EVANSTON'S LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER FROM 1888 to 1924 - Captain Edwin J. Moore

Recently, the Evanston History Center (formerly the Evanston Historical Society) posted this photo on their Facebook page:

With this caption:  Bessie Moore, pictured with her dog on the Evanston lakefront. Moore was the daughter of Evanston's lighthouse keeper Edwin J. Moore and Mary Moore. She attended Evanston Academy, where she played on the girls basketball team.

As an Evanston native I was of course, familiar with the Evanston Lighthouse - or as it is more correctly titled:  The Grosse Point Lighthouse.  

The Grosse Point Lighthouse

I never thought about a lighthouse keeper, but it sounded like a story that would be perfect for this blog, and you know how much I like pictures of people with their dogs, so here it is:

Edwin James Moore was born October 3, 1855 in Kentucky to Henry Moore (1809-1897) and Julia Rhines (1824-1901).  Julia's last name was sometimes spelled "Rhynes" and "Rheines".  Henry Moore was from Darbyshire, England was a Tailor by trade.  It is not known specifically when he emigrated, but it was before 1843 when Henry married Julia in New York.  Julia Rhines was born on December 24, 1824 in Sharon, New York.  

Henry and Julia had 8 children.  They are:  Julia/Mrs. Aaron Sheridan (1844-1878), Edwin James (1855-1924), Alfred Henry (1856-1940), Frea (1859-1859), Ella Belle "Nellie"/Mrs. Nelson Bryant (1861-1935), Kathryne Adele "Kittie"/Mrs. John Quinsey (1863-1941), Major Menzo (1868-1917), and John Brewster (1869-1945).

Edwin makes his first official appearance in the 1860 US Census.  The Henry Moore family was living in Bristol, Kendall County, Illinois.  The family consisted of:  Henry (41 years old), Julia (35), Julia (19), "Ewd" (8), Alfred (3), and Frea (1).  Henry said he was a "Tailor"  and "Edw" was the only one in school.  Henry said they owned Real Estate worth  $400.00 ($14,700 in today's funds) and Julia said she owned Real Estate worth $1,400.00 ($51,000 in today's funds).

The 1870 US Census shows the Henry Moore family still living in Bristol, Illinois.  The family consisted of:  Henry (54 years old), Julia (44), Edwin James (17), Alfred Henry (11), Ella B. (9), Catharine (7), Major Menzo (3), and John B. (1).  Henry did not report owning any real estate, but he did say he owned personalty of  $200.00 ($4600 in today's funds).  Julia reported real estate worth $1400.00 ($324,000 in today's funds).  Edwin reported that he had a job as a bricklayer.  

In 1878 a tragedy hit the Moore family that would almost be enough for a blog article all by itself.  Edwin's eldest sister Julia had married Aaron A. Sheridan (1834-1878).  He was a Civil War veteran who was partially disabled and in addition to farming was the lighthouse keeper on South Manitou Island, Michigan.  Julia was the Assistant Lighthouse Keeper.  Julia and Aaron had six sons.  The story is that Sheridan and his wife Julia were returning from the mainland on March 15, 1878 in a boat owned by Chris Ankerson, a local resident.  They were returning to the island with supplies and the US Mail.  Along with Aaron and Julia was their youngest son - ten month old Robert Rutherford Sheridan (1877-1878).  About a mile from the island the boat capsized.  

Ankerson was able to cling to the capsized vessel until help arrived from the island and he reported that Aaron Sheridan could have saved himself but sacrificed his life trying to save his wife and child.  Sheridan twice assisted his wife and child to the overturned boat, but due to the high seas and cold water Julia was unable to maintain a grip on the rolling boat.  Julia and the baby eventually slipped beneath the waves.  In a vain attempt to save them, Aaron followed them to a watery grave.  Chris Ankerson alone survived to tell the tragic tale.

Katherine Hutzler was babysitting the Sheridan's five other sons at the time of the accident and told the story of how the boys, who were between the ages of three and twelve, ran up and down the beach weeping while searching for the bodies of their parents and baby brother.

