"Poetry and paper making"
16 Feb 1824 - 5 Jan 1899
16 Dec 1819 - 5 July 1878
Bloomfield Haines Moore was born in Philadelphia on December 16, 1819. His parents were Samuel French Moore and Rachel Matlack Haines. Both were from Quaker families with farms in western New Jersey, where their ancestors had settled in the late seventeenth century. Samuel F. Moore moved to Philadelphia, however, where he eventually became a builder. Forced to find a new career because of his failing health, he then became a highly successful real estate agent. Unfortunately, with the further deterioration of his health, he lay on his deathbed at the age of forty and appointed Jacob Ridgway, a family friend, to be the legal guardian for Bloomfield Haines Moore, aged seven at the time, and his older brother Carlton Ridgway Moore, and to manage their father's property. Their mother lived on in the family's house until her death in 1851. The house was located on Carlton Square, at that time a rural suburb of Philadelphia.
In his early years, Bloomfield attended the (Society of ) Friends' School of Isaac Taylor and Thomas Conard, which would prepare him for admission to Princeton College, according to his father's wishes. However, a member of Ridgway's family opposed this and proposed Clermont Academy instead, which had an excellent reputation at that time, and from which Bloomfield and Carlton later graduated.
Bloomfield H. Moore worked for his former guardian, Jacob Ridgway, in Philadelphia. Eventually he assumed responsibility for the majority of the business, and upon Ridgway's death, Bloomfield inherited $10,000, which he invested in his own business.
In October 1842 he married Clara Sophia Jessup, daughter of the scientist, chemist, and industrialist, Augustus Edward Jessup, and Lydia Eager Moseley (the name is also sometimes written as Mosley, in very old English documents as Maudesley or de Maudesley). Apparently both her mother and father—who were puritans—opposed the marriage to Bloomfield Moore, a Quaker, but eventually they yielded.
Clara and Bloomfield had three children: Ella, Clarence, and Lilian . Ella and Lilian married into Swedish families and moved to Sweden, whereas Clarence stayed in the U.S.
The Jessup & Moore Paper Company
The following year, 1843, Bloomfield Moore gave up his own business and invested his capital in his father-in-law's paper industry, from then known as the Jessup & Moore Paper Company. In 1845 the firm enlarged its business by commencing paper manufacturing on the Brandywine. Mr. Jessup had many years before made experiments for improving the manufacture of paper, and in consequence of his success in these experiments, he had established a paper mill in Westfield, Mass., where he made banknote paper, hoding large contracts with the United States government for its manufacture.
Bloomfield Moore invested in this (to him) new business not only the profits of his previous business, but also the money that he inherited from his greatgrandfather and his father. In addition to the united capital of the firm, Mr. Alfred Dupont, the classmate and lifelong friend of Mr. Jessup, advanced nearly fifty thousand dollars for enlarging the business, "refusing to take from Mr. Jessup any mortgage, note, bond, or evidence of debt whatever, from the time of lending the money to the time of its return." The original paper mill of Messrs. Jessup & Moore, known as the Augustine Mill, was later greatly enlarged by Bloomfield Moore.
At the time of Augustus Jessup’s retirement in 1853, his son Alfred DuPont Jessup worked for the company, and his other son, Edward, also joined the company. However, after a few years they sold their shares to Bloomfield Moore, who continued the operation under the same company name as previously.
The company now included paper mills in Rockland, Chester, and Augustine, along with a pulp mill in Manayunk. The Jessup & Moore Paper Company apparently was the largest paper industry in the world at that time, occupying the most prominent position among its competitors (see Oyvind Haugen's interesting web site about "The Rockland Paper Mills").
Bloomfield H. Moore died of pneumonia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 1878. Based on the letters in my possession, as well as obituaries published in 1878, apparently he was well liked, and known for his humor and generosity.
