Individual Details
John Greer
(Abt, 1830 - Aft 1880)
"The census shows John Greer was born in Virginia, but family tradition says he was born in North Carolina. John Greer stayed in West Virginia." (Richard Bradley, 1353 Pine Street, Pittsburg, California 94565; tele: 510-439-8620, 1995.)
"One child of Richard Greer, John Greer, stayed on in West Virginia, marrying Martha Jane Warden on July 21, 1851 in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Because two of their children were born in Ironton, Ohio, it appears they lived there from at least 1858 to 1867, although only the infant John Frank Greer is shown in the 1860 Lawrence County, Ohio census. In the 1870 census, the family lived at the Marsh Fork Post Office, Raleigh County, living next door to John Warden and about 28 houses from Thomas Warden, Sr. In 1880, the family lived in Town District, Raleigh County, West Virginia. According to the 1900 Raleigh County, West Virginia census, they had seven children, and as of 1900, five were living. There is no 1890 census. In the 1900 census, Martha Jane Greer is shown as widowed and living by herself but next to her sons, James and Joseph. I have not been able to locate her in the 1910 census. From the census information, it appears John Greer died between 1880 and 1900. Their known children were: [listed]."
"According to information supplied to me by Kitty Robertson of Beckley West Virginia (the information was given to her my Mary Hurt, granddaughter of Sarah Frances Hurt and Ira Hurt of Piney View, West Virginia - Martha Jane Greer lived next to Ira Hurt in the 1900 census), the relationship between Martha Jane (Warden) Greer and her husband John Greer was not a good one. Kitty writes, "Martha Warden Greer was not treated well by her husband. Her father [Thomas Warden] tried to get her to leave him but she stayed until her father died and the next day she told John she would not stay another night under the same roof with him. Also Martha had to wear her father's shoes to her father's funeral as she didn't have shoes. Martha had been rebellious in marrying John when her father didn't want her to and she was stubborn enough not to let Thomas know she was wrong and he was right. Later she would live with her children in their homes; one daughter told her mother that if she died she wouldn't agree not to bury her mother in the same cemetery with her father. So Martha would not stay with that daughter afraid she would bury her with John."
"When I relayed the above incident to my mother, Thelmas Harrah Bradley, it brought forward a memory. She recalls an incident when she was about four years old when she was stung by bees near the home of her grandparents, R. H. and Emma Susan (Greer) Harrah. She went to their home with her brother, also a youth. She recalls a very old woman who lived with her grandparents who was her great-grandmother, Martha Jane (Warden) Greer. When the old woman heard the commotion, she asked whose kids were in the house and Emma Susan answered that they were Edgar's children, to which her mother, Martha Jane said "they should go back to where they belonged." This incident provided my mother with a strong but negaitve memory of her great-grandmother. My mother commented that her grandmother, Emma Susan, had a very acidic tongue when it came to things she did not like. My mother believes Emma Susan may have inherited this trait from her mother, Martha Jane. My mother was born in 1913, thereford the above incident took place about 1917. The information is passed down in the family records that Martha Jane (Warden) Greer died on February 12, 1921. My mother believes that Martha Jane Greer was buried in the same cemetery as her daughter, Emma Susan Harrah. There are several unmarked graves in this small cemetery so this is quite possible. When I was in this cemetery in 1995, I don't recall seeing a marker for her but I wasn't aware at the time that she might be buried there. I was also informed by Kitty that John Greer may have been buried at Coal River." (Richard Bradley, 1353 Pine Street, Pittsburg, California 94565; tele: 510-439-8620, 1997.)
"One child of Richard Greer, John Greer, stayed on in West Virginia, marrying Martha Jane Warden on July 21, 1851 in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Because two of their children were born in Ironton, Ohio, it appears they lived there from at least 1858 to 1867, although only the infant John Frank Greer is shown in the 1860 Lawrence County, Ohio census. In the 1870 census, the family lived at the Marsh Fork Post Office, Raleigh County, living next door to John Warden and about 28 houses from Thomas Warden, Sr. In 1880, the family lived in Town District, Raleigh County, West Virginia. According to the 1900 Raleigh County, West Virginia census, they had seven children, and as of 1900, five were living. There is no 1890 census. In the 1900 census, Martha Jane Greer is shown as widowed and living by herself but next to her sons, James and Joseph. I have not been able to locate her in the 1910 census. From the census information, it appears John Greer died between 1880 and 1900. Their known children were: [listed]."
