SCANDAL: Miss Mary Moore alleged to have sex with Rev. Francis Phillips of Christ Church

Editor’s Note:  This biographical reference is copied verbatim from Pennsylvania, The Colonial Years, 1681-1776 by Joseph J. Kelly, Jr., published by Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, pp. 140-141.

As 1714 drew to a close, Philadelphia had a first-class scandal which triggered a “great tumult.”  Rev. Francis Phillips, temporary pastor of Christ Church, was said to be boasting of having sex with some of the leading ladies of the congregation.  Most of the parishioners, including Gookin, thought Phillips was being maligned, but a sizable minority believed the tales were true.  Writs were obtained against him by Collector John Moore, father of one, and Councilor Trent, husband of another.  Peter Evans, brother of the former Governor, was the Sheriff, and an ardent suitor of Miss Moore.  Incensed, he arrested the cleric as he was going to bed, presumably alone, on Saturday, February 12, 1715, dragging him, sans stockings, through the cold night to the jail a half mile away, and there refusing to let him send for bail.  The next day, Sunday, some three hundred young men and boys, admirers of the beleaguered pastor, mobbed the prison and threatened to pull it down if he was not released.  They extorted a promise he would be returned home that night, and in retiring, tried to attack the home of the chief informer, but Gookin dispersed them.

On Monday, even though Phillips had been set at liberty, the mob, smashed the windows in the Trent and Moore homes.  Evans, anxious to prove himself a worthy champion of the supposedly victimized Miss Moore, challenged the minister to a duel with swords, and was indicted for sending a challenge.  The trial jury returned an alternative verdict, leaving the judges to decide whether a demand to come cinctus gladio was a challenge or an invitation.  The puzzled court took it under advisement and no further record of the case appears.  Phillips, who ignored Evans’ note on March 10, faced more trouble on March 17 when other clergymen petitioned the Bishop of London to remove him, after having failed to persuade him to leave the Province.  In the meantime he drew large crowds to Christ Church while the Moore and Trent families attended services in the courthouse.

For Quaker politicians, always happy at the discomfiture of the “steeple-church” people, the episode had too much potential to let die.  They brought the minister before a Quaker-dominated court on charges they claimed he already admitted.  Gookin accompanied him, immediately dismissed at least three counts, and when a twenty-pound fine was levied on another, said: “Mr. Phillips, you may go home if you please, I’ll forgive you your fine.”

At the next term of court, the Constable and then the Sheriff were sent to bring him in, but Gookin battled them with his cane, went to court, and absolved Phillips with a proclamation.

On June 10 the Assembly expressed disappointment that “some of those who occasioned those Tumults, in order to annoy their opposite Party, are now leveling their Malignity against the Magistrates of this City and County, and endeavoring to prevail with the Governor  . . . that there is no Power to bring to Trial a certain Clergyman, who is charged by Indictment at the King’s suit, for committing Fornication.  . . . We desire the Governor to consider, that Fornication, and such like Offences which in other Places may be of ecclesiastical Connusance, are by the Laws of this Province made triable in the Quarter-Sessions. . . .”   Tongue in cheek, Gookin answered: “The Tumults that have hitherto happened, I have immediately endeavored to quell, and, I hope, with good Effect; the Courts are now Opened; the Administration of Justice is restored; and if any should appear so audacious as to oppose the Magistrates, they shall not want my Countenance and Assistance to suppress the Attempt.  . . .  I shall exert all the Authority with which I am vested, to support . . . the Magistrates, in the Execution of the Laws, and full Discharge of their Duty . . .”

The amorous Phillips, “the parson who has so long tormented this place,” in Logan’s words, was ordered by the Bishop of London to vacate Christ Church and sailed home; Peter Evans married Miss Moore without her father’s permission;  Gookin had an argument with Joseph Wood, a Quaker justice of the Supreme Court for the Lower Counties, and kicked him, and in September 1715, leading citizens there appealed to the Councilors to relieve them from the Governor’s harassment.  The letter was forward to Hannah Penn stating a change was imperative.

Editor’s Note:  The “. . .” deletions are in the book, and are not inserted by your editor.

More to come in a future post about Charles Gookin, and John Evans (cousin of Peter Evans) who was married to Rebecca Moore (daughter of Hon. John Moore and sister of Mary Moore).

Discussion: "Is John Moore Buried in the Center Aisle of Christ Church, Philadelphia?"

As you will recall from my last post on Christ Church, Philadelphia, John Hopkins, the Burial Ground Coordinator said the following:

I am in charge of the grave yard and much research here at Christ Church.I found a listing for the burial of John Moor Esq. on Dec 7th, 1732. The only listing I found for Rebecca was in April of 1765, probably not the same person you were looking for.As far as we know John Moor is not buried in the aisle of the church but there is no way of knowing for sure.In 1864 the warden of the church wrote down all inscriptions at the church and 5th st. graveyard. Moore’s name is not found in that book. His gravestone like thousands of others faded away. But we do know he is buried here since his name appears in our burial book, the book doesn’t indicate the location of his burial. He could be buried at the church or at 5th st where Ben Franklin is buried.

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In response, Terri Bradshaw O'Neill added the following commentary and also emailed it to Mr. Hopkins:

I've been rummaging through my Christ Church Philadelphia, Hon. John Moore, Episcopal Archives, and general Philadelphia files trying to track down what I know about the grave of Hon. John Moore. I have a certified copy of the burial register of Christ Church from the church archives, and a copy of the 1864 "Record of the Inscriptions on the Tablets and Gravestones of Christ Church" by Edward L. Clark, Church Warden that Mr. Hopkins referred to. I visited Christ Church Archives in 1993, and the resulting report is attached below. Between Clark's 1864 booklet, the archives records, and David Moore Hall's description in "Six Centuries of Moores of Fawley," and a letter between Alexander Campbell & Capt. H H Bellas in 1894, I concluded that "John Moor, Esq" was buried (according to Clark's tablet numbers) either under #XLII (42) or #XLIV (44), both of which have no discernible inscription. The Campbell to Bellas 1894 letter states: Thomas William Channing Moore on the 6th July, 1852, wrote a letter, a copy of which is before me, to the Rector, Churchwardens and vestrymen of Christ's Church, in reference to John Moore, his various offices and his grave opposite his pew, in the middle aisle. Mr. Moore said, in part, 'The inscription on the stone over his grave had become so effaced that it could not be deciphered when the present floor was laid down, and as, in consequence thereof, no memorial of him exists in the church, I think a sufficient reason exists for the request I now make to place one therein.' This letter was returned to Mr. Moore the 3rd Sept 1852, by J. Bacon, who stated it was laid before the vestry, 1st Sept and returned because their decision was against it.

