User:Khaentlahn/Apollos Moore Mystery

Apollos Moore Mystery

While going through records recently, I ran across Apollos Moore. His name alone intrigued me, so I started to do more research specifically on him and I found an interesting problem. There were two different families claiming to be related to or descended from "Apollos Moore, Private under Capt Ebenezer Smith and Col Michael Jackson during the American Revolutionary War". This is my attempt to sort out who belonged to whom.

The two claims to the American Revolutionary war veteran, Apollos Moore, were derived from DAR and from William Cutter's Genealogical and Family History of Northern New York, Vol 1, Pg 154.

Since neither Apollos entry was sourced, I went to the sources to find a solution.

DAR's Apollos Moore

Starting with the DAR's Ancestor Search system entry for Apollos Moore of Pittsfield, Massachusetts: Apollos was a Private under Capt Ebenezer Smith & Col Michael Jackson. He was born in 1765 (this is where DAR and Cutter deviate) and died 15 Jan 1841 in Rensselaerville, New York. Apollos' grave marker is found in the Rensselaerville Cemetery with the corresponding death date (15 Jan 1841) "in the 76th year of his life," or about 1765. He is buried in the same cemetery with his 2nd wife Debby (Deborah) and his son Apollos, Jr. In the DAR Lineage Series (Vol 2, Pg 2, No 824), it is claimed that Apollos "enlisted at the age of sixteen", or around 1781.

[Compiled Judge Apollos Moore page as based on DAR's entry, lineage book, and census records]

Cutter's Apollos Moore

Cutter claimed that Apollos Moore was the son of Joel and Martha Moore, was born around 1766-67, and was a Revolutionary War soldier under Capt Ebenezer Smith & Col Michael Jackson. He indicated that Apollos moved to Lowville, Lewis County, New York some time before 1813, that he lived to the age of 82, and that he was married to Delina (1st wife) and Philatta Dean (2nd wife).

[Compiled Apollos Moore page as based on Cutter's entry and census records.]

Finding the DAR's Apollos

Since the grave marker for Apollos Moore exists in the Rensselaerville Cemetery, I searched Rensselaerville for Apollos and found him there in 1810, 1820 and 1840. His date of birth fit within the head of household age range on each record, which was a good sign that the DAR record could at least be verified.

Verifying Cutter's Biography

The only Apollos Moore I was able to find having lived in Lewis County, New York is shown on the 1810 Lewis County, New York census as being between 16-26 (1784-1794) and again on the 1840 Lowville, Lewis County, New York census as being between 50-60 (1780-1790). This would have made it next to impossible for this Apollos to show up on muster rolls in 1781, let alone 1783. The Apollos of Lewis county was also found in Lowville on 1850 and 1860 census living in the household of his son, Morris D Moore and having a birth date around 1782-83 and birth place of New York.

Apollos' siblings posed another possible problem with Cutter's biography. All of the siblings that William Cutter claims for this Apollos Moore are listed in Montgomery, Massachusetts Vital Records to the year 1850, except Apollos. This does not necessarily indicate that he wasn't the son of Joel and Martha Moore, but it does raise questions that at present have not been answered.

Conclusions

The foregoing information for each Apollos leads to the following conclusions:

• These men are not the same individual, therefore, both families could not claim the same Revolutionary War distinction.
• DAR's Apollos of Albany County, New York did exist in the Rensselaerville area during the time they claim he did, but currently, no primary records specifically connect Apollos with his son, Robert Charles Holdridge Moore, as the DAR Lineage claims.
• Cutter's Apollos of Lewis County, New York is not the man represented in the DAR's record as he was born around the time Apollos mustered into his regiment.
• Portions of Cutter's biography are erroneous based on primary sources (ie., his parents are questionable and his military background false), but, thus far, his children and second wife appear to be reasonably correct.
• I currently do not believe that Cutter's Apollos Moore is the son of Joel and Martha Moore, but I have maintained the link until this is proven.