Kit # 26975

Below is a very brief history of the early Moore family and information about some of the Gibson and Goodman families. There has been a close relationship between the Moore and Gibson families since, at least, the mid 1700’s. For our discussion there were two important Gibson groups. First, the Gideon, Hubbard and John group who appear in the Roanoke River area of Bertie County, North Carolina, in roughly 1720 (the Bertie group). Second, the Thomas, George, Charles and Mager group who settle in the Flatt River area of Orange County, NC, in roughly 1750 (the Flatt River group). This second group migrated to Orange County from Louisa County, Virginia.

My earliest known Moore ancestors are William, Charles and John. My best guess is that Charles is the son of William and John, whose Revolutionary War pension application is re-printed below, is the son of Charles. John Moore was born May 1758 in Orange County, North Carolina and died July 1836 in Floyd County, Kentucky.

In September of 1756 John Dunnigan filed a court action for Force & Injury against Charles Gibson in Orange County, NC. The jury found Gibson not at fault and ordered Dunnigan to pay Gibson’s expenses. In March of 1758 William Moore filed a court action in Orange County against Dunnigan for debt for Moore’s court appearance in the Charles Gibson case. There must have been some relationship between the William Moore and Charles Gibson families for Charles to call William as a witness in a court action.

In September of 1766 Lambeth Dodson sold 400 acres on the main fork of the Mayo River in Pittsylvania County, VA (later Henry County), to George Gibson. This George Gibson was the son of John Gibson of the Bertie Gibson group. This land of the Mayo River in VA is close to the NC border and is in an area which later will be called Goinstown.

Charles Moore moved next door to George Gibson on the Flatt River in Orange Co., NC, sometime between 1756 and 1774. I have been unable to find a deed where Charles Moore bought or sold the land on the Flatt River. He may have been living on George Gibson’s land. In 1774 Orange Co., was divided into 16 districts. The 14th District, St. James, included Thomas Gibson’s land just above but not including George Gibson’s land. The 15th District, St. Mary, was adjacent to and south of the 14th District. The dividing line between the 14th and 15th crossed the Flatt River and ran across the dividing line between George and Thomas Gibson’s land. The 15th District was defined as follows:

Begins at the Granville line where it crosses the Nap of Reed running West including Arthur Magnum, George Gibson, Charles Moore & Robert McCornwell on the South, thence South, including Robert McConwell, William Rigs, George Rigs, John Latta, James Latta, John Douglas, John Woods, Nathaniel Lewis, John Scarlet, John Piper, Thomas Trammel & John Hart on the East, thence East including John Hart (through William Reeds plantation him not included) to Wake County line just North of Robert Abercrombie’s plantation, him not included.

The 15th District is in present day Durham Co. (established 1881). The 14th District is in present day Person Co. (established 1791).

About 1776 George Gibson (Flatt River group) died in Orange County. Thomas Gibson, Charles Moore and William Moore then moved to the Surry Co., NC/Henry Co., VA, area. Thomas Gibson moved to or close to the land owned by George Gibson (Bertie group) on the main fork of the Mayo River in VA. In 1778 Charles Moore received, from the State of NC, 100 acres of land on Fish Pot Branch in Surry County (later Stokes County) bordering the Guilford County line (later Rockingham County). Charles Moore’s chain carriers were George Gibson and James Jackson. In 1778 William Moore entered 100 acres on both sides of the Buffalo Branch of the Mayo River, bound on the east by the Surry and Guilford County lines (later the Stokes and Rockingham line). In 1779 in Guilford County, NC (later Rockingham County), Lambert Dodson entered 228 acres below and in the fork of the Mayo River in the Virginia Line, joining Joel Gibson, Philip Anglin and including the improvements of Thomas Gibson and Esaw Dodson. All the areas mentioned above will later be known as Goinstown.

Charles and William More were witnesses on Thomas Gibson's will in 1780 in Henry Co., VA. Lambeth Dodson, who sold land to George Gibson in 1766, was an executor and surety on the will along with Joel Gibson.

Henry Co., Virginia, 1/3/1780, Will of Thomas Gibson, “To my loving wife Marey Gibson and my daughter Cuzziah Gibson my whole estate.” Executors: Zackeriah King, Joel Gibson and Lambert Dodson. Wit: Charles More, Joseph Nicols, William More.

Thomas Gibson’s will was exhibited on 3/23/1780 by Joel Gibson who gave bond with Lambeth Dodson and Champain Gibson as his securities.

These events tend to show some relationship between the Bertie Gibsons and the Flatt River Gibsons.

