Meredith Tarlton Moore (1827-19??) Interviews (KC202)

At the beginning of the Mexican War, Meredith Tarlton Moore enlisted in Company F, First Regiment and served until discharged in New Orleans. Moore and his friends participated in a number of the important battles of the war.

In 1849, Moore made his first trip to California. He had heard about the land from a Mexican he had met during the war and determined to take a saw mill to California and sell it. He purchased his mill in St. Louis and shipped it to Jefferson City where it was loaded into a wagon especially built for the journey at the State Penitentiary. Traveling with his brother, John Hendley Moore, among others, Moore moved his wagon by river and overland to Nebraska City and then across the plains to Fort Kearney, where he was persuaded to sell it to the officers of the Fort who used it to construct new buildings. He and his brother continued on to Sacramento, suffering considerable hardships. Moore returned home via Panama, arriving in 1852. Moore made at least one more trip to California in the 1850s.

Meredith Moore married Martha Hannah Ramsay, granddaughter of General Jonathan Ramsay, on June 26, 1856 at Jefferson City, Missouri. Upon the death of his first wife, Moore married her sister, Eliza Ramsay. At the time of the interviews (1906-1908) he was living in Cedar City, Callaway County, Missouri, across the Missouri River from Jefferson City.

The interviews are typescript reports of information provided to William E. Connelley, noted Kansas historian, by Moore about his experiences and travels during the Mexican War and on two trips to California. Moore relates a great deal of information about the appearance of the country, the costs of goods and services, and the personalities of the people with whom he dealt. 1906-1908

5 folders

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updated: Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City
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