My Moore Family in America - Part 9
The Philip Moore Family Moves to Ohio
In December 1996, I did something very uncharacteristic for me. I took a chance. I packed up my clothes, computer, television, and other personal things, and moved from South Texas to New York City. I had never visited, I didn’t have a job lined up, although I did have a temporary place to stay. I was excited. And I was terrified. But my move across the country pales compared to the obstacles that faced my 6th great-grandfather, Philip Moore, and his family members in the late 1700s when they left New Jersey and Pennsylvania to move to the then-frontier in Ohio.
Gathering the Family
America was in a narrow window of calm between the Revolutionary War and the beginning of the Indian Wars in 1789. The new government was paying former soldiers and encouraging settlement in what was then called the “Northwest Territory,” the area that is now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.
When we left the Philip Moore family, they were at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, gathering the extended family to continue their journey to Ohio. Philip’s wife, Eleanor “Nelly” Evans, and some of their children had spent the war years in the relative safety of her family home in Hagerstown, Maryland. Philip Moore, Jr. and his wife, Jemina Lewis Robey, had been living in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, which would have been on the most likely route between Harrisburg and Southern Ohio. It can be inferred that they would have joined the family at that point. Likewise, Jemina’s son from her first marriage, William Robey, left his home in Maryland and joined the Moores on the trek to Ohio.1
The Route
I haven’t found anything documenting the exact route the extended Moore family would have taken from Harrisburg to Scioto County, Ohio. But, taking into account the terrain, number of people, provisions, and possibly livestock that would be making the trip, we can make a few assumptions.
The map below shows a likely route the settlers could have taken. The Moores and Robeys met up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to begin the trip. This was the easiest part of the journey, on well-travelled roads with inns and taverns along the way. From Harrisburg, the trip became more difficult. The Forbes Road had been built by the British in the mid-1700s to allow for the movement of troops among various forts in the state. It probably presented the easiest way for the group to move through the Allegheny Mountains.2
They probably split off from Forbes Road somewhere South of Pittsburgh to make their way to Wheeling (now West Virginia), where they likely bought or built rafts or flatboats to make the dangerous journey down the Ohio River to their final destination. These boats floated with the river current and could be dismantled at the end of the trip to provide lumber for building their new homes.3
Every mile of the journey was fraught with danger and difficulty. While some of the men had fought in the Revolutionary War and were accustomed to long marches over rough terrain, the women and children certainly were not. The trip across Pennsylvania and a large part of Ohio probably took over two months. In addition to household goods and clothing, the families had to stock adequate food and water for all the travellers and for the livestock they brought with them. Once the settlers passed Fort Pitt, they were largely on their own. Native American tribes still claimed significant portions of Ohio and had been known to attack convoys of settlers. This was not a trip for the faint of heart.
Home in Ohio
We can’t be certain exactly when Philip Moore and family arrived at Portsmouth, Ohio. The earliest record I’ve found to date is an appointment for Philip Moore to serve as a Captain of the Adams County Militia.4 The high rank is probably in recognition of his military service during the Revolutionary War.
Settlers arriving in Ohio during the 1790s faced the monumental task of carving out homesteads from largely untamed wilderness. Their process typically began with selecting and claiming land, often through government land offices or by squatting on unclaimed territory, though formal surveying and sales were still being organized under the Land Ordinance of 1785.
The first priority was clearing land for cultivation and building. Settlers would identify areas with good soil, access to water sources like streams or rivers, and some natural shelter. They'd begin by felling trees, which served the dual purpose of clearing fields and providing building materials. The logs were used to construct simple one-room cabins with chinking (mud, moss, or clay) between the logs for insulation.
Food security required immediate attention. Settlers planted crops like corn, wheat, and vegetables, often intercropping corn with beans and squash using Native American techniques. They supplemented their diet through hunting deer, turkey, and other game, fishing, and gathering wild foods like berries, nuts, and maple syrup. Many brought livestock such as pigs, cattle, and chickens when possible.
We have a record from October 1802 showing Philip Moore purchased livestock and household items from a James Norris.5 This would imply that the Moore homestead was somewhat complete. Philip was probably preparing the family to face the winter to come.
Philip Moore, Sr. lived long enough to see statehood for Ohio in 1803. At the same time, Scioto County was carved out of Adams County and Portsmouth officially became the county seat.
Philip Moore, Sr. died at Portsmouth, Ohio in 1810. He is buried at Larkin Cemetery in West Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. Eleanor “Nelly” Evans Moore died in 1812 and is buried next to Philip. The story of the Moore family in Ohio will continue with Philip Moore, Jr. and family in the next installment.
Knouf, Osee Johnson, Russell family history: record of the known descendants of John Russell, Sr., who was in Adams County, Ohio by March 1798, and his first wife, Frances</i>. La Grange, Ill.: La Grange, Ill. Chapter, D.A.R., 1968, imaged, Ancestry.com(https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/22918/images/dvm_GenMono005525-00106-0?ssrc=pt&treeid=203657777&personid=312665434137&usePUB=true&pId=104), p. 87.
“Forbes Road, 1758. Fort Bedford to Fort Duquesne Historical Marker,” ExplorePAhistory.com, (https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php%3FmarkerId=1-A-80.html), accessed 4 June 2025.
“The Ohio River-Pioneer Travel,” Ohio County, Kentucky History, (https://ohiocountykentuckyhistory.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-ohio-river-pioneer-travel.html), accessed 4 June 2025.
“Territorial Papers, Northwest Territory,” United States, History Records 1787-1803, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZF-TTR5?view=fullText&keywords=Philip%20Moore%2CNORTHWEST%20TERRITORY&lang=en&groupId=), accessed 8 June 2025, p. 529.
"Adams, Ohio, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKX-V21G?view=explore : Jun 8, 2025), image 151 of 512; . Image Group Number: 008151016
I am always astonished by how mobile people were -- how far they moved, and how frequently, in previous centuries. I am told that Americans are now much more sedentary. But you bucked the trend and moved in 1996. Are you living in NYC now?
It’s always amazing to think of the obstacles everyday folks faced when they settled in a new area. Ohio was a rich in both land and landscape, especially along the southern border. Having lived near that area for fifteen years, I can see why they stopped and settled. Great research and story.