According to census records, he was born 1781-1790. He must have been 21 by 1805, as he witnessed a will that year, so born 1781-1784.
The son of Moses Greer Sr. and his wife Nancy Bailey of Baltimore, MD and Franklin Co., VA
16 Mar 1805 Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will: James Callaway Jr, Walter Dent Jr and Thomas Greer witnesses to will of Christopher Kitterman «Frkln Co Will Bk 1:355»
He married on 6 Mar 1816, Franklin Co., VA, to Ursula Webb, daughter of Theoderick Webb (formerly Fitzgerald) and his wife Sarah Huff.
Ursula's father had been baptized into the Primitive Baptist church by Ursula's future husband Thomas B. Greer's brother, Rev. Moses Greer, who also baptized Thomas. Ursula would also later be baptized into the church, probably by either Moses or by Thomas himself, who at some point either before or after his marriage received ordination.
The Primitive Baptists were a strict, uncompromising sect, strict Calvinists, the old "hard shell" Baptists. They believed (and still do) in the total depravity of human nature, the ‘final perseverance' of the saints, baptism by immersion, and the foot washing ritual. They broke away from the main body of Baptists over the issue of missionary societies, Sunday schools, and the use of instrumental music in church – among other things. The Primitives opposed all of these. They also discouraged the idea of an educated clergy, believing that an ignorant man was more likely to be imbued with the true faith than a learned one.
The anti-missionary movement arose suddenly about 1820 in at least nine different Christian denominations, although it was mainly attributed to the frontier Baptists. It arose as a reaction against a growing tendency in the east of the larger denominations to establish central seminaries, missionary societies, and Sunday school curriculums and to send out ‘missionaries' to win converts from other denominations. The smaller sects feared that they would be overwhelmed and even predicted the re-establishment of an ‘orthodox' Christianity and loss of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion. The minorities reacted by withdrawing from interdenominational associations, the Primitives becoming perhaps the most isolated. They even managed to estrange themselves from other Baptist by the severity of their doctrine. Regular ‘missionary' Baptists were willing to concede the benefit of some education for the clergy and saw nothing wrong with trying to win converts from other denominations.
Thomas represented Franklin County in the Virginian General Assembly, as did his father and later his son, Moses Theodrick Greer.
He and Ursula were well off, as shown by the 1820 census enumerating twelve slaves in their household. They did not have any children:
Male 16-25; b. 1785-1794 - Thomas B.
1820 census, Franklin Co., VA, pg 145
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 26-44; b. 1776-1794 - Thomas
one female age 16-25 - Ursula
Slaves (11 total)
one male age over 45
one male age 26-44
one female age 26-44
one male age 14-25
three females age 14-25
four males age under 14
1827 – Thomas's mother Nancy (Bailey) Greer died.
By 1830, they had four children and fifteen slaves:
1830 census, Franklin Co., VA
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 40-49; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas
one female age 30-39 - Ursula
one male age 5-9 - Ursula Jane
one female age 5-9 - William & Moses
two males age under 5 - Thomas Jr.
Slaves (15 total) one male age 55-99
one male age 39-54
one age 24-35
one female age 24-35
three males age 10-23
two females age 10-23
two males age under 10
four females age under 10
Free blacks in house one male age 24-35
12 Dec 1831 – Franklin Co., MO Thomas witnessed a deed for Joel and George Walker with three of his brothers-in-law:
Signed and sealed and acknowledged Joel Walker Seal
In The presence of us
Bird S. Webb
Creed T. Webb
Harvey Claytor
T.B. Greer
In 21 Jan 1832, Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will:
Will of John Webster, 1832 John Webster ( seal)
T. B. Greer
David Webster
John Webster
2nd day of December 1833 - he confirmed he had witnessed it.
1834 - Thomas's father Moses Greer died.
Thomas and Ursula's family first six children were all born in Virginia. By the late 1830's, due to economic conditions in the state, many of their friends and family were beginning to move west, especially to Missouri. A large wagon train of them set off to settle in Monroe Co., MO, in 1838.
According to source "From Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia", Thomas and Ursula went west to Missouri with the 1838 wagon train:
"In 1838, he and his wife joined a caravan of covered wagons to Monroe County, Missouri. There he lived out the remainder of his life, died and was buried."
