher Moore. I am including the following three family photos for your information, top to bottom: Dr Henry Fletcher Moore (great-grandfather), Richard Alexander Moore (grandfather), and Richard Fletcher Moore (father):

My husband, Harry Shoffner, and I took a trip to the Hudson Highlands in New York State and to the United States Military Academy at West Point (October 2012) to see for ourselves the location of the original site of Stephen Moore’s Red House. In preparation for our trip, I researched everything I could find online concerning the Moore family at West Point and the history of West Point, plus all the family history researched and recorded by cousins Terri O’Neill, Steve Moore, and David Jeffreys. I also discovered several websites with additional information that proved invaluable, including TheMoores of West Point  and  Historic Structure’s Report, Fortress West Point 1777-1783 

I had corresponded with a retired Lt Col at West Point who agreed to meet us there, escort us onto the grounds, and help us find the homesite. But, as a backup, we signed up for an afternoon West Point tour through the West Point Visitors Center before we left North Carolina, just in case. We knew beforehand that the tour would not make a stop at the Target Hill Athletic Fields, the place our research had directed us to go to start our search. The tour did include a stop at the West Point Cemetery, which was on the hill directly above the athletic fields so we thought we could perhaps get a glimpse of the general area where the Red House had stood. We never caught up with the retired Lt Col I had corresponded with, despite several attempts, so we were basically on our own.

Since we had time to kill our first morning there, before our 2:00 scheduled tour, we decided to take a chance and drive to the guard station at the entrance to the West Point grounds. We had been told by the staff at The Thayer Hotel (where we were staying), at the Visitors Center, and on the West Point website that we would not be allowed to go onto the grounds unescorted. We decided it could not hurt to plead our case to the security guard on duty. We explained that we had driven all the way to New York from North Carolina to try and locate the original site of my 4^th great-grandfather, Col Stephen Moore’s, Red House somewhere on the Target Hill Athletic Fields (pictured below).

We showed the guard a photo of the bronze plaque honoring Lt Col Stephen Moore that I had found on a website. I explained that we wanted very badly to locate the plaque for ourselves and photograph it, and also to walk around and try to locate a stream that was on the property. So, after a thorough search of our vehicle and on approval of our identification, we were told that we could go ahead and drive onto the property to conduct our search. We could not believe our good fortune!

We drove around and explored the academy grounds using a map I had downloaded from the USMA website. We had to drive carefully to avoid hitting any of the hundreds of cadets running, walking, and marching everywhere. The first thing we did after locating the athletic fields down by the Hudson River on River Road, was to roam the fields, searching for the stream that was documented to have flowed beside the Red House and emptied into the Hudson. We found the stream flowing out of the mountainside, just to the left of the field house, and running underneath the rugby field (see photo below).

We also took a photo from behind the stream looking out across the field and over to the fence where we eventually found the plaque. We are assuming (according to all the information I had gathered from my research and my correspondence with Terri)  that the house was located somewhere between the stream and the plaque location, which we later discovered was near our truck parked out on River Road (see black circle on photo below.)

After looking for the plaque and coming up empty-handed, we enlisted the help of two guys who were jogging past. We showed them the photo we had of the plaque and asked if they had ever seen it as they were jogging past the field. They volunteered to help us search and yelled that they had found it, buried under a bed of twigs. The twigs were arranged as if someone were planning to light a fire there (maybe a “hint” left by our elusive Lt Col). We found that strange, but brushed the twigs off and took a photograph of the plaque.

Harry took a photo of me standing with the plaque to show the relative position of the plaque to the fence, road, railroad track, and the river. The Hudson is just beyond the railroad track behind me, but is hidden in this view.

I was informed that members of the Moore family were there for a Moore family reunion in 1991, at which time they dedicated the site, planted a tree, and ordered the plaque. It seems that the original homesite is now the location of the new Anderson Rugby Complex and Field House that opened in 2007.

Our next stop was a drive back up River Road to an area overlooking the docks on the river to try for another view of the original site of the Red House in relation to the Hudson River. The view from there was absolutely breathtaking! I have placed a white circle on the photo below to show the approximate location of the homesite on the rugby field, just left of the field house.