"According to information supplied to me by Kitty Robertson of Beckley West Virginia (the information was given to her my Mary Hurt, granddaughter of Sarah Frances Hurt and Ira Hurt of Piney View, West Virginia - Martha Jane Greer lived next to Ira Hurt in the 1900 census), the relationship between Martha Jane (Warden) Greer and her husband John Greer was not a good one. Kitty writes, "Martha Warden Greer was not treated well by her husband. Her father [Thomas Warden] tried to get her to leave him but she stayed until her father died and the next day she told John she would not stay another night under the same roof with him. Also Martha had to wear her father's shoes to her father's funeral as she didn't have shoes. Martha had been rebellious in marrying John when her father didn't want her to and she was stubborn enough not to let Thomas know she was wrong and he was right. Later she would live with her children in their homes; one daughter told her mother that if she died she wouldn't agree not to bury her mother in the same cemetery with her father. So Martha would not stay with that daughter afraid she would bury her with John."
"When I relayed the above incident to my mother, Thelmas Harrah Bradley, it brought forward a memory. She recalls an incident when she was about four years old when she was stung by bees near the home of her grandparents, R. H. and Emma Susan (Greer) Harrah. She went to their home with her brother, also a youth. She recalls a very old woman who lived with her grandparents who was her great-grandmother, Martha Jane (Warden) Greer. When the old woman heard the commotion, she asked whose kids were in the house and Emma Susan answered that they were Edgar's children, to which her mother, Martha Jane said "they should go back to where they belonged." This incident provided my mother with a strong but negaitve memory of her great-grandmother. My mother commented that her grandmother, Emma Susan, had a very acidic tongue when it came to things she did not like. My mother believes Emma Susan may have inherited this trait from her mother, Martha Jane. My mother was born in 1913, thereford the above incident took place about 1917. The information is passed down in the family records that Martha Jane (Warden) Greer died on February 12, 1921. My mother believes that Martha Jane Greer was buried in the same cemetery as her daughter, Emma Susan Harrah. There are several unmarked graves in this small cemetery so this is quite possible. When I was in this cemetery in 1995, I don't recall seeing a marker for her but I wasn't aware at the time that she might be buried there. I was also informed by Kitty that John Greer may have been buried at Coal River." (Richard Bradley, 1353 Pine Street, Pittsburg, California 94565; tele: 510-439-8620, 1997.)
Events
| Birth | Abt, 1830 | Franklin County, Virginia or North Carolina | |||
| Marriage | July 21, 1851 | Raleigh County, West Virginia - Martha Jane Warden | |||
| Death | Aft 1880 | ||||
| Burial | Coal River, West Virginia |
Families
| Spouse | Martha Jane Warden (1829 - 1921) |
| Child | Julia Ann Greer (1854 - ) |
| Child | Mary C. (or K.) "Molly" Greer (1856 - ) |
| Child | John Frank Greer (1858 - 1941) |
| Child | Greer (1859 - ) |
| Child | Emma Susan Greer (1867 - 1959) |
| Child | Joseph "Joe" G. Greer (1874 - 1962) |
| Child | James Matthew "Jim" Greer (1869 - ) |
| Father | Richard Greer (1801 - 1880) |
| Mother | Unknown ( - 1841) |
| Sibling | Charles Greer (1829 - 1902) |
| Sibling | Agness "Aggie" Greer (1831 - 1907) |
| Sibling | Greer (1832 - ) |
| Sibling | Catherine "Cap" Greer (1834 - ) |
| Sibling | James H. Greer (1837 - ) |
| Sibling | Benjamin "Bing" Franklin Greer (1834 - ) |
| Sibling | Richard Greer (1841 - 1862) |