Excerpts from obituaries:
Bloomfield H. Moore, who died on July 5, at his residence on South Broad Street, Philadelphia, was one of the most prominent merchants of that city. He was the sole surviving partner of the paper manufacturing firm of Jessup & Moore, for many years at the head of that important trade, owning the Rockland, Augustine and Chester mills, besides the immense pulp works at Manayunk. He was a man of considerable scientific training and had a large influence in social and financial circles.
He was a member and Vice-President of the Franklin Institute and during the war took an active part in the plans of the Union League, and was an efficient writer in the interest of the Sanitary commission.
He was a frequent writer upon topics connected with finance and social economy, the author of a number of pamphlets, and, during the last session of Congress, drafted an able and elaborate article in opposition to Mr. Fernando Wood's proposed Tariff bill.
His business, which grew to be one of the largest of its class in the world, was begun in 1843 ...... and has been of steady and rapid growth. It brought him into connection with all the interests which have contributed to Philadelphia's advancement as a manufacturing centre, and gave him a large influence with manufacturers an bankers. He was officially connected with a number of banking and other moneyed institutions.
His wife is still living. An only son is now in China. The other children, two daughters, are both married, one of them being the wife oft the Swedish Count von Rosen, and the other married to M. de Bildt (Carl Nils Daniel de Bildt), First Secretary to the Swedish Legation at Washington.
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"Although actively engaged in a business which required close attention, rendered the more necessary by its rapid development, Mr. Moore found time for reading and for pursuits which were congenial to his tastes and for the accumulation of a very valuable library. Political economy and social science were branches to which he devoted considerable attention. Several monographs from his pen were published on occasions of public interest. Mr. Moore became a member of the Franklin Institute in March, 1863, and was elected to its Board of Managers in 1864, and served as a manager until 1877. In 1869, he was elected one of the vice-presidents of the Institute, and served eight years. From 1864 to 1874 he was one of the curators, and from 1867 to 1877, a member of the Committee on Publication, and during most of the time he was chairman of the comittee. For ten years he served on the committee on the Library, and for nine years on the Committee on Exhibition. At the close of the year 1876, his family urging some releif for him from engagements outside his business, he declined re-election to an official position in the Institute.
Endowed by nature with a well balanced mind, Mr. Moore was well calculated for a successful prosecution for whatever he undertook. Careful, without unecessary timidity, he was always ready to appreciate and take advantage of whatever tended to advance manufacturing skills in his department. In his business relations he was affably obliging, just and carerful to avoid offense, posessing qualities valued in social intercourse, he was an intelligent and agreeable companion, and he leaves a large circle of friends, who unite with his family in mourning his loss while in the meridian of his strength and usefulness.
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THE LATE B. H. MOORE
The late Bloomfield H. Moore, who died at his residence in South Broad Street, Philadelphia, on the evening of July 5, is deeply mourned by those who knew him.
The Philadelphia Inquirer says--
"The death of Bloomfield H. Moore, which is our painful duty to record, will be the occasion for deep and general regret. One of the foremost and most influential of our citizens, Mr. Moore was worthy of his high position. He stood up in our midst a living exemplar of the power of character, of the virtue that lies in honorable energy. Rich was he, and to spare; but his wealth was one of his least recommendations. It was the unswerving rectitude, the untiring industry and dauntless enterprise which marked his career from first to last, that made his life of such value to his fellow citizens and gave him his true distinction. There are not many men in the community whose loss would have been more deeply felt, for there are but few, indeed who filled so important a place. And while in his public capacity he will be regretted by all alike who have any stake in the welfare of our city, by those whose privilege it was to enjoy his personal friendship he will be mourned with deeper feelings of sorrow and affection. In his social, no less than in his business relations, Mr. Moore was equally eminent.
"He was a man of cultivated tastes, and as a debater and writer he was unusually brilliant. The death of such a man is a public loss which the whole community will deeply deplore.
