Lindley Murray Moore Jr

 

AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT

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Lindley Murray Moore Jr
   
Born: 19 March 1852 Rochester, Monroe Co., NY

   
Married: 04 Oct 1905 Rochester, Monroe Co., NY

   
Died: 28 Oct 1909 Rochester, Monroe Co., NY


   
Buried: Mt Hope Cemetery, Rochester, NY  
Died aged 57y of pneumonia at State Hospital. Interred October 30th 1909.
Find A Grave Memorial # 23571254

FATHER

Edward Mott Moore

MOTHER

Lucy Richards Prescott

WIFE

Sheridan Emerson
    b. Sep 1866 Rochester, Monroe, NY
    d. 16 Aug 1935 Williamson, NY
        buried: Mt Hope Cemetery, Rochester, NY

 

Lindley Murray Moore was the second son, and third child of Edward Mott Moore and Lucy Richards. To read more about his childhood, see excerpts from some letters he wrote when he was 14 on the page for his sister, Abbie Joy Moore.

 He attended The University of Rochester for two years, 1871-72, but did not graduate. (1)  In 1880, at the age of 28, he went into business for himself, manufacturing baskets on Plymouth Av  (corner Pinnacle) near the Erie Canal. He must have borrowed the start-up money from his father, because when his mother died in 1902, her will stipulated " I do not desire my son Murray to share in the division of my said estate for the reason that his father, from whence I derived this property, advanced to him more than his share of the estate would have amounted to had it been divided among all his children." (See will on page for Lucy Richards Prescott)   His brother Frederick P. Moore was 21 and working for a furnace manufacturer in 1880.  But, in 1882 Lindley brought his brother into the business and the business became "L Murray Moore & Bro." located at 34 Pinnacle Ave. (2)

By 1884 he had 20 employees (3) and was doing well enough that he could donate 36 baskets to the Rochester City Hospital raffle.  In addition to making baskets, he was offering kiln-dried kindling wood.  Then in April of 1884 there was a fire at the basket warehouse.  (4) The loss was reported as $25,000, partially insured.  His brother, Fred, left the business in 1884 to become a dry plate manufacturer.  However, in 1888, he returned to work in his brother's business for only one more year.  Fred P. Moore left Rochester in 1889.

Disaster struck again in March 1885.  A fire broke out damaging many of the baskets.  But what was probably even more horrific, his bull dog died in the fire.  (5)  As quoted from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. " Mr. Moore had a valuable bull dog in the building which, after a prolonged search, he found suffocating in the back part of the building.  Mr. Moore carried his dog out to the fresh air, but the poor animal soon died."

Lindley Murray Moore was insured, however, so the business came back to life.  The company address was now 60 Orlean and he was still living with his parents at 63 South Fitzhugh..   By 1894 he was making pipe frame baskets.  (6)  In the Rochester City Directories for 1894-1905 he was also listed as making (wooden) trucks and shoe racks.

On October 4, 1905, at the age of 53, he married Sheridan Emerson, the widow of Arthur Van Voorhis.  In the 1900 census, the widow had a servant living with her, so she must have been fairly well off.  The couple moved to 414 Orchard. (7)  In the 1908 City Directory they were living at 156 Caledonia.

Lindley Murray Moore died the next year of pneumonia.  (8)  His widow is  listed in  the 1926, 1928 and 1929 City Directories for Rochester. (9)

 

SOURCES:

(1)  General catalogue of the University of Rochester, 1850-1911

 By Rochester. University

Class of 1878  Non Graduates

Lindlay Murray Moore, 1870-1871. Born Rochester, 1852; died Rochester, Oct. 28, 1910. (should be 1909)

1872 City Directory,  Student at Rochester University, residence 63 S. Fitzhugh
1873 student Rochester University   boards 63 Fitzhugh

 

(2)

1882 and 1883 in business with Fred   donate 36 baskets to Donation Festival of Rochester City Hospital
 
ad placed in 1882 City Directory, Rochester, NY

(3) Ann Arbor Courier, April 30, 1884. "At one o'clock Sunday morning L. Murray Moore's basket warehouse in Rochester, N. Y., containing 60,000 baskets, was burned.  Loss, $25,000; partially insured."

