A.A. Moore - Oakland

A. A. Moore, 1915 ¹Albert Alfonso ("A.A.") Moore (November 23, 1842 – June 6, 1928) was an attorney and the father of Ethel Moore.

Moore was born November 23, 1842, in Waterloo, Illinois, to Nancy Vernon O'Melveny (Moore) and William Whiteside Moore, and was one of 10 children, though half didn't survive to adulthood. William Moore went to California in 1849 in search of gold, then returned in 1850, broke, having been robbed of $2,000 by his traveling companion. In 1853, he moved Nancy and the 5 surviving boys to California. Albert later wrote of his parents, "[they] were devout Methodists all their lives, dying in the faith." His father was a member of the Whig party and knew Abraham Lincoln; Moore wrote of William, "On the breaking up of the Whig party he helped organize the Republican party in California and lived and died in that faith." ¹

Career

1896 drawing ³Albert attended the University of the Pacific (then in Santa Clara). After, he studied the law under county judge Noble Hamilton, and he was admitted to practice law in February, 1865. After an unsuccessful stint in the Idaho Territory, he returned to San Leandro and went to work for the county clerk and recorder. The morning of October 21, 1868, he was late for work. The Great Earthquake of 1868 struck at 7:53 AM, and destroyed the courthouse. Had he been on time, he might have suffered the same fate as head clerk Joseph Josselyn, who was killed in the collapse. ¹

In 1870, Moore went into private practice. He was district attorney for Alameda County from 1872 to 1876. In 1880, he hired George W. Reed as a law clerk. In 1883, Reed was brought in as a partner to Moore & Reed, where he remained for the next 6 years. Moore & Reed had its offices at the southeast corner of 9th and Broadway, above the Union Savings Bank. ³

He was later legal counsel for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and was head of the California Bar. ²

Family

Albert married Jacqueline Anne ("Annie") Hall (Moore) on June 6, 1871, and they had 6 children: Ethel Moore, Albert A. Moore, Jr., Carmen Moore (Starr), Stanley Moore, Jacqueline Anne Moore (Valentine - Schilling), and Margaret Moore (McClure).

According to family members, the Moores knew the de Fremery family, "Borax" Smith and his wife Mary, the Valentines and other noted Oakland families.

Jacqueline married into two prestigious Bay Area families. In 1904, she married John Joseph Valentine, Jr., son of Wells Fargo Bank president John Joseph Valentine, and they had four children. After the children were grown, John died in 1953. Jacqueline then married Rudolph Schilling, son of spice company magnate August Schilling.

Both Albert Jr. and Stanley followed their father into law. Albert served as a deputy district attorney of Alameda County, but he died in 1914 in an automobile crash in Madera, California.

children in 1882 ¹family in 1898 before marriage of A. A. Moore, Jr. ¹family in October, 1912 ¹

Home

The family home was on a half block of property at 1948 - 6th Avenue near East 20th Street; the Pringle family had their home on the other half. While the Moore house is gone, the Pringle family home still stands at 7th Avenue and East 20th. Smith's Arbor Villa and the Valentines' Cedar Croft were not far away.

It's unknown when the house was demolished, but the Avon Apartments were built on the site in 1930.

photo by Frank B. Rodolph1903 Sanborn excerpt

Death and Burial

Moore died June 6, 1928 of "a weakened condition of the heart". He had been ill for about a month and was 85 years old, so his death was not unexpected. Simple funeral services were held at the family home, though flowers and condolences were sent from all over the state. ² He is buried in the family plot in Mountain View Cemetery, along with Annie, Ethel and Margaret.

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