52 Ancestors #12: Small Town Socialite Mrs. Agnes Moore

One of my favorite things about researching my family history is finding little nuggets of information somewhere unexpected.  This afternoon, I found a few nuggets about my dad’s grandma, Agnes Moore.  Until tonight, I didn’t know much about her.  She wasn’t the topic of conversation in our house … I vaguely recall Daddy talking about visiting her a few times after his grandpa passed, and visiting her one last time in a nursing home before she passed.  I never met her … not that I remember, anyway. 

Facts about Agnes Moore

Clara Agnes Dunn was born on April 10, 1885 to Joseph (1850-1930) and Lucy Jane (Land, 1857-1950) Dunn. She was born in Saline County, Illinois along with her 8 siblings.  She was raised on a farm in Cottage Grove, Illinois … not much has changed … this area is still nearly entirely farmland today.  Agnes’ parents and all of her siblings could read and write, something I’m finding very rare among my ancestors of this time.

On October 17, 1906, Agnes married George Melvin Moore and had an instant family with two Moore children (Esther and Myral) from George’s first marriage.  Together, Agnes and George had 4 children:

• Lucelle (b. 1907)
• Joab (1909-1992, Daddy’s father)
• May (b. 1911)
• Josephine (b. 1913)
• Eva (b. 1916)

Agnes died in September of 1983 at age 98. I can’t even begin to fathom what she experienced in her near century of life.

The Socialite?

Honestly, I don’t know if socialite is the right word to describe the daughter and wife of farmers, but it somehow seemed fitting after finding Agnes’ name in print repeatedly in The Daily Register newspaper! Albeit, she was mostly attending family gatherings that were announced in the social section of the newspaper, but there were a lot of them during the 1940s and 1950s. My favorite was the handkerchief shower and going away party for Mrs. Josie Winkleman, Agnes’ sister, on October 21, 1958. The guest list reads almost entirely of Josie’s family … names in my family tree. Reading about social events in newspapers bring everything so much closer to home … even things that happened nearly 60 years ago. It allows us a glimpse of our ancestors’ daily lives, something that most of us rarely get.

The Handkerchief Shower

Now, I’m barely 40 years old and handkerchief showers aren’t in my repertoire of parties … so I had to dig for explanation! Traditionally, these were akin to the bridal shower during the late 19th and early 20th centuries … women of that era would never be caught without their hankies! Guests would “shower” the bride-to-be with gifts of delicate handkerchiefs.  During the mid-20th century, I found more reference to these showers being used as going-away parties for friends and family members … a way to bid adieu and send a woman off to her new life.  It’s a piece of our heritage … and society … that hasn’t survived like its baby and bridal shower counterparts.  

I have no idea what any of these women looked like … I don’t have photos from the Moore side of my family.  I can, however, imagine June Cleaver and Lucy Ricardo sitting in Josie Winkleman’s living room playing shower games! 

A Worthy Cause

In April 1945, Agnes and George each donated $1.00 to the Red Cross War Fund Campaign. Two dollars for a rural southern Illinois farmer’s family – a family that had little to no income – was a huge sacrifice. This act of philanthropy lends credence to the type of people Agnes and George were.   

I wasn’t raised around the Moore side of my family.  Daddy didn’t have a positive relationship with his own father, so the Moore’s are a bit of a mystery.  At the end of the day (or night!), discovering the tiny nuggets along the way provide a little insight, for better or worse. At least with Agnes, it’s for the better!