(4)  The industrial advance of Rochester:   An historical, statistical & descriptive review 
       National Pub. Co., 1884, 198 pages

L. MURRAY MOORE,

Manufacturer Of Baskets. 86, 27 And 29 Pinnacle Avenue.

The basket is of such universal application as an article of domestic and commercial use, that little need be said of the process of manufacture. Baskets have been made from the earliest ages, and in Rochester the industry has occupied the attention of many persons from the settlement of the city, but it remained for Mr. L. Murray Moore to engage in the production of these useful articles upon methods and upon a scale of magnitude, demanded by modern enterprise.

This house was established in 1880, the factory being located as above indicated, where it covers an area of 120x170 feet It is equipped with a 20-horse power steam engine and all necessary tools and appliances for the manufacture of the products, and a force of twenty hands being employed, the result of whose labors is about 2.000 baskets per day. The specialties of the house are splint and stave baskets, embracing market, fruit, and a large variety of baskets for commercial and domestic uses.

The trade of the house is a large and growing one and extends throughout the Middle and New England States. Mr. Moore is thoroughly familiar with all the details of his business and he enjoys special facilities for its successful prosecution. That he is meeting with a well-deserved success the extent of his trade is the best possible evidence, and at the same time his enterprise is another illustration of the remarkable diversity of industry which has found a congenial foothold in this thriving city.

 

(5)  Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Thursday, March 12, 1885

Again Burned Out

A Second Fire in the Basket Factory of L. Murray Moore 

As Officer Kron was walking on his beat on South avenue, shortly before 1 o'clock this morning, he discovered a fire in a building on Pinnacle avenue and promptly pulled box 21.  When the department arrived it was discovered that a fire was well under way in the basket factory of L. Murray Moore, number 84 Pinnacle avenue.  The fire apparently started in one corner of the building at considerable distance from the office in which there was a low fire in the stove.  Mr. Moore thinks that fire of incendiary origin, as it was well established that the fire which destroyed his store house on the island some time ago, was started by incendiaries.  The fire was gotten under control in about three-quarters of an hour and was confined to the west end of the building which Mr Moore used as a basket factory and store room.  The back part of the building contained the engine and boiler and was used as a kindling wood factory.  There was about $1,000 worth of baskets in the store room which were either burned or damaged so as to be a total loss.  The damage to the building, which is owned by G. W. Crough, jr., will amount to $500.  There is an insurance of $5,000 on the total stock and fixtures.  Mr. Moore had a valuable bull dog in the building which, after a prolonged search, he found suffocating in the back part of the building.  Mr. Moore carried his dog out to the fresh air, but the poor animal soon died.

 
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, March 12, 1885

 


(6)

Ad placed in the Scientific American in Feb and March of  1894

In the 1894- 1905 City Directories of Rochester, NY he is listed as "Moore, L Murray, trucks and shoe racks, 60 Olean, boards 74 South Fitzhugh"


 

 

(7)  Rochester City Directories

       1906 Moore, L. Murray,  Truck Manuf  414 Orchard

       1907 Moore, L. Murray,  trucks and shoe racks 414 Orchard h. do

       1908 Moore, L. Murray, bds 156 Caledonia av

(8)  Died aged 57y of pneumonia at State Hospital. Interred October 30th 1909.   Find A Grave Memorial # 23571254

(9)  Rochester City Directories

       1926  Moore, Sheridan E., widow, Murray h. 24 Girton Pl.

      1928  Moore, Sheridan Emerson, widow Murray, b. 56 Merriman 

      1930 Moore, Sheridan Emerson., widow Murray,  b. 50 Darwin 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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