However, they went in 1840 with a different wagon train of friends and relatives.
Thomas and Ursula eventually decided to follow the tide, and made the trek west to the same place in the spring of 1840. The trail they took was probably identical to that of the 1838 wagon train with which Thomas' nephew Samuel Greer and his family traveled, a description of which is found in Marshall Wingfield's 1964, "Pioneer Families of Franklin Co., VA":
‘Samuel W. Greer and his family left Franklin County September 11, 1838, in company with Webbs, Pollards and others numbering nearly a hundred, including several slaves. They drove over the Alleghany Mountains, through Tennessee and Kentucky, crossed the Ohio River at Parker's Ferry into Gallatin County, Illinois, and crossed the Mississippi River at Alton. They reached Monroe Co., Missouri, on the thirty-first day of October, 1838, making the whole trip in wagons.
Thomas and Ursula settled down southwest of the Monroe county seat of Paris in Jackson township among numerous family and friends from Virginia.
Thomas's sister Elizabeth and her husband James Calloway [son of Col. James Calloway] came. Elizabeth (Greer) Calloway died 7 Mar 1856 in Paris, Monroe County, Missouri.
Thomas's sister Molly and her husband Chattin Doggett Pollard also came to Monroe Co., MO. Husband died Oct 1843 in Monroe Co., MO. By Mar 1845, Molly was back in Bledsoe Co., TN. By Apr 1855, she was back in Franklin Co., VA.
The 1840 census shows that Thomas and Ursula left most of their slaves back in Virginia - one hopes so that they weren't separated from family owned by other households. In Missouri they had only five, what looks like a mother and her four children. Most households in Monroe Co., MO had none; the largest slaveholder in 1840 had only 34:
1840 census, Monroe Co., MO, Jackson Township, pg 138
[listed next door to a L.W. Greer, age 40-50]
T. B. Greer
one male age 50-59; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas B.
one female age 40-50 - Ursula
one male age 15-19 - Ursula Jane
one female age 15-19 - William
two males age 10-14 - Moses & Thomas
two males age 5-9 - John & Walter
5 slaves
One female 24-35
Two males under 10
Two females under 10
In Mar 1841, Thomas gave security for Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb, when he became guardian their sister's orphan children when their father, Robert M. Beard died.
Beard, Amanda, Robert & Harvey, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. Guardian, Bird S. Webb. Sec., Thomas B. Greer & Henry Howell. 11 Mar 1841. (i66) Robert M. & Harvey C. Beard, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. G&C, John C. Beard. Sec, Bird S. Webb. 5 Mar 1850. (2-115)
In 1841, Thomas became the pastor of the Primitive Baptist Middle Fork Church in or near Paris. He remained in that position until his death in 1845:
Church and Family History Research Assistance for Monroe County, Missouri CHURCHES: MIDDLE FORK (CEDAR GROVE)
"Middle Fork Church, near the Paris Covered Bridge, was organized May 7, 1831...
The church was originally called Bethlehem, but the following April (1832) the name was changed to Middle Fork of Salt River. The original meeting house was in the town of Paris, on the bank of the Middle Fork of Salt River. Elder Edward Turner was the first pastor, John Curry was the first clerk, and Isaac Coppeage and John Hocker were the first deacons.
The Two River Association was organized October 1838, by Middle Fork, Lunies Creek, South River, Flint Hill, Bear Creek, Clear Creek, Elk Fork, Ebenezer, Saverton and Providence churches. Things went along in peace and prosperity until 1840, when the contention became so great over the modern mission system that Middle Fork Church divided. After the division, both factions of the church met in the same building for some time...
Pastors of the church included Elders Edward Turner (1831), Anderson Woods (1836), Thomas Greer (1841), John L. Linsey (1845)..."
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Originally compiled by: Carl Moss Bounds and Susie Boone Bryan Bounds from original permits and monuments in the cemetery in July 1967.
"The Cedar Grove Primitive Baptist Church was organized at the home of Eli Bozarth on May 7, 1831. There were 19 members. The first church building was inside Paris, a log building located at the south entrance to the covered bridge; the second building was a brick structure. Later a split occurred between the missionary and the non-missionary members and after using the same house of worship for a time, the non-missionary members sold their interest in the building and built what is now the Second Baptist Church of Paris. Later this was sold to the Negro Baptists and the congregation moved to the present Cedar Grove location."
