Greer-Wilson Family Tour, 2012 Part V

by Glenn N. Holliman

Jesse and Mary Morris Greer, Sr...their lives and resting places....

Just south of the Todd, North Carolina crossroads on Highway 194, up on a rise and invisible from the road, is a pioneer cemetery.  The grass road is hard to spot, and some of us on our June 2012 family tour, discovered difficult to climb!  Below Alice Holliman Murphy leads the way for some relatives who decided to walk rather than ride.

Jesse Greer, Sr. (1778-1869) was a son of Benjamin Greer, a Revolutionary War hero, and Nancy Wilcoxson, a niece of Daniel Boone.  Feisty like his fore bearers, Jesse left home in a huff at age 16, and at age 21 eloped in 1800 with a 13 year old girl named Mary 'Polly' Morris (1787-1880).


Today, this great grandfather would have been incarcerated for corrupting the morals of a minor, statutory rape or worse.  However, Jesse crossed on stilts (of all things) a fork of the New River, to 'childnap' his bride.  With Mary on his back along with a rifle and, one suspects, with an outraged father right behind them, Jesse re-forded the shallow river still on his stilts escaping with his precious load.  The couple quickly found a relative with some legal standing to marry them, and they settled down in the Todd area and eventually had 17, yes, 17 children!


Below, Betty Ankers and Clinton Getzinger photograph the grave stones of Jesse and Mary Morris. Behind them are Jim Gray and Connie Burns.

 Jesse Greer, Sr. is the father of Jesse Greer, Jr, (1806-1892) who is the father of Caroline Greer Wilson (1828-1911), my generation's great, great grandmother whose husband was 'bushwhacked' at their Ashe County, North Carolina home during the Civil War.  All on this family tour are descended from or married into the Greer-Wilson families.

Jesse Greer, Sr. lies at peace on a knoll overlooking the Todd valley.  His soul was not always at rest as he vividly described in a testimony of faith he wrote and was transcribed by his son Jesse Greer, Jr.

When We Were Greers, Part XVII

by Glenn N. Holliman

Mary 'Polly' Morris (1787 - 1880), The Ancestress of the Family!

This was an amazing prolific family.  By the time Polly Greer (my generation's 4th great grandmother) died, she gave birth to 17 children who in turn produced 100 grandchildren, 250 great grandchildren and as many as 300 great great grandchildren by the time of her death!


One of her great grandson's, The Rev. William A. Wilson, has left us with a list of the 17 children and their date of birth.   Mary was born September 17, 1787, the summer the U.S. Constitution was written in Philadelphia, a year and a half before George Washington became the first President.  She died February 29, 1880 with the 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes in the White House.

At the age of 13 1/2 Polly married Jesse Greer Sr. on January 17, 1800.  The babies came often until she was 43 years of age.  Imagine, 30 years, usually pregnant!

Fannie Greer - Jan. 24, 1801 (The President of the U.S. was John Adams)
Benjamin Greer - Nov. 9, 1802 (The President of the U.S. was Thomas Jefferson)
Joshua Greer - Dec. 18, 1803
Nancy Greer - Feb. 21, 1805
Jesse Greer, Jr - Dec. 16, 1806 (this is my generation's 3rd great grandfather)
Polly Greer - June 9, 1808
Sallie Greer - Nov 4, 1810 (The President of the U.S. was James Madison)
Jennie Greer - Oct. 8, 1812
Betsy Greer - Nov. 17, 1814 (The White House was burned by the British)
Joseph Greer - Dec. 13, 1815 (The War of 1812 ended)
Andrew Greer - April 14, 1818 (The President of the U.S. was James Monroe)
Synthia Greer - Oct. 1, 1819
Franklin Greer - Feb. 22, 1822
Isaac Greer - Oct. 14, 1823
William Greer Greer - Jan. 1825
James Y. Greer - August 14, 1827 (The President of the U.S. was John Q. Adams)
Elvira Greer - Feb. 16, 1830 (The President of the U.S. was Andrew Jackson)

Below in the 1950s are two of Jesse and Polly Greer's thousands of descendants: Bascomb Osborne and his daughter, Gladys Osborne Adema.