While researching at Christ Church archives, and later at the Episcopal Archives in Austin, TX, I could find no record of this communication & request in the vestry minutes. But according to vestry minutes, John Moore's pew was #17. How that compares to today's configuration, I have no idea, but it may be helpful in locating his burial site. Rebecca (Axtell) Moore, wife of Hon. John Moore, as noted by Steve, is buried at St. Peter's Church in the Valley in Chester county, PA. There is no memorial stone for her, either.

Two other tidbits from Christ Church/Episcopal archives: Peter Evans, John & Rebecca Moore's son-in-law, represented the vestry in a petition to the Bishop of London in 1725. Victor Moore has written a very good interpretation of the memorial of Peter Evans. And the other tidbit is this entry in the vestry minutes of 6 Oct 1732 (two months before the death of John Moore): A Letter from [Rev.] Doctor Thomas Moore of Great Brittain, informing them that a gift of £300 was being considered to augment the salary of the minister of Christ Church. This Dr. Thomas Moore, of course, was the son of Hon. John Moore; he served at St. Botolph Aldersgate & Little Britain in London, and Chislehurst in Kent. Hon. John Moore did have a brother also named Thomas; he was the librarian at Westminster Abbey, and he had no children.

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Mr. John Hopkins of Christ Church responds:

There is no way to ever know for certain where John Moore is buried. Of the two blank markers in the Clark book referred to in your letter, the one is believed to be that of Rev. Evan. The other is unknown. I also know that there are over 400 people buried in and around the church before the burial ground was purchased in 1719, and only around 30 markers. There are many people that could be buried in the churchyard in unknown locations.

It would be great if we knew the locations of one of our founder’s graves but at this point it is hard to say.

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Terri continues the discussion with a reply to Mr. Hopkins:

I agree, there's no way of knowing for certain where John Moore is buried. It seems to me that the best clue is the 1852 letter to the vestry from Thomas William Channing Moore mentioning "his grave opposite his pew, in the middle aisle." As I mentioned, the vestry minutes indicate that John Moore's pew was #17, which would seem to be farther back from the alter & the stones I originally thought might be his burial site. On my 1993 visit, I don't recall whether there were any other blank markers in the center aisle in the vicinity of pew #17, and the key word there is "opposite" which may have had a different meaning in the 18th or 19th century from our understanding of it today.
I appreciate your taking the time to respond to our enquiries. You must get a lot of them. It’s certainly an overwhelming thought that there are over 400 persons buried in and around the church, with only a small fraction marked. I haven’t given much thought to the burial site of John Moore in a decade or so, but today’s emails have renewed my interest & brought a question to the forefront of my mind. Why would the vestry decide against placing a memorial to John Moore at the request of TWC Moore? The expense? If TWC Moore didn’t offer to pay the cost of the memorial, did he demand that Christ Church pay for it? Just wondering, & if you have any thoughts on the matter, I’d love to hear them. Thanks again for your information.

CHRIST CHURCH – PHILADELPHIA

By David Jeffreys, photographs by David Jeffreys - ©August, 2009

Honorable John Moore landed in Charles Town in the Province of Carolina from England and was Secretary of the Province. Soon he became disillusioned with the Lord’s Proprietor and decided to move on. Penn’s colony Pennsylvania meaning “Penn’s Woods” was John Moore’s next stop. But unlike William Penn who was a Quaker, Moore was an Anglican from the Church of England. As a result, he was a founding member of Christ Church, Philadelphia

along with Robert Quary who had also relocated along with him from Charles Town. John Moore died in 1732 just as the main part (Phase I) of the present edifice was being completed. Family lore says that John Moore was buried in the center aisle of the church. In a search to confirm this, an answer to my query to Christ Church follows:

I am in charge of the grave yard and much research here at Christ Church.
I found a listing for the burial of John Moor Esq. on Dec 7th, 1732. The only listing I found for Rebecca was in April of 1765, probably not the same person you were looking for.
As far as we know John Moor is not buried in the aisle of the church but there is no way of knowing for sure.
In 1864 the warden of the church wrote down all inscriptions at the church and 5th st. graveyard. Moore’s name is not found in that book. His gravestone like thousands of others faded away. But we do know he is buried here since his name appears in our burial book, the book doesn’t indicate the location of his burial. He could be buried at the church or at 5th st where Ben Franklin is buried.
John Hopkins, Burial Ground Coordinator

Construction would continue on the church as it was later enlarged and the steeple tower was built.

The following excerpts are taken from the book THE COLONIAL HOUSES OF WORKSHIP IN AMERICA Built in the English Colonies before the Republic, 1607-1789, and still standing by Harold Wickliffe Rose published by Hastings House, Publishers, New York:

Christ Church, the first Anglican church in the province, was gathered by laymen and organized in 1695, under a provision of the original charter of Charles II to William Penn. For the next sixty-six years it was the only Episcopal church in Philadelphia. No church is more intimately connected with the founding of both the United States of America and the Protestant Episcopal Church of America. Governors and officials of the State of Pennsylvania and the United States, worshipped here.

List of vestrymen - "John Moore" at the bottom of second column.

A deed of 1695 covered most of the present site, and the first church was built of logs within a year. In 1711 the building was enlarged and rebuilt, to the extent that it is referred to as “the second church.” An adjoining lot was purchased in 1725, and in 1727 work was begun on the present beautiful building.

