Individual Details
Madison Greear
(1830 - December 26, 1892)
"In the 1880 Morgan County, Kentucky census, Madison Greear's profession was 'Blacksmith." In the 1861 Letcher County, Kentuck tax lists he is listed with: 1 male over 21, 1 child 6-18, 100 bushels of corn, no tax. There were no tax books during the Civil War, so I couldn't see if the child was a mistake or still there in subsequent years. Madison was not in Letcher after the War." (Mary South.)
"Madison Greer, better known as "Uncle Mat the Moonshiner", died at the home of his brother, Shade Greer at Coburn, Virginia, died on the 26th of January last, aged about 65 years. He was one of the most noted moonshiners that ever infested Eastern Kentucky and one of the most successful in eluding the angry eyes of revenue agents. He commenced operating illicit stills soon after the tax was put on whisky and though closely pursued many times, was never caught. He operated a still in Morgan County, or in fact, several places, but was never caught red handed in the act. One time,however, they had him in uncomfortalby close quarters, and he used to say that for a few minutes he thought that "the end of old Mat's moonshining." The revenue officers were so hot on his trail that he sought the shelter of a large piece of bark that had been stripped from a poplar saw log. He had just concealed himself when one of his pursuers, badly winded from the run he had made, took a seat on the very log from which Greer's bark covering had been stripped. "He had treed me," he used to say he thought at the time, "as I was looking him in the eye and thought he was looking at straight at me. He lit his pipe and smoked and after muttering something about 'he must have sunk into the earth, ' got up and walked away. Oh, it was a close call, and when I found that he had not discovered me the cold chills chased up and down my spinal column at the thought of what might have happened had he dropped the match with which he lighted his pipe into the leaves that littered the ground around." (exerpt from newspaper article, circa 1893, via Mary South.)
"Madison never married." (Mary South.)
(NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: Donald Stallard gives a name of Marshall for Madison.)
"Madison Greer, better known as "Uncle Mat the Moonshiner", died at the home of his brother, Shade Greer at Coburn, Virginia, died on the 26th of January last, aged about 65 years. He was one of the most noted moonshiners that ever infested Eastern Kentucky and one of the most successful in eluding the angry eyes of revenue agents. He commenced operating illicit stills soon after the tax was put on whisky and though closely pursued many times, was never caught. He operated a still in Morgan County, or in fact, several places, but was never caught red handed in the act. One time,however, they had him in uncomfortalby close quarters, and he used to say that for a few minutes he thought that "the end of old Mat's moonshining." The revenue officers were so hot on his trail that he sought the shelter of a large piece of bark that had been stripped from a poplar saw log. He had just concealed himself when one of his pursuers, badly winded from the run he had made, took a seat on the very log from which Greer's bark covering had been stripped. "He had treed me," he used to say he thought at the time, "as I was looking him in the eye and thought he was looking at straight at me. He lit his pipe and smoked and after muttering something about 'he must have sunk into the earth, ' got up and walked away. Oh, it was a close call, and when I found that he had not discovered me the cold chills chased up and down my spinal column at the thought of what might have happened had he dropped the match with which he lighted his pipe into the leaves that littered the ground around." (exerpt from newspaper article, circa 1893, via Mary South.)
"Madison never married." (Mary South.)
(NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: Donald Stallard gives a name of Marshall for Madison.)
Events
| Birth | 1830 | Grayson County, Virginia | |||
| Death | December 26, 1892 | Coeburn, Wise County, Virginia |
Families
| Father | James Noah Greear (1790 - 1872) |
| Mother | Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Bonham (1792 - 1850) |
| Sibling | James G. Grear (1814 - 1852) |
| Sibling | Almarine Greear (1816 - ) |
| Sibling | Susannah Nelson Greear (1817 - 1858) |
| Sibling | Francis "Franse" Bonham Greear (1819 - 1909) |
| Sibling | Shadrack Freeland Greear (1821 - 1902) |
| Sibling | Hiram Greear (1822 - 1911) |
| Sibling | Joseph Parker Greear (1824 - 1904) |
| Sibling | Arah "Arey" Eveline Greear (1826 - 1908) |
| Sibling | Darthula Greear (1833 - 1877) |
| Sibling | William Melvin "Buck" Greear (1835 - 1890) |
| Sibling | Mary Anna Eliza Greear (1838 - 1862) |