Real Daughter

Laura Moore was born February 24, 1813, in Brattleboro, Vermont to Rufus Moore and Betsy Moore. She was one of eight children.

Rufus and Betsy were distant cousins related to the ancestor, John Moore, who brought his family to America in the mid 1600s. Rufus Moore was the son of Abijah Moore (1724-1792) and Eunice Gibbs (1726-1830). They were both from Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Abijah Moore attained the rank of Captain during the American Revolutionary War and fought in the 1st Regiment of Cumberland County Militia. In 1775 he marched to the Lexington Alarm. He and Eunice are buried in the Old North Burying Ground in Putney, Vermont.

Rufus Moore was born in 1750 in Rutland, Massachusetts. He was a Private in the Revolutionary War and, like his father, was in the Cumberland County Militia. He also fought in the Battle of Lexington but arrived too late to take part in the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was appointed Minute Man and was in active service for ten months.

Betsy was born July 27, 1777, in Bolton, Massachusetts to David Moore and Betty Whitcomb. They were both from Massachusetts. The two were married in April 1797 in Putney, Vermont. Betsy died young in August 1814 at the age of 38, and is buried in the Old North Burying Ground.

Sometime after her death, Rufus went to live with his daughter, Bathsheba (Mrs. Nelson Wheeler), in Vermont. He died there in March 1838 and is buried in the Lyndonville Cemetery next to grandson Rufus Wheeler.

Laura married James Hidden Clark Roberts on August 3, 1883, in Putney, Vermont. His father John Roberts, Jr. and mother Rachael Hidden were both from Putney, Vermont. Laura and James’, son, Charles W. Roberts, fought in the Civil War, and James’ grandfather, John Roberts of Killingly, Connecticut, fought in the American Revolutionary War.

In January 1900, at the age of 87, Laura joined the Brattleboro Chapter, NSDAR, and became that chapter’s first Real Daughter. Due to her advanced age, her niece completed the application for her. She was visited shortly after by a small group of ladies including the Vermont State Regent and was interviewed for the American Monthly Magazine. Sadly, she died October 3, 1900, and is buried with her husband.

On August 10, 2013, members of the DAR and her family descendants gathered at her gravesite and placed a memorial DAR marker. One of her descendants is a member of our chapter.