"What was most commendable in Mr. Moore," says the press, "was his public sprit and his modest deportment. He did good for the sake of doing good, and not for notoriety. He took a sincere pleasure in everything that contributed to the welfare of his fellow citizens. Engaged in active business, he cultivated both literature and science. His heart was as liberal as his mind. He had noble instincts, and his generosity knew no bounds within the limit of discretion. It was a rare privilege to enjoy his friendship and the advantage of his counsels. Many men who occupy prominent stations pass away and are soon forgotten. The world cares nothing for the cold-blooded and selfish, who exist but for themselves, but it does regret the loss of a genial, generous, brave-hearted man like Bloomfield H. Moore. He was fortunate, but it was owing to his own judgment, and to his probity and sagacity. He was fortunate in his family relations, but this was in part due to his union with a woman of the rarest and most elevated qualities of mind and heart. A generation must pass away before the memory of Bloomfield H. Moore will cease to be cherished."
The writer of the article in the Press, Hon. E. Joy Morris, who has filled the post of minister from the United States in Itally, as well as in Turkey, than whom there is no one better qualified to judge of the powers of mind or of the culture of any individual, does but utter the sentiments of all who know the extent and profoundess of Moore's learning. When at eighteen years of age Bloomfield H. Moore finished a four year's course of study at Clermont Academy, he read and spoke French with a fluency that few businessmen ever acquire. German and Italian he was equally at home in reading. The world of science and art was one in which he was not a stranger...
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BLOOMFIELD H. MOORE.
A meeting of the Philadelphia Book Trade Association was held on Thursday morning at the rooms of the organization, No. 617 Jayne street, for the purpose of taking action relative to the death of the late Bloomfield H. Moore, vice-president of the association. Thomas Mackellar, president, occupied the chair, and in calling the meeting to order he stated the object to be an appropriate expression of the sense of regret and loss the members felt in the death of their late vice-president.
William W. Harding moved the appointment of a committee to draft suitable resolutions, and the chair appointed W. W. Harding, A. G. Elliott and R. S. Menamin. After a brief recess the committee returned, and Mr. Harding submitted the following resolutions:
Whereas, In the fullness of a most useful. active and honorable life. Bloomfield H. Moore, late Vice-President of the Book Trade of Philadelphia, our long-time friend and business associate, died at his residence in Philadelphia on the 5th inst.
Resolved, That in the death of this eminent citizen, merchant and manufacturer, we recognize the loss of one, who, by the dignity, liberality and energy of his character assisted to maintain the exalted commercial fame of his native city, and by his own inherent worth won for himself a most honorable reputation at home and abroad, thus affording an example to the youth and businessmen of the country worthy of emulation. The rare excellence and simplicity of his life, his unostentatious Christian character and his fine culture of mind commend his memory to our admiration and esteem.
Resolved, That we mourn the death of Bloomfield H. Moore as that of one whose large courtesy, unvarying kindness and affectionate esteem were shared by all who enjoyed the honor of his friendship. At the same time we desire to bear witness to his wisdom and learning, his benevolence of heart, his absorbing love for the truth and for honesty of purpose and deed; his calm, unprejudiced judgment, and his pride in his birthright of citizenship; as well as in the reputation and fortune he had builded as a merchant, and of which he was the sole architect.
Resolved, That we tender to the family of our deceased associate our sincere sympathy with them in their affliction, and that a copy of these resolutions be engrossed and presented to them, signed by the president and secretary of this association.
The resolutions having been read, the Chair said it would be hard to go beyond the truth in speaking of a man like the late Bloomfield H. Moore. Frequently the most fulsome praises are bestowed upon a man after his death when it was impossible to see during his life the presence of any of the qualities attributed to him. Not so with Mr. Moore, whose virtues were transparent and whose worth was recognizable by all who knew him. The resolution did not overstate the case in the least, and, in adopting them, the association would be but doing a duty which such a man’s memory merited.
