Individual Details
William Greer Sr.
(Abt, 1710 - Aft 1785)
"William Greer was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, circa 1710; removed to Franklin County, Virginia; joined the American Army; served as Captain of Militia under Colonel Calloway; was Justice of the Peace; member of the Legislature; Presiding Judge of Franklin County; became a large land owner and had many slaves. He married about 1730, Ann Fitch, a daughter of William and Sarah Fitch, as will be shown by her father's Will, dated April 9, 1787, recorded in Baltimore, Maryland, Will Book 4, page 284, where he bequeathed 120 acres of land to his son, Robert Fitch, specifying that his son, Robert Fitch, shall first pay to " my daughter, Ann Grier," 18 pounds in gold or silver. Traditions in this family say that William Greer married his wife in England where their first four sons were born; that some were Tories, the others loyal. No records have been found to substantiate this. Mr. Sylvester Greer, of Dixiana, Alabama, a descendant, wrote the compiler, April 7, 1940: "I have never believed that William Greer came from England, but was born in Baltimore County and married Ann Fitch there." The above facts, found later, prove that he was right. The Fitch family came originally from England and may have given the tradition a basis. The names of the children have been handed down from one generation to the next and will be so used." ("Greer Family, Originating in Maryland," by Robert M. Torrence; this is the original writing, not the revision appearing in his work GREGOR, MacGREGOR, MacGHEE, MABRUDER, GRIERSON, GRIER, GREER; this original write-up came from the Maryland Historical Society, where it is on file.)
"Supplemental Account ... William Greear (Greer) --- Reference is made to page 153, wherein this William Greer is shown as being the son of John Greer of Baltimore County, Maryland. It will be seen that William Greer's children are the same, but one, in both accounts. The accounts to follow contain a great deal of new information of value and interest to members of this family, so it appears to be intelligently fair and unbiased to quote them in full. The lack of accurate dates in these early accounts is a great handicap and detriment in drawing conclusions.
"There are two available traditions concerning the ancestry of this William Greer that closely agree, thus differing from the facts shown on page 153 and those following in that account.
"The first was written by Penelope Johnson Allen, State Genealogist of Tennessee, and published May 3, 1934 by THE CHATTANOOGA TIMES: "About the year 1730, there came from England one William Greer who settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He was of Scotch-Irish descent and during his sojourn in England, he married Mary Finch (some say Fitch). Before coming to America, this couple had born to them four sons, William, James, Shadrack and John Greer. After their arrival in America, four more sons and one daughter were born, Mary (sic, should probably be Moses), Walter, Aquilla and a son whose name is unknown and Rebecca Greer. The four sons born England took no part in the Revolutionary War, except Shadrack, who joined the British Army. The four sons born in America enlisted in the Continental Army and were American patriots. The son, Moses Greer, was in Washington's Army as it moved on Yorktown. He is said to have served as Aide to General Washington. Having married Nancy Bailey, moved with his family to Franklin County, Virginia, where he settled and accumualted much property in land and slaves. He served as a member of the Virginia Legislature many time and was for fifteen years the Presiding Judge of Franklin County, Virginia."
"The second account, to follow, is furnished through the kindness of Dr. James N. Hillman, a Greear descendant, who now (1954) resides in Richmond, Virginia. The facts are his and the only changes made are in format. "William Greear was born in England or Scotland and came from England to America in the early 17th Century. He married Mary Fitch or Finch in England, where four sons were born. After coming to America, while in Maryland, four more sons were born also one daughter." "William Greear Married in Scotland. This emmigrant family was accompanied by other brothers and kinsmen, some of whom settled in Franklin County, Virginia, and another went further South, perhaps to Mecklenburg, North Carolina." This was signed, "W. C. Greer".
(It will be seen that their fifth son, Aquilla, who was born in Maryland, in 1735, indicates his parents must have arrived in Maryland in that year or 1734. The name Aquilla, has never been found in any Grier or Greer records in Scotland or Ireland. The first Greer in Maryland, to be named Aquilla, was born in 1716. NOTE from Robert M. Torrence)" (MacGREGOR, MacGHEE, MAGRUDER, GRIERSON, GRIER, GREER --- A HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ABOVE FAMILIES AND MANY OF THEIR DESCENDANTS, compiled by Robert M. Torrence, A.B., F.G.S.P., F.I.A.G., 110 Edgevale Road Baltimore 10, Maryland, pages 153 and 199.)