Lastly, I took the photo below from Trophy Point to show the relative distance from the homesite on the left bank of the Hudson River directly across to Constitution Island on the right bank, an island which is part of the grounds of the United States Army Garrison, West Point. It was known as Martler’s Rock in colonial times and renamed Constitution Island in 1775.

The Hudson Highlands are gorgeous in October and I encourage other Stephen Moore descendants to make the trip--you won’t be disappointed! 

Col. John Moore of New York City

After two years of writing, editing, rewriting and re-editing, the entire article on Col. John Moore and his wife, Frances Lambert, has been published. It appears in two parts, in the New York Genealogical and Biographical RECORD: Vol. 143, Number 3, July 2012, and Number 4, October 2012. I hope all of you who are interested in family history will seek out these two issues from your library. Quite a few new discoveries about our Moore lineage have been made in the last 5 years or so, and I crammed as much of it into the article as space would allow.

Some of you have asked how to obtain copies of the article published in two issues of the RECORD. If they are not available in your local library, you can contact the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society RECORD, 36 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036-8105. Single issues are $7.50 each. The website address is: www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org

The article is in Vol. 143, Number 3, July 2012, and Number 4, October 2012.

Terri Bradshaw ONeill

Colleyville, Texas

Col. John Moore of New York Chronology

11 Aug 1686-John Moore b. in SC1

27 May 1702-John Moore made Freeman of the City of New York2

c. 1703-apprenticed to Stephen DeLancey3

6 Nov 1710, 17 Jan 1710/11, 7 Jun 1711-JM in NY4

26 Jan 1710/11-witness to a deed recorded for Thomas Roberts5

6 Aug 1713-Letter to Evert Wendell @ Albany6

9 Dec 1713-m. Frances Lambert

c. 1715-became Warden & Vestryman of Trinity Church

c. 1715-dau. Frances born

24 Jun 1716-JM listed as owner with Stephen DeLancey, Peter Barberie & Henry Land of ship Elizabeth, bound for Jamaica.7 John Moore owned part interest in the Hamilton, the Beaver, NY, and the Peter. These ships traded with Jamaica, Barbados, London and Holland.

c. 1717-dau. Rebecca born

22 Oct 1717-Deed recorded for John Moore for lot & house on Winckel Street bought from Abraham Delanoy. NYC Deed Books, Vol. 28: 334-336.8

c. 1719-son John born9

10 May 1720-Trinity Church authorized JM to pay upkeep for a charity case10

c. 1720-dau. Susannah born, d. infant

c. 1721-twins Thomas & Peter born, both d. infants

1721-plaintiff in suit with Stephen DeLancey and Peter Barberie11

c. 1722-twins Thomas & Peter born, Peter d. infant

Nov. 1723-JM attended funeral of Gertrude (Schuyler) Van Cortlandt12

24 May 1725-dau. Susannah born13

23 Jun 1725-Warrant signed for salary of JM, "quarantine guard" (may have to do with inspecting incoming ships)14

c. 1725-Pastel portraits rendered by Henrietta Johnston, of Col. John Moore, his wife Frances (Lambert) Moore, their daughter Frances (age about 15) and son Thomas (age 4)15

14 Nov 1727-twins Lambert & Daniel born, Daniel d. infant16

4 Dec 1727-deed recorded for John Moore for a lot & house purchased from Thomas Roberts on Bridge or Custom House Street fronting the Dock. NYC Deed Books Vol. 31:

206-211.17

c. 1728-son Daniel born, d. infant

c. 1729-son Daniel born,

c. 1730-son William born

Feb 1730-JM assessed £160 for two houses in the Dock Ward, £25 for two storehouses and £5 for a garden in the South Ward18

10 Jul 1730-John Moore signed the Entry Book (for duties assessed on cargo) for Stephen DeLancy19

c. 1730/1-JM listed as "assistant alderman" & Freeman of the City of NY20

25 Apr 1731-JM bought the lot on which he built "Whitehall"21

Compiler’s Note: At the New York Public Library in the Manuscript & Archives Section, in the collection called “Bancker Plans” is a map survey of the “Whitehall Lots” dated 10 March 1731, performed by James Livingston. It shows four long, narrow lots, the first, Lot #4, its long side fronting Weigh House Street, which later became Moore Street, was sold to John Moore. Next, Lot #5 was Stephen DeLancey’s, #6-Robert Livingston, jr., #7-Anthony Rutgers. These lots were between Water and Front Streets.22

May 1731-Council appointed JM & Stephen DeLancey to acquire a Fire Engine for the City23

29 Oct 1731-John Moore, Jr. granted full power of attorney for Bernard van der Grieft of Amsterdam24  Compiler’s note: it appears that John Moore styled himself “Jr.” until the death of his father in 1732.