None of the bodies was ever found, but the family persuaded the US government to provide tombstones for them anyway, because they had died in the line of duty.  Their tombstones are in the South Manitou Island (MI) Cemetery:

Photo and below by Find a Grave Volunteer Gwen (Kopp) Glatz

  

Here are Aaron and Julia in happier times:

Photos by Jack Sheridan

The five remaining Sheridan sons were raised by their grandparents Henry and Julia Moore in Kendall County, Illinois.

The Chicago Tribune reported on December 19, 1878 that all five of the Sheridan sons had been awarded United States Government Pensions until they had reach adulthood.

The 1880 US Census finds the Moore family still living in Bristol Village, Kendall County, Illinois.  The greatly enlarged family now consisted of Henry (64 years old), Julia (54), Edwin (26), Alfred (21), Nellie (18), Cassim - sic (17), Major (14) and Johnnie (11).  In addition there were the Sheridan grandsons:  Levi (14), George (12), Edward (9), Alfred (7) and Charles (5).   Henry now listed his occupation as "Gardener and Tailor."  

Back to our protagonist, Edwin.  In happier news, on July 26, 1883 he married Mary Isabell Pollock (1857-1937) in Kendall County.  The bride was twenty-six; the groom was twenty-seven.

Mary Pollack was born May 22, 1857 in New Brunswick, Canada to James W. Pollack (1826-1909) and Eleana Crooks (1833-1864).  James Pollock was an Engineer by trade. 

Edwin and Mary were blessed with three children:  Harry James Moore (1884-1913), Ralph Raymond Moore (1892-1968) and Elizabeth Eleanore "Bessie" Moore/Mrs. Harry D. Orwig (1897-1937).

Edwin Moore started his married life and his career as a lighthouse keeper as second assistant at Grosse Point in 1883. The Evanston City Directory for 1883 shows him as second assistant and living at the lighthouse.  The 1884 Evanston Directory is a little more specific about his residence.  It says "ns (north side) Phillips av w Lighthouse."

Moore left Evanston in 1885 to become head keeper of Calumet Pierhead Lighthouse:

Calumet Pierhead Lighthouse

But Moore returned to Evanston in 1888 to take charge of Grosse Point Lighthouse under rather mysterious circumstances.

The Grosse Point Lighthouse in 1874

On July 26, 1888, Anthony Hagan, the then head keeper of the Grosse Point Lighthouse, wrote the following to Inspector C.E. Clark: “Mr. Palmer, 2nd Asst., quit work at 10:30 a.m. as I was cleaning leaves in the Tower and told me that he did not care for the Light-house.  Now that I am left alone and the Light all up side down, I most respectfully request that (an) Assistant will be sent me that will obey my orders. I shall get the Light in order to light tonight if fog don’t get up.” There must have been more to the story as Keeper Hagan was removed from office less than two weeks later and Edwin J. Moore was appointed head keeper in his place. 

The 1889 Evanston Directory lists Moore as living on "es (east side) Chicago av near Phelps."  

If you are interested in the history of the Grosse Point lighthouse, as well as an explanation as to why a lighthouse came to be needed at that site, there is an excellent article at the Lighthouse Friends website:

https://lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?id=237

The Chicago Sunday Inter-Ocean newspaper from November 9, 1890 featured a substantial writeup about the Grosse Pointe Lighthouse and its keeper.  It was about this time that he started being called "Captain Moore":

Edwin Moore's name seldom appeared in the newspapers in this era. If it did appear, it was usually in connection with official lighthouse business as in this from the Chicago Inter-Ocean of June 22, 1891:

 

In addition to the lighthouse light, the station was also equipped with giant fog horns which were used as necessary to warn ships about the shoreline. 

Capt. Edwin Moore's father, Henry M. Moore died December 29, 1897 in Yorkville, Illinois.  He was eighty-eight years old.  He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Yorkville, Illinois.

Photo by Find a Grave Volunteer Anne Sears

 

The 1900 US Census shows the Edwin Moore still living at the lighthouse in Evanston.  The census, taken June 8, 1900, shows Edwin (46 years old), wife Mary (44), sons Harry (16), Ralph (7) and daughter Bessie (3).  Their address is listed as "No Num Sheridan Road."  Edwin and Mary told the census taker that they had been married for seventeen years.  Mary said she had given birth to three children, and all three were alive in 1900,  Edwin listed his occupation as "Light House Keeper," and that he had been employed all twelve of the previous months.  he said they lived in a house (not a farm) and that the house was owned by the U.S. (government).  Living near them were "1st Asst. Lighthouse Keeper" Isaac N. Blanchard, and "2nd Asst. Lighthouse Keeper" William W. Foster.