"William Greer moved to Bedford County, Virginia between 1746 and 1750, and might have followed his son there. (Bedford County was cut off from Old Lunenburg in 1754 and Franklin County was formed from part of Bedford County in 1785.) William joined the American Army and served as a captain of Militia under Colonel Calloway. He was a Justice of the Peace, a member of the legislature, and presiding judge of Franklin County (which indicates that he must have been living after 1785, as that was the year Franklin County was formed). He became a large landowner and had many slaves." (GREER KINSMEN by J. B. Bell)
In ROYAL HERITAGE OF THE GREERS, Carolyn Beal shows alternate death dates for William as 1785, 1786 and 1802 and that he died in Washington County, Virginia.
Julian Greer in GREERS THAT GOT TO GEORGIA, states that "Capt. William Greer married Mary Fitch, was from Downs County, Ireland, was born in 1710, fought for the British, his will was dated 2 Mar 1802, and he died 19 Sep 1802. He further shows that this William was not the same William Greer, son of John and Sarah Greer, that married Anne E. Fitch in 1752; as William Greer, son of John and Sarah Greer was born in 1727." (NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: It appears that Julian Greer is using information from GREER GENEALOGY (1937) by Sylvester Greer, Dixianna, Alabama, which indicates information from PIONEER FAMILIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Both of the birthdates indicated above, are assumptions. Sylvester Greer later said (see first paragraph above) that he felt William Greer was born in America, as were all his children. The Greer information in PIONEER FAMILIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA was taken primarily from the records of Joseph Hampton Greer, not Sylvester Greer, even though Sylvester Greer could have used information from Joseph Hampton Greer in his research. I believe Mary and Ann Fitch were the same person, as given in this genealogy.)
"Tradition has been in the family that William married Ann Fitch in England where the first four sons were born and some were Tories and some loyal to the American cause. Torrance quotes Sylvester Greer, that nothing has been found to substantiate this. Sylvester Greer was a descendant of this line. Many of the descendants of this line removed to Davidson County, Tennessee and other places in Tennessee. They have been treated in several sources, including LEAVES FROM THE FAMILY TREE by Penelope Johnson Allen." (MY GREER LINEAGE by Mary Lee Barnes, 1992, page 13.)
(NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: There are at least two controversies concerning William Greer. This first is if this William Greer is the son of John Greer. I, personally feel, as did Sylvester Greer and Robert M. Torrence, that he was the son of John Greer, and was born in America, so were all his children; and that the family traditions of William being born and married in England were in error. I base my feelings on two basic facts: First, William Greer lived in the same area as John Greer and his children. Second, he named one of his children, Aquilla, a name not used in Scotland or Ireland, as pointed out by Robert M. Torrence. I feel William Greer named his son, Aquilla (born in 1738), after his brother, Aquilla Greer (born 1716/1719), who was the son of John Greer. There are too many coincidences, in my opinion, for William not to have been a son of John Greer. The information that William Greer was born and married in England has been handed down and reused in so many Greer histories, even though it is only a "family tradition," that the information has been accepted as fact, with little additional research.
The information about the family tradition that William Greer (supposed son of John Greer, the immigrant) immigrating from England about 1730, rather than being born in America, was first (judging from the records we have available) written down by Joseph Hampton Greer and preserved by his son, John Franklin Greer, and was worked up about 1914. This writing was used as basic material for "The Greer Family" article in PIONEER FAMILIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA by Marshall Wingfield in 1935. Another source, which gave identical, but more detailed information, of this tradition is "Leaves From the Family Tree," which appeared in "The Chattanooga Sunday Times" newspaper on May 3, 1934, and was compiled by Penelope Johnson Allen, who was State Chairman of Genealogical Records, Tennessee Society, D. A. R. This information could have also been based on the records of Joseph Hampton Greer. A second article, primarily about the descendants of Weatherston Shelton Greer, was also published under the "Leaves From the Family Tree" heading by the same author on October 11, 1936. This tradition of William Greer's birthplace being England, rather than America, has been proven incorrect to the justification of most Greer researchers, due to the will of William Greer's father-in-law and the service of William Greer, Sr. to the American army during the Revolutionary War.)
The second question is whether William Greer, whom I believe to have been the son of John and Sarah, was the same William who married Sarah Freeland, or if William had a son, William, who married Sarah Freeland. Most researchers think there were two William Greers, and father and son, but neither theory has been proven to an unquestionable extent. I believe there were two William Greers; therefore, this genealogy of the Greer family will show two William Greers. This complication was partly brought about by the writing of Julian Greer (see above) who gives a death date of 1802, but this was the will and death date of William Greer, Jr.)
