Portsmouth, O., April 4^th., 1896

My dear Cousin:

The farthest back that I have been able to trace the Moore family to a certainty is on the Deleware, below Haston a few miles but presume that family are the descendents of the Rev John Moore of Long Island. They located near Hagerstown Md., do not know how long they re-mained there but they moved from there to Fayette county Penn., where my father was born Feb., 9^th. In 1797 they came to the mouth of the Scioto river to a small village called Alexandria where I was born Oct., 8^th 1815 My grandfather Philip Moore and his wife Nelly Evans came with their family of 6 sons and 5 daughters. The sons were Joseph, Philip, Evan, John, Daniel and Amos, the daughters Sarah, Elizabeth, Rachel, Nelly and Cassandria. Our grandfather Philip had 3 sons, John, Philip and my father Levi, named after his mother’s brother Levi Lewis, and one daughter, Eleanor, wife of Charles Waddle, a methodist preacher. She died at Lebanon, St Clare Co., Ill Oct., 27^th 1855 was born Jan 1^st 1790. Our grandmother Jemima Moore was a Lewis and married a man by the name of Roby, who came down into Kentucky and was killed by the indians. She and grandfather were married near Hagerstown Dec., 10^th ., 1782. Grandmother Jemima had one son by her first husband, Roby, his name was William. He was born Nov., 15^th., 1777 and died in Texas July 21^st ., 1876. My father died April 27^th 1865. Our mother Amanda Gunn, daughter of Samuel Gunn and Joanna Gunn, was born in Waterbury Conn., July 20^th., 1793 and came with the family to this country in 1805, was married 1814, raised a family of 4 sons and 3 daughters and died Oct., 18^th 1888 aged 93 years 2 months and 19 days. Her sons were William born Oct., 8^th., 1815, Milton, born April 7^th., 1819 and died Sept., 25 1833 at Yazoo City Miss. His wife Hannah Waller died some month before leaving one son, William, who died in infancy. Maria, was born June 20^th., 1822, died March 18^th 1894 was the widow of Solomon McCall who died some years ago, they had no children. Enos B. was born Dec., 27^th., 1822 was twice married and has two daughters by his first wife, Francis, who married C.A. Geiger now of Troy, O. Mary M still at home and by his second wife he has two daughters and two sons, Ralph, Lucy, Edith and William, all at home, Lora born Sept., 27^th., 1826 died Jan 26^th 1844, not married. Samuel G. born May 10^th., 1828 who was married to Mary Bradford Sept., 16^th., 1868 and has four children living, Raphael, Arthur, Samuel and Ada, two sons William and Milton died in infancy and one daughter Beatrice who was married to Albert Hales of this city, died some 18 months or two years ago leaving an infant son of some two months and a daughter about 2 years, the infant son followed his mother in a few months. Mary Ellen was born May 2^nd., 1837 and died Sept., 29^th 1862 was never married. I was married Aug., 11^th., 1847 to Elizabeth Francis Smith of Alexandria, we had five daughters and two sons, the youngest daughter died in 1864 aged 2 years and 2 months. Louisianna M., the eldest was married to Jas Ricker of this city, Nov., 3^rd., 1870 and has five children all living, Mary E., at home unmarried, Virginia, married to ??? now of Zanesville, O., who has 8 children living and one, a son died in infancy, Elizabeth Florence, was married to Richard W Peebles now of Haley, O., and has 6 children living, one a son, died in infancy. John Milton was married to Mary Warner of Kirkwood Mo., and they have two children. Enos L was married to Helen Robinson of Newton, Mass., had one daughter who died in infancy, their home is now in Grand River Ky. This is about all I have to offer in the way of family records. Thanking you again for your letter.

Very truly yours,

William [signature]