John Taylor More was an American politician in the Catskill region of the state of New York. He served in several political capacities in the Township of Roxbury, NY and in the State of New York.

Early life

John Taylor More was born on February 27, 1771, in

Rothiemurchus Rothiemurchus Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest at near Aviemore, Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is in the Highland region. The forest is popular for recreation and contains important independent wildlife, including the osprey, Scotti ...

, Inverness Shire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

to John More and Betty Taylor More. When still young his family, consisting of him, his parents, and his brother Robert, moved to the United States. They first settled near

Hobart, New York Hobart is a village in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census. The village is in the town of Stamford and is on New York Route 10 in the northeastern part of the county. History The village of Hobar ...

, but were driven back out by the Native Americans. They resided in

Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...

, for several years. Several years later the family had grown by a considerable amount and they decided to try to resettle their claim in Harpersfield in 1786. They ended up trading claims with another man and gained claim to what is now

Grand Gorge, New York Grand Gorge is a hamlet in the town of Roxbury, Delaware County, New York, United States. Grand Gorge has a post office with the ZIP code 12434. It was the location of the Grand Gorge Railroad Station before the railroad station was torn down. ...

. After settling their claim, More's father attracted more settlers to the area and within several years the town of Moresville, named after the family and now known as Grand Gorge, was well underway.

Political career

In 1807, More he was elected as a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. He was reelected to the assembly in 1808, 1810, and in 1814. In 1819, he was nominated to, and ran for a position in the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

. He was elected and served in that capacity for four years. More was not only involved in state politics, he also took an interest in matters closer to home. He was elected to the position of Town Supervisor of the Township of Roxbury (which Moresville lies within) in 1826, 1827, and in 1830. He was the first town clerk, occupying the post until 1809. He was also the postmaster for Moresville for twenty years following the death of his father.

Personal life

After his family had settled the Moresville claim, More began courting Eleanor Laraway of Schohariekill (now

Prattsville, NY Prattsville is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The town is in the northwestern part of the county. As of the 2020 census, the population was 774. History The area of the town was first settled around 1763, and the region w ...

). They were married on December 16, 1792, and had a total of twelve children, two of which died while in infancy. More raised his family in Moresville where he operated a hotel and a large farm adjacent to it. More was also very active in the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Church in the town of Moresville (within the township of Roxbury, NY).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:More, John T. 1771 births 1857 deaths Catskills Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) state senators New York (state) Whigs 19th-century American legislators New York (state) postmasters People from Roxbury, New York Scottish emigrants to the United States