John Wiley Moore was Roger Moore's 2nd great-uncle. This story is still in development on January 12, 2018.
John Wiley Moore was born on November 20, 1860, in the Sni-A-Bar Township, Lafayette County, Missouri. He was the son of Nathan W Moore and Julina Ann Johnson. John had two siblings: Eliza Jane Moore (born 1855) and George Henry Moore (born 1858). John was never married nor had any children. John's father enlisted in the Union Army on January 30, 1863. He died in service to his country on September 15, 1863. At the time of his father's death, John was just two years old.
John's mother Julina married Charles Pinkard Johnson on March 1, 1866, in Lafayette County, over two years after the death of John's father Nathan. Charles became the step-father of Eliza, George and John.
In June of 1870, John (age 9), his sister Eliza Jane Moore (age 15) and his brother George Henry Moore (age 12) were living in the same house as their mother, step-father and their three young children, Mary Elizabeth Johnson (age 3), Josiah Steven Johnson (age 2) and Samuel Nathan Johnson (age 3 months). Julina and Charles added another son, Noah W Johnson, to their family in 1872. John's sister, Eliza Jane Moore (age 17) had her first child, Dell Washington Johnson, in 1873. Charles Pinkard Johnson was also Dell's father.
In 1876, the entire family (Johnson's and Moore's) traveled by covered wagon to Ventura County, California. Julina and Charles soon bought a small piece of property in Saticoy, and both families lived on the property.
In June of 1880, John was living in the same home as his mother Julina, his step-father Charles', and their five children Mary Elizabeth Johnson (age 14), Josiah Steven Johnson (age 12), Samuel Nathan Johnson (age 10), Noah W Johnson (age 8) and Lillian A Johnson (age 1). John's sister Eliza and her son's Dell (age 8) and David Sidney Johnson (age 1) were also living in the same home. Charles was also the father of Dell and Sidney.
John was in Kern Kern county as early as 1882. John's surviving personal effects include the earliest evidence he had returned to Kern County, a receipt from paying a 1882 Kern County Road Poll Tax, dated May 17,1882. John and his brother George Henry Moore registered to vote on June 9, 1882. Both were working as a laborer and living in the Long Tom area. They were most likely working at the Long Tom Mine.
John returned to Ventura County by 1884. He and is brother George registered to vote on October 6, 1884. Both men were working as farmers and lived in the Santa Paula area.
John returned to Kern County and was living n the Woody area by 1888. He was involved politically, to the extend that he registered to vote in many elections, including 1888, 1892, 1894, 1896, 1910, and 1920.
John filed for a land patent claim in 1891 from the U.S. Government, for 160-acres pursuant to the Homestead Act of 1862. John successfully complete all requirements of the application and was issued the Land Patent #132550 on August 26, 1896. The 160-acre parcel was within T. 25 N., R. 29. E., Sec 2 of the Mount Diablo Meridian.
John purchased another 40 acres of land from the U.S. Government pursuant to the Land Act of 1820. He was issued the Land Patent #449448 on December 16, 1914. The 40-acre parcel was also within T. 25 N., R. 29 E., Sec 2 of the Mount Diablo Meridian, and increased his land holding to 200 acres.
John filed for a land patent claim in 1917 from the U.S. Government, for 40 acres pursuant to the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909. John successfully complete all requirements of the application and was issued a the Land Patent #132550 on August 2, 1921. The 40-acre parcel was also within T. 25 N., R. 29. E., Sec 2 of the Mount Diablo Meridian, and increased his land holdings to 240.
John's ranch was complete. He was the owner of a two-hundred forty acre ranch, just northeast of the Blue Mountain Road, between Woody and White River, Kern County, California. His homestead was adjacent to his brother George Henry's homestead. A map of John's ranch, Land Patents and the Land Patent Details are included in the photo gallery below.
The following story/information comes from conversations between Chester Byron Moore (great-nephew of John Wiley Moore) sharing family history with his son John William Moore.
According to Chester, most of George Henry Moore's family members did not interact with John Wiley. Chester said that either they had hard feeling toward him or some of the family was afraid of him. Chester's grandmother, Laura, had even told him not to go around John Wiley. The only family members of the family who spoke to John Wiley, or had any contact with him, was his brother George Henry or his nephew John Shelly Moore (Chester's father).
In the late 1920's through the early 1930's, John Shelly Moore lived in a house on his father's property, with his wife Mable Virginia Zeller and their three children: Eleanor Ray Moore (age 10), Chester Byron Moore (age 9) and Lawrence Russell Moore (age 6). Chester's bedroom window faced northeast toward John Wiley's homestead. Her remembers seeing his father, John Shelley and his grandpa George Henry sitting on a rock pile drinking coffee and chatting with John Wiley almost every morning. When the sun came up, John Wiley would head back up to his homestead. Chester often ignored his grandmother's warning and snuck-up to see John Wiley at his home. Chester spent a good amount of time talking with him.
John sold his ranch to his nephew John Shelly and his wife Mable for the sum of $10. The transfer of ownership was effective at the time of John's death. *See the recorded document in the gallery below.
On the day that John Wiley Moore passed away, George Henry, John Shelley, and Chester went check on him at his home, as he had been in failing health for some time. They found him in bad shape and they took him outside of his cabin and propped him up against an oak tree. George Henry asked his brother where the gold coins were that John Wiley was known to have kept in a jar and buried on his property. John Wiley said that the coins were buried in the melon patch. Of course, only close family members know where the melon patch was ... and to this day have never been found.
John died latter that day on his ranch on October 18, 1932. He was 71-years old and is buried in the Moore plot at the Blue Mountain Cemetery in Woody, Kern County, California. John's electronic memorial courtesy of Find A Grave