The design was drawn by a vestryman, Dr. John Kearsley, a physician and amateur architect, who served also on the committee for building the State House (Independence Hall). On the same committee was the architect of that building, Andrew Hamilton, who also was a vestryman of Christ Church, and the able lawyer who defended Peter Zenger to establish the principle of freedom of the press. In 1737 the building was completed, except the tower, which was added in 1754.

The organ dates from 1765 and the pulpit from 1769. During the 1800’s several alterations were made; it was lengthened two or three times, but the building is essentially the original structure.

Among the many treasures of the church are the communion silver, which was given by Queen Anne about 1708, and the bells. The first bell dates from 1702; the peal of eight bells was brought from London, in 1754, and placed in the tower, which had been finished the year before. They were bought with funds raised by the “Philadelphia Steeple Lottery,” which was run by Benjamin Franklin. These bells and the Liberty Bell were cast in England by Lester and Pack, and they pealed with the Liberty Bell to proclaim the Declaration of Independence.

Among the scores of distinguished people who were baptized at the historic baptismal font, which dates from 1695

and has served for most of the life of Christ Church, was William White, who was to become a rector of the parish. He served as chaplain to the Continental congress, as the first Bishop of Pennsylvania, and as the Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America, from 1795 until his death in 1836, when he was buried before the chancel rail. He was the prime mover in organizing the Episcopal Church, after the Revolution had put an end of the jurisdiction of the Church of England and the Bishop of London over the American churches.

Among the many prominent people who attended services here were General Lafayette, as a guest of the Washingtons, and President John Adams, who used the same pew during his administration. Other pew holders included Robert Morris, treasurer of the Revolution; Francis Hopkinson, signer of the Declaration of Independence and designer of the national flag; his son, Judge Joseph Hopkinson, author of the hymn “Hail Columbia;” and Betsy Ross, who made the first flag. On July 20, 1775, the Continental Congress attended services in a body.

In the two cemeteries of Christ Church many prominent people were buried. Seven of them were signers of the Declaration – Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Hewes, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Morris, George Ross, Benjamin Rush,

and James Wilson. The funeral of Benjamin Franklin was attended by 20,000 people, and he was buried in the corner of Christ Church Burial Ground at Fifth and Arch Streets.

John Penn, a grandson of William Penn and a governor of Pennsylvania, who had signed the church charter in 1765, was buried near the pulpit.

Because of its intimate association with the founders of the nation, Christ Church was designated a national shrine, in 1952, by an Act of Congress.

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Visit http://www.christchurchphila.org/Historic_Christ_Church/Collections_Genealogy/Genealogy/Genealogy_Search/Search_Results/55/lastName__Moore/
To research the Baptismal Records and the Marriage Records of Moore family members. Unfortunately the Burial Records are not available in the online search.

Go to

http://www.christchurchphila.org/Historic_Christ_Church/Collections_Genealogy/61/ and see Christ Church’s webpage referring to the Archives of Collections and Genealogy.

Portraits of the Col. John Moore Family

by David E. Jeffreys - ©July, 2009

In 1966, Margaret Simons Middleton wrote a book published by the University of South Carolina Press entitled Henrietta Johnston of Charles Town, South Carolina – America’s First Pastellist. The book has long been out of print and I first found out about it reading an article in the February, 1978 issue of Smithsonian magazine. The portraits themselves appear to be in the public domain. Upon my inquiry, the author of the article, Miriam Troop wrote to me:

I was lucky enough then to get one of the remainders from the press itself, as Ms. Troop suggested.
Included among the many portraits that Henrietta Johnston painted are four portraits of members of the Col. John Moore Family. Margaret Middleton writes:
Then in 1725, portraits were signed and dated in “New York.” Several depict the members of the family of John Moore, Secretary of South Carolina, who had moved to New York from St. Thomas Parish.¹
Perhaps there may have been some confusion regarding the two generations of John Moores – Hon. John Moore who had been the Secretary of the Province in Charles Town who later moved to Philadelphia, and his son, Col. John Moore of New York, whose family is depicted in the Portraits. Of interest since the elder Hon. John Moore had been Secretary of the Province is a drawing (which is not attributed) of the Office building:

John Moore, Esq. (1745-1828), the grandson of Col. John Moore of New York City, wrote the following account on his birthday the 29th April 1821:


My Grandfather was . . . .born in South Carolina 11 August, 1686, and died at New York the 29th October in 1749, and was the first corpse interred in the Family vault, south side of Trinity church-yard. I had the stone with his name cut at full length placed over it. Uncle Lambert Moore paid the expense.
FRANCES MOORE, his wife. Her maiden name was Lambert---they were married at New York the 9th of December 1713. She was descended from a respectable Family in France, which fled from that country on the revocation of the Edict of Nantz---born in New York the 17th April 1692, and died 21 March 1782 and interred in the Family vault.
Names of their children, beside which there were several premature births.
1st. Daughter Frances, born 1715 --- married Samuel Bayard; died at Throgs Neck.
2nd. Rebecca, born 1717, died unmarried; interred in family vault.
3rd. Son John, born 1719, died unmarried in Jamaica in early life.
4th. Daughter Susanah, born 1720; died in infancy before the vault was made.
5th. Son Thomas & 6th. Son Peter, Twins. Died 1721, as infants before the vault was made.
7th. Son Thomas, twin - My Father
8th. Peter, twin, This second Peter died also an infant before vault was made.
9th. Son Richard, born 1724, died at Barbadoes about 1784.
10th. Daughter Susanah, born 1725, married John Smyth died at N. Y. Interred in the vault.
11th. Son Lambert, twin born 1727, married twice; interred in vault.
12th Son Daniel, twin born 1727, Died an infant before vault was made.
13th. Daniel, born 1728. Died an infant.
14th. Daniel, born 1729, died unmarried at Jamaica, in advanced life
15th. William, born 1730, died unmarried at Coracoa in early life.
16th. Charles, born 1732, married Eve Hall, died in North Carolina
17th. Stephen, born 1734, married Grizzy Philips, died in North Carolina, aged [65]
18th. Ann, born 1738, unmarried and still living in perfect health and very active in the 85th year of age.
(spelling left intact--editor)

From this account, the reader finds that Col. John’s wife, Frances Lambert Moore, bore 18 children in 15 pregnancies over 23 years in which 12 lived beyond infancy. There were 3 sets of twins. She was pregnant almost every year after their marriage until she was 44 years old. Those years of childbearing seemed to have strengthened her, rather than weakening her, as she lived to be almost 90 years old.


