Enoch Moore (April 16, 1779– August 1841), son of
Samuel Moore U.E. and Rachel Stone, married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of James Smith and Hannah Hawksworth, on March 30, 1803, in Old Holy Trinity Church, Lower Middleton,
Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province located on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.
History
Established August 17, 1759, by Order in Council, Annapoli ...
. Elizabeth was born on April 18, 1784, in
Wilmot Township, NS, died on March 3, 1871, and was buried in New Milford Cemetery,
Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 285,350 making it the seventh most populous county in Illinois behind Cook County and its five surrounding collar counties. ...
. Enoch was a direct descendant of one of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
's early colonial officials,
Samuel Moore.
Enoch's political alignment seemed to swing from one extreme to the other throughout his lifetime. He was born in a
Loyalist refugee camp in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and was evacuated with his
Quaker family, about 1784, to the
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. Stat ...
, Nova Scotia where his father,
Samuel Moore, became a leader in the Quaker community. He moved to
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...
about 1811, where he served as a dispatch rider in the Canadian militia during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
against the Americans. His commanding officer was Col.
Joseph Ryerson. By 1830, Enoch Moore had gained the respectable status of school trustee. One of the teachers in his employ was
Egerton Ryerson son of Col. Joseph Ryerson, who became the founder of the public school system in Ontario. Enoch's first son, James Moore, is buried beside Col. Joseph Ryerson in the Methodist cemetery in
Woodhouse Township, Norfolk County, Ontario.
Even though he was raised in a Loyalist and Quaker home, Enoch was elected Captain of the rebels at
Malahide, Ontario
Malahide (Canada 2016 Census population 9,292) is a municipal township in Elgin County in southwestern Ontario, Canada.
History
Malahide Township was named for Malahide Castle in Malahide, Ireland, birthplace of land grant administrator Colon ...
, during the
Rebellions of 1837
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
. Enoch and his brothers comprised one of the most active Loyalist families to join the rebels. Court records show that Enoch was arrested and jailed in London on Dec. 21, 1837, convicted of
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
,
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, then
reprieved on May 19, 1838. Hundreds of his neighbours signed the petition for clemency in the case of Enoch, his brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, and neighbour Harvey Bryant. His sentence was first commuted to
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
to a
penal colony
A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...
on
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...
(
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
) for life, and then relaxed to 14 years of
penal servitude but he was eventually
pardoned and released on a
peace bond
In Canadian law, a peace bond is an order from a criminal court that requires a person to keep the peace and be on good behaviour for a period of time. This essentially means that the person who signs a peace bond must not be charged with any ...
[Read, C., p.152] on Oct. 5, 1838. His brother,
Elias Moore
Elias Moore (March 1, 1776 – October 13, 1847) was a Loyalist politician in Upper Canada. Born into a Quaker family in New Jersey just after the American Revolution began, he and his family eventually emigrated to Upper Canada. He later b ...
, was released after a short stay in jail because the key witness absconded. Elias then returned to his seat in the
13th Parliament of Upper Canada
The 13th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 November 1836. Elections in Upper Canada had been held 20 June 1836. All sessions were held at Toronto.
The House of Assembly had five sessions 8 November 1836 to 10 February 1840. Archives of O ...
.
Around this same time, Enoch's younger brother,
Lindley Murray Moore
Lindley Murray Moore (May 31, 1788 in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada – August 14, 1871, in Rochester, New York, US) was a Canadian-American abolitionist, and educator.
Early life
Born into a Quaker family that had been forced to flee ...
was founding an Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, N.Y..
Enoch and his wife and nine of their 11 children
immigrated to the United States
Immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. In absolute numbers, the United States has a larger immigrant population than any other country in the world, ...
in July 1840, settling in
Ogle County, Illinois
Ogle County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 53,497. Its county seat is Oregon, and its largest city is Rochelle. Ogle County comprises Rochelle, ...
. Moore died the next year in
Rockford.
His brother, John Moore, built a fine home in
Sparta, Ontario, that is still standing, now known as the
John Moore House.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Enoch
People from Ogle County, Illinois
1779 births
1841 deaths
Canadian Quakers
American Quakers
Pre-Confederation Canadian emigrants to the United States
United Empire Loyalists
People convicted of treason against the United Kingdom
Upper Canada Rebellion people
Convicts transported to Australia
Recipients of British royal pardons
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Canadian prisoners sentenced to death