William R. Moore was born around 1823 in Virginia. He eventually moved to Ohio, and he married Mary Elizabeth Hall on November 17, 1842. They had at least five children: Owen, born around 1845; John, born around 1847; Lureston, born around 1850; George, born around 1853; and Francis, born around 1857. Moore worked as a master blacksmith in Barnesville, Ohio. He owned $1,500 of real estate in 1850, and a decade later, he owned $3,000 of real estate and $500 of personal property. He enlisted in the Union army on October 13, 1862, and mustered in as a farrier and blacksmith. He mustered out on July 20, 1865, and returned to Barnesville. He applied for a federal pension in October 1872 but never received one. He died in Barnesville on March 3, 1875.