Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Researcher

Dr. William J. Moore

Editors Note: Throughout this site you will see transcribed documents from the William J. Moore Collection held at the Special Archives Room at Eastern Kentucky University. Dr. Moore corresponded regularly with other Owsley County Native Genealogists such as James Bowman, but his collection is not widely known. His work is neatly organized in 9 boxes and has a wealth of actual documents and letters of families in Owsley County that he wrote to.

Dr. William J. Moore was associated with Eastern for fifty-two years, arriving on campus as a nineteen-year-old freshman in 1913. He joined the faculty as a professor of economics in 1928 and became dean in 1945. He retired in 1965, after which a classroom building was named in his honor.

William Julius Moore was born October 25, 1894, in Booneville, Kentucky. He was the son of the late Henry Wosley and Mary Jane Moore and was the eldest of thirteen children. He was married to Nazza Kilborn Moore, and they had two children, Mary Elizabeth Roberts and William Moore. He received a two-year diploma in education from Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College and earned his A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky. He also studied for two years at the UK Law School.

Moore served under former State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Fred Williams as director of the Bureau of Finance and as commissioner of revenue from 1944-1945 in the administration of Gov. Simeon Willis. He was a member of the Kentucky General Assembly in 1924 and chairman of the Kentucky State Tax Commission. His work in the state's educational development included chairing an advisory committee to the Council on Public Higher Education. He once served as chairman of the Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards.

His last work was on behalf of retired teachers. He served as founder and president of the Madison County Retired Teachers Association and on the State Legislative Commission on Retired Teachers. Moore, the author of numerous articles on economics and education was a teacher, principal, and superintendent in Kentucky schools for fourteen years before joining the faculty at Eastern. He was named a recipient of the Eastern Centennial Alumni Award in 1974.

He was a member of numerous professional and educational organizations, including the National, Kentucky, and Central Kentucky Education Associations, Kentucky Academy of Science, Kentucky Academy of Social Science, American Southern Economic Association, the National Tax Association, National Municipal League, American Society for Public Administration, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was a member of the honorary organizations of Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Omega Pi, Phi Delta Phi, and Phi Delta Kappa. He was a member of the Richmond Lions Club, Knights of Pythias, the Christian Church, and was district governor of Lions International in 1948.

Dr. Moore died on February 26, 1980, and was buried at the Richmond Cemetery.

INTRODUCTION TO THE WILLIAM J. MOORE COLLECTION

Several months after the death of Dr. William J. Moore in 1980 the University Archives acquired a collection of his papers from his widow, Nazza Kilborn Moore. A small collection of Dr. Moore's books also were given to the John Grant Crabbe Library at that time. Dean Moore, as he was affectionately called, had a long and close association with Richmond and Eastern Kentucky University. From his days as a student fresh from the mountains of a very rural and isolated Owsley County in 1913 to his death in 1980, Dr. Moore strongly advocated the need for education. In addition, Dean Moore was an avid genealogist. The William J. Moore papers reflect Dr. Moore's extensive research into the Moore, Brandenburg and related families. Historian/genealogist Mr. David Brandenberg of Atlanta, Georgia, provided invaluable advice in arranging portions of the Genealogical Series.

Unfortunately, almost no personal correspondence and no political correspondence was saved by Dr. Moore. There is however a dearth of photographs in the collection. Dean Moore's civic activities, especially with the Richmond Lions Club, are adequately documented. For Dr. Moore's career at Eastern Kentucky University one must consult Eastern's institutional records, especially the records of the President's office and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In March 1978 a series of interviews with Dr. Moore was conducted by Charles Hay for the Eastern institutional oral history program. These interviews shed some light on Moore's personal and political career.

Although the William J. Moore papers on a whole are somewhat disappointing, especially in providing information on Moore's activities in the Kentucky Republican Party, the collection nevertheless will prove fruitful to genealogists.

DESCRIPTION: These documents are contained in two boxes. The documents consist of death records, civil war documents, etc. The documents are arranged in alphabetical order by the individual's surname.