The resolutions were then unanimously adopted, and the meeting adjourned. Among those present either personal or by letter, were: Thos. Mackellar, H.C. Baird, W.W. Harding, J.G. Ditman, Charles D. Talmage, Charles Magarge, M.S. Bulkley, Mark Wilcox, E.S. Talmage, A.G. Elliott, Charles E. Warburton, R.S. Menamin, E.R. Cope, Martin Nixon, W.W. Nevin, S.A. Rudolph, Alfred S Martien, J. McCalla, John Simmons, Ferd. Fetherston, George Remsen, Robert S. Davis, Charles P. Nine, A. Kirkpatrick, John A. Black, Willis P. Hazzard, Clayton MacMichael, Silas A. George, Wm. C. Hamilton, and others.
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Clara Sophia Jessup was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 16th, 1824. Her parents were Augustus Edward Jessup and Lydia Moseley. She received her education at home, superintended by competent teachers, and at the Westfield (Massachusetts) Academy. She completed her studies in New Haven, Connecticut, where she studied for three years. After her marriage to Bloomfield Moore she started a literary career and made her home in Philadelphia the resort of literary people, among whom were some of the most gifted authors of the day. One of her early stories, "The Estranged Hearts," received the first prize our of 400 offered. In 1855 she was widely known as a writer of both prose and poetry. She wrote several novelettes, "The Adopted," "Compensation", "The Fulfilled Prophecy," followed by three stories "The Hasty Marriage," "The Home of Huntley and Raymond" and "Mabels' Mission."
During the Civil War she was secretary of the Woman's Pennsylvania Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission. She also created the special Relief Committee which took an active part in the hospital work during the Civil War. After the war she dropped her pen-name, Clara Moreton, and continued her literary career with works like. Among her other works were: "Gondaline's Lesson", "Slander and Gossip," "The Warden's Tale," "Social Ethics and Social Duties," and several books for children.
She also supported, and wrote several books and articles about, John Worrell Keely (1827-1898), the controversial inventor of the "Hydro-Pneumo-Pulsating-Vacuo Motor". Keely claimed that the force he had harnessed would enable him--with just one quart of water--to send a train of cars from Philadelphia to San Francisco.
She continued to believe in Keely's findings, and was the main finacial backer of his "Keely Motor Company" financially, for at least ten years (1881- 1891). Persuaded in 1891by her family to stop wasting good money on a futile project, she wrote a letter to the directors of Keely's company telling them that she withdrew her support. This was not entirely true, judging from a little note this head-strong (and generous) lady wrote the day after the story hit the press.
One of the last entries in her diary of 1898 (25 August) is about Keely's company: "I sent for Dr. Baumann to give him the Keely shares, to hold in trust for distribution, and have written upon the certificate of five shares; as follows; -- "By an arrangement made in 1896, with Mr. Keely, to take effect in event of his terms of settlement, with the old Keely Motor Copany, not having been ratified ... to be exchanged for their equivalent in value in stock of the new Company, which will then be organised."
Keely died in 1898. The inexhaustible source of power he claimed to have discovered, "The Etheric Force" or "Molecular Motion of Energy", was, it turned out, nothing but compressed air. The "Hydro-Pneumo-Pulsating-Vacuo-Motor", and other mysterious engines such as the "Compound Disintegrator" and the "Sympathetic Negative Attractor", had all been powered by a large cast iron hollow sphere carefully hidden in the cellar floor beneath Keely's workrooms!
Mrs. Bloomfield Moore spent her last years in London, England, where she became known as "Lady B" among her friends, to whom she could count literary celebrities like Henry Longfellow and Robert Browning, and the celebrated actress Sarah Bernhardt.
She died in her home at Great Stanhope Street, London, on 5 July, 1899.
You will find further biographic information about Mrs. Bloomfield Moore on another Web site, "Sympathetic Vibratory Physics", where the Hydro-Pneumo-Pulsating-Vacuo Motor and Mr. Keely's purported findings seem to live on as some sort of new age cult in our days. Keely Net is another site worth visiting.
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