History of the Restoration Movement


M. L. Moore

1867-1928

Gospel Preacher and Song Leader In Southern Kentucky & North Central Tennessee


1917 - Potters Children's Home
Adults In Rear LtoR - [unknown], Lora Comer Moore, M.L. Moore, Hugh Potter, Clinton C. Potter, Mary J. Potter

1904 Report On The Work of the Church at Gallatin, Tenn.

On the first Lord's day in September Brother L. S. White began a protracted meeting with the Church of Christ worshiping at Gallatin, Tenn. On the day following I joined them in the work of the Lord. The interest grew from the beginning till the close of the meeting, on the third Lord's-day night in September. As a result of the meeting, ten souls were added to the saved. It was a source of great delight to me to participate in the spiritual services of this meeting. I am sure that all who attended were helped thereby.

The church at Gallatin has had about two months' protracted meeting work done, including the home meeting. The interest in the home meeting was greatly augmented by the meetings held at schoolhouses before this· meeting began. Brother White held all these meetings, in which there were about thirty-five additions. This, taken with the result of the home meeting, makes about forty-five additions as a direct result of preaching done by the church at Gallatin.

I am truly thankful to our Heavenly Father that the spirit of sounding out the word is to be found in the hearts of these brethren, and I earnestly pray that this spirit may continue to grow in their hearts. I trust that in humility others ma~ emulate the example of these people, for they certainly follow the Lord's Way.

Brother Cowden, a teacher in the training school, and Brother Hill, a preacher living at Gallatin, helped us much in song and prayer. I am glad to know them.

-M. L. MOORE, Gospel Advocate, October 6, 1904, page 637.

Gospel Advocate, September 15, 1904, page 588


Gospel Advocate, April 15, 1909, page 464


Gospel Advocate, May 3, 1928, page 416


Gospel Advocate, June 28, 1928

PASSING OF M. L. MOORE

Brother M. L. Moore was born in Clay County, Tenn., in May 1867. He was reared to young manhood in the community where he was born. He had the advantage of being reared in a Christian home, and by parents who were well informed about the things most needed for young people to know and do. When he was eleven years old, he confessed his faith in Christ and was baptized by Brother E. M. Berry. Early in life be began to take an active part in Christian work. He was not only an active worker in the church, but a strong worker against the curse of the liquor traffic that was so common when he was a boy. He was very strongly opposed to all forms of drinking, dancing, gambling, and the many questionable amusements so common at the present time.

Brother Moore prepared himself for usefulness. After finishing the course of instruction in the public schools, he attended Peabody College, in Nashville, for some time, having been given a scholarship in that school on account of his excellent record. Afterwards, he attended school in Lexington, Ky., for some time. He then taught for some years. I first met him in Gamaliel, Ky., thirty years ago. I was a young preacher, and he was principal of a large school in Gamaliel, and preaching some on Sundays. I saw his great power as a preacher; and after we had some correspondence about the matter, he decided to spend his life preaching the gospel. In the meantime he married the oldest daughter of  Brother and Sister Frank Comer, of Gamaliel. She was well educated, a fine Christian girl, and was a great help to Brother Moore in all his work. The last time I saw him, he said to me: "My wife has been my salvation in my home and in my work."

Five children were born to Brother and Sister Moore. The eldest, a son, died early in life. The four daughters—Myrtle, Vessie, Eva, and Ola—survive. Vessie and Eva are married and live in Louisville. Brother and Sister Moore also took an orphan girl, daughter of a Methodist preacher, and reared her. She became a Christian before she was grown, and lived with them till she married and moved to Oklahoma.

Twenty-five years ago the church in Franklin, Ky., secured the services of Brother Moore as preacher. He worked under the direction of this church for twelve years. The church had a wonderful growth while he was there. Part of this time he taught in the public schools of Franklin. The trustees of the Potter Orphan Home, at Bowling Green, prevailed on him to take charge of that Home. This took him away from Franklin. He did a wonderful work in the Home; but he soon saw that the work and care of the Home was breaking down the health of Sister Moore, and at the end of a year he gave up that work.

At the close of his work with the Potter Orphan Home the church in Bowling Green secured his services as preacher. A small number, perhaps less than fifty, were trying to worship the Lord as taught in the Bible. The small congregation could give him only meager support, and for some time the larger part of the support for his family was made otherwise. He kept pressing on, and the church began to grow. It was one of the great desires of Brother Moore to see the church in Bowling Green grow into a good congregation and to see a house built adequate for the needs of the church. He lived to see both. During all these years he held many meetings in several States. In some of these meetings he got good support, and in others he got but little. He held a few meetings in Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia, and was called on for many more. The larger part of his preaching was done in Tennessee and Kentucky. He and I held meetings enough together to make almost a year of time. He was often in my home, and I was often in his home. I think I knew him as well as any man I ever saw. He says I had much to do with his rejection of instrumental music in the worship and also of his devoting his entire time to preaching the gospel. In April of last year I conducted a meeting in Bowling Green, the first in the large, new meetinghouse, and saw the house overflow with people who wanted to hear the word of the Lord. It was my second meeting with the church there. I never saw a church love a preacher better than the church in Bowling Green loved Brother Moore. His life was absolutely above reproach. The business men had unbounded confidence in him. I never saw a man called on for more funerals and weddings. It can be truly said of him: "A great man has fallen."

