|
|
Moberly Family
|
|
Alternate Spellings - Moberley Links - Shires Contacts - Richard L. Moberly is descended from a brother of Alexander Moberly of Mercer County and is researching this family. He generously provided a great deal of the information on this page. |
|
Alexander G. Moberly and family are found in the 1870 census in Eliza Township in Mercer County: Alexander G. Moberly, 26, farmer, Indiana; Margaret L. Moberly, 31, born Pennsylvania; H. Grant Moberly, age 5, born Illinois; Frances C. Moberly, age 3, born Illinois. There is a marriage record for Alexander G. Moberly and Margaret L. Shires in Muscatine County, Iowa, April 7, 1864. There are several Shires burials in Eliza Creek Cemetery in Mercer County but we do not know if there is a connection with Margaret Shires. There was also a Michael Shires as an early school teacher, but again we cannot find a connection. Alexander apparently owned his land in Eliza Township as we find him in the north half of Section 17 on the Eliza Township plat map of 1875. We find no additional information on this family in the records of Mercer County. Richard Moberly of DeSoto, Kansas, kindly furnished us additional information for our web page. He is descended from William Baley Moberly, brother of Alexander G. Moberly. He tells us they were sons of Simeon Franklin Moberly, born 15 June 1818 in Indiana, and died 27 June 1900 in Missouri. The mother of the family was Christina Burkhart, born 6 January 1815 in Virginia, and died 1894 in Missouri. We find a marriage record for Franklin Moberly and Christena Burket in Monroe County, Indiana on 8/11/1836. Simeon Franklin Moberly had a brother Alexander G. Moberly (1823-1854) who died as a result of his service in the Mexican War. Alexander of Mercer County was no doubt named for his uncle. The children of Simeon Franklin and Christina Burkhart Moberly were Milum Boley Moberly, William Baley Moberly, David Henry Moberly, Alexander G. Moberly, Joseph Moberly and Andrew Moberly, all born Monroe County, Indiana. The family moved to Buffalo Township, Rock Island County, Illinois in the mid 1850's. Several of the Moberly children moved to Nodaway and Holt Counties, Missouri in the 1860's and Simeon and Christina probably moved there in the mid to late 1860's. Simeon and Christina are buried in Pickering, Nodaway County, Missouri. It is not known why Alexander G. Moberly remained behind in Mercer County. He enlisted as a private in Company H, 45th Illinois Infantry on 23 September 1861 and was mustered into service on 24 December 1861 at Chicago, Illinois. He re-enlisted as a veteran on 5 January 1864 and was mustered into service at Black River, Mississippi and was mustered out on 15 July 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky. He was wounded as a result of a ball going through his left leg while on picket duty near Savannah, Georgia, on 15 December 1864. Sometime during that time period he met and married Margaret Shires at Muscatine, Iowa. He may have stayed in Mercer County because of Margaret's connections in the area. As a result of the leg wound suffered during the war, he continued to have medical problems until his death in 1879. He farmed in Eliza Township until about one year before his death, at which time he was too ill to continue working. Unfortunately, this was the fate of many of the Civil War soldiers: an untimely early death as a result of effects of the war (see Part IV - Civil War). No tombstone for Alexander was found when the Mercer County cemetery records were prepared in the 1960's. Richard Moberly tells us that Alexander and Margaret had one more child on 20 January 1876, Carrie E. Moberly. Harvey G. was born 3 February 1865; Frances C. 21 May 1867. Margaret Moberly's obituary states they had four children so one probably died early. Margaret is listed as a pensioner in Eliza Township in 1884, having received a $12 pension payment (1914 History.) Margaret Moberly left Mercer County, Illinois about 1890 and moved with her children to Falls City, Nebraska. Daughter Carrie married John Williams in Falls City in 1894 and moved to Harrisonville, Missouri after the marriage. They had children: Pearl, Foy, Verdella, Farr, and Zelphia. Margaret followed her daughter to Harrisonville and lived there until her death in 1924. Frances married a man named Adams and lived in the Kansas City area until her death in 1937. Harvey was living in Drummond, Oklahoma at the time of his mother's death in 1924. |
| |
