Matthew Moore

When Matthew Moore’s family sailed from Ireland to raise a family in America, he was nearly 20 years old. Shortly after settling in Philadelphia in the early 1840s, his mother leaned on him for support when his father died. Presumably that was just after his youngest sister was born in 1841, when his brother was 5 and his other sister was 8.

Soon it was time for Matthew to begin his own life, asking Mary Jane Little to be his wife in the mid-1840s. That was about the same time that he began his career as a police officer, known then as a “watchman.” Their only son arrived in 1847, followed by five daughters. 

The rebellion of the southern states that erupted in 1861 began to concern the people of Pennsylvania when Confederate troops started their northern advance a year later into Maryland. An emergency state militia was organized September 11, 1862, but wasn’t sent to the September 17th Battle of Antietam, which resulted in a Rebel retreat. Matthew was part of the 9th Militia as a 2nd Lieutenant but it was disbanded a week later.

Two years later, he responded to a call from his younger brother, John William Moore to join the 203rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry as a captain in charge of Company D. John had just been commissioned a Colonel and was organizing the regiment as its commander. They had several engagements before they marched to the coast of North Carolina near Wilmington to take part in a second assault on Fort Fisher in January of 1865. It was a success, but John was shot and killed while leading his men over the fortifications. Read more of his “Notable” life story here.

Matthew was in a total of seven battles and was wounded twice. He was discharged with his unit on June 22, 1865. After a few years’ absence following the war, he rejoined the police in 1872, serving until shortly before his death. He was a member and past commander of Post 56 of  the Grand Army of the Republic, the Civil War’s largest veterans association. Post 56 was named after his heroic brother. 

In 1880 Mary died of heart disease, leaving four of the girls at home but one was 20 and two were in their teens. Matthew never remarried, choosing instead to begin a side business, opening a cigar store where he lived at 3609 Woodland Avenue. It became a successful venture and gave him the opportunity to buy several rental properties, including one at Avon-by-the-sea in New Jersey.

When he died of chronic kidney disease in 1895, all of his children were married and each received one of the properties from his estate. None of them are buried with him and his wife, but they must have noticed the headstone purchased by their uncle John’s wife, located in the same section. They bought the identical style headstone for their father which features a sword-and-regalia motif.