Moore Family Reunion
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Norwich, Ontario, Canada
Who was Samuel Moore b.1742?
Samuel Moore was a Quaker who lived in New Jersey at the time of the American Revolution. He was imprisoned more than once for not taking part with the rebels and in June of 1777 he left his estate and went with the British army to New York. In August, the American government ordered his family out of the house, putting his wife and children on a wagon and sending them to the British lines at Amboy. His entire stock and all his possessions were sold by the government of the United States at a public sale and, a year later, his farm was sold.
He remained on Long Island under the protection of the British with many other Loyalists who were in similar circumstances. Two of his children were born there. Eventually, he was compensated partially for his losses by the Crown and, in 1783, Samuel moved with his family to Annapolis County, Nova Scotia and began to accumulate land there. By 1809, 26 years later and at the age of 67, he started to sell his properties in Nova Scotia and began to buy land in Upper Canada (Ontario). Some of his children soon moved there.
He made many extended trips to New Jersey during this period and, in 1813, his wife Elizabeth died there. He moved permanently to Norwich, Upper Canada with many of his children living nearby in Elgin County and Norfolk County and owned 2000 acres in the area until his death in 1822. He was buried in the Norwich Pioneer Cemetery, the Quaker burial ground, and it has been said that he may have been the first to be interred there.
His children's families remained in the vicinity, some becoming leaders in their communities and getting involved in the politics of the day. The Rebellion of 1837, led by the Reformers, who included many of Samuel's sons and grandsons, changed the nature of politics and the social order of Upper Canada and affected the lives of many of Samuel's descendants. Later, The families spread out, many returning to the United States.
In recent years, descendants of Samuel Moore have been reconnecting the various lines of the family through genealogical research and the Moore Family Reunions organized by Donna Moore of London, Ontario. We hope to continue to share the many stories of Samuel and his descendants and discover more as we increase the number of connections with our Moore family across North America.