Individual Details
Alexander Greer Jr.
(May 29, 1837 - June 23, 1919)
1860 Johnson County, Tennessee census (167-61): Alexander GREER, 23; Nancy GREER, 19; Lydia GREER, 2/12.
Alexander Greer, Jr. enlisted on 8 July 1862 in Co.D, 5th.Bn., North Carolina Cavalry, Co. B, later 65th North Carolina Cavalry.
1870 Johnson County, Tennessee census, Post Office: Trade, District 9, July 8, 1870, Family/Dwelling #2/2: Alexander GRER, 33, m, w, farmer, 800, 400, North Carolina, cannot read or write; Nancy GREER, 29, f, w, keeping house, North Carolina, cannot read or write; Lydia GREER, 11, f, w, Tennessee, attended school; David GREER, 9, m, w, Tennessee, attended school; Delila GREER, 6, f, w, Tennessee; Elizabeth GREER, 4, f, w, Tennessee; Lydia GREER, 2, f, w, Tennessee; Abba GREER 3, f, w, Tennessee, born April; John Cook, 20, m, w, domestic servant, Tennessee.
1880 Johnson County, Tennessee census, Civil District 9, June 14, 1880, Dwelling/Family #3/3: Charles POTTER, w, m, 18, head, married, farming, cannot read or write, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina; Leyia POTTER, w, f, 20, wife, married, keeping house, cannot read or write, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina; Mary E. POTTER, w, f, 2 months, daughter, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee; Alexr. GREER, w, m, 44, head, farmer, cannot write, North Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee; Nancy GREER, w, f, 38, wife, keeping house, cannot read or write, North Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina; David GREER, w, m, 18, son, single, farm hand, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; Delilah GREER, w, f, 16, daughter, attended school, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; Elizabeth GREER, w, f, 14, daughter, attended school, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee North Carolina; Abigal GREER, w, f, 12, daughter, attended school, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; James GREER, w, m, 8, son, single, Tennessee Tennessee, North Carolina; John W. GREER, w, m, 6, son, single, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; Caroline GREER, w, f, 3, daughter, single, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina.
1910 Johnson County, Tennessee census, Civil District 9, Dwelling/Family #125/125: Alexander GREER, head, m, w, 71, married 52 years, North Carolina, North Carolina, farmer, general farming; Nancy GREER, wife, f, w, 69, 12 children, 9 living, North Carolina, North Carloina, North Carolina; Julia A. GREER, daughter, f, w, 27, single, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina; Litta? GREER, grandaughter, f, w, 10, single, Tennessee, North Carolina, Tennessee; William H. T. GREER, grandson, m, w, 1, single, Tennessee, North Carolina, Tennessee.
"Alexander Greer was one of the few Confederate soldiers from Trade and very rare in that he came back to Trade after the war. Most Confederates found Trade too dangerous after the war. He went west sometime after his family was reared, but Nancy (Osborn) Greer remained at Trade. She was a master weaver on a great hand loom and taught her grandson, Taft Greer, that ancient skill and the growing of flax and the ways of making woolen clothing and intricate bedspreads with beautiful traditional patterns, from sheep to finished product. She used this skill to support her family. Nancy lived to a ripe old age and there's a 1930 Doris Ullman photo of her at age 101 (and still working) in Allen Eaton's famous 1930s book, Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands, published by the Russell Sage Foundation. Taft continued weaving until his death, sometime in the 70s. Taft came to Washington and demonstrated weaving at the Smithsonian in 1968. He was the last family keeper of the overshot weaving technique that had been handed down in the Osborn family for generations. And Nancy and Taft were the very last weavers scholars know about who learned in a family tradition. Yes, there are later weavers, but they are all from craft school origins, not family tradition. Nancy's loom, which has a date of 1803, is still at the old home place on Greer Mountain. It is interesting that some census takers had them in the 9th District, others in the 3rd. I see no evidence that they ever moved. The district line was hard to discern up on the mountain. Now the 9th is abolished and it is all the 3rd." (Joe Wilson, email: joe@ncta.net, 2000.)
Alexander Greer, Jr. enlisted on 8 July 1862 in Co.D, 5th.Bn., North Carolina Cavalry, Co. B, later 65th North Carolina Cavalry.
1870 Johnson County, Tennessee census, Post Office: Trade, District 9, July 8, 1870, Family/Dwelling #2/2: Alexander GRER, 33, m, w, farmer, 800, 400, North Carolina, cannot read or write; Nancy GREER, 29, f, w, keeping house, North Carolina, cannot read or write; Lydia GREER, 11, f, w, Tennessee, attended school; David GREER, 9, m, w, Tennessee, attended school; Delila GREER, 6, f, w, Tennessee; Elizabeth GREER, 4, f, w, Tennessee; Lydia GREER, 2, f, w, Tennessee; Abba GREER 3, f, w, Tennessee, born April; John Cook, 20, m, w, domestic servant, Tennessee.