About 1842, Thomas's and Ursula's seventh and last child, a girl they nicknamed "Kitty", was born.
Thomas lived less than five years in his new home, working to build up his new congregation (almost certainly still without a church building) and seeing his eldest son, William, married and eldest daughter Ursula Jane married to the son of a fellow Baptist Virginian ex-patriate, before dying in January of 1845. He was buried in the Baptist cemetery on the farm of Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb. His daughter Jane Greer's 1866 obituary identifies her father's final resting place:
"Her remains were placed by the side of her dear old father's, in the Baptist grave yard on the farm of Bird S. Webb."
Ursula, presumably unhappy in the unpolished frontier community or perhaps just wanting to obtain a better education for her children still at home, returned to Virginia with the younger children.
*****
Thomas B. Greer and Ursula Webb Greer's children:
1. Dr. William Armistead Burwell Greer, b. 1821, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 2 Aug 1842, Monroe Co, MO to Mary F. Mason [b. 1822, KY; d. after 1891, Macon Co., MO]; he d. 1880-91, New Cambria, Macon Co., MO; obituary exists, but I haven't seen it.
*****
2. Ursula Jane Greer, b. 24 Jun 1824, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 16 Aug 1842, Monroe Co., MO, to Walker Wright [son of Larkin and Nancy Ann (Sebree) Wright]; she d. 21 Jun 1866, Monroe Co., MO; buried Webb cemetery.
*****
3. Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer, b. 10 Feb 1827, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st Celestia Taliaferro; m. 2nd Katherine Frederick [widow of Col. Fred Claiborne of SC]; m. 3rd to Katherine Claiborne Frederick; he d. 26 Dec 1891, Franklin, VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.
"Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer served on Virginia's first Board of Medical Examiners. He was associated with Dr. Hunter McGuire in modernizing surgery. He married, first, Celestia Taliaferro, daughter of Dr. Richard M. and Polly (Hale) Taliaferro; and second, Kate Claiborne, widow of Colonel Frederick of South Carolina."
*****
4. Dr. Moses Theodorick Greer, b. Oct 1829, Franklin Co., VA; m. Louisa J. Thompson [b. 1833 VA; d. 1880-1900, Blackwater, Franklin Co., VA]; 1900 living in Blackwater Dist., Franklin Co., VA; d. 1904, Paris, Monroe County, MO; buried Willis Family cemetery, near Paris, Monroe County, MO.
*****
5. Dr. John Henry Greer, b. May 1833, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st c. 1855, Franklin Co., VA to Maria Webb [1st cousin, daughter of Creed T. Webb and Mahala F. Booth. Creed was son of Theodorick B. Webb and Sallie Huff]; 2nd m. 12 Jul 1865, Franklin Co., VA to Elizabeth Mosby Wade [sister of Kitty Greer's husband and daughter of Henry Wade and Elizabeth Patterson. Elizabeth (Patterson) Wade married 2nd to Ramsey Webb, son of Theodorick F. Webb and Nancy Tate]; he d. 6 Oct 1905, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
During the Civil War he served in Patrol Guard 11 Cong. Dist. (Mounted.)
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.)
"John Henry Greer attended school at Patrick Court House. His room mate was J. E. B. Stuart, who became famous as a Confederate General. When quite young, John Henry Greer ran away from home, went to New York, met some noted actors and played minor parts with Edwin and John Wilkes Booth who were his remote relatives. There also he met Henriette Sontag, the great singer, for whom a post office in Franklin County was named. Ole Bull, also playing in New York at the time, was attracted by the Virginia lad and became his life long friend. John Henry Greer served as assistant surgeon in the 37th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. When off duty, he would lighten the hours of the soldiers by playing his banjo and relating his New York experiences. He was married, first, to his cousin Maria Webb, and, second, to Elizabeth Mosby Wade. Thomas Street Greer was his son by the first marriage. His home on Chestnut Creek was noted for its hospitality."
*****
6. Walter Callaway Greer, b.c. 1835, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 12 May 1859, Macon City, MO, to Martha Elizabeth Craig; d. after 1880, Macon Co., MO. Returned to Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA, with mother after father's death in 1845? Haven't found on 1860 census. He served with the Union army during the Civil War.