FAG 112237856
"Supplemental Account ... William Greear (Greer) --- Reference is made to page 153, wherein this William Greer is shown as being the son of John Greer of Baltimore County, Maryland. It will be seen that William Greer's children are the same, but one, in both accounts. The accounts to follow contain a great deal of new information of value and interest to members of this family, so it appears to be intelligently fair and unbiased to quote them in full. The lack of accurate dates in these early accounts is a great handicap and detriment in drawing conclusions.
"There are two available traditions concerning the ancestry of this William Greer that closely agree, thus differing from the facts shown on page 153 and those following in that account.
"The first was written by Penelope Johnson Allen, State Genealogist of Tennessee, and published May 3, 1934 by THE CHATTANOOGA TIMES: "About the year 1730, there came from England one William Greer who settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He was of Scotch-Irish descent and during his sojourn in England, he married Mary Finch (some say Fitch). Before coming to America, this couple had born to them four sons, William, James, Shadrack and John Greer. After their arrival in America, four more sons and one daughter were born, Mary (sic, should probably be Moses), Walter, Aquilla and a son whose name is unknown and Rebecca Greer. The four sons born England took no part in the Revolutionary War, except Shadrack, who joined the British Army. The four sons born in America enlisted in the Continental Army and were American patriots. The son, Moses Greer, was in Washington's Army as it moved on Yorktown. He is said to have served as Aide to General Washington. Having married Nancy Bailey, moved with his family to Franklin County, Virginia, where he settled and accumualted much property in land and slaves. He served as a member of the Virginia Legislature many time and was for fifteen years the Presiding Judge of Franklin County, Virginia."
"The second account, to follow, is furnished through the kindness of Dr. James N. Hillman, a Greear descendant, who now (1954) resides in Richmond, Virginia. The facts are his and the only changes made are in format. "William Greear was born in England or Scotland and came from England to America in the early 17th Century. He married Mary Fitch or Finch in England, where four sons were born. After coming to America, while in Maryland, four more sons were born also one daughter." "William Greear Married in Scotland. This emmigrant family was accompanied by other brothers and kinsmen, some of whom settled in Franklin County, Virginia, and another went further South, perhaps to Mecklenburg, North Carolina." This was signed, "W. C. Greer".
(It will be seen that their fifth son, Aquilla, who was born in Maryland, in 1735, indicates his parents must have arrived in Maryland in that year or 1734. The name Aquilla, has never been found in any Grier or Greer records in Scotland or Ireland. The first Greer in Maryland, to be named Aquilla, was born in 1716. NOTE from Robert M. Torrence)" (MacGREGOR, MacGHEE, MAGRUDER, GRIERSON, GRIER, GREER --- A HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN OF THE ABOVE FAMILIES AND MANY OF THEIR DESCENDANTS, compiled by Robert M. Torrence, A.B., F.G.S.P., F.I.A.G., 110 Edgevale Road Baltimore 10, Maryland, pages 153 and 199.)
"William Greer moved to Bedford County, Virginia between 1746 and 1750, and might have followed his son there. (Bedford County was cut off from Old Lunenburg in 1754 and Franklin County was formed from part of Bedford County in 1785.) William joined the American Army and served as a captain of Militia under Colonel Calloway. He was a Justice of the Peace, a member of the legislature, and presiding judge of Franklin County (which indicates that he must have been living after 1785, as that was the year Franklin County was formed). He became a large landowner and had many slaves." (GREER KINSMEN by J. B. Bell)
In ROYAL HERITAGE OF THE GREERS, Carolyn Beal shows alternate death dates for William as 1785, 1786 and 1802 and that he died in Washington County, Virginia.
Julian Greer in GREERS THAT GOT TO GEORGIA, states that "Capt. William Greer married Mary Fitch, was from Downs County, Ireland, was born in 1710, fought for the British, his will was dated 2 Mar 1802, and he died 19 Sep 1802. He further shows that this William was not the same William Greer, son of John and Sarah Greer, that married Anne E. Fitch in 1752; as William Greer, son of John and Sarah Greer was born in 1727." (NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: It appears that Julian Greer is using information from GREER GENEALOGY (1937) by Sylvester Greer, Dixianna, Alabama, which indicates information from PIONEER FAMILIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA. Both of the birthdates indicated above, are assumptions. Sylvester Greer later said (see first paragraph above) that he felt William Greer was born in America, as were all his children. The Greer information in PIONEER FAMILIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA was taken primarily from the records of Joseph Hampton Greer, not Sylvester Greer, even though Sylvester Greer could have used information from Joseph Hampton Greer in his research. I believe Mary and Ann Fitch were the same person, as given in this genealogy.)
