Many years ago, a descendant of William and Elzira solicited information from other known descendants about these two ancestors. This is the title page from his booklet.
I was very glad to receive a copy of this booklet and it helped me greatly to begin filling in the Greer Family that is my mother-in-law's maternal line.
There is some confusion in the dates in the paragraph, probably just typographical. These census records show this story. I have simplified them to mostly show William and Elzira, to shorten the entries:
1850 Iowa, Marion Co, Lake Prairie Twp, 6 September
133/138 Willem Greer, 29, farmer, vore 100, b Kentucky / Elisa Webb, 28, b Kentucky // _ Angeline, 7, b Illinois; Nancy G, 5, b Illinois; John W, 3, b Illinois; James H, 5/12, b Iowa
1856 Iowa, Marion Co, Clay Twp, page 16
31/32 William A Greer, 36, farmer, b Kentucky [gives agricultural statistics] / Elzira, 34, b Kentucky . . . [children] and . . . Temperance Webb, 70, wd, b North Carolina Note: all say 8 years residing in state, except those younger than 8.
1860 Iowa, Marion Co, Clay Twp, Belle Fountain, 7 June
172/166 William A Greer, 40, farmer, vore 1500 vope 500, b Kentucky / Elzera, 38, b Kentucky . . . children and . . . Temperance Webb, 74, b Iowa
1870 Iowa, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp, Warsaw, 9 August
45/45 Greer, William A, 50, farmer, vore 5000 vope 1460, b Kentucky / Elzira, 48, b Kentucky . . . children . . . including Franklin S, 11, farm work, b Iowa, deaf & dumb; Moon, Angeline S, 26, keeps house . . .
1880 Iowa, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp, 29 & 30 June
59/59 Briggs, Sarah J, 55, "abandoned by husband", married, housekeeper, b Indiana Ohio Ohio // William J, 30, son, "abandoned by wife", married, farmer, b Indiana Kentucky Indiana; Greenbery J, 19, son, farm laborer, b Missouri Kentucky Indiana; Lydia L, 14, dau, home and school, b Iowa Kentucky Indiana; Francis M, 11, son, home and school, b Iowa Kentucky Indiana /// Thurman E, 2, grandson, b Iowa Indiana -- [Elzira Webb Greer's mother, Temperance, was a Briggs.]
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60/60 Greer, William A, 60, farmer, b Kentucky North Carolina North Carolina / Elzira, 58, wife, b Kentucky North Carolina North Carolina // Franklin S, 21, son, single, deaf & dumb . . .
1885 Iowa, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp, p 79, T67 R22 Section 22 E So
57/57 Greer, William A, 65, farmer, b Kentucky / Elzira, 62, b Kentucky // Franklin S, 26, single, b Marion Co, Iowa, mute
1895 Iowa, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp
78/78 William A Greer, 74, b Kentucky, farmer / Elzira, 72, b Kentucky, keeping house
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79/79 Franklin S Greer, 35, b Marion Co, Iowa, farmer, birth in 1894 - 1, deaf and dumb / Lilly, 31, b Iowa, keeping house, deaf and dumb . . . children
1900 Iowa, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp, 1 June
9/9 Greer, William A, head, b Jan 1820, 80, m 59 yrs, owner free, farmer - farm 9, b Kentucky North Carolina North Carolina / Elzira, wife, May 1822, 78, m 59 yrs, 10 ch 7 liv, b Kentucky North Carolina North Carolina
/10 Greer, Franklin _, head, b Feb 1859, 41, m 14 yrs, farmer, b Iowa Kentucky Kentucky [in margin DD] / Lilly, wife, b Oct 1864, 35, m 14 yrs, 3 ch 3 liv, b Iowa Massachusetts Massachusetts [in margin DD] . . . children . . .
