Scholefield Family Tree
Ok — I don’t have to do the explaining, but apparently Archibald Moore did. And, this is a reminder try odd search strings. A Google search for “‘Archibald Dunlap Moore’ Ann” turned up this result:
ANOTHER HABEAS CORPUS TO TEST A WOMAN’S INSANITY.
In the matter of the petition of Catharine McGowan.
In September, 1856, Judge Whiting issued a writ of habeas corpus directing D. Tilden Brown, esq., Superintendent and Physician of the Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum, to produce Ann Moore, the wife of Archibald Dunlap Moore, and sister of the relator. The petition set forth that Mrs. Moore was not insane, but that she was illegally deprived of her liberty.
The writ was returnable Oct. 10 of that year. The return set forth that the lady was placed in the Asylum on the certificate two physicians that she was of unsound mind.
The return was traversed and the matter referred to Lewis H.[?] Reed, esq., who reported about a month ago that Mrs. Moore was insane. On Monday a motion was made to discharge her on the ground that she is of sound mind. She has been confined for twelve years.1
This makes me come up with an additional “story” to add to the possibilities I explored before.2 I think that the 1850 census I found for the two Anns was actually supposed to have been Archibald (Arch) and Ann his lunatic wife. It appears that he may have moved her in and out of institutions (or that she was in an institution but listed at home in 1850) and then he went off with the woman, possibly as a servant or nurse, who had been living in his home. Since Ann was listed as his wife in both the lawsuit and the proceedings about his wife’s insanity, it would seem that he did not divorce her. Instead he picked Catherine up and moved to Pennsylvania to start a new life. He and Catherine had children together, but none of the websites which mention them point to a specific date of marriage — just a year when they might have been married based on the birth of their first child. Suspicious?
Archibald died in 1861 and his will was probated.3 If I were spending money on this project (and if this were my family), I would want to locate that will at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or in a New York repository.
1. “Law Intelligence,” New York Daily Tribune, 10 Nov 1857, p. 7, col. 6; digital images, Fulton History (http://www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 5 Aug 2010); New York NY Tribune 1857 Oct – Dec Grayscale – 0280.pdf.
2. See post dated 31 Jul 2010.
3. “Surrogate’s Court,” New York Times, 21 Dec 1861, p. 8, col. 4; digital images, Fulton History (http://www.fultonhistory.com : accessed 5 Aug 2010); New York NY Times 1861 Dec – 1862 Feb Grayscale (174).pdf.