The following article is from History of Texas, together with a biograhical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston: containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biogrphies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1895.
WILLIAM J. MOORE was born in Pickens county, Alabama, February 8, 1842, and is the younger of two sons born to William and Polly A. Moore. His father, a well-to-do farmer, came to Texas in 1844 and settled in Fayette county. where he resided till 1853, when he moved to Lavaca county, and there died four years later.
William J. Moore was reared in Fayette and Lavaca counties, and received during his youth the advantages of such schools as were then in reach. He quit college at the opening of the war in 1861 to enter the Confederate army, enlisting in Company A, Colonel Pyron's regiment of Texas cavalry, with which be went at once to the western frontier of the State, where he served a short time, being transferred thence with his command to eastern Texas. He served along the Texas and Louisiana border until near the close of the war, taking part in numerous skirmishes between the Confederate and Federal forces in that section, including those incident to Banks' Red river campaign. At the time of the surrender he was stationed on Galveston island and here laid down arms.
Returning to Lavaca county, Mr. Moore formed a partnership with his brother, Samuel B. Moore, and they set about at once to gather up the fragments of their estate, which, consisting largely of live stock and other perishable property, had been greatly dispersed, much of it being past recovery. But with the odds and ends thus saved from the ravages of the war they launched out into the land and stock business, and with the era of prosperity, especially in stock dealing, which immediately followed the close of the war, they rapidly accumulated money. Later, with the rise of land values, they began giving more attention to real estate, and at this writing they are among the heavy operators in these two lines, taking them as a combined business, in southern Texas. They own large cattle ranches both in Fayette and Lavaca counties, and have lands, improved and unimproved, in several counties in the southern part of the State, including Lavaca, Fayette. Karnes, Kinney, Uvalde, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris and Galveston, besides town and city property in different towns and cities in these counties. Alert, earnest and intelligent, giving their attention solely to business, meeting their obligations promptly and dealing fairly and liberally by all men, the Messrs. Moore have accumulated a comfortable fortune, have established an honorable name and have won the friendship and esteem of those with whom they have had business transactions or personal relations.
In 1869, at Moulton, William J. Moore married Miss Louisa Lattimer, a daughter of Mrs. Louisa Lattimer, who moved to Texas from North Carolina in the early '50s and settled in Lavaca county, where Mrs. Moore was principally reared. By this marriage there was one daughter, now Mrs. W. B. Fordtran, of Galveston. After the death of this lady a few years later, Mr. Moore married Miss Allie Williamson, a daughter of J. A. Williamson, of Lockhart, Texas, in 1877, and she also is now deceased, leaving one son, Samuel.
In 1883 Mr. Moore moved to Galveston, which place has since been his home and where in addition to his land and stock business be has carried on a good local trade in city property. He was appointed a member of the Texas Live Stock Commission by Governor Hogg in 1893, and reappointed to the same place in 1894 by Governor Culberson.