On the last Sunday in June, Brother Moore preached for his home congregation, and during the sermon he had an attack of heart trouble. He suffered great pain and weakness. He did not tell the audience about it, but closed his sermon before he finished what he had prepared. That afternoon he consulted a physician, but neither he nor the physician thought the matter serious. However, he was too weak to go back to church at night. Next morning he got up early. His good wife got up with him, and she asked him how he felt. He told her he did not sleep well during the night. Soon after that he lay down on the bed, and his wife discovered that he was breathing very hard. She got a doctor in a few minutes, and a few minutes after the doctor came Brother Moore passed to his reward. This was a great shock, for he was above the average in size, health, and strength.

Brother Moore loved the church of Christ, and nothing pleased him better than to see people faithful to the word of the Lord. I never saw a man with more reverence in preaching the gospel. I do not know the exact number he baptized, but the number ran into the thousands. No lover of the Lord can doubt that such a Christian as Brother Moore has gone to the "home where changes never come" and "where the skies are always clear." I deeply sympathize with his family and the church in Bowling Green: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."

-L.S. White, Gospel Advocate, August 2, 1928, pages 742,743.

M.L. Moore

It was a great and good man that passed from our midst when Brother M. L. Moore fell asleep in Jesus. His departure was sudden and unexpected and came as a shock to his many friends all over the country. Brother Moore was widely known and greatly beloved. He was great in humility, in simplicity, in goodness and kindness, in gentleness and love, and withal faithful to his Lord and to the word of God's grace. There are driving preachers and winning preachers. Brother Moore was one of the latter. He had the keys to the hearts of men. With sympathy and tenderness he entered into the lives of people to teach and admonish and help them; and the poor had the gospel preached to them, and the common people heard him gladly, and the Lord's sheep caught the Shepherd's voice in the simple loving accents of Brother Moore's pleading. If it is a commendation to a man that children love him—they certainly loved Brother Moore. When he was superintendent of the Potter Orphan Home the children clung to him as to a father—a very good father. In fact, though strong in mind and physically of powerful build and stature, and distinguished in appearance, Brother Moore was a child—a child not in understanding but in malice; a man with a child's heart, as pure, as guileless, as simple, as trustful, as humble and unpretentious; one of God's little ones.

We shall not be able to fill the vacancy he has left. Who can take his place and who could do in his place what he did? We believe that our work as Christians is both the test and preparation for an immeasurably greater service God has laid up for us for "the ages to come." He who was faithful in a few things here is set over many there; and he who was faithful in that which was another's shall be put in trust of true riches which are his own. For such men as we believe Brother Moore to have been, is prepared a place of exalted and blessed service in the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

-R. Η. Boll Word And Work, 1928, page 247

MY MOTHER.

I am wholly unequal to the task that lies before me when I attempt to write of my own dear mother who has so recently gone home to be with those who were watching and waiting for her on the other side.

Mrs. Emeline Frances Moore fell asleep in Jesus at 8 A. M., May 26, 1920, having lived 80 years, 4 months and 10 days. In November, 1865, she was married to J. W. McD. Moore, of Moss, Tenn., who passed to the other side Sept 9, 1910. To this union there were born four children, one daughter and three sons, all of whom are dead save the writer. From her early acceptance of the gospel, she was a devout and faithful Christian through all the years of her life.

She was always patient, kind and gentle toward all about her and had a host of friends who knew her as Aunt Fanny. She was faithful in her attendance at the house of the Lord and took great interest in the welfare of the church. With a sad heart because she is absent from earth, I give God thanks for giving me such a mother as mine. May the Lord bless and comfort us in our sorrow.

At the funeral, Bro. Emmett Creacy, of Horse Cave, Ky., and Bro. O. L. Carnahan, of Moss, Tenn., made appropriate talks. The body was buried beside that of her husband in the churchyard at Old Walnut Hill, Barren Co., Ky. She leaves one brother,
J. W. Neville, Glasgow Junction, Ky., with whom she had spent a large part of her time since my father's death.

We shall never cease to miss her; but we hope to see her again some glad day, when earth's trials are over. These poorly written lines do not express even feebly what is in my heart as I write them.

Her son, M. L. Moore, Word And Work, 1920, page 245.

Directions To Grave

Brother and sister M.L. Moore are buried in the Fairfield Cemetery in Bowling Green, Kentucky. From I-65 in southern Kentucky, take exit 26, Hwy. 234 toward downtown. The cemetery is located on this road and you will see it before you get into town. Enter the cemetery on the right side (north) side of the road. Make your way to toward the right rear of the cemetery. When you are midway of the lane that goes between the cemetery and St. Joseph Lane, stop a little less than midway, and enter into the cemetery. Go about seven rows in to the monument with MOORE written on the stone. The GPS below is the actual grave location coordinates. The photos below may help you as well.

Location In Cemetery: Location: C-1 – N-93
GPS Location: 36.99366667,-86.42002833


Seven rows in from road



Myrtle Moore
May 20, 1895
November 19, 1951
Daughter of M.L. & Lora Moore


Lora C. Moore
September 17, 1869
December 22, 1943
Wife of M.L. Moore


Bro. M.L. Moore
May 8, 1867
June 25, 1928

Photos Taken July 27, 2016
Webpage produced March 28, 2017
Courtesy Of Scott Harp
www.TheRestorationMovement.com

Special Thanks to Ralph Brewer, director of Potter Children's Home for providing photos of brother M.L. Moore, and the children under his supervision at Potter Children's Home in 1917.

History Home

History Index Page