*****
7. Catherine "Kitty" Bailey Greer, b. Oct 1842, Monroe Co., MO; m. 1872, Franklin Co., VA to Zachary Taylor Wade [b. Jan 1849, VA; son of Henry Wade and Julia Patterson]; she d. after 1900, prob. Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; almost certainly buried with husband in High Street cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
*****
The son of Moses Greer Sr. and his wife Nancy Bailey of Baltimore, MD and Franklin Co., VA
16 Mar 1805 Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will: James Callaway Jr, Walter Dent Jr and Thomas Greer witnesses to will of Christopher Kitterman «Frkln Co Will Bk 1:355»
He married on 6 Mar 1816, Franklin Co., VA, to Ursula Webb, daughter of Theoderick Webb (formerly Fitzgerald) and his wife Sarah Huff.
Ursula's father had been baptized into the Primitive Baptist church by Ursula's future husband Thomas B. Greer's brother, Rev. Moses Greer, who also baptized Thomas. Ursula would also later be baptized into the church, probably by either Moses or by Thomas himself, who at some point either before or after his marriage received ordination.
The Primitive Baptists were a strict, uncompromising sect, strict Calvinists, the old "hard shell" Baptists. They believed (and still do) in the total depravity of human nature, the ‘final perseverance' of the saints, baptism by immersion, and the foot washing ritual. They broke away from the main body of Baptists over the issue of missionary societies, Sunday schools, and the use of instrumental music in church – among other things. The Primitives opposed all of these. They also discouraged the idea of an educated clergy, believing that an ignorant man was more likely to be imbued with the true faith than a learned one.
The anti-missionary movement arose suddenly about 1820 in at least nine different Christian denominations, although it was mainly attributed to the frontier Baptists. It arose as a reaction against a growing tendency in the east of the larger denominations to establish central seminaries, missionary societies, and Sunday school curriculums and to send out ‘missionaries' to win converts from other denominations. The smaller sects feared that they would be overwhelmed and even predicted the re-establishment of an ‘orthodox' Christianity and loss of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion. The minorities reacted by withdrawing from interdenominational associations, the Primitives becoming perhaps the most isolated. They even managed to estrange themselves from other Baptist by the severity of their doctrine. Regular ‘missionary' Baptists were willing to concede the benefit of some education for the clergy and saw nothing wrong with trying to win converts from other denominations.
Thomas represented Franklin County in the Virginian General Assembly, as did his father and later his son, Moses Theodrick Greer.
He and Ursula were well off, as shown by the 1820 census enumerating twelve slaves in their household. They did not have any children:
Male 16-25; b. 1785-1794 - Thomas B.
1820 census, Franklin Co., VA, pg 145
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 26-44; b. 1776-1794 - Thomas
one female age 16-25 - Ursula
Slaves (11 total)
one male age over 45
one male age 26-44
one female age 26-44
one male age 14-25
three females age 14-25
four males age under 14
1827 – Thomas's mother Nancy (Bailey) Greer died.
By 1830, they had four children and fifteen slaves:
1830 census, Franklin Co., VA
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 40-49; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas
one female age 30-39 - Ursula
one male age 5-9 - Ursula Jane
one female age 5-9 - William & Moses
two males age under 5 - Thomas Jr.
Slaves (15 total) one male age 55-99
one male age 39-54
one age 24-35
one female age 24-35
three males age 10-23
two females age 10-23
two males age under 10
four females age under 10
Free blacks in house one male age 24-35
12 Dec 1831 – Franklin Co., MO Thomas witnessed a deed for Joel and George Walker with three of his brothers-in-law:
Signed and sealed and acknowledged Joel Walker Seal
In The presence of us
Bird S. Webb
Creed T. Webb
Harvey Claytor
T.B. Greer
In 21 Jan 1832, Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will:
Will of John Webster, 1832 John Webster ( seal)
T. B. Greer
David Webster
John Webster
2nd day of December 1833 - he confirmed he had witnessed it.
1834 - Thomas's father Moses Greer died.
Thomas and Ursula's family first six children were all born in Virginia. By the late 1830's, due to economic conditions in the state, many of their friends and family were beginning to move west, especially to Missouri. A large wagon train of them set off to settle in Monroe Co., MO, in 1838.
