My Moore Family in America - Part 16

I’ve finally reached the last installment of the story of my Moore ancestors. And in a way, this will be the hardest story to tell. They say you should never meet your idols. That was a little difficult in my situation. My idol was my grandfather, Milton Kennard Moore. He was highly intelligent and an impressive public speaker. He had a knack for making everyone, even strangers, feel like they had known him all their lives. That’s not to say he didn’t have his faults. We all do. But overall, he was a decent man who loved his family and treated us all wonderfully. So, this is his story

Milton Kennard Moore was born on 7 January 1907 in Palestine, Anderson County, Texas, to William Meredith Moore and Catherine Brownleigh.1 Palestine was then a regional railroad hub served by the International–Great Northern Railroad, bringing steady commerce and migration into East Texas.2

The 1910 U.S. Census shows the Moore family living in Palestine's Ward 2, with three-year-old Kennard listed as the son of William M. and Catherine Moore.3 His formative years were shaped by rural East Texas traditions, a growing public school system, and the optimism of the Progressive Era.

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At age 16, M.K. obtained a marriage license in Stephens County, Texas, on 9 February 1923, to wed Ola Imogene Jarvis. The couple married ten days later in Precinct 7, Lavaca County.4 They soon moved to Cisco, Eastland County, where they welcomed their daughter, Rose Katherine Moore, on September 24, 1923.5 Cisco had recently experienced the oil boom of 1917–1921, transforming it into a bustling, though short-lived, boomtown.

The marriage was brief, with the couple divorcing by about 1924. Divorce was difficult to obtain and carried a significant social stigma, especially in rural Texas. Despite their early divorce, M.K. and Imogene maintained a good relationship throughout their lives.

M.K. married Frances Amanda Brady in about 1926, based on the 1930 Census. Their first son, Brady Arthur Moore, was born on February 1, 1924.6

The 1930 census records M.K. as a 29-year-old married head of household in Precinct 2 of Upton County.7

His civic involvement flourished during this period. In April 1936, he was elected to the Rankin School Board alongside R.L. Bell.8 Two months later, M.K and Frances were installed as officers in the Order of the Eastern Star.9 In September 1938, he took examinations for Masonic certification.10 These activities demonstrate his strong commitment to community service.

Sadly, M.K.’s father, William Meredith Moore, died at the family’s home on 28 August 1939, after having been ill for about a month. Mr. Moore was buried in the Rankin Cemetery.11

Despite the dual challenges of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl affecting West Texas during the 1930s, Milton maintained steady work while raising his children: Brady Arthur, Dorothy Ann, and William Meredith12

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On 16 October 1940, M.K. registered for the Selective Service Draft in Corpus Christi, Texas, indicating that he was working at the Naval Air Station. It appears that Frances and the children were still living in Rankin.13 By 1944, the family had moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where M.K. was working as a foreman for an electrical company building the hospital at Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi.14

During the war years, Corpus Christi expanded rapidly due to the construction of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and wartime shipbuilding, with the city's population nearly doubling between 1940 and 195015. This growth created opportunities for skilled workers like Milton, who had developed expertise as an electrical contractor. The 1950 Census records him in Corpus Christi at age 45, operating his own business.16 In 1951, M.K. was elected president of the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association.17

From 1951 to 1954, local newspapers regularly documented his civic involvement, including service on Buccaneer Days committees,18 participation in Kiwanis Club events,19 and his selection to lead the Shell Center Business and Professional Organization, a group of businessmen with stores and offices at Shell Center.20 In 1953, M.K. was a candidate for the Corpus Christi City Council on a reform slate that was unfortunately not successful.21

In 1955, M.K. was ordained as a Methodist lay minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[22] He continued working as an electrical engineer for Southwest Electric Company while serving as a lay minister, first at St. Luke's Methodist Church in Tulsa, then at Kiefer Methodist Church in Kiefer, Oklahoma.22

On December 11, 1965, he was appointed Visitation Minister at Trinity United Methodist Church in Tulsa.23 In this role, M.K. visited the sick and homebound, assisted with communion, preached, and officiated at funerals. His community involvement continued through the Kiwanis Club, where he served as president of the Utica Square chapter in 196024 and later as Lieutenant Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International in 1968.25

M.K. suffered the loss of another son, William M. Moore (my father), in 1978.26 In 1982, M.K. and Frances realized a long-held dream when they visited the Holy Land, thanks to the generosity of someone who had heard M.K. preach at Trinity UMC. However, on the return trip, M.K. developed blood clots in his leg. Complications from these clots led to his death in 1983.

Milton Kennard Moore died on April 2, 1983, in Tulsa at age 76.27 He was buried on April 4, 1983, in Floral Haven Memorial Gardens, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.28 About a year later, Frances moved to Fort Worth, Texas, to be closer to her daughter Dorothy Ann and son-in-law Bill Andrew.

In 1986, Trinity United Methodist Church dedicated a memorial garden in his memory, a fitting tribute to his years of service and the deep affection of the congregation.29 Unfortunately, the church building and memorial garden were razed in 2015 after a survey of the building uncovered major structural issues that were too costly to repair.