When We Were Greers XVI

by Glenn N. Holliman

Jesse Greer Sr. Elopes with his Child Bride, Mary Morris!


This is a stunning story of a 13 1/2 year old girl, Mary Morris, who grew up on the Yadkin River near Wilkesboro, North Carolina, disobeyed her father, my generation's 5th great grandfather, Henry Morris, and ran off with 22 year old Jesse Greer, Sr!  Jesse had grown up along the South Fork of the New River in what became Ashe County, North Carolina.  Jesse lived on one side of what is now the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Mary on the east side.

This event happened in 1801.  If it had happened in the 21st century, young Jesse would have been charged with statutory rape, kidnapping and who knows what else.  After 10 to 15 years in the state penitentiary, branded a pedophile, he would have spent the rest of his life on the sexual predators list!

Fortunately for our DNA, Jesse and Mary had very successful marriage.  Their great grandson (and brother of Frances Wilson Osborne), The Rev. William A. Wilson, in the 1940s recorded the story which had passed along as family oral history.  From p. 109 - 110 of Neighbor to Neighbor, I quote verbatim the story as I cannot improve on this tale written by my 2nd great uncle!


"Polly Morris's father objected to the marriage on the grounds that Polly was too young.  However, Morris allowed Greer and his daughter to talk matters over and during the time allotted they planned an elopement.

Old man Morris (Henry Morris whose wife was named Mary also) was good enough to ferry young Greer to the Western bank of the Yadkin.  Polly Morris appeared little disappointed and went about her work cheerfully.  Later in the afternoon, as planned, Polly Morris went down to the river bank and young Greer, carrying his gun in one hand, waded the river on stilts and when he reached the bank where she stood he took her on his back and waded back to the safe side.  They walked some distance to the home of an acquaintance of Greer's and told them they were hurrying to Ashe County where they would get married.

They crossed the Blue Ridge at Gap Creek which was only four miles from the Greer home at Old Fields.  Elijah Calloway was magistrate at Old Fields and Jesse Greer and Polly Morris were married by him. Calloway, as had Benjamin Greer, Jesse Greer's Sr's father, had married a Wilcoxson, daughter of John and Sarah Wilcoxson.  So Callway was his uncle.  Sarah Wilcoxson was before her marriage, Sarah Boone, daughter of Squire Boone, father of Daniel Boone."

On the map above, note Baldwin in the center right near the edge of the map, marked in yellow. Near here Jesse and Mary crossed the Blue Ridge from the east, Wilkesboro, North Carolina (off the map). They were married by his uncle in the area marked in yellow under the large 'D', far center edge of map. Just to the south west of Baldwin, at Todd on the Ashe and Watauga County line, Jesse and Mary are buried together at the Howell Cemetery. To get your bearings, note Boone, North Carolina in center, toward the bottom of the map.  Again in yellow. 

This young couple had 17 children, one being Jesse Jr., my generation's third great grandfather. Benjamin Greer had 15 children.  Greers live all over North Carolina, East Tennessee and Kentucky to this day!