According to source "From Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia", Thomas and Ursula went west to Missouri with the 1838 wagon train:
"In 1838, he and his wife joined a caravan of covered wagons to Monroe County, Missouri. There he lived out the remainder of his life, died and was buried."
However, they went in 1840 with a different wagon train of friends and relatives.
Thomas and Ursula eventually decided to follow the tide, and made the trek west to the same place in the spring of 1840. The trail they took was probably identical to that of the 1838 wagon train with which Thomas' nephew Samuel Greer and his family traveled, a description of which is found in Marshall Wingfield's 1964, "Pioneer Families of Franklin Co., VA":
‘Samuel W. Greer and his family left Franklin County September 11, 1838, in company with Webbs, Pollards and others numbering nearly a hundred, including several slaves. They drove over the Alleghany Mountains, through Tennessee and Kentucky, crossed the Ohio River at Parker's Ferry into Gallatin County, Illinois, and crossed the Mississippi River at Alton. They reached Monroe Co., Missouri, on the thirty-first day of October, 1838, making the whole trip in wagons.
Thomas and Ursula settled down southwest of the Monroe county seat of Paris in Jackson township among numerous family and friends from Virginia.
Thomas's sister Elizabeth and her husband James Calloway [son of Col. James Calloway] came. Elizabeth (Greer) Calloway died 7 Mar 1856 in Paris, Monroe County, Missouri.
Thomas's sister Molly and her husband Chattin Doggett Pollard also came to Monroe Co., MO. Husband died Oct 1843 in Monroe Co., MO. By Mar 1845, Molly was back in Bledsoe Co., TN. By Apr 1855, she was back in Franklin Co., VA.
The 1840 census shows that Thomas and Ursula left most of their slaves back in Virginia - one hopes so that they weren't separated from family owned by other households. In Missouri they had only five, what looks like a mother and her four children. Most households in Monroe Co., MO had none; the largest slaveholder in 1840 had only 34:
1840 census, Monroe Co., MO, Jackson Township, pg 138
[listed next door to a L.W. Greer, age 40-50]
T. B. Greer
one male age 50-59; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas B.
one female age 40-50 - Ursula
one male age 15-19 - Ursula Jane
one female age 15-19 - William
two males age 10-14 - Moses & Thomas
two males age 5-9 - John & Walter
5 slaves
One female 24-35
Two males under 10
Two females under 10
In Mar 1841, Thomas gave security for Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb, when he became guardian their sister's orphan children when their father, Robert M. Beard died.
Beard, Amanda, Robert & Harvey, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. Guardian, Bird S. Webb. Sec., Thomas B. Greer & Henry Howell. 11 Mar 1841. (i66) Robert M. & Harvey C. Beard, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. G&C, John C. Beard. Sec, Bird S. Webb. 5 Mar 1850. (2-115)
In 1841, Thomas became the pastor of the Primitive Baptist Middle Fork Church in or near Paris. He remained in that position until his death in 1845:
Church and Family History Research Assistance for Monroe County, Missouri CHURCHES: MIDDLE FORK (CEDAR GROVE)
"Middle Fork Church, near the Paris Covered Bridge, was organized May 7, 1831...
The church was originally called Bethlehem, but the following April (1832) the name was changed to Middle Fork of Salt River. The original meeting house was in the town of Paris, on the bank of the Middle Fork of Salt River. Elder Edward Turner was the first pastor, John Curry was the first clerk, and Isaac Coppeage and John Hocker were the first deacons.
The Two River Association was organized October 1838, by Middle Fork, Lunies Creek, South River, Flint Hill, Bear Creek, Clear Creek, Elk Fork, Ebenezer, Saverton and Providence churches. Things went along in peace and prosperity until 1840, when the contention became so great over the modern mission system that Middle Fork Church divided. After the division, both factions of the church met in the same building for some time...
Pastors of the church included Elders Edward Turner (1831), Anderson Woods (1836), Thomas Greer (1841), John L. Linsey (1845)..."
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Originally compiled by: Carl Moss Bounds and Susie Boone Bryan Bounds from original permits and monuments in the cemetery in July 1967.
