Samuel Anderson Moore
Samuel Anderson Moore, commander of Post No. 531, Grand Army of the Republic, at Ostrander, is one of Concord Township's representative citizens. He was born in Harmony Township, Morrow County, Ohio, February 16, 1844, and is a son of Samuel and Priscena (Thompson) Moore.
The Moore family is of Scotch-Irish descent and there is reason to believe, from the family history and other evidence, that one of its earlier members was the great Irish poet, Thomas Moore. Samuel Moore was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and was four years old when he accompanied his parents, William and Amelia Moore to Ohio. They settled in Athens County, from which section they later moved to the eastern part of Delaware County, locating in Peru Township. Still later they removed to Hancock County, where they died. The Thompson family, to which Mr. Moore belongs on the maternal side, is of German extraction and the maternal grandfather, John Thompson, married a lady of Welsh extraction. He was born in 1782 and died in 1866, coming to Athens County. Ohio, in 1808. The Moores and the Thompsons, as families, had much to do with expelling the Indians from along the Scioto River and the Maumee Valley.
Samuel Moore, father of Samuel Anderson, was born in 1813 and died in 1886. he married Priscena Thompson, who was born in 1812 and died in 1896, aged eighty-four years. They had nine children, as follows: Martha A., who married William H. Cox, residing at Delaware; William N., who married Elizabeth Rowland, was a member of Company A, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War, died in Henry County, Ohio; John T., who was a member of Company E, Sixty-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, died in prison July 30, 1862, at Lynchburg, Virginia; Samuel A., whose name begins this sketch; Rebecca P., deceased, who was the wife of Austin Mayfield; Joseph Vinton, who met an accidental death by scalding when four years of age; Amelia Ellen, who died aged nine years from diptheria; Henry Monroe, residing at Delaware, who married Lucy Williams; and one child died in infancy.
Samuel Anderson Moore obtained his education in the district schools and was trained to agriculture on his father's land. He has owned many farms, all of which he has improved before disposing of them, and has resided in various sections. When he started out for himself he settled for one year in Radnor Township and then went to Iowa, where he "prospected" for a time and then purchased a farm. When he returned to Ohio he bought a farm of 103 acres in Scioto Township, Delaware County, and in Leesburg Township, Union County, residing there for 18 months. After disposing of that farm he returned for a year to Radnor Township and then moved to Henry County, Ohio, where he lived nine months, acquiring 220 acres in that county. He again returned to Radnor Township and bought a farm on which he lived for five years, from which place he moved to a farm of 154 acres which was situated north of Bellpoint, and there he resided for 17 years. After selling the farm mentioned, he bought 170 acres in Berlin Township which he kept for two years when he traded it for 16 town lots at Monon, Indiana, and bought 160 acres in White County, Indiana, 68 acres in Cass County, 480 acres in Hodgeman and Finney Counties, Kansas and a square at Lyons, Kansas. Still later, Mr. Moore bought 100 acres south of Bellpoint, Delaware County, which he kept for two years. After selling that property, he bought 800 acres in Phelps County, Missouri. At a later date he sold his Indiana land and town lots receiving in exchange 203 acres in Pike County, Ohio, later trading the Pike County farm for a fruit farm in Ross County, Ohio. Mr. Moore is too good a judge of property to ever fail in making an advantageous deal. He also owns 80 acres in Arkansas. In 1887, he purchased 146 acres in Hocking County and subsequently traded his fruit farm for 156 acres in Union County, which he sold in 1902, investing in 47½ acres on the Plain City Road, in Concord Township, Delaware County, and also bought 36½ acres of the Cutter farm in this vicinity. In the spring of 1907 he bought an adjoining 37½ acres.
In the fall of 1895 he bought three lots and a residence, taking possession of them in the spring of 1896, and retaining a part of that land until the spring of 1904. At that time he also purchased his present residence with twelve acres attached, and has since made many substantial improvements here. Mr. Moore has always left every place he ever owned in better condition than he found it, taking pleasure in improving his property and naturally adding greatly to its selling value. He still retains 80 acres in Concord Township and 640 acres in Missouri, together with his valuable residence property and a stone quarry.
Mr. Moore was married March 27. 1869, to Agnes Rider, who was born in Ritchie County, Virginia, and who is a daughter of James and Julia (Betts) Rider, who came from Virginia and settled in Kingston Township, Delaware County. They had the following children born to them: Thomas Preston, born March 1, 1870, married Edith Hutchisson, and they reside at Bellpoint and have three children—Frank, Lottie and Raymond; Homer O., township treasurer, born August 18, 1871, married Alice Healey. a daughter of Ervin J. Healey, and they have two children—George and Harold; Charles Monroe, born March 10, 1873, is a farmer, married Minnie E. Jones, daughter of John and Elizabeth Jones and they have two children—Geneva and Clarendon; Myrtle May and Eugene Clay, twins, were born June 3, 1875, the former of whom married Daniel Smart and has two children—Russell and Clifford, and the latter married Sadie Orella Phillian and has one child, Stanley Elwood; and Edna May, who married Nelson Blinn, and has two children—Nellie and Mildred.
During the early part of the Civil War, Mr. Moore made five attempts to enter the army but always met with refusal, but on May 2, 1864, he was sworn in as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Infantry, and accompanied the command to Arlington Heights for the defense of the city of Washington. As long as the danger of invasion was imminent, the troops were kept at Washington, after which they returned to Camp Chase and Mr. Moore was honorably discharged August 24, 1864. At two different times he offered his services after his discharge but was rejected. He has been actively identified with the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic and is the capable commander of Posl No. 531 at Ostrander. On several occasions he has attended the State encampments, and has also visited the general encampments more than that number of times, going as far as San Francisco. In 1905 he attended the State encampment at Dayton.
Mr. Moore is a stanch Republican and has been a prominent factor in county politics for many years. For six years he served in the office of infirmary director and during that time, according to the records, he made many collections. When he was sworn in the institution was $29,000 in debt, and at the end of his administration the debt was not only discharged but there was $3,000 in the treasury.
Mr. Samuel A. Moore is a Republican in politics and believes in the honest administration of government. He is opposed to rings and to graft in any form and is in favor of cleansing the party whenever corrupt persons get into office, instead of going over to the enemy. He discovered and exposed the great bounty frauds. He believes in the practice of temperance and has never used intoxicating liquors or tobacco in his life. He honors the "Boys in Blue" of 1861-65 and believes our Government and Flag the best and grandest of any now existing. Such is Mr. Moore's moral and political creed, and in the most important respects there will be few to differ from him.
20th Century History of Delaware County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Edited and compiled by James R. Lytle, Delaware, Ohio, Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, 1908