Person:Joseph Greer (9)

Soldier in the American Revolution per p. 372-C of "History fo Davidson Co...." by W. W. Clayton. 1880.

http://www.mindspring.com/~wsgriffi/greermisc.htm

Page 326: The father of Greenberry Greer, Joseph Greer, if living in 1820 must have been aged about eighty years or more and if then a resident of Tennesseee, is not identified in the available census records. The Joseph Greer who was in Lincoln County, Tennessee, "over 45" in 1820, evidently had a wife under 45 and six children under six years of age. Hence it may be assumed that the aged Joseph Greer of Caswell Co.?, North Carolina, either remarried there, or had died before 1820.

The best known among the early Greers, probably, was Andrew Greer, who was "born in Ireland in 1730," and "died in Tennessee", before 1810. In point of time, any or all of the Tennessee Greers who were "over 45" in 1820 may have been the children or grandchildren of this Andrew Greer. However, one of the seven, Greenbury Greer, "over 45 in 1820" is known to have been born in 1764, and could hardly have been the grandson of a man who was born in 1730. Neither was he a son of the said Andrew, for it is a matter of record that Greeberry Greer's parents were Joseph and Ann Greer.

Returning the the 1798 will of an Andrew Greer in North Carolina, who mentioned his brothers Joseph, James and John, it is noted that three of these four names are identical with the names of three of the children of Andrew Greer, "born in Ireland in 1730"; namely, Joseph, Andrew and John. Hence it seems probable that the four brothers concerned in the 1798 will may have been the sons of Andrew, who was born in 1730.

The peculiar given name Geernberry, is an unusual one in the Colonial records, but it does appear as a surname at an early date in Maryland. Colonel Nicholas Greenberry, born in England in 1627, died in Anne Arundel County, Maryland in 1697. He and his wife Ann had at least three children: Colonel Charles, born in 1672, whose three children all died young; Ann, who married John Hammond; and Elizabeth who married John Goldesborough. Possibly Nicholas Greenberry had other children and some one of his sons or daughters may have been an ancestor of Greenberry, son of Joseph and Ann Greer, of whom further. The name "Ann" in both families is possibly more than a coincidence.

References: W.W. Clayton: "History of Davidson County, Tennessee", pp. 372-73. Fred A. Olds: "An Abstract of North Carolina Wills from 1760 to 1800", p. 15 Martha Lou Houston: "Tennessee Census Reports", No. 2 (Bedford County), pp. 14,15, 21, 24; No. 3 (Davidson County), pp. 8, 22,25,26, 29 32; No. 10 (Jackson County), pg.7; No. 12 (Lincoln Co.), pp. 1, 10, 19, 23, 38; No. 21 (Stewart County), p. 15; No. 26 (Williamson County), p. 13. "Daughters of the American Revolution", Lineage Nos. 51631, 88121, 88511, 89365, 96468, 102741. Lyman Chalkley: "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia", Vol. III, pp. 365, 389, 445. Lewis Preston Summers: "Annals of Southwest Virginia, 1769-1800", pp. 175, 404, 556, 1043-44, 1046-47; 1173, 1271. Samuel Cole Williams: "Dawn of Tennessee Valey and Tennessee History", pp. 271, 347-48. Jeanette Tilloston Acklen: "Tennessee Records: Tombstone Inscriptions and Manuscripts", pp. 187, 381-82, 389, 466. Mrs. Edith Whitley (some records spell the name Edyth Whitney): "Tennessee Court Records", vol. V, pp. 15, 16. and "The Virginia Magazine of HIstory and Biography", Vol. XXV, p. 443. Jane Baldwin: "The Maryland Calender of Wills," Vol. III, p. 244. Harry Wright Newman: "Ann Arundel Gentry," p. 217. "Maryland Historical Magazine", Vol. II, p. 185.

