Individual Details
Wiley Thomas Greer
(May 7, 1876 - June 28, 1926)
1900 Ashe County, North Carolina census.
1920 Ashe County, North Carolina census, Horse Creek Township: Wiley GREER, 43, timber buyer; Alice GREER, 37; Ira GREER, 20, boiler fireman; Reggie GREER, 18, saw mill worker; Baxtor GREER, 15, farmer; Lizzie GREER, 12; Elva GREER, 9; Norman GREER, 7; Opha GREER, 4; James A. GREER, 80 (Father of Wiley).
"Wiley Thomas Greer married Alice Shepherd. Wiley is found on the Ashe County, N. C. Census 1880 and in the Ashe County Death Records. He is buried in the Greer-Shepherd Cemetery, Horse Creek, N. C. TS...EO4. He is my (Geneva Greer White's) Grandfather and Alice my Grandmother. I never met my Grandfather but for a time we lived in my Grandmother's home a mile from Lansing, N. C. If this family ever had land, by now there was a small lot and a small house. My Grandmother Greer had a rough life. Two of her children died of diphtheria in an epidemic. She had a stroke and was finally put in a nursing home. Alice Shepherd was the daughter of Melvin C. Shepherd and Elizabeth Lewis. Melvin was the son of Gardner (Garner) Shepherd and Elizabeth Dunn. Gardner Shepherd was the son of William Hammon Shepherd and Mary Weaver, daughter of William Weaver and Mary Ashley. Check the genealogy for Alice. William Hammon Shepherd was found In Jeff Weaver's "English Weavers of Virginia".
"I later learned from my Aunt Mabel that the family owned the Barr property at one time. She lived there until she was about 5 or 6, until her father, Wiley Thomas Greer died and that is when she moved to the smaller home. The "Barr" property was down from the house where we had lived and I had never heard that it was ever the property of the Greers before this. It was a lovely home even when I was small. When the Greers bought the larger property, they built a house on it for James, Wiley's father. They built him two large rooms. I remember the rooms and a porch.
"This and the smaller property is located between Lansing and Helton, in Ashe County, North Carolina.
"The Wiley Thomas Greer family is found complete (Except for Mabel, the youngest who was born after the census), on the1920, Ashe County, N.C. Census, Horse Creek Township. This I found on New River Notes, Jeff Weaver, but placed there by Houck, from whom I found the Baxtor Greer, Wiley Thomas Greer connection. By the 1920 Census, James Greer was 80 years old and living with his son. James was born sometime in 1839, I think. 1920 ACC Horse Crk. #1 lists Wiley as 43 and a Timber Buyer, Alice 37, Ira 20 and a boiler fireman; Reggie 18 a Saw Mill worker, Baxter 15 and a farmer., Lizzie 12, Elva A. 9, Norman 7, Opha 4, and James A., his dad as 80 years of age. Aunt Mabel did not know him since she was born in 1921 so she was not on this Census.
"On the 1930 Ashe County, North Carolina Census, Alice is listed as head of Household. She is listed as age 49 which is incorrect but, she is listed with Baxter 25, Elva 19, Norman 17, and Mable 9. She is now alone with the children. Wiley Thomas died in 1926. According to the records from the family bible that Mabel Greer gave to me, that Wiley had written there, many of the dates were actually a year earlier, as is often the case with Census Records.
"Opha is listed but Ora E. is not. She was probably dead. She died young of diphtheria. Opha died when she was seven years old. Ora Elizabeth died when she was seven months old.
"My Aunt Mabel Greer Carney is now living in a retirement home in Pennsylvania. It is a beautiful home. Helen and I visited her there in 2002. I remain in contact with her now. She is still the lively, wonderful person that I remembered visiting as a young teenager. She lost her husband in March of 2002 and then she fell and broke her hip. Although she is doing really well, she has no relatives who live anywhere near her so I am sure that is difficult. She sent me the marriage certificate of her father, Wiley Thomas and her mother Alice Shepherd. I shall treasure it always and hope my daughter will do so when I am gone. It is now over 100 years old. They were my grandmother and grandfather. Wiley Greer had written the birth dates of all his children on the back of it. I believe it is authentic although it came from the family bible. But marriage certificates were not registered, I believe, until much later. They were married at the home of Alice's parents' home, Elizabeth Lewis and Melvin C. Shepherd, although Melvin Shepherd had died the year before they married. He died in Ashe County in 1896. Fieldon Shepherd, Alice's brother was either a witness or the minister and A. F. Greer also signed it. He was the brother of Wiley Thomas Greer. By 1920 A.F., or Alexander F. Greer, was living in Johnson County, Tennessee. They had seven children. Alice and Wiley were married December 31, 1897. This was a wonderful gift.
