My Moore Family in America - Part 7
Thomas Moore of Maidenhead, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
At the time of his father’s death, Thomas Moore (1704-1793) was the only sibling of age. He, along with his mother, received the largest share of Gershom’s estate. The younger children received small cash bequests. It’s assumed they were beneficiaries of their mother’s will when she passed.
As the eldest male in the family, Thomas would have been under some pressure to marry soon and start a family. He did marry Esther Philips soon after his father’s death. We don’t have a record of their wedding, but based on the birth of their first child, Gershom, in 1725, it can be inferred that they likely married in 1724.
I have not been able to find good sourcing for a birth or death date for Esther. Many online trees confuse her with Esther Moore Hayden, providing a date of death of 2 November 1747. We know this is incorrect because she served as an executor of Gershom’s will.
In addition to Gershom, Thomas and Esther welcomed four other children into the world: Philip in 1726, Mersey in 1728, Elizabeth in 1730, and John in 1732.
It appears that Thomas built upon his inheritance. His will refers to a “negro girl” as part of Esther’s bequest. This, and his reference to his farm as a “plantation,” would seem to imply that it was a large agricultural estate that probably had various outbuildings in addition to the family’s home. It seems clear that his family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.
Thomas prepared his will on 27 December 1781. It was not presented for probate until 28 March 1793, indicating that his death would have occurred in the days or weeks prior. The bequests in his will were:
To his wife, Esther, an unnamed negro girl during her widowhood; afterward she would pass to Philip, John, Elizabeth, and Mersey Moore, each holding an equal share.
To his son, Gershom, £10. (Gershom had married and moved to Burlington County, New Jersey, by this time, so he did not share in the property in Maidenhead.)
To his sons, Philip and John, the plantation and movable estate. Philip received 2 shares to John’s one.
Executors were to be Esther, Philip, and John Moore. The will was witnessed by Nathan Moore, Philip Roberts, and Benjamin Slack.1
Hutchinson, Elmer T., editor, Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey, First Series — Vol. XXXVII, “Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, Etc., Volume VIII—1791-1795, (Jersey City, New Jersey: Scott Printing Company for The New Jersey Historical Society: 1942). Imaged by Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/203657777/person/312665434139/facts).