MILITARY ---Register of persons subject to military duty in the 4th Congressional District, consisting of the Counties of Tama, Benton, Jasper, Powshiek Iowa, Johnson, Marion, Mahaska and Keokuk, Monroe, Wapello & Appanoose, Iowa, enumerated during the month[s] of June and July 1863
*Residence: Clay Twp, line 3
Greer, William A, 43, farmer, b Kentucky / August 14th 1863
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I have spent the 30 years since receiving a copy of this booklet filling out the basic information provided, which was mostly names, relationships, dates. Here is some of what I have compiled about the descendants of Elzira and William.
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William was born in Barren County, Kentucky, in 1820. The "exact" date is found only in a later record giving his age at death.
This card was in my mother-in-law's stash and is now a hundred and eighteen years old, about a man who was born just a few months short, this date, of 200 years ago. Amazing. I do not have a card for Elzira, but wish I did. Oh, well . . . Perhaps someone who knows more about Elzira Webb Greer will read this and contact me.
William appears to be the son of William Smith Greer, known as Smith Greer. I haven't taken the time to delve much further back than William A, but have put that on my never-ending Someday list.
Elzira is the daughter of John Webb and Temperance Briggs. Temperance "Tempy" was born the 18th of September 1784 in North Carolina and died 13th July 1872 in Iowa. She is buried in Greer Cemetery, Wayne Co, Iowa. I have a memorial for her on Find a Grave . John Webb died before 1840 and I don't have much information at all about him.
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William and Elzira had 10 known children. Since the births are in standard time frames for those years, and there are no unusual gaps, it is probable that the 10 children are all who were born.
Two of the ten children did not live to adulthood. The first child, William B Greer, was born 29 Sept 1841, and died about 1848. William and Elzira are on the 1840 census in Kentucky, and in Marion Co, Iowa in 1850 census records. Since William B lived between the census records and so doesn't have a civil record, it has been hard to find out where he might have died.
The other child who did not live to adulthood was their last child, a daughter Emma Retta Greer. There is a Find a Grave memorial for her here.
The eight children between William B and Emma Retta all lived to be adults and every one of them had children. There are Find a Grave memorials for all those children of Elzira and William, linked together.
The photograph below was taken at the same time. I do not have a paper copy, but found this posted on the internet. I added it to the memorial for them on Find a Grave and more completely identified the children who appear with them. I haven't yet figured out who Virgil is, who's grandma is Nancy Greer Stroud. I don't have complete enough information on her descendants.
The children missing from this photo are Cyntha Angeline Greer, John William Greer, and Wilkins Webb Greer. The two men were still alive at the time of the photograph and living in Kansas. Perhaps they were not able to travel to Iowa for the occasion of this get-together. Cyntha was alive, as she appears in the probate record as 57 years of age, but no address is given.
Cyntha is not a mis-spelling, but how I consistently find her name in the few records I've located for her, although she's as often noted as Angeline.
I have this note in my file: October 2017: Over the years I have had great difficulty in finding records for Cyntha Angeline Greer. There have been references to other marriages and other children - but without much documentation. I do have some. What I have in this file for her is what I have been able to document and I am stopping with that. Perhaps one day more will come to light.William and Elzira were married in 1840 as shown by this record:
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Montgomery Co, Illinois, Vol 1, p 72, license 462
Greer, William A and Webb, Eliza, 5 Nov 1840, Montgomery Co, Illinois
The couple had been married more than 60 years when William died. My computer tells me that he was 19 and she 17 when they married. They are buried together in Greer Cemetery, on property they owned.
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Here comes the boring part for most readers, but I find these details of life the more interesting records I come across. All spellings are transcribed as found in the records; bracketed clarifying information is mine.
---Iowa Wills and Probate Records, Series E, Case 377, 20 March 1901
State of Iowa, Wayne County, In the matter of the Estate of Wm A Greer, deceased. The following is a full and perfect inventory of all the Personal Estate of the decedent, so far as the same has come to the possession or knowledge of the undersigned Executor of said estate, and also a correct statement of the heirs of said decedent.
