Born March 5, 1932 in Dayton, Ohio, Eliza was named after the mother of Poet Laureate Paul L. Dunbar and was christened in the Dunbar home. She was married to Douglas F. Moore and had three sons, Ernest, Douglas and Charles. Ernest preceded her in death. Eliza graduated from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Dayton where she received numerous awards and recognitions for oratorical skills. She studied at Wilmington College and received a bachelor’s degree in Education from Plattsburgh State University. Eliza was an active member of Champlain Valley Oratorio Society for years, performing in numerous spring and summer concerts at SUNY Plattsburgh. Her father, Ernest Johnson, was the region’s first Black Master Plumber and her mother Charlest Higgins Johnson, was a published poet. Her grandmother, Jewelia Galloway Higgins, was a suffragette and one of the nation’s first black Red Cross Nurses.
As the daughter of Charles Higgins and Ernest Johnson, Eliza is a direct descendant of John Isaac Davis, a 1780’s slave. She was a devoted mother and wife of 58 years, as well as a skilled seamstress. Eliza moved on to her heavenly home on March 8, 2020.