"I find it odd that Opha Olive Greer is listed in the family Bible as having been born in Damascus, Virginia. Thought this family was always in Ashe County, North Carolina. Alice may have gone to visit a relative when it was time to have the baby. Maybe I shall figure out which relative later.
"Aunt Mabel has lived an interesting life. She lived in the old house until about age five when just after her father, Wiley Thomas Greer, died in 1926, they moved to the small house where she and Ruth and Dot. (Dorothy) Shepherd, her first cousins, were the best of friends. When she graduated from high school, Her brother, Joe and wife, Lucille, came and asked her if she would go and live with them in Kentucky. Lucille and Joe worked in their Lumber Business and could not be home so they wanted her to do the housekeeping and answer the phone. For some reason they could not get a phone at the business so this was their business phone. She did this until the war and then she went to Pennsylvania where she and Alta and Pauline were working and living in an apartment. Aunt Elva went to them and asked them to come and live with her. She loved having them around. Aunt Mabel went to the ocean with Aunt Elva and Uncle Lawson (They had a cabin there.) where she met George, the man she was to marry. George's family had a cabin there as well." (Geneva Greer White, email: GenArtGeneva@aol.com, December 2003.)
1920 Ashe County, North Carolina census, Horse Creek Township: Wiley GREER, 43, timber buyer; Alice GREER, 37; Ira GREER, 20, boiler fireman; Reggie GREER, 18, saw mill worker; Baxtor GREER, 15, farmer; Lizzie GREER, 12; Elva GREER, 9; Norman GREER, 7; Opha GREER, 4; James A. GREER, 80 (Father of Wiley).
"Wiley Thomas Greer married Alice Shepherd. Wiley is found on the Ashe County, N. C. Census 1880 and in the Ashe County Death Records. He is buried in the Greer-Shepherd Cemetery, Horse Creek, N. C. TS...EO4. He is my (Geneva Greer White's) Grandfather and Alice my Grandmother. I never met my Grandfather but for a time we lived in my Grandmother's home a mile from Lansing, N. C. If this family ever had land, by now there was a small lot and a small house. My Grandmother Greer had a rough life. Two of her children died of diphtheria in an epidemic. She had a stroke and was finally put in a nursing home. Alice Shepherd was the daughter of Melvin C. Shepherd and Elizabeth Lewis. Melvin was the son of Gardner (Garner) Shepherd and Elizabeth Dunn. Gardner Shepherd was the son of William Hammon Shepherd and Mary Weaver, daughter of William Weaver and Mary Ashley. Check the genealogy for Alice. William Hammon Shepherd was found In Jeff Weaver's "English Weavers of Virginia".
"I later learned from my Aunt Mabel that the family owned the Barr property at one time. She lived there until she was about 5 or 6, until her father, Wiley Thomas Greer died and that is when she moved to the smaller home. The "Barr" property was down from the house where we had lived and I had never heard that it was ever the property of the Greers before this. It was a lovely home even when I was small. When the Greers bought the larger property, they built a house on it for James, Wiley's father. They built him two large rooms. I remember the rooms and a porch.
"This and the smaller property is located between Lansing and Helton, in Ashe County, North Carolina.
"The Wiley Thomas Greer family is found complete (Except for Mabel, the youngest who was born after the census), on the1920, Ashe County, N.C. Census, Horse Creek Township. This I found on New River Notes, Jeff Weaver, but placed there by Houck, from whom I found the Baxtor Greer, Wiley Thomas Greer connection. By the 1920 Census, James Greer was 80 years old and living with his son. James was born sometime in 1839, I think. 1920 ACC Horse Crk. #1 lists Wiley as 43 and a Timber Buyer, Alice 37, Ira 20 and a boiler fireman; Reggie 18 a Saw Mill worker, Baxter 15 and a farmer., Lizzie 12, Elva A. 9, Norman 7, Opha 4, and James A., his dad as 80 years of age. Aunt Mabel did not know him since she was born in 1921 so she was not on this Census.
"On the 1930 Ashe County, North Carolina Census, Alice is listed as head of Household. She is listed as age 49 which is incorrect but, she is listed with Baxter 25, Elva 19, Norman 17, and Mable 9. She is now alone with the children. Wiley Thomas died in 1926. According to the records from the family bible that Mabel Greer gave to me, that Wiley had written there, many of the dates were actually a year earlier, as is often the case with Census Records.