Statement of Heirs
Elzira Greer, widow, age 78, residing Clinton Center, Iowa
Nancy Jane Stroud, daughter, 55, Eveland, Iowa [Mahaska Co]
John W Greer, son, 53, Fallriver, Kansas
James H Greer, son, 51, Clio, Iowa
Webb W Greer, son, 49, Kiowa, Kansas
Sarah L Riddle, daughter, 46, Clinton Center [Iowa]
Mary E Bettis, daughter, 44, Clinton Center [Iowa]
Franklin S Greer, son, 42, Clinton Center [Iowa]
Syntha A Greer, daughter, 57 [no address given]
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Inventory of Personal Property, Estate of Wm A Greer, deceased, filed June 29, 1901
General Assets: 1 gray mare 9? years old / 1 bay horse colt 2 years old / 2 red cows 4 years old with red male calves / 1 red cow 3 years old with red heifer calf / 1 spoted cow 3 years old with spoted male calf / 1 red cow 6 years old / 2 red heifers 2 years old / 1 sow 1 year old weight 280 / 2 pigs / 1 farm wagon / 1 spring wagon / 1 top buggy / 1 harrow / 1 string plow / 1 cultivator / 1 mourning machine / 1 dray rake / 1 sulkey rake / 1 set double harness / 1 grind stone / about 75 bushels of corn in crib / 1 stack of hay / 6 doz chickens
-Notes and Book Accounts
C M Fordyce, Jan 27, 1899, 150.00
J W Greer, Mar 1st 1895, 73.14
J H Greer, Nov 1st 1900, 46.80
W W Greer, Sept 1st 1893, 211.46
F S Greer, Jan 1st 1901, 10.40
Certificate of deposit Farmers Bank, Powersville, Mo, Dec 29, 1900, $30
Total assets: $904.30
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a full, true, and complete inventory . . . James H Greer Administrator, July 6, 1901
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Sale Bill, State of Iowa, Wayne County, Estate of W A Greer . . . sale of chattel property . . . made at his late residence on Wednesday, the 9th day of October 1901
Dasher churn, Mrs Mary Greer / spoons & ax, Geo Rollins / wash boiler & table, Robert Bettis / churn, Henry Parker / scythes, Arthur Bettis / wire stretcher & frow, Tom Shepherd / brush hoe & wood saw, Wood Bates / scoop shovel, J L Shepherd / hammer, Arthur Bates / 2 pitchforks, Wm Robinson / grind stone, Elmer Riddle / heating stove, John Robinson / four chairs, Chas Fordyce / bureau, Mrs Mary Greer / safe, Chas Fordyce / cupboard, Franklin Greer / couch, Franklin Greer / spring wagon, T Brown / wagon, J L Shepherd / harness & saddle, Arthur Bettis / cultivator, Geo Rollins / plow, Franklin Greer / steel harrow, Geo J Rollins / mower, Perry Shepherd / Sulkey rake, John Beam / drag rake, Franklin Greer / buggy, Arthur Bettis / gray mare, Chas Beam / two yr old colt, Fred Robinson / 1st choice pig, W J Madden / corn per bushel, 56 cts, Franklin Greer / red cow, Henry Parker / spotted cow, Elmer Riddle / light red cow, Mrs N? Fordyce / star-faced red cow & calf, Mr N Fordyce / two yearling heifers, Henry Parker / three bull calves, Franklin Greer / 1/2 south hay stack 7 1/2 ft per ton, Franklin Greer / 1/2 2nd stack 7 1/2 per ton, Fred Snyder / 1/2 3rd stack per ton, Geo J Rollins / 4th stack per ton, Geo R Rollins
Total amount of sales $353.65
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Notes and Receipts
-Apr 13, 1901, received of J H Greer fifty-five dollars for casket for W A Greer, bought March 11, 1901. Isaac Shriver / Isaac Shriver, dealer in furniture and carpets, undertaker's goods, pictures and picture frames, Allerton, Iowa
-Sept 28, 1901, received from J H Greer, ten and 50/100 dollars, for work for Elzira Greer, Alta Greer
-Oct 1, 1901, note by J H Greer, eighty dollars, to Niday? & Co, for monument for W A Greer
-February 13th, 1904, received from J H Greer . . . for boarding and waiting on Elzira Greer through sickness from Oct 15, 1903 to Feb 13, 1904; from Oct 15, 1902 to Oct 15, 1903
-Jan 20th 1905, Received from J H Greer, twenty dollars for keeping Mother 10 weeks up to Jan 20, 1905; Sarah Riddle
-March 19, 1907, received from J H Greer, nine dollars, for treating mother during sickness, J C Moore, MD
-June 5, 1908, received from J H Greer, five and 52/100 dollars for burial close for mother. M V Wright
-Clio, Iowa, June 6, 1908, received from James Greer, three dollars, as payment in full for all due me for medical attendance to mother. F A Henneway?