Aug 1732-JM signed as Alderman an Address to Gov. Cosby on his arrival25

c. 1732-son Charles born

30 Sep 1734-JM elected Alderman to Common Council amid much political unrest and the beginnings of the issue of "freedom of the press"26

3 Oct 1734-JM petitioned for access to the East River from his property, which resulted in his purchase of the "Water Lots" that he devised to sons Richard, Lambert, Daniel and William in his Will27

19 Oct 1734-son Stephen born

6 Dec 1734-Gov. Cosby recommended JM to Lords of Trade for position of Councilor28

Nov 1737-JM refused to observe mourning for Queen Caroline on the grounds that those who observed mourning for the late King (George I) were ridiculed. As a result of this refusal, Gov. Clarke withdrew his recommendation of JM to be a Councilor29

10 Apr 1738-Muster roll, Capt. John Moore's company, NY30

16 Apr 1738-lot laid out on Broadway between Marketfield & Beaver St.31

17 Aug 1738-appointed Col. of Militia32

7 Nov 1738-heard case in Mayor's Court as Alderman33

Jan 1739-daughter Ann born34

19 Feb 1739-heard case in Mayor's Court as Alderman

13 Mar 1739-JM elected to General Assembly35

29 Sep 1739-certification of election held in South Ward, signed by JM, alderman36

6 Feb 1741-JM & Col. Joseph Robinson allowed to export beer & candles that had already been loaded on a brigantine prior to an order banning the export of provisions to foreign ports37

Apr 1741-negro slave Cato, belonging to JM, indicted in the plot to murder the inhabitants, and burn the city of NY. This terrible episode in American history resulted in the arrest of 160 blacks, 31 of whom were executed, 71 transported and the remainder discharged. In addition, 26 white people were implicated and 4 were executed. Hardly a household in the city was not affected, and it is doubtful that any of the "evidence" was true.38

14 Jul 1741-JM referred to as "deputy secretary" in letter from Henry Beekman regarding commissions for a militia company forming in Dutchess County39

c. 1741 or 1742-JM bought Congreve's Patent (part of land at West Point)40

Dec 1742-hears case in Mayor's Court as Alderman

Jan 1743-hears case in Mayor's Court as Alderman

Nov 1743-Gov. Clinton again recommended JM for Council41

22 Mar 1744-JM sworn in to Council along with Sir Peter Warren & Joseph Murray

Aug 1744-hears case in Mayor's Court as Alderman

8 May 1745-JM Chairman of committee to inspect NY fortifications and make estimates and recommendations for the defense of the City42

16 Jun 1746-JM appointed to committee to inspect Ft. Saratoga said to be in bad repair and make recommendations for "most speedy & effectual means for the execution of that part"43

3 Nov 1746-JM petitioned for grant of land in Orange Co.44

17 Mar 1747-Patent awarded to JM. This is known as Moore's Patent45

4 Sep 1748-JM wrote Will, witnessed by Jos. Robinson, Isaac DePeyster, Mauritz DeHart

23 Feb 1749-codicil to Will, witnessed by Robt. Watts, Jos. Robinson, Wm. Hamersly

29 Oct 1749-JM died

9 Dec 1749-John Moore’s Will proved46

Sources:

1 L. Effingham DeForest and Anne Lawrence DeForest, William Henry Moore and his Ancestry, With Accounts of the Moore Families in the American Colonies, 1620-1730 (New York, NY: The DeForest Publishing Co., 1934)

2 Collections of the N-YHS for 1885, “Burghers & Freemen”, 18:79. It is unclear whether this is the correct John Moore, as he would be only 16 years old.

