... write me the other day wanting a list of all the articles I've write [sic] and the issues they appeared in . . . sorry but fat chance of me getting all them together
[from the cover letter to E. L. Moore's Putty Knife Factory article sent to Hal Carstens at Railroad Model Craftsman on 28 Oct '68]
In '68 I was still a wee lad learning his ABCs, so that fella wasn't me - but maybe I'll be inventing a time machine soon :-) While we wait, I've posted an update to the E. L. Moore articles master pdf here.
I have a subscription to ancestry.com, and prompt4d by your series, I decided to look up an "E.L.Moore" born about 1900 in Michigan, died 1980 in Charlotte, NC, based in info in your posts. I came up empty. Do you have more specific name info, or dates of birth, location of birth, etc? If I can get a hit in ancestry.com, it might be possible to come up with other interesting biographical info.
ReplyDeleteI do know that E. L. Moore was born on 11 March 1898, somewhere in Michigan, and died in August 1979, in Spotsylvania, VA according to his death certificate. This year he would have been 118 years old this year. Unfortunately I missed noting his birthday here at 30 Squares. Even though our age is highly consumerist, I still believe his work has a message for us on how to get the most pleasure from this hobby. Please let me know what you find.
DeleteOK, his Social Security death record puts him as Earl Moore, born 14 March 1898, died August 1979 in Spotsylvania, VA. The Department of Veterans Affairs says this Earl Moore enlisted in the Navy 16 Oct 1917, was discharged 7 Aug 1919. His exact death date was 12 Aug 1979. The 1920 US Census lists two Earl Moores in Michigan born 1898, an Earl nmi Moore at a boarding house in Detroit and an Earl N Moore as the son of Albert and Hattie Moore living in Pierson Montcalm County, There is an Earl L Moore born about 1903 elsewhere in Michigan, but the birth date make this an unlikely hit. So far, this is what I've got. My bet is that "E.L." just stands for Earl. Let me know if this takes you any farther!
ReplyDeleteHi John,
DeleteThanks for the information. My understanding is that E. L. stands for Earl Lloyd. Also, I confirm that to my understanding he served in the US Navy - on the USS Georgia - during those years. But, after he was discharged I have no idea what he did or where he went. Although, I do know that somewhere along the line he became a photographer - maybe he was one in the navy - and had a studio in Charlotte with a partner. His life between his discharge and when he began as a model railroading author is a mystery.
Charlotte, NC city directories in 1956 and 1958 put Earl L Moore (this time with an L middle initial) at 712 N Pine. No spouse and no occupation are listed.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with the Pine street address. He may have had his photo studio there as well, but I can't confirm that.
DeleteJD - there's a couple/three listings on eBay of some dandy structures built in a folk-art style that you may appreciate. Contact me off-blog for details, as this post will be outdated once the listings close, and being that somehow I misplaced your email addy.
ReplyDeleteGalen
Galen - Thanks. I sent you a message to follow-up.
DeleteGalen - It looks like the email address I used was incorrect and I don't have another for you. I'll leave a comment at your blog.
DeleteBoth an Earl L Moore and an Earl nmi Moore, who appear to be different people, turn up in Charlotte, NC city directories from about 1928 on. Earl L Moore has a wife named Alma Moore at the start, but after the mid 1930s has a wife named Reecie or Reese Moore. His occupation is variously listed as Asst Bldg Superintendent, Bldg Engineer, and Photographer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bruce! Those are all new clues. I don't know when he arrived in Charlotte. I think he spent sometime at various locations in the northeast during the depression, but I can't confirm anything so I don't know for certain. I'll dig into that information you've provided.
DeleteIn 1929 he is at 506 Louise Ave Charlotte with occupation listed as carpenter. In 1934 he is at 604 Louise Ave Charlotte. He is also there in 1935 with wife Recie F Moore. He is there in 1932 with wife Reecie. In 1935 and 1936 he is at 204 N College, no spouse listed. In 1937 his occupation is Photographer, no spouse listed and no address. In 1939 his spouse is Recia and occupation engineer, but no address. In 1943 he is at 209 W 7th Apt 303 with wife Anne, occupation US Army. Some years have duplicate references to him either as Engineer or Photographer. The caveat here is that all these old records at ancestry are scanned from print documents, which may convey errors from scanning, and the documents themselves may have errors. However, it seems pretty probable that Moore lived in Charlotte from 1929 onward.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's great searching! All this information is much appreciated. I recall seeing a letter from ELM to Hal Carstens from around 1960 mentioning that he had lived in NC for around 30 years (the context was that in those 30 years he had never developed a taste for grits!), so the 1929 date fits well with that letter. Also, maybe being a photographer in the navy at that time was considered a type of engineering since taking a picture and developing it was no where near as easy as today's digital photography. My grandfather was an ambulance driver in WW1 and apparently that was considered a somewhat skilled job because not that many people knew how to drive at that time - he was a chauffeur in civilian life - so maybe photography was considered something of a skilled field.
DeleteI don't know what you can conclude from the various city directories, census records, and so forth, but as far as I can gather, he is listed with three wives, Alma around 1929, Reece 1929-31, and Anne 1943, caveats naturally apply. If he didn't develop a taste for girls, he must nevertheless have worked on it for a time!
DeleteHmmm. I don't know what to make of it, but I do appreciate your investigation.
DeleteThe 1940 US Census lists Reese Moore as the wife of Earl Moore living at 1401 E 7th St Charlotte, along with Robert Flemmker, apparently Reese's brother, Earl's brother in law. Reese was born in 1906.
ReplyDeleteReese Flenniken Moore passed away in 2000, status divorced. A problem with census records is that they're scanned from the censustaker's handwriting, so the 1940 record showing her name as Flemmker is incorrect.
ReplyDeleteReese, Recia, or Reecie Moore (1902-2000) appears as Earl L Moore's wife in Charlotte city directories between 1931 and 1941, after that no record until her death in 2000.
ReplyDeleteThanks John!
Delete