Inventory
 
Box 5

Bailey, Green & Elizabeth  1864-1911
Beatty, J.M.               1861-1916
Blackwell, Joseph          1861-1863
Bowman, Elihu              1864-1926
Bowman, Elijah             1795
Bowman, William            1861-1917
Brandenburgh, Abraham C.   1862-1896
Brandenburgh, Absalom      1815
Brandenburgh, Alexander    1779-1780
Brandenburgh, Ancil        1861-1913
Brandenburgh, Anne         1809
Brandenburgh, Anthony      1833
Brandenburgh, David        1836-1902
Brandenburgh, Elijah W.    1861-1896
Brandenburgh, Hardin       1861-1898
Brandenburgh, Henry        1861-1892
Brandenburgh, Jackson      1861-1899
Brandenburgh, Jacob        1793
Brandenburgh, James        1861-1915
Brandenburgh, Jeptha       1861
Brandenburgh, John         1835
Brandenburgh, John H.      1861-1924
Brandenburgh, Joseph       1844-1864
Brandenburgh, Matthias     1767-1789
Brandenburgh, Samuel       1839-1861
Brandenburgh, Samuel P.    1861-1941
Brandenburgh, Solomon      1861
Brandenburgh, Taylor       1861-1904
Brandenburgh, Thomas       1861-1878
Brandenburgh, William      1808-1832
Brandenburgh, William H.   1861-1863
Clark, Andrew H.           1861-1930
Clark, David W.            1863-1902
Clark, Henry J.            1861-1912
Cole, Jesse H.             1861-1904
Cole, John                 1861-1917
Collins, Levi              1810-1891
Cox, Elisha R.W.           1861-1916
Daniel, George W.          1847-1922
Daniel, John M.            1863-1898
Daniel, Thomas J.          1836-1975
Daughters of American Revolution  1740-1973
Death Certificates         1911-1941


Box 6

Eades, Joseph           1861
Flanery, Hampton        1861-1915
Franklin, Henry H.      1861-1926
Garrard, Theophilus T.  1861-1903
Geer, Thomas J.         1861-1920
Hamilton, John          1843-1915
Hamilton, Randolph S.   1861-1907
Hamilton, Wesley        1861-1901
Hogan, David            1861-1907
Holder, John            1780
Kilburn, Henderson      1863-1909
Kilburn, William        1861-1904
Lafarce, David K.       1848
May, Reuben             1902
McGuire, Felix G.       1861-1865
McGuire, Jonathon       1861-1891
McGuire, Thomas J.      1861-1907
Moore, James            1813
Moore, Hiram            1861-1898
Moore, James F.         1855-1883
Moore, Joseph P.        1868-1930
Moore, Nathan L.        1862
Moore, Preston          1861-1901
Moore, Timothy          1973
Moore, William          1845-1901
Newsclipping-Obituaries
Partridge, Lelia E.     1915
Smallwood, William J.   1852-1902
Smith, Algin            1862-1864
Smith, Asa (Kentucky)   1861-1918
Smith, Asa (Missouri)   1863-1920
Smith, Henry            1847-1903
Smith, Huston           1863-1899
Smith, Milton H.        1863-1922
Smith, Richard          1861-1864
Stewart, Andrew J.      1861-1904
Stewart, John           1871-1932
Stewart, Silas          1861-1900
Strong, William         1861-1919
Treadway, Elisha B.     1847-1895
Wilson, Alfred C.       1864-1909
Wilson, Thomas H.       1861-1869
Wolgamot, Joseph        1774-1802
Woodard, James          1836-1919

MOORE GENEALOGY SUBSERIES

DESCRIPTION: The Moore Genealogy subseries is contained in one box. The subseries consists of materials William J. Moore used to do genealogy research on the Moore family line.

Inventory

Box 7

Census Records
Marriage Records
Moore Manuscripts
Names and Information
Research Notes
Wills