author
John W. (John Wheeler) Moore
1833–1906
Best known for turning North Carolina’s past into lively, readable history, this 19th-century lawyer and former Confederate officer wrote works that helped shape how generations of readers learned the state’s story. His books ranged from broad history to fiction and poetry, showing a lifelong devotion to North Carolina’s people and memory.
1 Audiobook
School History of North Carolina : from 1584 to the present time
by John W. (John Wheeler) Moore
About the author
Born in Hertford County, North Carolina, in 1833, John Wheeler Moore studied at the University of North Carolina, read law, and built a career that blended public life with writing. During the Civil War he served in the Confederate army, later holding the rank of major.
After the war, he became especially known as a historian. His History of North Carolina was widely used as a school text, and he also compiled parts of the important Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War Between the States. Alongside history, he wrote novels and poetry, giving his work a broader literary reach than many regional historians of his time.
Moore died in 1906, but he remains remembered as one of the writers who helped preserve and popularize North Carolina’s history. For listeners interested in older American historical writing, his work offers a window into how the state understood itself in the late 19th century.