Richard W. MOORE, b. 1842
Richard W. Moore is one of the prosperous
farmers of Mahaska county, owning five hundred acres of valuable land in his farm in
Harrison township, and in addition to the tilling
of the soil he is also extensively and
successfully engaged in raising cattle, heavy draft
horses and fine mules. His residence is situated
in the town of Cedar, where he also conducts a
lumber yard and he is one of the organizers and
a director of the Farmers National Bank of
Oskaloosa, so that his business interests are
varied and extensive.
Mr. Moore is a native of Indiana, his birth
having occurred in Warren county in 1842.
His father, John F. Moore, was born in Ohio
and was of Scotch-Irish descent. He, too, was
a farmer by occupation and with his father
removed from the Buckeye state to Indiana. In
1843 he came to what is now Mahaska county,
Iowa, and entered a tract of land in Harrison
township, where he lived up to the time of his
death. He transformed his claim from a wild
and unimproved district into one of rich
fertility, being a thoroughly progressive farmer and
man of good business ability. He engaged
largely in the raising of cattle and sheep,
keeping a number of thoroughbreds and in his
business undertakings he prospered, becoming
the owner of considerable property. He
wedded Mary E. Maddox, who was born
in Ohio and was of English lineage,
her grandparents having come from
England to America, while her father, Fred
Maddox, emigrated from his native
country of Newfoundland to the United
States. Both Mr. and Mrs. Moore were members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he
served as a steward and trustee. His political
allegiance was given to the republican party and he
held various township offices. He died in 1888,
at the age of seventy-two years, and his wife
passed away in 1893, at the age of seventy-
five years. They were the parents of eleven
children.
Richard W. Moore, the second in order of
birth, was reared upon the home farm and
attended the "Swayback" school-a little log
school near his father's home. He was reared
to the occupation of farming and has made that
pursuit his life work. He began farming on
his own account in Harrison township and yet
owns five hundred acres of very rich and
productive land. Here he raises considerable stock,
including heavy draft horses and fine mules.
The farm is improved with modem equipment
and everything about the place indicates the
carful supervision of a progressive owner. He makes his home, however, in the village of
Cedar and there conducts a lumber yard. He joined with
other men of affluence in establishing
Farmers National Bank at Oskaloosa and has
since been one of its directors. His business
capacity is broad and his judgment sound and
accurate and in his various interests he has
carefully directed his labors so as to win success.
Mr. Moore built and moved into his
home on the prairie (now Cedar) in the
summer of 1868. During the fall he and his neighbors
began to build a church, which was completed
in 1869 and was called "Cedar Chapel".
The Methodist society was organized at the
home of Mr. Moore in 1869 by the Rev. D. C.
Smith, and had five charter members.
In February, 1864, when a young man of
twenty-one years, Mr. Moore enlisted for service
in the Civil war, joining Company B of the Thirty-sixth
Iowa Volunteer Infantry at Ottumwa.
He was taken prisoner at the battle of Marks
Mills, Arkansas, and was incarcerated for ten
months, the date of his capture being April 25, 1864.
He was afterward exchanged and rejoined
his regiment and was mustered out
at Davenport, Iowa, in September, 1865.
He participated in a number of important
engagements and is now a member of Phil
Kearney post, G. A. R., at Oskaloosa.
It was not long after his return from the war
Mr. Moore was married in 1866 to Miss
Mary K. Cole, who was born in Ohio in 1842
and is a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Ross)
Cole, the father a farmer by occupation and a
local minister of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Her mother, Sarah Ross Cole, was
born in Harrison county, Ohio. Her parents
came to Iowa in 1848, settling in Harrison
township. Both are now deceased. Her
parents, though well-to-do, were noted more for
their intelligence and piety than for wealth.
Before her marriage, Mrs. Moore was a teacher
in Wapello county. Since then her home has
been her realm. Her delight is in the church,
the missionary society, Sabbath school and her
household duties as well. Mr. Moore, while
away at his work so much, is satisfied that all
is well at home, for "his heart doth safely trust
in her". Unto Mr. and Mrs. Moore have been
born five children: Hila V., who became the
wife of George E. Steele, a farmer, and died
leaving two children, Alva and Elsie; Charles
C., who died at the age of three years; John,
who died in infancy; Harriet Belle, the wife of
Oliver Votaw, a farmer of Cedar township, by
whom she has one child, Vesta; and Frank F.,
who lives with his father but is now in South
Dakota. The parents are consistent and faithful
members of the Methodist Episcopal church,
in which Mr. Moore has been a trustee and
steward for thirty-five years. His political
views are in accord with republican principles
and he has served as township clerk and trustee,
while at the present writing, in 1906, he is
serving for the second year as supervisor. He has
also been a member of the township board of
elections for twenty years. In 1873, under
President Grant's administration, he was
appointed postmaster of Cedar and held the office
for one term. During President Arthur's
administration he was reappointed and served
for another term. Mr. Moore is preeminently
a busy man, watchful of opportunities and in
his utilization of the advantages which have
come to him he has persistently and energetically worked his way upward, his business
career being at all times as commendable as it
is successful.
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from Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa by Manoah Hedge
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1906
Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa
Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy
Iowa Genealogy
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