The progenitors of the family of Moore herein recorded were for several generations resident of the town of Lee, Berkshire county, Massachusetts. The first of the family to settle in New York state was Spencer Moore, born in Lee, Massachusetts, 1824, in the old Moore homestead. Tradition has it that this branch of the Moores were of Scotch-Irish lineage and of the same family as the celebrated Irish poet, Tom Moore. Spencer Moore died in Schenectady, New York, September 25, 1889. He had brothers and sisters: Samuel H., married Catherine Hagar; children: Nancy, Alice, and Elder; Mary, married George Weaver; children: Lester and one other son; Clarissa, married Abraham Hagar; children: Orson, Ida, Franke, Spencer and Libbie. Spencer Moore was a machinist and inventor. He established shops at Central Bridge, New York, where he made crude farming machinery. He introduced many improvements in the early machines and implements that have now reached a perfection little dreamed of by the earlier inventors. He was associated with the Westinghouse family in their earlier operations at Central Bridge, New York, also there for himself until he went to Schenectady, where he removed in 1867. He purchased twenty-five acres of land in the then outlying suburbs of Schenectady, in the town of Rotterdam, which is now ward No. 10 of the city of Schenectady. Mr. Moore was a prosperous man, and lived a life of great usefulness. He married, in Central Bridge, New York, Catherine Westinghouse, born in 1828, died in Schenectady, June 6, 1882, daughter of George (1) Westinghouse and a sister of the great inventor and manufacturer, George (2) Westinghouse. Spencer Moore and wife were members of the Dutch Reformed church, but after removing to their new home in Rotterdam, they found there was no nearby church. In connection with Rev. Backus, they promoted and organized the Christian Association, of which Mr. Moore was president as long as the association existed. Thev built a house of worship that is now owned by the Reformed congregation and known as the Bellevue Dutch Reformed Church. Children:
- George W., see forward.
- Frank, born June 4, 1860; educated in the public schools, and became a manufacturer of malleable iron castings in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (Allegheny City, now known as the north side of Pittsburg). He is also largely interested in brick manufacture. He married Amelia Dun, born in Pittsburg; children: Frank (2), deceased; Frank (3), George W. and Catherine W.
(II) George Westinghouse, eldest son of Spencer and Catherine (Westinghouse) Moore, was born at Central Bridge, New York, May 20, 1857. He was educated in the Public schools and from an early age was a worker in the machine shop of his father. He inherited from both paternal and maternal progenitors a love of mechanics, and his long years of practical experience has made him a most wonderful expert worker in iron and steel. When he was sixteen he entered the Westinghouse shops, then located in Schenectady, and was for many years connected with them. He represented them in Chicago during the years 1878-80-81. Mr. Moore has practically retired from business, but has never abandoned his love for invention and hard, intricate mechanical problems. He maintains a complete private machine shop where he passes a great deal of his time, builds machines of various kinds for his own use, has an automobile of his own construction, and is the inventor and builder of the first automobile with a chassis so constructed as to allow a side door entrance, the earlier machines all having a rear entrance. His inventive, mechanical ability is so well known that the solution of any difficult mechanical problem in iron or steel is "Take it to George W. Moore." He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Reformed church. Two facts in Mr. Moore's life must be noted: He never drank a drop of liquor, nor never used tobacco in any form. While engaged in Chicago, Illinois, in 1881, he married Georgie Barter, who died September, 1882, at the early age of twenty-one years. He married (second) Helen G. Cruden, born in 1864, in Arbroath (formerly Abertrothock), a seaport and manufacturing town of county Forfar, Scotland. She came to the United States at the age of sixteen with her parents, John Campbell and Annie (Carneer) Cruden. John C. Cruden was an expert machinist, now living, retired, past seventy years of age. Annie (Carneer) Cruden died at the age of fifty years. They were both devoted members of the United Presbyterian church. Helen G. Cruden was their only child. Children of George W. and Helen G. (Cruden) Moore:
- Catherine A., born April 14, 1884; graduate of Schenectady high school and Boston Training School.
- Spencer F., born April 29, 1887; graduate of Schenectady high school, John Hopkins University, class of 1906, Sheffield Scientific School and Yale University, where he was graduated with the highest honors, class of 1910. He is a mechanical expert, and an undisputed authority on gas engines.