Ancestors

Rebecca Moore

Rebecca Moore was born on 22 September 1773, by her gravestone. Her birthplace is given as Woodbridge, in Middlesex County, New Jersey. She married Peter Latourette, a blacksmith born in New York, and spent her last thirty six years on the farms the family cleared in Lebanon Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. She died there on 8 October 1858.

She was probably a daughter of Jonathan Moores, a Woodbridge carpenter. His will, made on 20 February 1800 when he was "advanced in age," names five daughters and no wife. The two eldest are named with their husbands: "Experience (wife of William Inslee)" and "Sarah (wife of Isaac Tappen)." The other three come last, with no husbands: "Daughters, Rebecca, Delivrence and Isabel, each 1/5 part." In February 1800 Rebecca was single and her father was a widower.

The tie to the Latourettes runs through her sister. Deliverance married Morris Read. On 1 June 1802 "Morris Read and Deliverence his wife" sold a house and lot in Woodbridge to "Peter Latorrette of the City and County of New York" for $325, and Deliverance signed the deed "Deley Reed." Two years later Rebecca and Peter named their daughter Delia. No document states outright that Rebecca Latourette was the daughter of Jonathan Moores. The distribution of his estate, which would pay her fifth to her husband, is the record that would say it.

She married Peter after February 1800 and before about May 1801, since their eldest son, Jacob, was born on 18 February 1802. Where they married is not known. Jacob was born in Richmond County, New York, which is Staten Island, Peter's home.

The house they bought in 1802 stood on the south side of the Stage Road. It was one acre, bounded by William Heard on the east and Cornelius Schermerhorn on the south and west. In July 1802 Peter bought 11 acres on the road to Metuchen from Ichabod Potter, the man who had witnessed her father's will and taken his inventory. In March 1805 Peter mortgaged the 11 acres to Jacob Mercereau for $114.75. Delia was born at Woodbridge on 18 August 1804. The children's birthplaces swing between Woodbridge and Staten Island until the family settled in Orange County, New York. John was born on Staten Island in 1812.

In 1822 the family moved from Orange County to Lebanon Township in Wayne County. Goodrich's county history of 1880 says Peter "first began in the town, on the turnpike opposite Hugh Gammell's." About 1837 he moved to a farm "where a small improvement had been made by one Perkins," gave up the forge and "cleared up much valuable land." Two of their sons, John and Samuel, took farms beside his. "For nearly one mile along and upon both sides of the road from Tanners Falls to Cold Springs, the lands were cleared up and cultivated by the Latourettes," and it "was known as the Latourette Settlement." Their son Jacob stayed in Orange County and became "a wealthy farmer" there. Their daughter Delia married Galen Wilmarth, who cleared a farm on the road north of Cold Springs toward Equinunk. Their daughter Mary Ann married Alexander Rutledge Jr.

Mathews' county history of 1886 says of the couple that "both himself and wife died at the age of eighty-five years, and were buried at Rileysville." For Rebecca the figure is exact. Her stone at Bolkcom Cemetery reads "REBECCA wife of Peter Latourette born Sept. 22 1773 died Oct. 8 1858," eighty five years and sixteen days. Peter died six months after her, on 7 April 1859.

Her mother is not named in any source. Compiled genealogies call her Mary Mercereau, and no source supports the claim. A Woodbridge deed of 1801 mentions a lot "belonging to Mary Moores" next to Jonathan Moores's land on the Amboy road, and nothing joins that Mary to him.

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Cite: Heirology, "Rebecca Moore (1773-1858)", https://heirology.com/ancestors/rebecca-moore-1773-1858-0a89ba.