John O Moore Esq (abt. 1778 - 1849)

Husband of Margaret (Joyce) Moore — married about 1805 (to 2 Mar 1849) in County Galway, Ireland [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 2 Mar 1849 at about age 71 in Merchant's Road, Galway, County Galway, Ireland

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Philip Broughton-Mills [send private message] and George Hawkins [send private message]

Biography

John O^[1] Moore was born 1778 (based on joining the navy aged 14 in 1793).

His parents are unknown.

Aged 14^[2] in 1793, he entered the Royal Navy. ^[3]

He became a Lieutenant of Seniority 24 July 1801. ^[4]

He was appointed to the Sea Fencibles, Galway 7 January 1804. ^[3]

He commanded a man-of-war for His Britannic Majesty. ^[5]

He married Margaret^[6] Joyce^[1] around 1805 (estimated based on eldest child born 1806).

He was harbourmaster of Galway 1830-1849. ^[7]

He became a Junior Retired Commander 25 July 1831. ^[3]

He became a Senior Retired Commander on 23 June 1846. ^[3]

He resided Merchant's Road, Galway City. ^[8]

John died Galway 2 March 1849. ^[2][8]

Research Notes

John was probably born in Ireland, but there is no evidence, so he could just as easily have been born in Scotland, England, or Spain for example.

Dr Mills claims that John married 1843^[1], but he seems to have confused this date with the 1843 marriage of John's son Richard John Moore & Sarah Rawlins.

The Moore section of Dr Mills's notes includes the following entry, but the significance is unknown. Perhaps a wife of one of his grandchildren?

"Jeanne-Elizabeth Grainger, born at Causestown, Co Meath, died in Brussels 7.11.1871." ^[1]

Middle Initial

John's middle initial "O" is uncertain. It does not appear in any sources other than Dr Mills.

Dr Mills cites no source, but implies that it may represent "Ogle" by writing the following:

"Lieut Ogle Moore, R.N. was dead in 1878 & had left 545 acres in Wexford." ^[1]

Note that Ogle Moore also had a "Nelson Sword".

Perhaps he went by the last name "O'Moore" (meaning "grandson of Moore") for a period, though this is unlikely considering how long the Moore family had been established in Ireland.

Nelson Sword

Family folklore claims that John fought in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar and was awarded a sword. This is reinforced by a "Nelson Dress Sword" being passed down through the generations. However, the British Admiralty replied to a query, confirming that no officer named Moore was present at Trafalgar.

"British Admiralty records say that no officer named Moore was present at Trafalgar^[9], but family tradition says that John O. Moore was beside Nelson when he died, & that during the battle he leaped on to the deck of an enemy ship & cut their halyards. For this brave act Nelson presented him with a sword. This sword he left to his eldest son, Laurence, whose wife Harriet née Kane is supposed to have given it to the Lynches. In 1921 a Miss Clarkin sold off "Nelson dress sword" by public auction in Oranmore [9km east of Galway City]. The sword had been "removed from Ballycurran castle"." ^[1]

Ballycurran Castle was owned by the Lynch family and later passed to the Clarkin family. It was burned down by James Clarkin around 1914 when he lost the house to the Congested District Board^[10][11][12]. There is a newspaper clipping advertising the auction:

"21st October, 1921...Mrs B Clarkin...all her valuable household furniture...articles which have been stored since being removed from Ballycurran Castle...a Nelson Dress Sword...". ^[13]

It is more likely that John received his Nelson sword as a reward for his contribution at the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, based on descriptions of similar swords awarded for that battle. ^[14][15]

Here is the sword's journey (also viewable as a diagram of relationships here, better if you click "alternative view"):

1. Awarded to John O Moore, then passed to
2. his widow Margaret Joyce,
3. her third cousin Helena Joyce,
4. her widower Charles Lynch,
5. his adopted son James Clarkin,
6. his widow Bridie Ryan, who sold the sword at auction.