Page 327: I. Joseph Greer, earliest known ancestor of one Tennessee Greer family, was born probably about 1740 or earlier. The date or place of his death has not been found, but he may have died before 1790, when Anne Greer was listed as a taxpayer in Hillsboro District, Caswell County, North Carolina. He resided in North Carolina. Joseph Greer married, before 1764, Ann, whose surname is not known. It possibly may have been Greenberry. Among their children was: Greenberry - son of Joseph and Ann, born in North Carolina September 15, 1764, and died, probably, in Davidson Co., TN, in or after 1820. "He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and came to Davidson Co., TN at an early date in the county's history... Before his death he had become a prosperous and extensive farmer, owning a farm of 700 acres, and reared a large family of children." He resided in District No. 14, beginning on the Williamson County line, where the Lower Franklin or Natchez Trace-road crosses that line, and runs westward with the county line to the Cheatham county line, on the waters of the South Harpeth..., bordering the Strange place, F.P. Sullivan's... There were taxed in 1816, within the limits of this district and west of the Harpeth River, the following named persons: William, James, and Silas Dillahunty, John, Thomas, Henry and Lewis Demoss,... Isaac, Greenberry and George Greer.

Greenberry Greer was aged 52 years in 1816 and the Isaac and George Greer, who were taxed in the same district with him, may have been his sons or his brothers. It seems more probable that the latter may have been the brother from the fact that the 1820 census for Davidson County, Tennessee, included a George Greer, "over 45". The only Isaac Greer in said census was aged between 26 and 45, and could have been either a brother of a son of Greenberry Greer.

Page 328: Greenberry Greer married, but the name of his wife has not been found. Among his children were: 1. A son. 2. James L., called "the second son of Greenberry Greer" was born Nov. 25, 1806, died August 5, 1869, as was buried in the old DeMoss Cemetery beside his first wife; married (first) April 16, 1829, Hannah Dillahunty, "originally spelled De La Honte. She died June 2, 1849. He married (second), September 20, 1849, Luzaney P. deMoss, daughter of Thomas de Moss; she survived her husband and resided in the old homestead on an excellent farm consisting of from six to seven hundred acres. Children probably all by the first marriage were: Green B., died at the age of 25 years; Silas, married Susan Bledsoe; John T., married Josephine Dillahunty; James L., followed farming as his occupation, married Deliliah Dilllahunty, and had four children. 3. Greenberry, born in Tenn. abt. 1808. In the 1850 Census, the locality of his birth is given as "Virginia".

There is a mention on later pages of a Green B. Greer of Missouri - who appeared in census of 1850 in Scott Co., Missouri... Query:

5 Jun 1997 - Leigh (LeighInVA@@aol.com) is a Greer descendant through John Greer and Sarah Day (our common ancestor) and has the following descent info: I descend through their son Joseph (1725-1781) who m. Ann Lowe (sister of Rachel Lowe who m. Benjamin Greer). So we also connect through the Lowe line. I've only worked a very little bit on the Lowes - their father married at least 3 times - probably 4 times - and I'm not sure which wife was the mother of our Lowe girls.

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~radbud/gedpages/fam00937.htm

Husband: Joseph Greer

Married: 18 Aug 1750 at: St. John's Parish, Baltimore Co., MD

  Died: 28 May 1781      at: Bedford Co., VA  
Father:John Greer
Mother:Sarah Day
       Other Spouses: 

  Died:                  at: Wilkes Co., NC  
Father:
Mother:
       Other Spouses: 

  Born: 1766             at:   

Married: 23 Nov 1786 at:

  Died:                  at:   

Spouses: Philemon Saunders

Joseph Greer in Augusta County, Virginia records: (From Chalkley's Augusta County)

Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia Volume I COUNTY COURT JUDGEMENTS John Low vs. Robert Bratton, admr. of James Dunlop.--John Lewis's affidavit, 11th November, 1758, that he served as a soldier under Capt. James Dunlop 22 days in the month of June, 1756, and never received any satisfaction for it. William Crow vs. Mordecai Howard.--Signatures: Alexr. Sayers, John Blagg, Wm. Preston, Samuel McDowell. Peterson vs. Hamilton.--Deposition Joseph Greer, as garnishee, February, 1763.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 World Family Tree, Cd number 3, Tree number 2585.