PORTRAIT OF COL. JOHN MOORE of NEW YORK CITY

Pastel Portrait by Henrietta Johnston, 1725

Colonel John Moore (1686-1749)
Colonel John Moore, who portrait is signed and dated 1725, was born in St. Thomas Parish, South Carolina, the son of John Moore (c. 1659-1732) and Rebecca Axtell. John Moore, the father, was Secretary of the Province of South Carolina but about 1695/6, with his family, he moved to Philadelphia. From Philadelphia the son went on to New York City where he attained distinction as an alderman; a member of the Provincial Council; and of the legislature; he was also colonel of the New York City Regiment of Foot. He was a vestryman and warden of Trinity Church and is believed to be the first person buried in the graveyard of that Church. The story of of his homes is interesting. In New York City he owned Whitehall . . ., and in the country he owned Moore’s Folly on the Hudson River which was later purchased for the site of the United States Military Academy, now known as West Point.
The ownership of this pastel is not known and only the previous ownership can be given.
Owned for many years by the late Luke Vincent Lockwood, New York City.²


PORTRAIT OF MRS. JOHN MOORE

Pastel Portrait by Henrietta Johnston, 1725

Mrs. John Moore (1692-1782)
Mrs. John Moore was born Frances Lambert. She was of Huguenot ancestry and came to this country as a small child to escape persecution. She had many children besides the two whose pastels were drawn by Henrietta Johnston, and she lived to a good old are.
Mrs. Samuel Schwartz, the owner of this portrait, has given the following description: “Mrs. John Moore (Frances Lambert), has dark brown hair, and brown eyes. Her dress is yellow with orange highlights. The stole she wears over her left arm (on right side of the picture) is a lavender taupe.” ³


PORTRAIT OF FRANCES LAMBERT MOORE

Pastel Portrait by Henrietta Johnston: 1725

Frances Lambert Moore (1715-1805)
Frances Lambert Moore was the eldest daughter of Colonel John Moore and Frances Lambert Moore. She was born in New York in 1715. She married Samuel Bayard, Esquire, of Throg’s Neck, New York, the grand nephew of Peter Stuyvesant. Inscribed on the back of this pastel is: “Henrietta Johnston Fecit, New York. Ano 1725.” The subject was ten years of age when this pastel was done.
Also on the back of the pastel is a long list of ownerships, all of the Bayard family. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Schwartz.⁴


PORTRAIT OF THOMAS MOORE

Pastel Portrait by Henrietta Johnston: 1725

Thomas Moore (fl. 1725)
This painting is usually referred to as “The Portrait of Bishop Moore’s Father, as a Child.” Several affidavits testify to the fact that this is the pastel of little Thomas Moore, so of Colonel John Moore and his wife Frances Lambert Moore. Thomas Moore became the father of Bishop Moore, the Right Reverend Richard Channing Moore, D.D., (1782-1841), Bishop of Virginia (1814-1841).
The pastel represents a very young child of perhaps four years and this description was furnished by Mr. George M. McClancy, Jr., of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: “The predominating dark-light effect of this portrait is immediately offset by the bright reddish brown sash, the red belt and the red feathers of the arrows. The flesh is mostly white, touched with pink, and with blue for shadows and modeling. The eyes are blue; the lips are red; and the hair is brown though greyed almost to a neutral. The dress is bluish-white and the background is black and white with faint suggestions of blue and brown. With the exception of the reds, the colors are very faint.”
This pastel of Thomas Moore was given by Alexander W. Weddell to The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia.⁵

Of course, these pastels were painted some 9 years before Stephen was born; therefore, he and a number of the other children are not included. More to come on Trinity Church, New York City, and the burial vault in a future post. Of interest also is that Stephen was named godfather of Thomas Moore’s (depicted above as a child) son and his nephew, Richard Channing Moore, and he returned to New York City from Quebec in August, 1762 for the baptism.

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¹Henrietta Johnston of Charles Town, South Carolina – America’s First Pastellist by Margaret Simons Middleton, p. 47. University of South Carolina Press, 1966. Out of print.
²Ibid, p. 64.
³Ibid, p. 64.
⁴Ibid, p. 64-65.
⁵Ibid, p. 65.

Hon. John Moore (1659-1732) of SC & PA

Editor’s note: For so long, indeed more than a couple of centuries, we have relied on previous genealogists to believe that we are descended from the Moores of Fawley, Berkshire County, England. This research by Terri O’Neill corrects this mistaken lineage. A somewhat enhanced and different version appears in the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 44 (2005) entitled “A Corrected Lineage of Hon. John Moore of South Carolina and Pennsylvania” by Terri Bradshaw O’Neill.

Hon. John Moore (1659-1732) of SC & PA
By Terri Bradshaw O’Neill, © as previously published in the Moore/Stanford/Webb Chronicles, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1996

John Moore's memoirs report the ancestry of his great-grandfather, Hon. John Moore, as being descended from the Moores of Fawley in Berkshire, England. This lineage was repeated in various publications over the ensuing 175 years, and was virtually unchallenged until 1990 when an attempt was made to obtain the coat-of-arms of the Moores of Fawley from the College of Arms in London as a gift for a purported descendant of that family. Some explanation of the origins of the research conducted over the past five years is in order here. In the process of validating the lineage, the Lancaster Herald noted some discrepancies and set off a flurry of correspondence among several researchers and descendants of Hon. John Moore. The College of Arms in London, unlike the companies in this country that routinely produce generic surname, computer generated coats-of-arms on request, could not verify the lineage as it was presented. The question was, which was the correct coat-of-arms: ten crosses, crosslet (the only device used by the American Moores) or the moorcock of the Moores of Fawley? The Herald at the College of Arms asked for any proof that could be supplied from this country and wanted to know what sources were used to make the claim of connection to the Moores of Fawley. When I was contacted at that point, I had to admit that I had been relying on the information provided by David Moore Hall's book, Six Centuries of Moores of Fawley, published in 1904, and had never checked the sources or tried to obtain primary evidence to support the claims therein. I agreed to help in locating any proof available in this country to substantiate the reported ancestry of John Moore, which quest sent me to repositories of manuscript collections in North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and New York.
The emigrant ancestor and subject of this study is often referred to as Hon. John Moore, a title no doubt acquired as a result of some of his many appointments in Colonial Pennsylvania. He was Deputy-judge of the Vice-Admiralty and Attorney General of Pennsylvania.¹ The title also serves to distinguish among the several men of the same name in four generations: Hon. John Moore of South Carolina & Pennsylvania; his eldest son, Col. John Moore of NY; eldest son of Col. John Moore, John; and John Moore, Esq. of NY, the author of the Memoirs.

