James Moore Sr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Moore Sr.
A depiction of Moore during the Apalachee massacre in the Ocmulgee Mounds Park
Governor of Carolina
In office 11 September 1700 – March 1703
Monarch	William III Anne
Preceded by	Joseph Blake
Succeeded by	Nathaniel Johnson
Personal details
Born	c. 1650 England
Died	1706 (aged 55–56)

James Moore Sr. (around 1650 – 1706) was an important military leader. He served as the governor of Carolina from 1700 to 1703. He is most famous for leading attacks into Spanish Florida during a war called Queen Anne's War. These attacks, especially in 1704 and 1706, destroyed most of the Spanish missions in Florida. He also captured many Apalachee Native Americans and brought them back to Carolina as enslaved people.

Early Life and Beginnings

We don't know much about where James Moore came from. People said he was the son of an Irish military officer named Sir Rory O'Moore. His father was a leader in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

James Moore first appears in records in 1675. He was helping Margaret Berringer Yeamans, who was the widow of Sir John Yeamans. Around the same time, he married her daughter, who was also named Margaret.

Political Career and Leadership

From 1677 to 1683, Moore was a member of the provincial council. This council helped govern the Carolina colony. In 1690, he led a trip into the Carolina back country. He crossed the Appalachian Mountains to explore trading opportunities with local Native American groups.

In 1698, he was chosen to be part of the provincial assembly. People saw him as a key helper to Sir John Colleton, a powerful owner of the colony. The next year, he became the chief judge of the province. He held this job until he was named governor in 1700. He took over after the previous governor, Joseph Blake, passed away.

Moore was a leader of a political group in Carolina called the "Goose Creek Men." They were named after Goose Creek, an area near Charleston.

In 1683, the Lords Proprietor, who owned the colony, gave Moore a large piece of land. It was about 2,400 acres. He named his estate "Boochowee." Part of this land is now known as Liberty Hall Plantation.

By 1691, Moore was the clear leader of the Goose Creek Men. This group was the main opposition to the "Dissenter" group, who were in power. When Moore became governor in 1700, it changed politics in the province a lot. The Dissenters argued that Moore's election was unfair. However, the Lords Proprietor made sure Moore stayed governor. They showed that they no longer supported the Dissenters.

Governor and Military Campaigns

From 1700 to 1703, James Moore was the governor of Carolina. At this time, Carolina was starting to split into North and South Carolina. During his time as governor, he led several attacks from Carolina into Spanish Florida. He often relied on allied Native American tribes, especially the Yamasee, for most of his fighting force.

When Queen Anne's War began in 1702, Moore led an invasion of Spanish Florida. He had 500 colonists, 300 Native American allies, and 14 small ships. They attacked along the coast. They destroyed the remaining Spanish missions and Native American villages in Guale and Mocama. They also damaged the lands around St. Augustine.

The town of St. Augustine was destroyed. However, its main fort, Castillo de San Marcos, held strong. Spanish soldiers and many allied Native Americans had taken shelter there. Moore's siege failed to capture the fort. The 1702 campaign was seen as a failure because the fort wasn't taken and it cost a lot of money. Because of this, Moore resigned from his position as governor.

In 1704, Moore led another expedition. He had 50 colonists and 1,000 Muscogee, Yamasee, and other allied Native Americans. They went into western Florida, which led to the Apalachee massacre. The Apalachee were the last strong Native American group allied with Spain in that area. After their defeat in 1704, many Apalachee were enslaved. They were taken from Charleston to the West Indies. Other Apalachee were moved to the Savannah River. Some went willingly, others did not.

The defeat of the Apalachee also meant the end of the last defense for Native Americans in Florida. In the years that followed, slave raiders from Carolina and allied Native Americans almost completely wiped out the Native American population of Florida, all the way to the Florida Keys.

Moore's victory over the Apalachee was a big win for Carolina. Carolina had been fighting with the Spanish for control of the region for many years. This victory also made the ties stronger between various southeastern Native American groups and Carolina. The Creek people and the Cherokees became much closer allies with Carolina. With these two strong Native American allies, the English became more powerful than the French and Spanish in the American southeast.

James Moore died in 1706 from a tropical disease, possibly yellow fever. He had a lot of debt when he passed away. His son, also named James Moore, was later elected to the same governor's office in 1719.

Family Life

James Moore married Margaret Berringer. She was the daughter of Lady Margaret Yeamans from an earlier marriage. Their daughter, Mary Moore, married Job Howe, who was also one of the "Goose Creek Men."

James and Margaret had ten children in total. Many of them moved to the Lower Cape Fear area. There, they and their children became known as "The Family." They were the most powerful family in that region. James Moore was the grandfather of Continental Army Brigadier General James Moore. He was also the great-grandfather of Continental Army Major General Robert Howe.

The Moore family owned large plantations and farms, especially in the Cape Fear area of what later became North Carolina. They used enslaved African people to work these lands. James Moore also had a house in Charleston and another in the Goose Creek area.

Another person from the Moore family, Alfred Moore, later became a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Family Tree

Nathaniel Moore (son of Rory Oge O'More)

See also

In Spanish: James Moore (político) para niños