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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