Discrepancies Begin to Surface
One of the strongest arguments for the connection between Hon. John Moore and the Moores of Fawley, other than John Moore's Memoirs, was Hall's Six Centuries. David Moore Hall had obviously used John Moore's Memoirs in compiling his work as well [as] information supplied by other family historians of Moore descent. He cited these sources as authorities and also included several editions of Sir John Bernard Burke's work, such as Extinct Baronetcies (1844), Peerage (1834), Peerage (18 52), Commoners (1833-38), Landed Gentry (1847 & 1886) and Extinct Peerage (18 3 1). Today, Burke's works are considered somewhat unreliable on their own, must be regarded with a degree of skepticism and substantiated with other records. One source in particular that Hall used, Horace Wemyss Smith's The Life and Correspondence of Dr. William Smith, D. D., is rife with errors regarding the Moore lineage and is the source of a particularly virulent piece of misinformation: that Hon. John Moore and Gov. James Moore of South Carolina were brothers. That they were not is proven by a letter (circa 1850) from Thomas William Channing Moore to Rev. Dr. Francis Lister Hawks, who was compiling a history of the Carolinas, in which he states: "I did not find any evidence to show that this John Moore was related to Gov. James Moore. He [John] was of English, and not Irish family."² David Moore Hall in his discussion of the differing coats of arms, states: "our descent .. is abundantly proved by the impalement of arms in Christ Church deeds in 1695 ... from the seal of the Hon. John Moore" and "In 1770, Captain Thomas William Moore, British Army, upon one of his frequent visits to England, brought from the Herald's College, a document containing the arms, crest and motto of Sir John Moore [of Fawley], the then baronet, and possibly the pedigree filed by Nicholas Moore in 1569, and Ashmole's Visitation of Berks, in 1664, used later by Mr. Burke. These arms corresponded in every detail with those already in use by the family in America, and the impalement in Christ Church deeds in 1695." That sounds thoroughly authoritative and convincing. However, neither the "impalement of arms in Christ Church deeds" nor the 1770 visit of Thomas William Moore to the College of Arms can be verified, despite extensive efforts to do so. I have personally inspected two of the original parchment deeds of Christ Church, Philadelphia, dated 1702. They contain the signature of John Moore as a witness to the conveyance, but there was no seal affixed by John Moore. The text of one of the deeds bears the dates of earlier transactions concerning the property, namely 1688, 1689, and 1695/6. There is no way of knowing if David M. Hall actually saw these deeds, but I suspect he did not. They are the only original deeds extant at Christ Church Archives. In addition to seeing those deeds in person, I have also read and transcribed the microfilmed copies of those deeds and several other conveyances of Christ Church property. The person selling or transferring the land affixes a seal with his signature. John Moore was never the seller in any of the conveyances, but was a witness and therefore only his signature appears. Mr. Hall apparently explained away the discrepancies of the coats of arms to his own satisfaction, but his documentation doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