"Opha is listed but Ora E. is not. She was probably dead. She died young of diphtheria. Opha died when she was seven years old. Ora Elizabeth died when she was seven months old.
"My Aunt Mabel Greer Carney is now living in a retirement home in Pennsylvania. It is a beautiful home. Helen and I visited her there in 2002. I remain in contact with her now. She is still the lively, wonderful person that I remembered visiting as a young teenager. She lost her husband in March of 2002 and then she fell and broke her hip. Although she is doing really well, she has no relatives who live anywhere near her so I am sure that is difficult. She sent me the marriage certificate of her father, Wiley Thomas and her mother Alice Shepherd. I shall treasure it always and hope my daughter will do so when I am gone. It is now over 100 years old. They were my grandmother and grandfather. Wiley Greer had written the birth dates of all his children on the back of it. I believe it is authentic although it came from the family bible. But marriage certificates were not registered, I believe, until much later. They were married at the home of Alice's parents' home, Elizabeth Lewis and Melvin C. Shepherd, although Melvin Shepherd had died the year before they married. He died in Ashe County in 1896. Fieldon Shepherd, Alice's brother was either a witness or the minister and A. F. Greer also signed it. He was the brother of Wiley Thomas Greer. By 1920 A.F., or Alexander F. Greer, was living in Johnson County, Tennessee. They had seven children. Alice and Wiley were married December 31, 1897. This was a wonderful gift.
"I find it odd that Opha Olive Greer is listed in the family Bible as having been born in Damascus, Virginia. Thought this family was always in Ashe County, North Carolina. Alice may have gone to visit a relative when it was time to have the baby. Maybe I shall figure out which relative later.
"Aunt Mabel has lived an interesting life. She lived in the old house until about age five when just after her father, Wiley Thomas Greer, died in 1926, they moved to the small house where she and Ruth and Dot. (Dorothy) Shepherd, her first cousins, were the best of friends. When she graduated from high school, Her brother, Joe and wife, Lucille, came and asked her if she would go and live with them in Kentucky. Lucille and Joe worked in their Lumber Business and could not be home so they wanted her to do the housekeeping and answer the phone. For some reason they could not get a phone at the business so this was their business phone. She did this until the war and then she went to Pennsylvania where she and Alta and Pauline were working and living in an apartment. Aunt Elva went to them and asked them to come and live with her. She loved having them around. Aunt Mabel went to the ocean with Aunt Elva and Uncle Lawson (They had a cabin there.) where she met George, the man she was to marry. George's family had a cabin there as well." (Geneva Greer White, email: GenArtGeneva@aol.com, December 2003.)
Events
| Birth | May 7, 1876 | Horse Creek, Ashe County, North Carolina | |||
| Marriage | December 31, 1897 | Ashe County, North Carolina - Millie Alice Shepherd | |||
| Death | June 28, 1926 | Ashe County, North Carolina | |||
| Burial | Greer-Shepherd Cemetery, Horse Creek, Ashe County, North Carolina |
Families
| Spouse | Millie Alice Shepherd (1883 - 1952) |
| Child | Ira Thomas Greer (1899 - 1981) |
| Child | Reggie Joseph "Joe" Greer (1901 - 1967) |
| Child | Baxter Vinton Greer (1904 - 1962) |
| Child | Edith Elizabeth "Lizzie" Greer (1906 - 1997) |
| Child | Ora Elizabeth Greer (1908 - 1909) |
| Child | Elva Alice Greer (1910 - 1991) |
| Child | Norman L. Greer (1912 - 1981) |
| Child | Opha Olive Greer (1915 - 1922) |
| Child | Mable Greer (1921 - ) |
| Father | James A. Greer (1839 - 1925) |
| Mother | Edith "Edy" Perry (1843 - 1919) |
| Sibling | Nancy E. Greer (1867 - 1920) |
| Sibling | William Andrew (or Anderson) "Bud" Greer (1869 - 1943) |
| Sibling | Alexander Franklin Greer (1871 - 1950) |
| Sibling | James Madison Greer (1872 - 1952) |
| Sibling | Lydia Jane Greer (1878 - 1953) |
| Sibling | Rhoda Greer (1881 - 1883) |
| Sibling | Rosa Greer (1881 - 1922) |
| Sibling | Cora E. Greer (1884 - 1981) |