The Moore family was a prominent political family of North and South Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are believed to be related to or descended from Roger O'Moore

Rory (Roger) O'Moore

Rory O'Moore or Roger O'Moore , was an Irish noble and principal organizer of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.-Life:He belonged to an ancient Irish noble family claiming descent from the mythical Conall Cernach...

, a leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641

Irish Rebellion of 1641

The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...

. The family is most closely associated with the Cape Fear

Cape Fear (region)

Cape Fear is a coastal plain and tidewater region of North Carolina centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the Cape Fear River which flows through the region and empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the cape...

 coastal region around Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina

Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

. Several members of the family held prominent political positions in colonial North and South Carolina, were officers in the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, or held high positions in the United States federal government during the early years of the republic.

Governor James Moore

Governor James Moore was the patriarch of the family. He served as the governor of the Province of Carolina

Province of Carolina

The Province of Carolina, originally chartered in 1629, was an English and later British colony of North America. Because the original Heath charter was unrealized and was ruled invalid, a new charter was issued to a group of eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors, in 1663...

 from 1700-1703. He had two prominent sons, James and Maurice.

James Moore II

James Moore II was a colonel in the colonial militia who served in the Yamassee War and would be a governor of the Province of South Carolina

Province of South Carolina

The South Carolina Colony, or Province of South Carolina, was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina....

 after North and South Carolina split. He served in that position 1719-1721.

Maurice Moore

Maurice had been a speaker of the North Carolina legislature. As speaker the Maurice Moore had championed settlement of the Cape Fear region under Governor George Burrington

George Burrington

George Burrington was the governor of the Province of North Carolina, from January 1724 to April 1725, and again from February 1731 to 1734....

 and led frequent conflicts with Burrington's successor, Richard Everard

Sir Richard Everard, 4th Baronet

Sir Richard Everard, 4th Baronet was the last Governor of North Carolina under proprietary rule, serving in that capacity from 1725 to 1731....

. Maurice had two sons, named James and Maurice.

Maurice Moore II

Maurice Moore II had been appointed as a Judge, but when the younger Maurice became a vocal opponent of the Stamp Act

Stamp Act

A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...

, he was removed from the bench by Governor William Tryon

William Tryon

William Tryon was a British soldier and colonial administrator who served as governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York .-Early life and career:...

. Both he and his brother James served in the colonial legislature. He had at least one son, Alfred.

General James Moore

General James Moore served in the Continental Army, first as a colonel, and later, after he distinguished himself leading the troops at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, as a Brigadier General and commander of the Southern Department

Departments of the Continental Army

In the American Revolutionary War units of the Continental Army were assigned to any one of seven regional or territorial departments to decentralize their command and administration. This was necessary because the regiment was the largest permanent unit in the Continental Army...

, a position he would only hold for a few months before his sudden death in April, 1777.

Alfred Moore

Alfred Moore would serve as an officer in the Continental Army, and later as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Other people related to the Moore family

• General Robert Howe
  Robert Howe (soldier)
  Robert Howe was a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:His great-grandfather was James Moore, colonial governor of South Carolina...
  
  was a Major General in the Continental Army and was a great-grandson of Governor James Moore.