W. W. MOORE. He who is careful of small things, and who earns a reputation for honesty and reliability by observing the promises he has made, is already on the high road to a consummation of his hopes. Such an one is W. W. Moore, who is a prominent general merchant of Protem, Missouri He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, in 1844, a son of Henry and Nancy (Litsey) Moore, who were born in Kentucky, in which State the father spent his life in the occupation of farming, his death occurring in 1867. His father, George Moore, was a Virginian by birth, but he was brought up in Kentucky, and died before the subject of this sketch had any recollection of him. He was of Irish extraction and a farmer by occupation. The maternal grandparents, James Litsey and wife, died on Blue Grass soil. W. W. Moore is the eldest of six sons and six daughters born to his parents: Harrison and Mattie, Ann, Sarah, Mary and Hannah, deceased; Josie, James, John, Horace (who resides in Protem, Missouri), Harvey and W. W.
The latter received the education and rearing of the average farmer’s boy of his day, and at the age of twenty-one began farming for himself, continuing this for several years. He was married in 1866 to Susan, daughter of David and Lizzie Burnett, who came from east Kentucky to Hardin County, Missouri, where Mr. Burnett was engaged in merchandising until his death. Mrs. Moore was born in Hardin County, and has borne Mr. Moore six interesting children. In 1880 Mr. Moore removed with his family to Protem, and followed farming and stockraising exclusively until 1884, when he embarked in the mercantile business, and is now one of the most prosperous business men of the county, a fact which is due to his own sound judgment, push and enterprise. He does an annual business of considerable magnitude and in addition to his mercantile operations he is engaged in handling cotton and is an extensive feeder and shipper of live stock. In 1890 he purchased the flouring mill at Protem, which he has recently converted into a roller mill, with four sets of double rollers, having a capacity of forty barrels per day. In this enterprise he is associated with a Mr. Wells, and these gentlemen have one of the most perfect mills in this section of the country, within a radius of fifty miles. It has already built up a good trade, both wholesale and retail, and the flour which is manufactured there is of a very fine grade, is carried by all the leading grocers of that section and is very popular with housewives. Mr. Moore came to Protem with only a few hundred dollars as his capital, but his native energy, push and intelligence have placed him on his present flourishing financial basis, and he is universally respected for the upright manner in which he has conducted all his operations. He is justly considered one of the most substantial business men of Taney County. He is a member of Cloflin Lodge No. 229, of the A. F. & A. M., at Protem.