John T. More
John Taylor More was a man of considerable influence in the Catskill region of the state of New York. He served in several political capacities in the Township of Roxbury, NY and in the State of New York.
Early life
John Taylor More was born on February 27, 1771 in Rothiemurchus, Inverness Shire, Scotland to John More and Betty Taylor More. When still young his family, consisting of him, his parents, and his brother Robert, moved to the United States. They first settled near Harpersfield, New York, but were driven back out by the Native Americans. They resided in Catskill, New York, for several years.
Several years later the family had grown by a considerable amount and they decided to try to resettle their claim in Harpersfield in 1786. They ended up trading claims with another man and gained claim to what is now Grand Gorge, New York.
After settling their claim, More's father attracted more settlers to the area and within several years the town of Moresville, named after the family and now known as Grand Gorge, was well underway.
Marriage
After his family had settled the Moresville claim, John began courting Eleanor Laraway of Schohariekill (now Prattsville, NY). They were married on December 16, 1792 and had a total of twelve children, two of which died while in infancy.
John T. raised his family in Moresville where he operated a hotel and a large farm adjacent to it.
Mr. More was also very active in the Presbyterian Church in the town of Moresville (within the township of Roxbury, NY).
Politics
In 1807, More he was elected as a member of the New York State Assembly. He was reelected to the assembly in 1808, 1810, and in 1814.
In 1819, he was nominated to, and ran for a position as a State Senator. He was elected and served in that capacity for four years.
Mr. More was not only involved in state politics, he also took an interest in matters closer to home. He was elected to the position of Town Supervisor of the Township of Roxbury (which Moresville lies within) in 1826, 1827, and in 1830. He was the first town clerk, occupying the post until 1809. He was also the postmaster for Moresville for twenty years.[1]
Personal life
John T. More was first married to Eleanor Laraway (1774–1832) on December 16, 1792, the daughter of Jonas and Cornelia Laraway. They had 12 children together:
- John Laraway More (May 11, 1793 – May 24, 1862)
- Jonas Laraway More (December 18, 1794 – July 30, 1887)
- Robert Laraway More (March 4, 1797 – November 8, 1876)
- Mary More (January 6, 1799 – February 11, 1868)
- Andrew More (February 8, 1801 – September 28, 1877)
- Betty More (December 25, 1802 – November 18, 1803)
- Elizabeth Taylor More Foote (October 30, 1804 – November 5, 1886)
- Jane More Peck Howell Hoagland (November 28, 1806 – April 30, 1872)
- Samuel More (February 26, 1809 – December 26, 1843)
- Jacob Lansing More (March 2, 1811 – June 4, 1813)
- David Laraway More (June 13, 1814 – November 2, 1901)
- Jacob Laraway More (September 6, 1816 – May 26, 1891)
After Eleanor died in 1832, John T. married a second time to Rachel Stewart (????-1855) of Stamford, NY, on January 9, 1833, the daughter of James and Maggie Stewart.