Most families don't realize that when they call the Moore Family Funeral Homes to assist them that they have called on a family tradition that dates back to 1820. In the beginning, our family was in the business of manufacturing horse-drawn carriages and farm implements. Since we were carpenters and skilled craftsmen, we were occasionally called upon to build coffins for the local families in Clermont, Brown, and Eastern Hamilton Counties.
As time went on, families demanded more and more services from the Moore's. We had the horses and the carriages to take the families to the cemetery and the personnel to prepare the body for burial. Around this time, the nation was in trying times with the Civil War, which brought about many changes in the funeral industry. Out of necessity, the process of embalming was emerging to bring the men and boys back home for burial. The assassination of President Lincoln followed as well as the introduction of the Horseless Carriage.
A story our grandfather, William Stirling Moore, passed on from his father to our father, Louis H. Moore, was that the first few times the motorized hearse was used, the families we served and folks attending the services commented that we could not get the coffins to the cemetery fast enough! Around the turn of the century, families still prepared the body and had the services in their homes.
Until around the 1930s, our grandfather and grandmother designed a full service funeral home on the site where the carriage works had been. They both worked hard through the depression and started an ambulance service. The ambulance served most of Clermont, Brown, and Eastern Hamilton Co. It was the only service for miles.
Our grandfather had an engineering background and held many patents. One of which is the mercury switch for the automobile. This device would cut off the battery in case of an accident where the vehicle was leaning or flipped on its side. This eliminated many fires and saved many lives. He also invented an embalming machine. The Moore Embalming Machine was unique in the way that it uses water pressure in lieu of a mechanical pump. We still use his machines today.
The business has seen many changes and developments. We have always survived. We believe that part of our success is due to our commitment to our families, the families we serve, and to the communities in which we live. Our father, Louis H. Moore, was in local politics for nearly 40 years. That was quite a commitment to his community. As the seventh generation moves forward, we hold and believe in many of the same commitments.
We are also active in local politics and special interest groups that serve our communities. We look forward to the future knowing that we are one of the few family businesses to survive. We are proud to be the sixth generation to serve our communities and families and knowing that we are the oldest single family-owned and operated Funeral Homes in America.
- Mark, Louis II, and Mary Moore