What's Wrong With This Picture?
The Lancaster Herald of the College of Arms in London, Mr. Peter Gwynn-Jones, reported that the parish records of Fawley and several probate jurisdictions were searched for verification of the lineage. The result of those searches was that not a shred of evidence was found to support a connection between the families of John Moore in America and the Moores of Fawley. Additionally, the research led to the exposure of a glaring error in the lineage, namely the assertion of a marriage between one Francis Moore of Fawley and Mary Cary daughter of Edward, supposed to have occurred in 1655. This Francis Moore and Mary Cary were supposed to be the parents of our emigrant ancestor, John Moore, born in 1659. However, the Herald pointed out the impossibility of this marriage. The Cary lineage indeed shows a Mary, daughter of Edward, but she was born 50 years after the alleged marriage. This error along with the Herald's inability to reconcile the use of two different coats of arms in two branches of supposedly the same family indicated some serious mistakes had been made in the American Moore's genealogy. John Moore's memoirs state that "Sir John Moore was created Knight by King Charles the 1st on 21st May 1627". This is incorrect. The dignity of Baronet was conferred on one Henry Moore at that time and indeed, the Moores of Fawley were granted arms: Argent, a moorcock, sable, combed and warded, gules. However, the descendants of Hon. John Moore of South Carolina and Pennsylvania used as their coat of arms: ten crosses, crosslet. The Herald reported that "no Moores have ever been granted ten crosses, crosslet, leading to the speculation that the American branch simply assumed the use of that coat of arms without authority. As Mr. Gwynn-Jones put it, "...Thomas Moore [brother of Hon. John Moore] himself evidently made no claim to belong to that [Moores of Fawley] family, because when he erected the memorial to his wife in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey, he displayed on it not the arms of Moore of Fawley but a modified version (apparently) of those of a Lancashire family of Moore." This was an important discrepancy, the implications of which were completely lost on me at first, being unfamiliar with the protocols of Heraldry. Mr. Gwynn-Jones patiently and diplomatically pointed out that, if they were the same family, they would use the same coat of arms with a difference, marks used to denote different sons or different branches. Several attempts have been made to locate a family that was granted ten crosses, crosslet as their coat of arms and then link them to a Moore family, including the Lancashire Moore family mentioned, but none has been successful. No example of Hon. John Moore ever having used the device of ten crosses, crosslet has been located, but as noted by the Herald, his brother in England and subsequent generations in America did. And, of course, John Moore's memoirs mention that his grandfather's "plate" carried a coat of arms. These are the examples of Moores using ten crosses, crosslet as their coat of arms that have been located:
~In 1720, John's brother, Thomas, the Librarian at Westminster Abbey in London, used it on a monumental inscription for his wife, Elizabeth, which can still be seen in the Little Cloisters.
~In 1738, Richard Moore (c. 1709-1738), a son of John Moore and his wife Rebecca (Axtell) Moore, died in Jamaica. In St. Andrew's Parish, Kingston, Jamaica, there is a monumental inscription engraved with the names of Richard Moore, Frances Martin and her husband John Martin, and a coat of arms showing the ten crosses, crosslet impaled with the arms of Martin (3 bendlets, a chief erm.).³ John Martin died in 1710 age 32, and Frances died 1714 age 33. Who were John and Frances Martin, and why were they memorialized with Richard Moore? Until this monumental inscription was located, Frances was unknown to Moore family historians, but the inscription connects her to the family in two ways: the coat of arms is the same as that being used by the American Moores, and she is memorialized with a known son of John & Rebecca. The prevailing theory (as yet unsubstantiated with primary evidence) is that Frances Martin was the daughter of John Moore by a first marriage, and thus Richard's half-sister. There is evidence that John Moore arrived in the Province of South Carolina in 1683 with a wife named Katherine.⁴ It is presumed that she died shortly after their arrival and John subsequently married Rebecca Axtell in about 1685. There are no extant parish records to provide evidence of Katherine's death or the marriage of John & Rebecca, but the proof of their marriage is in the Wills of John Moore and Rebecca's sister, Ann Boone.⁵ The monumental inscription in Jamaica indicates that Frances was born circa 1681. Records have been searched in England and Barbados for a marriage between John Moore and Katherine, a baptism of Frances or a marriage between Frances and John Martin, without success. Barbados was included in the search because it is believed that John Moore may have been there some time before his arrival in South Carolina. Richard Moore was born in 1709, a mere 5 years before the death of Frances Martin, but when he reached adulthood and went to Jamaica to seek his livelihood as a merchant and trader, one may suppose his father asked him to see to the grave of his long-dead kinswoman. In the process, perhaps he saw to his own mortal remains in arranging for the monumental inscription.
~In 1758, William Moore (1699-1783) of Moore Hall, Chester County, Pennsylvania, son of John & Rebecca, used ten crosses, crosslet on a seal for letters and documents. His father used two different seals on documents that have survived, but they are both ornamental rather than heraldic, and they depict neither ten crosses, crosslet nor the moorcock of the Moores of Fawley.⁶
~Lambert Moore (1727-1805) and Stephen Moore (1734-1799), both grandsons of John Moore and sons of Col. John Moore of NY, each had engraved bookplates depicting ten crosses, crosslet.
~John Moore, Esq. (1745-1828), the author of the Memoirs, had the same device on his bookplate.

A Case of Mistaken Lineage, or The 225-Year-Old Hoax
The Lancaster Herald was asked to verify the visit of Thomas William Moore to the "Herald's Office" in 1770. His report was as follows: "...I can confirm that such visits were (and still are) recorded and the records preserved. I have examined those for 1770, but I find that only two enquiries were received that year relating to persons or families of the name of Moore: the first, in July related to one Giles Moore of Middleton, co. Westmorland, no record of whom could be found, and the second, in August, to the family of Moore of Appleby, co. Leicester, whose pedigree had already been registered.", and "...I have examined the Waiting Books for the period from July 1767 to December 1776 without however finding any record of an enquiry relating to the Moores of Fawley.". If Thomas William Moore ever visited the College of Arms, he didn't ask for or receive the ancestry of Hon. John Moore of South Carolina and Pennsylvania, or indeed, even the lineage of the Moores of Fawley.

Another Small Problem
In the course of studying the Moores of Fawley, it became clear that the Moores in America⁷ did not adhere to traditional naming patterns prevalent in the early 18th century, if indeed they were connected to the Moores of Fawley. While there were many males of subsequent generations named Francis and Henry among the Moores of Fawley, the names do not appear among the Moores in America. Conversely, John, Thomas and Charles were frequently used names by the American Moores that do not appear among the Moores of Fawley. This was a small detail, but one of nagging concern.

Parallel Search or, If Not Moores of Fawley, Then Who?
Meanwhile, another search was being conducted in England by Bridget Lakin, a genealogist. After the 1992 Moore Family Reunion at West Point, at which many Moore descendants met for the first time, I was privileged to do some research in the Special Collections of the USMA Library. There was a Moore genealogy and a copy of the JM Pyne version of the Memoirs, submitted by Mr. Richard C. Moore of Mt. Kisco, NY. No one of his line had been at the Reunion for the simple reason that the organizers were not in contact with that branch of the family. As soon as I found his genealogy papers, I wrote to him. Unfortunately, he had died in the year prior to the Reunion, but his widow, Marjorie soon replied to my letter and a gracious exchange of information ensued. Her husband had seriously pursued the Moore lineage for many years and had engaged professional genealogists in Pennsylvania and England for the study. Marjorie Moore put me in contact with Bridget Lakin in London and thus made about a four-way research bridge between Moore descendants in the U.S., the Herald and Ms. Lakin. Her painstaking search of the parish records of St. Bride's, Fleet Street and St. Margaret's, Westminster in London resulted in the reconstruction of a Moore family which was consistent with the known facts of the life of Hon. John Moore (1659-1732). The following baptisms were registered, all children of John and Dorothy Moore:
John-1659, St. Bride's
Mary-1660, St. Bride's
Thomas-1662, St. Bride's
Richard-1664/5, St. Bride's
Dorothy-1666, St. Margaret's
Somerset-1670, St. Margaret's
[Ann-c.1675] No record was found among the records of either parish for this child but later Wills establish her as a sibling. No Will or probate has been located for the parents, John or Dorothy Moore. Wills of Thomas Moore, Ann (Moore) Sear and her husband, Richard Sear probated in England all serve to establish John, Thomas & Ann as siblings.⁸ The child with the distinctive name of Somerset provided the key link of circumstantial evidence to connect this family of Moores in London to the family of Hon. John Moore of Philadelphia. The baptismal and burial registers of Christ Church, Philadelphia record the baptism of "Somerset Moor, 19 July 1711, aged 5 days, son to John Moor" and the burial of "Sommersett, 4 Oct 1712, son of John & Rebecca Moore". This slender thread indicates that John Moore of Philadelphia named a son after his younger brother, as indeed, he had named other children after siblings Mary, Thomas and Richard. While this is not considered irrefutable proof, all taken together these facts present a solid case of the preponderance of the evidence that Hon. John Moore of South Carolina and Pennsylvania was the son of John and Dorothy Moore of London, and not a Moore of Fawley, co. Berkshire.