"Tradition has been in the family that William married Ann Fitch in England where the first four sons were born and some were Tories and some loyal to the American cause. Torrance quotes Sylvester Greer, that nothing has been found to substantiate this. Sylvester Greer was a descendant of this line. Many of the descendants of this line removed to Davidson County, Tennessee and other places in Tennessee. They have been treated in several sources, including LEAVES FROM THE FAMILY TREE by Penelope Johnson Allen." (MY GREER LINEAGE by Mary Lee Barnes, 1992, page 13.)
(NOTE FROM RALPH TERRY: There are at least two controversies concerning William Greer. This first is if this William Greer is the son of John Greer. I, personally feel, as did Sylvester Greer and Robert M. Torrence, that he was the son of John Greer, and was born in America, so were all his children; and that the family traditions of William being born and married in England were in error. I base my feelings on two basic facts: First, William Greer lived in the same area as John Greer and his children. Second, he named one of his children, Aquilla, a name not used in Scotland or Ireland, as pointed out by Robert M. Torrence. I feel William Greer named his son, Aquilla (born in 1738), after his brother, Aquilla Greer (born 1716/1719), who was the son of John Greer. There are too many coincidences, in my opinion, for William not to have been a son of John Greer. The information that William Greer was born and married in England has been handed down and reused in so many Greer histories, even though it is only a "family tradition," that the information has been accepted as fact, with little additional research.
The information about the family tradition that William Greer (supposed son of John Greer, the immigrant) immigrating from England about 1730, rather than being born in America, was first (judging from the records we have available) written down by Joseph Hampton Greer and preserved by his son, John Franklin Greer, and was worked up about 1914. This writing was used as basic material for "The Greer Family" article in PIONEER FAMILIES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA by Marshall Wingfield in 1935. Another source, which gave identical, but more detailed information, of this tradition is "Leaves From the Family Tree," which appeared in "The Chattanooga Sunday Times" newspaper on May 3, 1934, and was compiled by Penelope Johnson Allen, who was State Chairman of Genealogical Records, Tennessee Society, D. A. R. This information could have also been based on the records of Joseph Hampton Greer. A second article, primarily about the descendants of Weatherston Shelton Greer, was also published under the "Leaves From the Family Tree" heading by the same author on October 11, 1936. This tradition of William Greer's birthplace being England, rather than America, has been proven incorrect to the justification of most Greer researchers, due to the will of William Greer's father-in-law and the service of William Greer, Sr. to the American army during the Revolutionary War.)
The second question is whether William Greer, whom I believe to have been the son of John and Sarah, was the same William who married Sarah Freeland, or if William had a son, William, who married Sarah Freeland. Most researchers think there were two William Greers, and father and son, but neither theory has been proven to an unquestionable extent. I believe there were two William Greers; therefore, this genealogy of the Greer family will show two William Greers. This complication was partly brought about by the writing of Julian Greer (see above) who gives a death date of 1802, but this was the will and death date of William Greer, Jr.)
FAG 112237856
Events
| Birth | Abt, 1710 | Gunpowder River, Baltimore County, Maryland | |||
| Marriage | Abt, 1732 | Baltimore County, Maryland - Ann "Mary" Fitch | |||
| Death | Aft 1785 | Franklin County, Virginia |
Families
| Spouse | Ann "Mary" Fitch (1716 - 1785) |
| Child | William Greer Jr. (1732 - 1802) |
| Child | James Greer (1733 - ) |
| Child | Shadrach Greer (1735 - ) |
| Child | John Greer (1736 - 1760) |
| Child | Aquilla Greer (1738 - ) |
| Child | Benjamin Greer (1740 - 1789) |
| Child | Walter Greer (1742 - 1835) |
| Child | Moses Greer Sr. (1744 - 1834) |
| Child | Mary Rebecca Greer (1746 - 1810) |
| Father | John Greer (1682 - 1750) |
| Mother | Sarah Day (1686 - 1758) |
| Sibling | James Greer (1709 - 1742) |
| Sibling | Moses Greer (1712 - 1777) |
| Sibling | John Greer Jr. (1714 - 1782) |
| Sibling | Aquilla Greer (1716 - 1790) |
| Sibling | Sarah Greer (1720 - 1721) |
| Sibling | Ann Greer (1720 - ) |
| Sibling | Joseph Greer (1723 - 1781) |
| Sibling | Benjamin Greer (1725 - 1788) |