-Clio, Ia, Aug 1, 1908, received from J H Greer, seventy five and 50/100 dollars, in full for casket and ? for Elzira Greer, J S Ferrel
-Aug 8th 1908, received from J H Greer, four and no dollars, for making abstract to land of estate, O B Sutton
-August 11, 1908, received from J H Greer, one hundred dollars on my share of land, F S Greer
-Dec 7, 1908, received from J H Greer, three and no dollars, for inscription on monument, ___ghnover Bros
-Feb 1, 1909, received from J H Greer, eighty eight dollars for keeping mother, Eta Bettis
-Feb 6, 1909, received from J H Greer, two hundred dollars for keeping Mother, F S Greer
-Feb 1, 1909, received from J H Greer, seven hundred dollars, to apply on part of estate of W A Greer, Etta Bettis; W W Greer; J W Greer; N J Stroud; Feb 3, Sarah L Riddle
-Feb 6, 1909, received from J H Greer, thirteen hundred dollars, to apply on my share of estate of W A Greer, F S Greer
-Feb 6, 1909, received from F S Greer, thirteen hundred dollars ($1300), as payment on land sold to him, J L Gardner
-Feb 15, 1909, received from J H Greer, sixty too and 92/100 dollars, bal due on estate of W A Greer, W W Greer; J W Greer; Etta Bettis; Feb 16, N J Stroud; Feb 19, Sarah L Riddle
-Feb 18, 1909, received from J H Greer, one hundred and twenty five and 85/100 dollars, F S Greer
--Treasurer's office, Wayne Co, Iowa, Corydon, Iowa, March 26, 1908, received of Elzira Greer, thirty two & 70/100 dollars 1907 tax in Clinton Township SE Sec 22 T67 R22, 149 acres; NE SW Sec 22 T67 R22, 40 acres; N side SE SW Sec 22 T6, R22, [acreage varies from 10 to 15 acres in different years] / also 1908, 1906, 1905, 1904, 1903, 1902, 1901
-In the Matter of the Estate of W A Greer: We, the undersigned, heirs and legatees hereby certify that we have received from J H Greer, the full amount of money due us . . . J W Greer, F S Greer, Etta Bettis, Sarah L Riddle, W W Greer, Mary M Greer, N J Stroud.
-Office of Clerk of the District Court, Corydon, Iowa, Feb 23, 1909, received of James H Greer, executor of estate of William A Greer, five dollars for Cyntha Moon as provided under the will of William A Greer.
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In the District Court of Iowa in & for Wayne County, In the matter of the estate of W A Greer, deceased, Final Report: Comes now J H Greer, an executor of the above estate and for his final report . . . he rec'd from the sale of real estate the sum of 5712.00 / sale of personal property 1309.12 / collected from notes, interest, 530.86 / Total Received 7551.98 / feather beds 5.00 / note on Bud Greer 18.25 / Total 7575.23
-Paid for Expenses for support and on claims and debts 1410.99? / Paid the 8 heirs as provided in will receipts which are hereto attached, 6103.40 / Executor's fees $40.00 . . . Total 7572.05 / 23rd day of Feby 1909
You can see that the estate was not settled until after the death of Elzira in 1908. There were many pages of this probate as it ranged over so many years, but I didn't need to keep any more than these.