Is That All There Is?
Since this recent research has resulted in the loss of a long and rather distinguished lineage, and the substitution of an ancestry that extends only one generation beyond the emigrant ancestor, Hon. John Moore, what is left to do? One would hope to be able to find further information relating to John and Dorothy Moore, whose maiden name remains a mystery, in order to take the family back several more generations. Several leads have been followed in that pursuit without any positive results, but it should not be abandoned as a hopeless cause. Going in the opposite direction, that is, filling in the blanks of bringing all branches of descendants into the present time is an on-going project, as well. But there are a few other minor misconceptions that should be addressed to clean up the family history.

Tying Up Some Loose Ends
John Moore states in his memoirs that William Moore of Moore Hall, Pennsylvania, had two daughters who married Drs. Phineas and Thomas Bond. It is true that one of his daughters, Williamina, married Dr. Phineas Bond, but no evidence has been found of another daughter marrying Thomas Bond. William Moore wrote at least three versions of his Will. In one version dated 1773, he names all his living children and the children of his deceased sons, John and James W., but nowhere is there a mention of a daughter married to Dr. Thomas Bond.⁹
The next item of interest is John Moore's uncertainty about whether his grandfather, Col. John Moore, had any sisters. He had two: Rebecca, who in 1709 married John Evans, Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania; and Mary, who married circa 1715 Peter Evans, a cousin of John Evans, and Sheriff of Philadelphia. Rebecca and John Evans eventually left Philadelphia and lived in England & Wales.
In writing about his grandmother, Frances Lambert Moore, wife of Col. John Moore of New York, John Moore states that he thinks she was born in France and brought to New York as an infant. Records of the French Church indicate that her maternal granduncle, Gabriel Minveille, was in New York by 1691. Her father, Daniel (or Denis-a possible mistake in transcription) Lambert, died in September of 1691. Frances was born posthumously to her father's death, in April 1692. Curiously, Frances's baptism is not recorded in the French Church records, but all indications are she was born in New York. The Barberie connection mentioned in John Moore's memoirs occurs when her widowed mother, Frances (Brinkman) Lambert marries John Barberie in 1694.¹⁰

While we're making corrections, we might as well take a look at some of the educational claims of our American Moores. It seems as if every generation after the Hon. John Moore claims to have two or three offspring attending Oxford. First, let's examine Hon. John Moore himself. He was obviously a literate man to have obtained the appointments of Secretary of the Province of South Carolina, Prothonotary of SC, Deputy Judge of the Vice-Admiralty, and Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Register of Wills of PA, and Collector of Customs of the Port of Philadelphia. The fact that he is listed in Martin's Bench and Bar of Philadelphia as one of the earliest lawyers in the Province (1698) and an Advocate for the Crown implies an education at the Inns of Court in London. But no such records have been located. Perhaps a clue lies in the appointment of Prothonotary, which is defined as a chief clerk of any of various courts of law. Alumni lists of Oxford and Cambridge contain no record of his having attended either institution. He appears to have had powerful patronage to have been appointed to so many responsible positions, but his education remains shrouded in mystery. Educational records for some Moores have been located:
At Westminster School (Prep)
Thomas Moore, son of John, lawyer of Philadelphia
Thomas Moore, son of Col. John Moore of NY, and father of the author of the memoirs. The information given in the school records is inconclusive as to the identity of this student. Making allowances for John Moore's imperfect recall, it's likely the record refers to his father.
At Cambridge-
Thomas Moore, son of John, lawyer of Philadelphia, admitted Trinity Coll. 1709, age 18; B.A.-1712-13; M.A--1716; D.D.-1733; incorp. at Oxford-1753.
Charles Moore, son of Rev. Thomas Moore (above), admitted to Trinity Coll. 1759, age 16
At Oxford-
John Moore, son of Daniel of Great Marlow, Bucks, Merton Coll. 1755, age 18 (This is a grandson of Hon. John Moore)
Lambert Moore, son of Daniel of Kingston, Jamaica, University Coll. 1808, age 17 (a great-great grandson of Hon. John Moore)
Thomas, son of Thomas of London, doctor, Worcester Coll. 1753, age 15 (nephew of Hon. John Moore)
Thomas William Moore, son of Thomas William of New York, Worcester Coll. 1788, age 19 (the son of the alleged 1770 visitor to the College of Arms & great-grandson of Hon. John Moore)

Notable by Their Absence
These Moores were said to have been educated in England but do not appear in the alumni lists of Oxford, Cambridge, Westminster School or St. Paul's (both prepatory schools): Daniel Moore, son of Hon. John Moore, and later Member of Parliament for Great Marlow, Bucks.
William Moore, son of Hon. John Moore
Stephen Moore, son of Col. John Moore of NY
Once again, it is obvious that both these men were well educated. William was a Member of the Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania, Justice of the Peace and President of the County Courts of Chester. His Will, written in his own hand, is almost lyrical in his tribute to his wife, Williamina. As for Stephen Moore, his many extant letters show a literary style of writing as well as a beautiful hand indicating a classical education. I suspect that he was taught at home or privately tutored. Searches of alumni lists of the colleges in existence during the pertinent time period, such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. have produced no record of his having attended any of those schools. There are certainly hundreds of other schools in England whose records are difficult to access, if they survive, so the search is by no means complete.

