Richard Moore

MOORE, GUNN, KINNARD, SAUL

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 11/15/2011 at 23:26:47

RICHARD MOORE, a prominent citizen, who has occupied with honor various positions of official trust, and is widely known as a prosperous agriculturist and successful stock-raiser of Grant Township, Grundy County, owns a large and valuable acreage which he has brought to a high state of cultivation, the Moore farm being one of the best in its locality.

Our subject is a native of Devonshire, England, where his birth occurred December 23, 1834. He is the son of John and Elizabethh (Gunn) Moore, also natives of that country. Grandfather Moore was a butcher by trade, and carried on a large market in London. With his wife, he was a member of the Church of England, and reared a family of eight children, of whom those now living are Richard and Emma. Those deceased are, Elizabeth, John and Sarah, and three who died in infancy.

On reaching his majority, Richard Moore, determined to come to the United Sates, and on landing in the New World found that he had only money enough to take him as far as Cleveland, Ohio, and in that city he engaged to work in a butcher shop. After a twelvemonth thus employed he left the Forest City, and went to Whiteside County, Ill., where he established a butcher shop, which he conducted on his own account. Later he went to Ogle County, that state, and this being about the time the late war broke out, he enlisted in 1861, joining Company H, Fifteenth Illinois Infantry. His regiment was the first that had enlisted for three years to go from the state, and on the 24th of May they left for duty. Mr. Moore participated in many of the hard fought battles of that period, among which were Ft. Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Hornet’s Nest, siege of Corinth, Hatchie’s Run, siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, and was with Sherman on the march to the sea.

October 4, 1864, our subject was taken prisoner at Acksworth, Ga., and at different times was confined in Andersonville, Millen, Savannah, Blackshire and Thomasville Prisons, spending six months in Andersonville. After his release, he returned to Ogle County, where he engaged in working at his trade until the spring of 1872. Two years previous, he had married Miss Sarah, daughter of William and Nancy (Kinnard) Saul. Mrs. Moore was born in Ireland, of which country her parents were natives.

Mr. and Mrs. Moore have a family of three living children, four having died in infancy. Those living are: Albert A., Sarah and Anna J. The two eldest are students in the high school at Grundy Centre. In 1872 our subject located upon his present farm, which then comprised one hundred and seventy-six acres, and to which he has since added forty-seven acres. At the time he took possession of his land it was entirely wild, but by patient and unvarying toil he improved the place whose fertile soil now returns an abundant harvest. He has erected substantial buildings, and makes a specialty of stock-raising. As a matter of course Mr. Moore is a Grand Army man, and is a charter member of Wilson Post No. 71, at Grundy Centre. In politics he is a Republican, and has been honored with the position of Road Supervisor, which office he creditably filled.

Source:
Portrait and Biographical Record
of Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, Iowa
1894