Wes was the second of nine children born to Jesse B. Moore and his first wife, Letticia Downing. Wes served in the Civil War; Company f, 113th Illinois Infantry. He married Miss Elizabeth Keath, a daughter of Gabriel F. Keath, Jr. and his second wife, Nancy Monica Hillis. The wedding took place on September 22, 1861 in Cissna Park (Iroquois County), Illinois. Twelve children were born to this union, six sons and six daughters. Wes was a schoolteacher; he served as Postmaster of Woodland, Illinois during President Cleveland's administration. Wes died in his sleep at his home in Woodland on a Wednesday at midnight.
FAMILY NOTE: excerpt from letter written by Olga Rosenberger (daughter of Letticia Emily Moore - daughter of John Wesley Moore) to a relative dated 29 August 1973: "... John Wesley Moore (son of Jesse) was crippled. He was born with club-feet and could never walk without shoes. When he was 5 years old he began to learn how to make his own shoes. My mother told that when he would tend to one of the children (there were only 12 altogether) at night that she had seen him crawl about the house. How pitiful because in this day and age he could have been helped. Anyway his mother and sister were very kind to him and he loved them very much. I can picture his family of brothers who were all sturdy. I can imagine that he didn't get any favors from them and so his sister and his mother were dear to him. He was 33 years old when he married Elizabeth Keath - 17 years old! That is another story of love, devotion, and poverty because John Wesley could not labor as other men. But he had an acute mind and high moral ideals and the family knew warmth and affection. As a young man, John Wesley Moore was a school teacher. At the time of his death he was the postmaster at Woodland. ..."
FAMILY NOTE: Eva Irene (nee Hanes) Pierce statements Corky Logan for school ancestral research project in October 1961. Excerpt, "... John was Irene's grandfather. He taught school and was postmaster in Woodland until he died. Irene never knew her Grandfather; but her Grandmother told her he was like a teddy bear, soft and cuddly. Always soft spoken, saw good in everyone and got the most out of life. John worked hard and loved his family dearly. ..."