Capt. Edwin Moore's mother Julia Rhines Moore died in Yorkville on January 28, 1901.  She was seventy-six years old.  She is buried next to her husband in the Elmwood Cemetery in Yorkville:

Photo by Find a Grave Volunteer Anne Sears

I am not a fisherman, but a tremendous discovery of Capt. Edwin Moore was reported in the Chicago Tribune of July 7, 1901:  "White Fish Now Found in Lake Near Chicago."

I have no idea as to whether whitefish are still in Lake Michigan today, but that does not matter to me because I am a happy life-long carnitarian, as was my mother.

Unless you personally know someone who is a lighthouse keeper, it is unlikely that you know how much they are paid.  On July 1, 1903, the US Department of Commerce and Labor printed a list of all government lighthouse keepers and how much they were paid.  They indicated that Edwin Moore was paid an annual salary of $675.00 ($23,328 in today's money).  Isaac N. Blanchard, the First Assistant Lighthouse Keeper made $500.00 ($17,280 in today's money), and a new Second Assistant Lighthouse Keeper Rhinhard Pfeil made $425.00 ($14,688 in today's money).  Another factor that must be taken into consideration is that the jobs included free housing.   

The 1910 US Census shows the Edwin Moore family still living at the Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston.  Now the lighthouse keeper's house had an address:  2601 Sheridan Road.  The family consisted of Edwin (55 years old), Mary (53), Harry J. (25), Ralph R. (17), and Elizabeth E. (12).  Edwin and Mary said they had been married for twenty-eight years and that it was the first marriage for both.  Mary again said she had given birth to three children, and all were still alive in 1910.  Edwin said his occupation was "Keeper of a Lighthouse."  Harry and Ralph said they were both bookkeepers for a Railroad.  They could all both read and write, and Elizabeth attended school.

Tragedy struck the Moore family on August 18, 1913 when Harry J. Moore was struck and killed by a trolley car in Evanston.  He was twenty-nine years old.  Here is the story from the Chicago Examiner of August 19, 1913:

The Evanston Daily News also from August 19 goes into significantly more detail about the tragedy:

Harry James Moore was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Yorkville, the same cemetery as his paternal grandparents:

Photo by Find a Grave Volunteer Anne Sears

The 1920 US Census shows the Edwin Moore family still living at the lighthouse, 2601 Sheridan Road in Evanston.  The family now consisted of:  Edwin J. (65 years old), Mary (60), daughter Elizabeth (22), and son-in-law Harry D. Orwig (28).  They indicated that they rented their home, and that all of them could read, write and speak English.  Mary said she had immigrated from Canada in 1880 and became a naturalized citizen in 1884.  Edwin listed his occupation as "Superintendent of a Lighthouse," and Harry Orwig was a "Manager in Dry Goods."

The Chicago Tribune of October 3, 1921 commemorated Capt. Moore's sixth-eighth birthday with an article about him:

Captain Edwin J. Moore died March 1, 1924 in his home at the Evanston lighthouse.  His death made front-page news in the Chicago Tribune of March 3:

There are two mistakes in the obituary:  1) His daughter Bessie was not listed as a survivor - she lived until 1937.  2) He did not have a son Douglas - Bessie's husband was Harry Douglas Orwig.

Here is his Death Notice from the Chicago Tribune, also from March 3, 1924:

  

As stated in the Death Notice, Capt. Moore was buried in Yorkville - in the Elmwood Cemetery near his parents and Harry:

Photo by Find a Grave Volunteer Anne Sears

Now you know the story of one of Evanston's most famous residents, Captain Edwin J. Moore, who took care of the Grosse Point lighthouse for forty-one years so ships could pass safely along the Evanston shore in the treacherous waters of Lake Michigan.  May he rest in peace.

Capt. Edwin Moore and friend