"The Cedar Grove Primitive Baptist Church was organized at the home of Eli Bozarth on May 7, 1831. There were 19 members. The first church building was inside Paris, a log building located at the south entrance to the covered bridge; the second building was a brick structure. Later a split occurred between the missionary and the non-missionary members and after using the same house of worship for a time, the non-missionary members sold their interest in the building and built what is now the Second Baptist Church of Paris. Later this was sold to the Negro Baptists and the congregation moved to the present Cedar Grove location."
About 1842, Thomas's and Ursula's seventh and last child, a girl they nicknamed "Kitty", was born.
Thomas lived less than five years in his new home, working to build up his new congregation (almost certainly still without a church building) and seeing his eldest son, William, married and eldest daughter Ursula Jane married to the son of a fellow Baptist Virginian ex-patriate, before dying in January of 1845. He was buried in the Baptist cemetery on the farm of Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb. His daughter Jane Greer's 1866 obituary identifies her father's final resting place:
"Her remains were placed by the side of her dear old father's, in the Baptist grave yard on the farm of Bird S. Webb."
Ursula, presumably unhappy in the unpolished frontier community or perhaps just wanting to obtain a better education for her children still at home, returned to Virginia with the younger children.
*****
Thomas B. Greer and Ursula Webb Greer's children:
1. Dr. William Armistead Burwell Greer, b. 1821, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 2 Aug 1842, Monroe Co, MO to Mary F. Mason [b. 1822, KY; d. after 1891, Macon Co., MO]; he d. 1880-91, New Cambria, Macon Co., MO; obituary exists, but I haven't seen it.
*****
2. Ursula Jane Greer, b. 24 Jun 1824, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 16 Aug 1842, Monroe Co., MO, to Walker Wright [son of Larkin and Nancy Ann (Sebree) Wright]; she d. 21 Jun 1866, Monroe Co., MO; buried Webb cemetery.
*****
3. Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer, b. 10 Feb 1827, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st Celestia Taliaferro; m. 2nd Katherine Frederick [widow of Col. Fred Claiborne of SC]; m. 3rd to Katherine Claiborne Frederick; he d. 26 Dec 1891, Franklin, VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.
"Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer served on Virginia's first Board of Medical Examiners. He was associated with Dr. Hunter McGuire in modernizing surgery. He married, first, Celestia Taliaferro, daughter of Dr. Richard M. and Polly (Hale) Taliaferro; and second, Kate Claiborne, widow of Colonel Frederick of South Carolina."
*****
4. Dr. Moses Theodorick Greer, b. Oct 1829, Franklin Co., VA; m. Louisa J. Thompson [b. 1833 VA; d. 1880-1900, Blackwater, Franklin Co., VA]; 1900 living in Blackwater Dist., Franklin Co., VA; d. 1904, Paris, Monroe County, MO; buried Willis Family cemetery, near Paris, Monroe County, MO.
*****
5. Dr. John Henry Greer, b. May 1833, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st c. 1855, Franklin Co., VA to Maria Webb [1st cousin, daughter of Creed T. Webb and Mahala F. Booth. Creed was son of Theodorick B. Webb and Sallie Huff]; 2nd m. 12 Jul 1865, Franklin Co., VA to Elizabeth Mosby Wade [sister of Kitty Greer's husband and daughter of Henry Wade and Elizabeth Patterson. Elizabeth (Patterson) Wade married 2nd to Ramsey Webb, son of Theodorick F. Webb and Nancy Tate]; he d. 6 Oct 1905, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
During the Civil War he served in Patrol Guard 11 Cong. Dist. (Mounted.)
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.)
"John Henry Greer attended school at Patrick Court House. His room mate was J. E. B. Stuart, who became famous as a Confederate General. When quite young, John Henry Greer ran away from home, went to New York, met some noted actors and played minor parts with Edwin and John Wilkes Booth who were his remote relatives. There also he met Henriette Sontag, the great singer, for whom a post office in Franklin County was named. Ole Bull, also playing in New York at the time, was attracted by the Virginia lad and became his life long friend. John Henry Greer served as assistant surgeon in the 37th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. When off duty, he would lighten the hours of the soldiers by playing his banjo and relating his New York experiences. He was married, first, to his cousin Maria Webb, and, second, to Elizabeth Mosby Wade. Thomas Street Greer was his son by the first marriage. His home on Chestnut Creek was noted for its hospitality."