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Iowa Wills and Probate Records, Wayne County, Vol 2-3, page 32Will of William A Greer
-I, William A Greer of this County of Wayne and State of Iowa in sound mind and in his right and rational use of my reasoning faculties do make publish and declare this my last will and testament as follows, to-wit:
-After the payment of all just and lawful debts against my estate, including burial expenses, I give and bequeath to my wife Elzira Greer all my property both real estate and personal possessions to have and to hold in ownership and possession with all rentals and incomes therefrom during the period of her natural life, and at her death, it is my will and bequest that five dollars ($5.00) out of my estate shall descend to my daughter Cyntha A Moon or her bodily heirs if she be deceased and of the remaining portion of my estate, and property after the above provisions are complied with I give and bequeath to my son Franklin S Greer one fourth part in value to him or his bodily heirs and the remainder (three fourth of my estate and property) it is my will purpose to divide in six shares of equal value to my children, namely, Nancy J Stroud, John W Greer, James H Greer, Webb W Greer, Sarah L Riddle, and Mary E Bettis, each one share of equal value.
-I hereby name and appoint my son James H Greer as executor of this my last will and testament.
-In testimony and confirmation of which I thereto attach my signature this 9th day of March 1901. William (his mark) A Greer
Witnesses: Daniel B Porter, aged 46, and Harvey B Powers, aged 58 years respectively hereby certify and attest that we were present and at the request of the testator William A Greer, heard the above will read in full in his presence and hearing and in the presence of each other and heard him declare the same to be his will for the provisions and purposes therein stated and witnessed his signature to the same.
In testimony whereof we hereto attach our signatures this 9th day of March 1901. Daniel B Porter / Harvey B Powers
page 33
State of Iowa, Wayne County, ss
I, F M Hazlewood, clerk of the District Court, within and for said county and state hereby certify that on the 6th day of June AD 1901, the foregoing last will and testament of William A Greer deceased was duly proven before and allowed by said court and that the same has been recorded. Witness my hand with this seal of said court affixed done at Corydon this 6th day of June AD 1901. F M Hazlewood, Clerk District Court
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I have always listed William A as William Anderson Greer. Looking through all this, I am wondering how I came up with Anderson for the A in William's name. I didn't think it up myself, I'm pretty sure, and I don't see any references to it in the records I have. None of his children carry the name Anderson, although they do carry on the names Smith, John, and Webb. Elzira is listed alone on this state census:
1905 Iowa, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp, line 22, Elzira Greer, Clio
I didn't make note of who might be living in the neighborhood or even next door to her. The above probate receipts make it evident that she suffered a long illness before her death.
---Death Record: State of Iowa, Wayne Co, Corydon Courthouse [copied March 1994 LC]
Elzira Greer; b 28 May 1822, Webb Cty, Ky; d 27 May 1908, age 85 yr 11 mo 29 d; cause of death: cardiac asthma; bur 30 May 1908, Wayne Co, Clinton Twp, Greer Cem; phys F E Cozad
Looking on the internet for a definition of cardiac asthma, it seems to be what we currently call congestive heart failure.
I have a lot of information about most of the children of William and Elzira, except the two who died early and the elusive Cyntha Angeline. But - I'm not going to post it all here. So, on to some photographs and that will be the end of my Greer family posting. All of these were in the family stash.
Standing: John William Greer and Wilkins Webb Greer, the two who lived in Kansas
Seated: Franklin Smith Greer and James Henry Greer, the two lived in Iowa.
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James H Greer and wife Mary visiting his brother John William Greer and his wife Hannah.
How do I know who's doing the visiting? Hannah is wearing an apron. It's her home.
Therefore, I believe this photograph is taken in Kansas where John lived.
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James H Greer, son of William and Elzira, and executor of their estate,
with wife Mary Elizabeth Smith Greer and children Alta, Emma,
Millard, and Harley, in Clio, Iowa
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James H and Mary Greer with four of their five children, Clio, Iowa.
Susan, Harley, J H, Mary, Clinton, Alta
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James H and Mary E Greer, Clio, Iowa, home
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James Henry Greer, son of Elzira and William Greer, photo taken before June 1941
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To find a little more information about the descendants of William and Elzira, start with this Find a Grave memorial and take a look at the links to the children.
