John C Moore, aka John Pulcheon, 1843-1920

Shortly after the death of his mother, John Pulcheon left his remaining family in Ohio and set out on his own. He landed in Iowa and created a new identity for himself by changing his surname to Moore. It took a lot of time and frustrating research to determine that the two seemingly separate men were actually one and the same.

John F. Pulcheon

John F. Pulcheon was born in July of 1843 to German immigrant parents, William Pulcheon and Catherine (Crates/Kröz) Pulcheon. William and Catherine lived in Canton Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, near where their families had settled after immigrating to the United States. Canton township inhabitants were mostly native Pennsylvanians, but there was a smattering of Germans living there, too so the Pulcheon family wouldn't have felt entirely out of place. Catherine's father, Christian Frederick Crates/Kröz, desired to live in a predominately German community, however, and had recently moved to Van Buren, Hancock County, Ohio. In Van Buren, the population in 1850 was almost all German. The churches were Lutheran. It felt more like home. He must have written to his daughter and son-in-law and urged them to come, too, because within a few years they also relocated to Hancock County, Ohio.

Catharine Crates Pulcheon, 1823-1859
Photograph shared on Ancestry.com by user Clingermangirls on 11 Jun 2011.
A note added by Clingermangirls says it was contributed by Martha Avery.

A. William Pulcheon, c. 1814-1900
Photograph shared on Ancestry.com by user Clingermangirls on 11 Jun 2011.
A note added by Clingermangirls says it was also contributed by Martha Avery.

In 1850 and 1860, John Pulcheon is listed in the household of his father William Pulcheon. In 1850, Catharine and 3 other sons, Eli, William, and Henry, were also listed. In 1860, after Catharine's death, John is listed with his father, brothers, and a sister born in 1853, Mary Jane. Then John disappeared.

John C. Moore

John C. Moore was my 3rd Great-Grandfather and for many, many years I was at a standstill trying to research his family. The earliest record of him was in 1865 when he married Miss Sarah Coffin in Mahaska County, Iowa. They weren't located on the 1870 census but were in Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa in June of 1874 when their daughter Josie Lena Moore was born and when the 1880 census was taken. Sarah died in 1882 and a year later, John married Mary Roenspiess. It was the record of this marriage that led me back to Catherine Crates and William Pulcheon.

Iowa Marriage Records, 1923-1937, from Ancestry.com
Cropped image of the page showing the names of John Moore's parents.

In this record, the parents of John C Moore are listed as William Moore and Catherine Crates and it gives his birthplace as Pennsylvania. Unable to narrow down to a fitting William Moore in Pennsylvania, I searched for John's mother. I found Catherine with William Pulcheon and my first thought was that he was her second husband. I looked for any connection for her to a William Moore but found nothing. I did, however, find a record stating that they married in 1840. Three years before John's birth.

The census records in 1850 and 1860 listing a son named John Pulcheon with the couple and the obituary for William Pulcheon lead me to conclude that John Pulcheon and John C Moore were one and the same. William's obituary states he was the father of four sons and a daughter. In the 1850 and 1860 census records there were 4 sons and a daughter. I believe they all were his children.

The obituary of William Pulcan(Pulcheon):

William Pulchan was born in Holland. Died May15,1900, his age 

being one hundred years or over. At the age of twenty years he 

came to New York City, and from there he went to Pennsylvania, 

and was united in marriage with Catherine Crates who preceded 

him to the grave 41 years ago. To this union were born five children, 

four sons and one daughter. He leaves five children, fourteen 

grandchildren, and 47 great granchildren to mourn their loss. Early 

in life he united with the German Lutheran Church and lived a 

consistent Christian life. He was a kind and devoted father and a 

good neighbor. Extreme old age was the cause of his death. 

The funeral was held from the M.E. Church in Williamstown 

conducted by W.W. Curl.

DNA matches confirm my connection to the Catharine Crates that married William Pulcheon, so it doesn't seem to be a case of finding the wrong Catharine. Coupled with the fact that John Pulcheon disappeared shortly before John C Moore appeared in records, I do believe the two are the same man.

John and his second wife Mary had a son named Leo or Lee in 1887. There were no other children. John lived until 1920 and is buried in Forest Cemetery, Oskaloosa, Mahaska, Iowa.