Jeff Moore (pioneer)
Encyclopedia
Jeff Moore was an American pioneer
and founder of the town of Russell, Ky
. While his pioneering was relatively late in the settlement of the Ohio River Valley
area his life exploits make him a memorable if not particularly well known character in the history of the region.
farm lands. Known to have been a lifelong illiterate Moore claimed to have heard "wild tales" about the lands to the west he bought a Kentucky Long Rifle
and left for what he called his "adventures" sometime in the late 1790's.
where he claimed to have killed "at least Three Hundred Red-Skins" later retorting "and I counted women as a half, kids only a third and hell-babies was just sport.". Moore decided to settle down. Finding the Northern Kentucky area to his liking he tried various towns and over a period of five years was run out of nearly fifteen communities over incidents attributed to his hard drinking
and extreme, even for the time, Racism
.
In early 1823 while traveling through the area that is now Russell, Moore decided upon seeing the area's unique hilly features, that a town built here could be easily fortified and defended against what was his near constant and lifelong fear; "Injun Attack".
Over the next few months Moore built a large cabin on the highest hill in the area and declared this to be the center of his new town which he subsequently christened Russell-to honor a man he once mistakenly killed in a dispute over "Shine"
. After these preparations Moore returned East and gathered what family he could find to return with him and convinced all others possible to join through what was referred to later as a series of "lies, subterfuge and just plain untruths" about his new community.
Moore eventually returned to his new community in late Spring of 1824 with a group of nearly seventy settlers who with their hard work built Russell into the thriving community it is today. Moore remained in Russell for the rest of his life where he became a valued member of and leader to the town he founded.
and near coma
tose state resulting from a severe head injury received September 17. The most widely accepted explanation of his receiving this injury comes from The Annals of Northern Kentucky 1800-1850: A Concise Yet Incomplete History
The Annals go onto report that Ms. Harper immediately summoned the town doctor who discovering the victim's identity did all he could to "remedy" the town founder. Eventually the other man was found and identified from his injured arm, he was revealed to be one Thomas Lorry a cousin
of Moore and the identity of the woman in dispute was reported as fourteen year old Virginia Godfrey a cousin to both.
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
and founder of the town of Russell, Ky
Russell, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,645 people, 1,428 households, and 1,106 families residing in the city. The population density was 910.5 people per square mile . There were 1,584 housing units at an average density of 395.7 per square mile...
. While his pioneering was relatively late in the settlement of the Ohio River Valley
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
area his life exploits make him a memorable if not particularly well known character in the history of the region.
Youth and early life
Aside from his birthdate of March 22, 1780 little else is known for fact about his birth and early life. He probably grew up somewhere in the central PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
farm lands. Known to have been a lifelong illiterate Moore claimed to have heard "wild tales" about the lands to the west he bought a Kentucky Long Rifle
Long rifle
The American longrifle , better known as the Kentucky rifle was described best by Captain John G. W. Dillin in the dedication to his seminal 1924 book, The Kentucky Rifle:...
and left for what he called his "adventures" sometime in the late 1790's.
Founding of Russell
After fighting for over a decade in the still ongoing Indian WarsIndian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
where he claimed to have killed "at least Three Hundred Red-Skins" later retorting "and I counted women as a half, kids only a third and hell-babies was just sport.". Moore decided to settle down. Finding the Northern Kentucky area to his liking he tried various towns and over a period of five years was run out of nearly fifteen communities over incidents attributed to his hard drinking
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and extreme, even for the time, Racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
.
In early 1823 while traveling through the area that is now Russell, Moore decided upon seeing the area's unique hilly features, that a town built here could be easily fortified and defended against what was his near constant and lifelong fear; "Injun Attack".
Over the next few months Moore built a large cabin on the highest hill in the area and declared this to be the center of his new town which he subsequently christened Russell-to honor a man he once mistakenly killed in a dispute over "Shine"
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
. After these preparations Moore returned East and gathered what family he could find to return with him and convinced all others possible to join through what was referred to later as a series of "lies, subterfuge and just plain untruths" about his new community.
Moore eventually returned to his new community in late Spring of 1824 with a group of nearly seventy settlers who with their hard work built Russell into the thriving community it is today. Moore remained in Russell for the rest of his life where he became a valued member of and leader to the town he founded.
Death
Moore died September 22, 1835 after spending five days drifting between a deliriousDelirium
Delirium or acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior...
and near coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose state resulting from a severe head injury received September 17. The most widely accepted explanation of his receiving this injury comes from The Annals of Northern Kentucky 1800-1850: A Concise Yet Incomplete History
Concerning the events that lead to the death of Russell town founder Jeff Moore local resident Biddy Harper reported the following that on or around the midnite hour of September 17th she was awakened by what she described as "A ruckus a-coming from around the back of the house" upon going to investigate she reported seeing the following scene "I first saw two men I didn't recognize yelling and carrying on with each other who I surmised from the slur of their speech and seeming little control of their movement were heavily intoxicated. I tried to yell some sense into the two but they were too heavily into the drink to notice me. I gathered from what little speech I could make out the two were fighting over a woman they both wanted to marry. Eventually one man knocked the other to the ground, then he pulled a knife and slashed the man rather deep on the arm yelling "She's mine and don't you forget" then turned to leave seeming satisfied with himself. The other man with his still good arm grabbed a loose fence post and ran up on the other beating him rather severely about the head and then running off into the night"
The Annals go onto report that Ms. Harper immediately summoned the town doctor who discovering the victim's identity did all he could to "remedy" the town founder. Eventually the other man was found and identified from his injured arm, he was revealed to be one Thomas Lorry a cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of Moore and the identity of the woman in dispute was reported as fourteen year old Virginia Godfrey a cousin to both.