Friday, November 17, 2017

1889-1892 Autograph Album of Alice May Moore of Bay County, Michigan


1889-1892 autograph album of Alice May Moore of Bay County, Michigan.  By the time of this autograph album, Alice's father had died, and her mother, Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore had married Samuel Alonzo Phillips.

A reader has forwarded a photograph of Alice.


The album, which measures approximately 5-1/4" by 3", is battered, with torn pages, disbound pages, and, probably, missing pages.  Alice penned a dedication page, which, sadly, is torn.


Many of the inscribers were Alice's relatives, and most who gave a residence listed Auburn, Michigan; Midland, Michigan; or Pontiac, Michigan.

Note: A Moore, Phillips or Davis family researcher might be able to tease out more names from the battered pages of the album.

Surnames in the Album

? [14]HHorn ?RRandall
AAllenJJohnson [3]Richey
BBuzzardLLewisRowden
DDavis ? [2]MMooreSSkelton
DavisPPhillips [2]Smith
FFletcherPhillips ?VVoorhees [2]
GGagnerPrateau ?ZZenley

From brief online research, hopefully correct - corrections and additions requested:

Alice May Moore was born May 21, 1877 at Williams, Michigan, in Bay County, the daughter of William J. Moore and Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.  Her birth record in Michigan Births, 1867-1902, gives her surname and her father's as More.  

William J. Moore died on October 19, 1881.  In 1882, Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore married Samuel Alonzo Phillips.  It was presumably Elva who inscribed a poignant sentiment in Alice's album to "Dear Dauter" on March 5, 1890.


The Bennie who inscribed a torn page, which appeared to be directed to his sister, might have been Benjamin Alonzo Phillips, Alice's younger half brother, son of Samuel Alonzo Phillips and Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillips.


Many of Alice's aunts, uncles and cousins inscribed pages, including:  [Some of these are speculations, and there are presumably more relatives who didn't express a kinship.]
  • Hattie P. B. C. or Hattie P. B. O.
  • Aunt M. [page torn]
  • Aunt Delia
  • Emery or E. Mary; Alice's cousin
  • Addie, possibly Aunt Addie
  • Lucy, a cousin
  • Eva, a cousin.  Possibly Eva Davis, daughter of Mabel (Putnam) Davis and Irving Bert Davis, who was a brother to Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.
  • Aunt Lottie Davis; inscribed at North Williams on "3-10-1889.  She was Lottie Leona (Horn) Davis, wife of Arthur H. Davis, who was a sister to Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.
  • Your Uncle; perhaps Charles Henry Horn, wife of Elizabeth Alma (Moore) Horn, who was a sister to Alice's father.
  • Emma Phillips; Alice's cousin.  Presumably related to the family of Samuel Alonzo Phillips, second husband of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillip
  • Aunt Rosa; inscribed on January 4, 1889 at Auburn, Michigan.  She may have been Rosa Belle (Davis) Prateau, a sister of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.
  • Minnie Voorhees; inscribed at Pontiac, Michigan, on December 26, 1889.  She was Minnie May (Davis) Voorhees, sister of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillips and wife of Cornelius Voorhees, who inscribed the left facing page.
Two of Alice's teachers inscribed pages:
  • B. E. Allen of Midland, Michigan; inscribed at Auburn, Michigan, on February 12, 1889.  
  • Edward H. Richey, inscribed on October 31, 1889.  
About 1895, after the era of this album, Alice May Moore married Albert Cone and raised a family with him in Pennsylvania, where Alice died in 1918.  The informant on her death certificate was her brother Warren L. Moore.  Alice is buried in the Phillipsville Union Cemetery at Phillipsville, Pennsylvania, with at least one of her children, perhaps more.  Albert survived her.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the inscribers mentioned below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Inscribers in the Album
  • Elmer ?; inscribed on March 21, 18xx; Alice's schoolmate.  Surname might start with "Mers" or "Hers".  Page is torn, so surname and year of inscription aren't all there.
  • Hattie P. B. C. or Hattie P. B. O..; Alice's cousin
  • Name missing, as the page is torn; inscribed in October ? at ?, possibly Sherburn
  • Aunt M?; inscribed in December.  The page is torn so that any surname, place name or the end of the date are missing.  
  • Edna R.; inscribed at Auburn, Michigan, on February 12, 1889; Alice's schoolmate
  • Aunt Delia; inscribed on March 27, 1889
  • ?; could be Emery or E. Mary; surname could be Horne.  Inscribed on December 16, 1891.  Alice's cousin.
  • Addie; possibly Aunt Addie; inscribed on March 5, 1890; page in pieces
  • R. Fletcher or R. S. H. of Fletcher; inscribed on January 25, 1890.  Page torn
  • Littie or Luther; too faint to tell
  • A. J. J. or A. J., Jr.; inscribed in June; no year written or piece of page with date torn off
  • Lucy; inscribed on March 25, 1889; Alice's cousin
  • Orva; inscribed on July 25, 1890
  • S. S. R.; presumably the S. S. Randall who inscribed another page in the album
A
  • B. E. Allen of Midland, Michigan; inscribed at Auburn, Michigan, on February 12, 1889.  Alice's teacher
B
  • Mollie Buzzard; inscribed on February 12, 1889; Alice's schoolmate
D
  • Eva; inscribed on February 12, 1889.  Alice's cousin.  Possibly Eva Davis, daughter of Mabel (Putnam) Davis and Irving Bert Davis, who was a brother to Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.
  • Leigh Davis; not sure of surname.  Perhaps Leigh or Lee Davis, youngest brother of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore
  • Aunt Lottie Davis; inscribed at North Williams on "3-10-1889.  She was Lottie Leona (Horn) Davis, wife of Arthur H. Davis, who was a sister to Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.
F
  • R. Fletcher or R. S. H. of Fletcher; inscribed on January 25, 1890.  Page torn
G
  • Della Gagner
H
  • Your Uncle; perhaps Charles Henry Horn, wife of Elizabeth Alma (Moore) Horn, who was a sister to Alice's father.
J
  • R. S. Johnson; inscribed at Christmas time; possibly the R. S. Johnson who inscribed another page.
  • R. S. Johnson; inscribed on January 3, 1890; Alice's schoolmate.  Possibly the R. S. Johnson who inscribed another page.
  • Simon G. Johnson; inscribed on March 20, 1889; Alice's schoolmate
L
  • Zelia A. Lewis; inscribed on February 12, 1889; Alice's schoolmate
M
  • Alice May Moore of Bay County, Michigan; album owner.  She penned a dedication page, but the page has tears.
P
  • Bennie; page is torn but it might be inscribed to Dear Sis, but I can't be sure.  If so, he was presumably Benjamin Alonzo Phillips, Alice's half brother.  Benjamin's parents were Samuel Alonzo Phillips and Elva Harris (Davis) Moore Phillips.
  • Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillips; inscribed on March 5, 1890.  She didn't give her name but inscribed her page to "Dear Dauter".
  • Emma Phillips; Alice's cousin.  Presumably related to the family of Samuel Alonzo Phillips, second husband of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillips
  • Aunt Rosa; inscribed on January 4, 1889 at Auburn, Michigan.  She may have been Rosa Belle (Davis) Prateau, a sister of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore.
R
  • S. S. Randall; inscribed on March 19, 1889 at Auburn, Michigan; presumably the S. S. R. who inscribed another page.
  • Edward H. Richey, inscribed on October 31, 1889.  Alice's teacher
  • J. J. Rowden; inscribed in April, 1890
S
  • R. D. Skelton; inscribed at Auburn, Michigan, on October 20, 1889
  • Mrs. Matilda Smith
V
  • C. Voorhees; Alice's uncle Cornelius Voorhees, husband of Minnie May (Davis) Voorhees, who was a sister to Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillips.  His wife inscribed the right facing page.
  • Minnie Voorhees; inscribed at Pontiac, Michigan, on December 26, 1889.  She was Minnie May (Davis) Voorhees, sister of Alice's mother Elva Hazel (Davis) Moore Phillips and wife of Cornelius Voorhees, who inscribed the left facing page.
Z
  • Tena Zenley; inscribed at Auburn, Michigan, on January 12, 1890 [or January 18, 1890]

3 comments:

  1. This is my great grandmother. My grandfather Clarence Cone was born in 1918 a few months before her death. Please contact me. My sister has 1 photo of her.

    ReplyDelete