I wanted to learn of Nancy’s life-path, about where exactly the land lay, and the land’s ownership history.
Just one Daniel Moore was enumerated for 1790 in Washington County, MD. As a land owner, my ancestor probably was the one enumerated here as head of household. The 1783 tax assessment roll for Washington Co., MD also lists just one Daniel Moore. An index to this assessment provided by the Maryland Archives also lists only one Daniel Moore (as “More”). the index states he was assessed on 128 acres in Lower Antietam and Sharpsburg Hundred, on a tract called “More’s Delight.” A Richard More was assessed on 50 acres of a tract, “Hunting the Hare” [Assessment of 1783, Index, MSA S-1437 http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/stagser/s1400/s1437/html/1437wa.html]
A Washington Co., MD deed entry shows Daniel Moore and Mary, his wife, of Washington County, selling 50 acres, part of a tract called “Hunting the Hare,” on April 10, 1790, acknowledged by Daniel and dower released by Mary on the same day [Washington County, Maryland Deeds G-7, pp. 44-46]. This deed is the second, chronologically, giving “Mary” as the wife of this Daniel Moore. No marriage record has yet been found for this Daniel Moore, and no known record states who the mother(s) of Daniel’s children was or were. But at least with these land records we have a first name for Daniel’s wife. Since the name matches the wife’s name in the 1792 will “my loving & faithfull Wife Mary”, the data in this deed is some evidence that it was the same Daniel who died testate within a few months of writing his will. While a wife’s death and Daniel’s remarriage between April 1790 and Jan. 1792 are not impossible, spousal information in Deeds is very useful.
Daniel Moore’s immediate neighbors in the 1790 US Federal Census, as the enumerator’s list runs, were John Hyatt, Richard Moore, Daniel Keedy and Elizabeth Rulett [National Archives, Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, Washington County, Maryland; National Archives Micropublication 637, Roll 3, Page 2, Image 375]. As “Daniel Gueting” in German script, this neighbor Daniel Keedy appears to have been a witness to Daniel Moore’s will. Ah, another helpful correlation.
But there is no John Griffith listed here or elsewhere in the County, nor nearby in MD or PA for 1790. Possibly he lived in northern VA (for which no Census survives until 1810) or elsewhere.
The 1800 US Federal Census enumeration is more fruitful. A John Griffith was head of household in Lower Antietam Hundred, Washington Co. Listed just before him was Mary Moore (the eldest female in her household aged 45+ years), and following John Griffith’s listing after three Hoffman households was Daniel Getigh, the possible will witness. [National Archives, Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives Micropublication M32, Lower Anteatam Hundred, Washington County, Maryland, Roll 12, Page 134 (stamped; written pp. 40 and 630), Image 143]. John’s household included 1 male under 10, 1 male aged 26-44 and one female aged 26-44.
John Griffith is not listed as head of household in the 1810 U. S. Federal Census enumeration for this part of Maryland. However, the Washington County, Maryland Regional Library has posted images and transcripts of the 1803-1804 Tax Assessment roll, and John Griffith is listed in Lower Antietam Hundred. He is not assessed on land in the County, but on 2 horses, 4 cattle and 7 sheep [Washington County Taxes, 1803-1804, Lower Antietam Hundred, p. 18; http://www.whilbr.org/itemdetail.aspx?idEntry=5151&dtPointer=8, accessed September 10, 2010]. On the next page, Mary Moore is listed as assessed on a tract of 138 acres called “Moore’s Delight.” This tax list is arranged alphabetically by surname initial, so closeup information on neighborhood populations can not be recovered.
One John Griffith was listed head of household in the 1810 enumeration for Kanawha County, (West) Virginia. While this could be Nancy Moore’s husband, I want to continue searching in Western Maryland.
On June 16, 1801, Richard Moore, of Allegany County, Maryland, signed a Power of Attorney to his “well beloved son Daniel Moore, of Washington County” to recover Richard’s interest in the estate of “my father Daniel Moore . . . deceased of Washington County.” The deed was acknowledged the same day by Richard in Washington Co., and brought for recording by Daniel Moore July 3, 1801 [Washington County, MD Deeds N-13:547]. This suggests the possibility that John and Nancy Griffith also may have moved to or bought land in Allegany County.
A search of Allegany County land documents turned up a treasure trove, which will be described in the next chapter of this saga.
