James Moore

Moore
Samuel E. Died 1889
Malvina Died 1910
Sammie I. Died 1900
James Died 1867

James Moore Headstone

Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales

Biography

Because there is no birth date given, it is not immediately clear how this person is related to Sammie E. and Malvina Moore both of whom appear on the same tombstone with James Moore (died 1867). It could be that this is a young child that was born to them and died in 1867, possibly even at the time of the yellow fever epidemic of that year. Malvina does not indicate in the 1900 census that she has had any more than one child and that would presumably be Annie Moore Schwein. The early census records of Nueces County do report another James Moore who is also from the African-American community like Sammie and Malvina. This “James Moore†is found in the 1870 census with his wife Louisa (1870 census of Nueces County, page 151). He is 60 years old, and Louisa is 58. He is a carpenter from Georgia and is listed right before (Col.) John M. Moore of Georgia who was a slave owner prior to the Civil War and may have brought James to Corpus Christi about the same time that he brought Sammie and others to also settle here. Many of his slaves had been trained as skilled labor to work in his iron forge company and other enterprises in Alabama. They were also reportedly involved in an early attempt to dig a channel to improve the port of Corpus Christi just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. It may be that James Moore who is born about 1810 in Georgia is a relative(maybe a brother) of Sammie Moore (born about 1817 by one account) and that the James Moore who died in 1867 is named for this individual, possibly is even his son. Unfortunately those who were slaves prior to the Civil War do not appear by name in the census of 1860 where they were only counted, but not listed individually by name or in family units. It thus becomes more difficult to know to which family an individual belongs if they died prior to the first listing of the African-American community—in the 1870 census.

Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell