Moses Horne, a 2nd great grandfather

Moses Horne, son of George Horne and Mary Brown, was born in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on April 6, 1832 or 1833. The book History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Volume 2 by John Newton Boucher includes a sketch for George Richard Horne, son of Moses. In the book, Boucher notes “In this class may be mentioned George Richard Horne, a representative of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and a roller in the Vandergrift mills of the Amrican [sic] Sheet Steel and Tin Plate Company. His grandfather, who was the founder of the family in America, emigrated to the United States and settled in Maryland, whence he came to East Liberty, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. He was a well known contractor in his day, and furnished the stone for the building of the old Allegheny court house and the county jail. He died at an early age, being drowned in the Butcher’s Run flood in 1838.” The grandfather mentioned in this passage would have been the Moses’ father, George Horne. It also means that because George Horne died in 1838, Moses would only have been five or six years old when the flood took place. I haven’t found any other records showing that Moses had siblings, so it’s possible he was an only child. Moses was my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather.

Raised in Allegheny County, Moses became a carpenter, which records show he did for many years. During that time, he also became a contractor (like his father before him), as well as worked in the retail business.

On August 10, 1850, Moses and his 56-year-old widowed mother lived with the Bernard O’Neil family in the Peebles Township of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He was 17-years-old and working as a laborer. In 1858, Moses married Elizabeth Larimer, daughter of William Larimer and Magdalene Neley. Between 1859 and 1873, they had eight children—Amanda Larimer Horne, Mary Jennie Horne, Lydia Enna (or Emma) Horne, Josephine B. Horne, Ollie Bertha Horne, George Richard Horne, Keziah Chambers Horne, and one unknown child. I can only document seven of the children.

5/3/24 update: The unknown child was William Alexander Horne, born November 23, 1871, and likely died an infant. Also, Ollie Bertha Horne is incorrect. I believe her correct name to be Olean (or Olena) “Ollie” R. Horne. And Lydia's middle name is likely Etta.

Daughters Amanda and Josephine

On June 11, 1860, Moses, Elizabeth, Amanda, and his 70-year-old mother “Mary” lived in the Peebles Township of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Moses was working as a carpenter. In 1862, they lived on Shady Lane in East Liberty. He paid taxes in Allegheny County during the months of May and June 1863. Moses was working as a retail dealer in 1865 and paid $10 in annual taxes in Division No. Five of Collection District Number 22. It was with the help of these tax records that I finally found Moses in the 1850 census record after having looked solidly for several weeks. I’d previously looked for Moses in those census records, but this time around, I looked almost every day to no avail until I discovered the tax records. I was looking in the wrong township. It made me very happy to find the 1850 census record if I must say so myself! I needed to see if there were other children in the Horne family and it was this record that told me the answer was probably not. The 1862 Pittsburgh city directory showed that Moses’ widowed mother was still living in the home and he was still working as a carpenter. He was still living on Shady Lane and working as a carpenter in 1868 but there was no mention of his mother Mary. Sometime during that year, Moses moved his family to Paulton, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. 

On July 8, 1870, Moses and his family lived in the Manor Dale area of the Washington Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Moses, who was working as a carpenter, had real estate valued at $1200 and a personal estate valued at $500. Elizabeth was keeping house. Daughters Amanda, Mary, and Lydia were attending school; son George was just a baby at five months. Moses’ 75-year-old mother Mary was living with them. It took me a while to find Moses in the 1870 census record due to a transcription error—Worn vs. Horn or Horne—but like in 1850, I kept looking and finally found the record. Around 1875, Moses and his family moved to Apollo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. He immersed himself into the community by becoming active in politics as well as joining the Apollo United Methodist Church. 