DNA

A GEDMatch DNA comparison shows that John Moore's documented descendants, 5th cousins Philip Broughton-Mills (GEDMatch T454288) and George Hawkins (GEDMatch M226790), share an 8.1cM segment on chromosome 10 from 1,058,802 to 3,759,134.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Dr John Mills, genealogy notebook, 1930s, scanned by Philip Broughton-Mills 2016, https://www.wikitree.com/photo/pdf/Mills-4893

   "Capt John O. Moore R.N. was married in 1843 to a Miss Joyce."

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Downpatrick Recorder, 10 March 1849

   "On the 2d inst-. in Galway, Captain John Moore, R. N. This gallant and meritorious officer entered the royal navy at the early age of fourteen, and took part with distinguished zeal and bravery in many of the most memorable engagements, including Copenhagen and Toulon."

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} William R O'Byrne, A Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849, page 777, https://archive.org/details/cu31924027921372/page/n789/mode/2up

   MOORE. (Retired Commander, 1846. F-P., 18; H-P., 36.) John Moore entered the Navy, 14 Feb. 1793, as A.B., on board the Brazen cutter, Lieut.-Commander Jas. Fegen; removed, in the following April, to the Colossus 74, Capts. Chas. Morice Pole and John Monckton, successively employed in the Mediterranean and Channel; served next, from Feb. 1796 to May 1797, in the Carnatic 74, flagship of Rear-Admiral C. M. Pole; and then became Midshipman (a rating he had attained in the preceding Oct.) of the Ambuscade of 40 guns, Capt. Henry Jenkins. On 14 Dec. 1798 he was Master’s Mate of that frigate when captured, in the Bay of Biscay, by the French ship Baionnaise of 32 guns, 8 swivels, and at least 250 men, after a severe conflict, in which the British sustained a loss, out of 190 men, of 10 killed and 36 wounded, and the enemy of 30 killed and 30 badly wounded. Being received, in March, 1799, on board the Russel 74, Capts. Herbert Sawyer and Wm. Cuming, he served in that ship in the action off Copenhagen 2 April, 1801, and on 27 and 24 of the ensuing June and July was successively constituted an acting and a confirmed Lieutenant in her. He went on half-pay in Oct. 1801; and was subsequently appointed – 7 Jan. 1804, to the Sea Fencibles in Galway – 18 May, 1805, to the Triton, Capt. Wm. Cashman, at Waterford, where he remained until May, 1810 – and, 5 March, 1812, to the Impress service at Dublin, in which he was employed for upwards of two years. He became a Retired Commander on the Junior List 25 July, 1831, and on the Senior 23 June, 1846. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.

4. ↑ Secretary of the Admiralty citing "List of Sea Officers 1805" in letter to John Mills.
5. ↑ J D Mason, History of Santa Barbara County California, 1883, https://books.google.fr/books?id=hXMIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA61-IA2
6. ↑ Photograph inherited by descendants, https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Unknown-278496
7. ↑ Descendant George Hawkins.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Dublin Evening Mail, 05 March 1849

   "March 2, at his residence, Merchant's-road, Galway, at a very advanced age, John Moore, Esq., a Captain of her Majesty's Royal Navy."

9. ↑ https://www.wikitree.com/photo/pdf/Moore-21235
10. ↑ Gerry Ward, email to Philip Broughton-Mills, 28 October 2017.
11. ↑ http://www.landedestates.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.jsp?id=578
12. ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/captain_charles/7515393828
13. ↑ https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Moore-20747
14. ↑ Wick Antiques, Midshipman Proctor’s Sword for Valour at the Battle of Copenhagen, https://wickantiques.co.uk/product/midshipman-proctors-sword-for-valour-at-the-battle-of-copenhagen/
15. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Horatio_Nelson,_1st_Viscount_Nelson&oldid=977718479 (accessed September 13, 2020).

    The City of London awarded Nelson and his captains swords