Andrew Moore sold his 213 acres is Surry County, NC (later the NE corner of Stokes County) in May of 1787. Andrew was living in Wilkes County, NC, in 1790 with the Gibson and Collins families as they started migrating west to Tennessee. Andrew was probably the brother of John and James and son of Charles.

James Moore, probably a son of Charles and brother of Andrew and John, moved to Hawkins Co., TN, from Stokes Co., NC, and lived on Newman’s Ridge next to the Gibsons. James Moore and his son James were listed as M on the TN census. Vardy Collins was a witness on James' pension application which was filed in Hawkins County (see below).

John Moore, probably a son of Charles and brother to James and Andrew, was born in Orange Co., NC, in 1758, and married Sally Goodman in Surry Co., NC, in 1784. One of his sons, Joel, moved to Scott Co., VA. Three other sons, Andrew, Obadiah and Edmund moved to Floyd Co., KY, 1815 - 1818 and they and many of their descendants were listed as M on the KY census between 1820 and 1870. Charles Moore and his descendants or relatives were listed as M or fpc in NC on the 1800, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860 census.

James Moore applied for a Rev. War Pension from Hawkins Co., TN, and John Moore applied from Floyd Co., KY. The two applications are almost mirror images of the other. Both men entered the war at the same time from Surry Co., NC, they served in the same unit, marched to the same places, were discharged at the same time and both returned to their homes in Surry Co.

As stated above, John Moore was born May 1758 in Orange Co., NC. John married Sally Goodman in 1784 in Surry Co., NC (later the NE corner of Stokes Co.). In my research the only Goodman family living in the area close to the time of the marriage was a Joel Goodman. John Moore and Sally Goodman named their first born Joel so Joel Goodman may have been Sally's father. About 1833 John and Sally moved to Floyd Co., KY, with son John Jr. (my direct line), to join three of their sons who had moved to KY about 15 years earlier with some of the Gibson and Collins families. John Moore died in Floyd Co., in 1836. Elizabeth Goodman, Sally's sister, was in Floyd Co., in 1839 because she gave testimony that year in support of Sally's claim for Rev. Pension benefits. William Mosely also gave testimony that he lived in the same neighborhood as the Moores in Rockingham Co., NC, and knew the Moores well and knew of the marriage. Elizabeth Goodman probably went to Floyd Co., from Hawkins Co., TN.

Pat Elder, in her book, "Melungeons: . .", on pages 276-271, writes about the TN Goodman family. On page 279 she lists Hawkins Co., Deed Book entries that name Elizabeth Goodman of Floyd Co., KY. She also mentions a Goodman deed, filed in Hawkins Co., witnessed by William Mosley.

It appears from the information contained in John and Sally Moore's pension applications, the Hawkins Co., deeds and the Surry Co., NC, tax lists that some of the Hawkins Co., Goodman and Mosely families migrated to Hawkins Co., TN, then to Floyd Co., KY, from the Goinstown area of NC where the Moores also lived.

As shown above it is documented that the Moore family lived in Orange County, NC, in the 1750’s. But, where did they live before that? Some researchers suggest they came from Louisa County, VA, because of their close relationship to the Flatt River Gibson families. I have been unable to find evidence to prove that theory. The Moores may have migrated west to Orange County from Bertie County. In 1729 Gideon Gibson was preparing to move to South Carolina and sold 108 acres on the south side of the Roanoke River to James Moore. I have no proof that James is my ancestor but the transaction is curious. In 1755 in Orange County, NC, John Patterson called a William Moore to testify in Court that Moore knew Robert Patterson of Bartie County, being on Meherring Creek, who was the father of John Patterson, Esq., and that John was the only male child of Robert and that John inherited all the lands etc. of Robert. In 1716 Johnathan Sears sold 540 acres on the Meherrin River to Robert Patterson and Edward Moore. In July 1721, Adam Cockburne sold 390 A on the south side of the Meherrin River to a William Moore of NC. In 1737 a William Moore sold 100 acres on Meherrin Creek to Benjamin Hill and in 1737 John Patterson sold 629 acres on Meherrin Creek to John Nixon. Thus, a William Moore lived in Bertie County on the Meherrin, possibly as early as 1721, and knew the Patterson family there. However, I have no proof that this William Moore is my William Moore.

As stated above there appears to be a long standing close relationship between the Moore and Gibson families that goes back to at least the 1750’s if not earlier. There are numerous marriages and migrations not mentioned in this writing. My grandfather, Alexander Moore, is buried in the small Moore family cemetery located up Ball Branch, in Mousie, Knott County, Kentucky. Below is a photo taken about 1962 showing my grandmother visiting my grandfather’s grave. The grave marker in the foreground is quite interesting.