In Tribute to John Moore, Esquire, of New York
Using a variety of other sources, listed in the Selected Bibliography, many of the facts stated in John Moore's memoirs have been confirmed, while others have been found to be slightly off the mark. In my judgment, other than the English ancestry of Hon. John Moore, the majority of the memoirs are remarkably accurate & without exaggeration or embellishment. Nearly 175 years after John Moore, near the end of his life, penned the history of his family as he knew it, the descendants of Hon. John Moore must assuredly be grateful that he took the time to leave us this legacy. It is now incumbent upon us to make the alterations to set the record straight for future generations.
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^lPennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 3, p. 211n; Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Cadwallader Collection, Bond Papers

²New-York Historical Society Library, manuscript section, microfilm
³Phillip Wright, Monumental Inscriptions of Jamaica (Society of Genealogists, 1966), p. 64; Capt. J.H. Lawrence-Archer, Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies (London: Chatto & Windus, 1875), p. 252-3.
⁴Alexander S. Salley, Ed. Warrants for land in South Carolina, 1680-1692, Vol. 2, p. 194 (1915)
⁵Hon. John Moore's Will-Register of Wills, Philadelphia-W272 (Will Book C, p. 201); Ann (Axtell) Boone's Will-Records of Probate Court, Charleston, SC, Book 1747-52, P. 460.
⁶Documents containing the seals of Hon. John Moore and his son, William Moore at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Manuscript Section, Cadwallader Collection, Bond Papers.
⁷In referring to the Moores in America, I refer only to the descendants of Hon. John Moore of SC & PA.
⁸Public Record Office, London-Thomas Moore (d. 1733) Prob. II-663; Ann (Moore) Sear (proved 1758) Prob. 11-839; Richard Sear (proved 1743) Prob. 11-726.
⁹HSP, Cadwallader Collection, Bond Papers, Wm. Moore folder
¹⁰Alfred V. Wittmeyer, ed. Registers of the Births, Marriages, and Deaths, of the "Eglise Francoise a la Nouvelle York" from 1688 to 1804 (Baltimore, GPC, 1968)

Selected Bibliography and Resources
England
Joseph L. Chester, ed. The Marriage, Baptismal, and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church or Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster (London: 1876)
G.F. Russell Barker and Alan H. Stenning, compilers The Record of Old Westminsters, Vol. 11, Chiswick Press (London: 1929)
Joseph Foster, ed. Alumni Oxonienses: The Members of the University of Oxford, multiple volumes, Krause Reprint Unlimited (Liechtenstein: 1968)
John Venn and J. A- Venn, compilers Alumni Cantabrigienses (Cambridge University), multiple volumes, Krause Reprint (Liechtenstein: 1974)
Parish Records of St. Bride's, Fleet Street, London, 1653-1714, microfilm #0380155 ordered from the LDS Family History Library, Salt Lake City
Lawrence E. Tanner, ed. The Register of St. Margaret's, Westminster, 1660-1675, printed in Publications of the Harleian Society, Vol. 64 (1934)
West Indies
Capt. J. H. Lawrence-Archer, comp. Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies, Chatto and Windus (London: 1875)
South Carolina
Records in the British Public Record Office Relating to South Carolina printed for The Historical Commission of South Carolina, Foote & Davis Co. (Atlanta: 1928) Vol. 1-1663-1684, Vol. 11-1685-1690, Vol. 111-1691-1697
South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vols.1 through 42 (1900-1941)
A. S. Salley, ed. Warrants for Land in South Carolina (np, 1915)
A. S. Salley, ed. Journal of the Grand Council of South Carolina The State Company (Columbia: 1907)
Agnes L. Baldwin, First Settlers of South Carolina, 1670-1700 Southern Historical Press (1985)
South Caroliniana Library, Manuscript Collections, University of SC, Columbia (for Colleton/Moore correspondence)
Anne King Gregorie, ed. Records of the Court of Chancery of South Carolina 1671-1779 American Historical Assoc. (Washington, DC: 1950)
M. Eugene Sirmans, "Politics in Colonial South Carolina, The Failure of Proprietary Reform, 1682-1694", William &Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 23 (1966)
Pennsylvania
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Manuscript Section, various collections-primarily the Cadwallader and Gratz Collections for Hon. John Moore and William Moore of Moore Hall documents.
John Frederick Lewis, The History of an Old Philadelphia Land Title: 208 South Fourth
Street (Philadelphia: 1934)
Scharf & Westcott, History of Philadelphia, Vol. 3
Charles Keith, Chronicles of Pennsylvania (1917)
Charles Keith, "The Founding of Christ Church, Philadelphia", Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 54 (1930)
Christ Church Archives, Philadelphia-Registers of Birth, Marriage, Burial; original Deeds; microfilm of early Church records & Vestry minutes. Surviving Registers date from 1709, Vestry minutes date from April 1717.
Edward L. Clark, A Record of the Inscriptions on the Tablets and Grave-stones in the Burial Grounds of Christ Church, Philadelphia, Collins, Printer (Philadelphia: 1864)
William H. Egle, Early Pennsylvania Land Records Minutes of the Board of Property of
The Province of Pennsylvania, reprint (1976)
Lawrence Lewis, "The Courts of Pennsylvania in the Seventeenth Century", Pennsylvania Mag. of Hist. & Biog., Vol. 5 (188 1)
John Hill Martin, Bench and Bar of Philadelphia, Rees Welsh & Co. (Philadelphia: 1883)

...And Moore
These books contain valuable genealogical data but must be read very carefully to separate fact from fancy.
David Moore Hall, comp. Six Centuries of Moores of Fawley (Richmond: 1904)
Horace Wemyss Smith, The Life and Correspondence of the Rev. William Smith, D. D., S. .A. George & Co. (Philadelphia: 1879)

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To the Reader: Since the information I have presented in this issue is contrary to what has always been believed to be true of the ancestry of Hon. John Moore of South Carolina and Pennsylvania, I encourage comment, questions, debate and thoughtful criticism. Any carefully documented challenge to the lineage as I have presented it will be considered, verified and published in a future issue of the Chronicles.