On June 25, 1880, Moses and his family still lived in Apollo. He was a dealer in groceries. His 10-year-old son George was a clerk in a store so was most likely helping his father. Elizabeth stayed busy keeping house while daughter Amanda was a dressmaker. I can personally attest to Amanda’s sewing skills as I have in my possession a baby dress she made for her son Benjamin Gordon Smith about 1884. Click here if you’d like to see and read what I wrote about Ben’s dress several years ago. At age 20, Amanda was no longer attending school, but Jennie, Lydia, Josephine, Ollie, and George all were. Moses’ youngest daughter Keziah was enumerated as Kizzie. In 1882, Moses attended the wedding of his daughter Amanda to John Milton Smith, my husband’s direct ancestors. The wedding took place in Apollo, so it’s possible that if the Horne family had not moved there, I wouldn’t be married to my husband today as she might have never met John and the family wouldn’t be what it is today!

Moses Horne family in the 1880 Apollo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania census

On April 3, 1890, Moses attended another wedding, that of his daughter Lydia to Harry T. Henry in Apollo. And then he attended the wedding of his son George to Emma Schmidt in Armstrong County on March 26, 1892. 

A Republican, Moses was a member of Apollo’s city council in 1895.

On June 1, 1900, Moses, Elizabeth, and Josephine were living in Apollo. Moses had returned to his carpentry work. At age 35, Josephine was apparently not working. The census enumerator recorded Elizabeth as the mother of eight children, five of which were living. 

Moses died at home of heart disease in Apollo at the age of 77 on April 11, 1910. His son George was the informant on the death certificate. He was buried at Riverview Cemetery there in Apollo. The census taker came around four days later.

Moses' death certificate

Moses’ obituary ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on April 12:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 12, 1910
Deaths in Nearby Towns
Apollo, PA., April 11.—Moses Horne, aged 77, died today at his home here. He was a steel worker and had lived here for 50 years. He was a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church. He is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Harry Henry of Vandergrift, Mrs. H. Smith and Miss Josephine of Apollo, and Mrs. V. Shepler of Leechburg; and one son, William Horne of Apollo.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 12, 1910

I found his obituary interesting in that most of the information is wrong, at least as far as my research goes:

• Not once did I find any record that said Moses was a steel worker.
• He didn’t move to Apollo until around 1875, which would be 35 years, not 50. 
• The church records I found have him attending the Methodist church, not the Episcopal.
• His daughter Amanda married John Milton Smith, not Mr. H. Smith.
• His only son was named George Richard Horne, not William.
• It did not list his wife as a survivor. She didn’t die until 1913 and her death noticed listed her as the wife of the late Moses Horne.

Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1913

Whatever the case, I’m happy I decided to write this sketch for Moses. When I started it, I didn’t have any information on his father and only a name for his mother. Finding the History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania sketch on George Richard Horne helped take me backwards one more generation which is always exciting. 

References

• Bertha Edna Smith Athya photo collection.
• Boucher, John Newton, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, vol. 2, pp. 599–600.
• Certificate of Death number 34752, Moses Horne, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bureau of Vital Statistics, April 12, 1910.
• East Liberty (Pittsburgh); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Liberty_(Pittsburgh).
• Elizabeth Horne obituary, Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1913.
• Marriage License, George R. Horne and Emma Schmidt, State of Pennsylvania, County of Armstrong, March 26, 1892.
• Marriage License, Lydia E. Horne and Harry T. Henry, State of Pennsylvania, County of Armstrong, April 7, 1890.
• Members in Full Connection, Apollo United Methodist Church; Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669–2013.
• Members in Full Connection, Apollo United Methodist Church; Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669–2013.
• Moses Horne obituary, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 12, 1910.
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1862.
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1868.
• U.S. Federal Census, Apollo, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, 1880, 1900.
• U.S. Federal Census, Manor Dale, Washington Township, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, 1870.
• U.S. Federal Census, Peebles, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 1850, 1860.
• U.S. Federal Census, Washington, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, 1870.
• U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862–1918 for Moses Horne, Pennsylvania District 22; Annual Lists; May 1865.
• U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863–1865 for Moses Horne, Pennsylvania 22nd vol. 1 of 3.