1880 Johnson County, Tennessee census, Civil District 9, June 14, 1880, Dwelling/Family #3/3: Charles POTTER, w, m, 18, head, married, farming, cannot read or write, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina; Leyia POTTER, w, f, 20, wife, married, keeping house, cannot read or write, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina; Mary E. POTTER, w, f, 2 months, daughter, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee; Alexr. GREER, w, m, 44, head, farmer, cannot write, North Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee; Nancy GREER, w, f, 38, wife, keeping house, cannot read or write, North Carolina, North Carolina, North Carolina; David GREER, w, m, 18, son, single, farm hand, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; Delilah GREER, w, f, 16, daughter, attended school, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; Elizabeth GREER, w, f, 14, daughter, attended school, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee North Carolina; Abigal GREER, w, f, 12, daughter, attended school, cannot read or write, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; James GREER, w, m, 8, son, single, Tennessee Tennessee, North Carolina; John W. GREER, w, m, 6, son, single, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina; Caroline GREER, w, f, 3, daughter, single, Tennessee, Tennessee, North Carolina.
1910 Johnson County, Tennessee census, Civil District 9, Dwelling/Family #125/125: Alexander GREER, head, m, w, 71, married 52 years, North Carolina, North Carolina, farmer, general farming; Nancy GREER, wife, f, w, 69, 12 children, 9 living, North Carolina, North Carloina, North Carolina; Julia A. GREER, daughter, f, w, 27, single, Tennessee, North Carolina, North Carolina; Litta? GREER, grandaughter, f, w, 10, single, Tennessee, North Carolina, Tennessee; William H. T. GREER, grandson, m, w, 1, single, Tennessee, North Carolina, Tennessee.
"Alexander Greer was one of the few Confederate soldiers from Trade and very rare in that he came back to Trade after the war. Most Confederates found Trade too dangerous after the war. He went west sometime after his family was reared, but Nancy (Osborn) Greer remained at Trade. She was a master weaver on a great hand loom and taught her grandson, Taft Greer, that ancient skill and the growing of flax and the ways of making woolen clothing and intricate bedspreads with beautiful traditional patterns, from sheep to finished product. She used this skill to support her family. Nancy lived to a ripe old age and there's a 1930 Doris Ullman photo of her at age 101 (and still working) in Allen Eaton's famous 1930s book, Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands, published by the Russell Sage Foundation. Taft continued weaving until his death, sometime in the 70s. Taft came to Washington and demonstrated weaving at the Smithsonian in 1968. He was the last family keeper of the overshot weaving technique that had been handed down in the Osborn family for generations. And Nancy and Taft were the very last weavers scholars know about who learned in a family tradition. Yes, there are later weavers, but they are all from craft school origins, not family tradition. Nancy's loom, which has a date of 1803, is still at the old home place on Greer Mountain. It is interesting that some census takers had them in the 9th District, others in the 3rd. I see no evidence that they ever moved. The district line was hard to discern up on the mountain. Now the 9th is abolished and it is all the 3rd." (Joe Wilson, email: joe@ncta.net, 2000.)
Events
| Birth | May 29, 1837 | North Carolina | |||
| Marriage | March 20, 1859 | Johnson County, Tennessee - Nancy Osborne | |||
| Death | June 23, 1919 | Trade, Johnson County, Tennessee | |||
| Burial | Greer Cemetery, Trade, Johnson County, Tennessee |
Families
| Spouse | Nancy Osborne (1833 - 1934) |
| Child | Lydia P. Greer (1860 - 1911) |
| Child | David Marshall Greer (1861 - 1939) |
| Child | Delilah "Lillie" Greer (1864 - 1936) |
| Child | Elizabeth Greer (1866 - ) |
| Child | Abigail "Abba" Greer (1868 - 1935) |
| Child | James S. (or W.) Greer (1872 - 1953) |
| Child | Edith Greer (1876 - 1879) |
| Child | Caroline Greer (1877 - 1915) |
| Child | John Wesley Greer (1874 - 1957) |
| Child | Webster Alexander Greer (1879 - 1880) |
| Child | Julia A. Greer (1883 - ) |
| Child | Polly Greer (1884 - 1888) |
| Father | Alexander Greer (1813 - 1880) |
| Mother | Lydia "Diddy" Curd (1814 - 1880) |
| Sibling | William Andrew "Spreadie" "Andy" Greer (1833 - 1897) |
| Sibling | Mary "Polly" Greer (1835 - ) |
| Sibling | James A. Greer (1839 - 1925) |
| Sibling | David Crocket Greer (1841 - 1881) |
| Sibling | Ann Greer (1843 - ) |
| Sibling | Benjamin Greer (1846 - 1928) |
| Sibling | Matilda J. Greer (1849 - ) |
| Sibling | John Wesley Greer (1851 - ) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Greer (1852 - 1880) |
| Sibling | Thomas D. Greer (1858 - 1941) |