3 Collections of the N-YHS, 1870, Old New York and Trinity Church, p151-2; abstract of John Moore's Obituary in the New York Mercury

4 Day Book of Hon. John Moore of PA, at Historical Society of Pennsylvania, hereafter HSP

5 FHL #0888338-NY Conveyances, Vol. 26:463

6 N-YHS MS Collection

7 Colonial Office Papers, Public Record Office, London: microfilm copy cited as PRO CO/5 1222-6. Read at Queens College, Flushing, NY-11/94

8 FHL microfilm #0888339-NY County Land & Property Records, Bk.28: 334-36

9 John Moore, Esq., “Leisure Hours Employment” typescript, The New-York Historical Society Library, CS71.M821, #25, hereafter JMM

10 Morris, Richard B., edit., Select Cases of the Mayor's Court of New York City 1674-1784 (Washington, DC: The American Historical Association, 1936; Millwood, NY Kraus Reprint Co.,1975) hereafter Mayor’s Court of NYC, p 68

11 Mayor’s Court of NYC, p 704-5

12 NYG&B Record, v. 49: 36

13 Jeannie Robison and Henrietta Bartlett, eds., Genealogical Records: Manuscript Entries of Births, Deaths and Marriages, taken from Family Bibles, 1581-1917 (1907) Smyth Family Bible

14 New York State Library, Calendar of NY Council Minutes, 1688-1783, p. 299, hereafter, Council Minutes

15 Margaret Simons Middleton, Henrietta Johnston of Charles Town, South Carolina, America’s First Pastellist (Columbia, SC, University of South Carolina Press 1966), 63-65; notations on the back of the original portraits made by Thomas William Channing Moore in 1852 & 1859.

16 NYG&B Record, v. 43: 87

17 FHL microfilm #0888340-NY County Land & Property Records

18 Julius M. Bloch, Leo Hershkowitz and Kenneth Scott, “New York City Assessment Roll, February, 1730” in NYG&B Record, v. 95 (1964): 27+

19 Microfilm copy of Entry Books of Customs of NY, 1727- Read at Queens College, Flushing, NY-11/94

20 Collections of the NYHS-1885, v. 18, The Burghers of New Amsterdam and the Freemen of New York,

1675-1866, p 155; 483

21 I. N. Phelps Stokes, The Iconography of Manhattan, v. 4: 522, hereafter, Iconography

22 Iconography, v. 4: 522

23 Iconography, v. 4: 521

24 FHL film #0888340 New York Conveyances, vol. 31: 428-9

25 Collections of N-YHS-1885, v. 18: 486-7

26 Iconography, v. 4: 536

27 Iconography, v. 4: 535

28 E. B. O’Callaghan, ed., Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of NY: Colonial Manuscripts, (1861) v. 6:35, hereafter, Col. Hist. NY.

29 Col. Hist. NY v. 6: 115

30 E. B. O’Callaghan, ed., Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State: Part II-English Manuscripts, p 532, hereafter, Cal. of Hist. Mss.

31 Iconography, v. 4: 557

32 E. B. O’Callaghan, ed., Documentary History of the State of New York (Albany, Weed, Parsons & Co., 1849-51) v.4: 146

33 Mayor’s Court, p 145

34 Letter from Ann Moore to her niece, Mary Moore Stanford, dated Jan 1808, in the Stanford Papers (#2096) Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill

35 Iconography p.559

36 N-YHS, Ms. Dept.

37 Cal. of Council Minutes, p. 337

38 Cal. of Hist. Mss., p. 555

39 Cal. of Hist. Mss., p. 544

40 N-YHS, Kempe Papers, Orange Co.

41 Col. Hist. of NY, v. 6: 652

42 E. B. O’Callaghan, ed., Journal of the Legislative Council, v. 2: 882

43 Col. Hist. NY, v. 6:652

44 E. B. O’Callaghan, comp., Calendar of NY Colonial Manuscripts, Indorsed Land Papers, p. 252, hereafter, Indorsed Land Papers

45 Indorsed Land Papers, p. 252

46 Will of John Moore, New York Surrogate’s Court, Liber 17:44-49; Collections of the N-YHS-1895, Abstracts of Wills on File in the Surrogate’s Office, City of New York, 1744-1753, v. 4: 248-51

Chronology compiled by Terri Bradshaw O'Neill