*****
6. Walter Callaway Greer, b.c. 1835, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 12 May 1859, Macon City, MO, to Martha Elizabeth Craig; d. after 1880, Macon Co., MO. Returned to Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA, with mother after father's death in 1845? Haven't found on 1860 census. He served with the Union army during the Civil War.
*****
7. Catherine "Kitty" Bailey Greer, b. Oct 1842, Monroe Co., MO; m. 1872, Franklin Co., VA to Zachary Taylor Wade [b. Jan 1849, VA; son of Henry Wade and Julia Patterson]; she d. after 1900, prob. Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; almost certainly buried with husband in High Street cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
*****
According to census records, he was born 1781-1790. He must have been 21 by 1805, as he witnessed a will that year, so born 1781-1784.
The son of Moses Greer Sr. and his wife Nancy Bailey of Baltimore, MD and Franklin Co., VA
16 Mar 1805 Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will: James Callaway Jr, Walter Dent Jr and Thomas Greer witnesses to will of Christopher Kitterman «Frkln Co Will Bk 1:355»
He married on 6 Mar 1816, Franklin Co., VA, to Ursula Webb, daughter of Theoderick Webb (formerly Fitzgerald) and his wife Sarah Huff.
Ursula's father had been baptized into the Primitive Baptist church by Ursula's future husband Thomas B. Greer's brother, Rev. Moses Greer, who also baptized Thomas. Ursula would also later be baptized into the church, probably by either Moses or by Thomas himself, who at some point either before or after his marriage received ordination.
The Primitive Baptists were a strict, uncompromising sect, strict Calvinists, the old "hard shell" Baptists. They believed (and still do) in the total depravity of human nature, the ‘final perseverance' of the saints, baptism by immersion, and the foot washing ritual. They broke away from the main body of Baptists over the issue of missionary societies, Sunday schools, and the use of instrumental music in church – among other things. The Primitives opposed all of these. They also discouraged the idea of an educated clergy, believing that an ignorant man was more likely to be imbued with the true faith than a learned one.
The anti-missionary movement arose suddenly about 1820 in at least nine different Christian denominations, although it was mainly attributed to the frontier Baptists. It arose as a reaction against a growing tendency in the east of the larger denominations to establish central seminaries, missionary societies, and Sunday school curriculums and to send out ‘missionaries' to win converts from other denominations. The smaller sects feared that they would be overwhelmed and even predicted the re-establishment of an ‘orthodox' Christianity and loss of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion. The minorities reacted by withdrawing from interdenominational associations, the Primitives becoming perhaps the most isolated. They even managed to estrange themselves from other Baptist by the severity of their doctrine. Regular ‘missionary' Baptists were willing to concede the benefit of some education for the clergy and saw nothing wrong with trying to win converts from other denominations.
Thomas represented Franklin County in the Virginian General Assembly, as did his father and later his son, Moses Theodrick Greer.
He and Ursula were well off, as shown by the 1820 census enumerating twelve slaves in their household. They did not have any children:
Male 16-25; b. 1785-1794 - Thomas B.
1820 census, Franklin Co., VA, pg 145
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 26-44; b. 1776-1794 - Thomas
one female age 16-25 - Ursula
Slaves (11 total)
one male age over 45
one male age 26-44
one female age 26-44
one male age 14-25
three females age 14-25
four males age under 14
1827 – Thomas's mother Nancy (Bailey) Greer died.
By 1830, they had four children and fifteen slaves:
1830 census, Franklin Co., VA
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 40-49; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas
one female age 30-39 - Ursula
one male age 5-9 - Ursula Jane
one female age 5-9 - William & Moses
two males age under 5 - Thomas Jr.
Slaves (15 total) one male age 55-99
one male age 39-54
one age 24-35
one female age 24-35
three males age 10-23
two females age 10-23
two males age under 10
four females age under 10
Free blacks in house one male age 24-35
12 Dec 1831 – Franklin Co., MO Thomas witnessed a deed for Joel and George Walker with three of his brothers-in-law:
Signed and sealed and acknowledged Joel Walker Seal
In The presence of us
Bird S. Webb
Creed T. Webb
Harvey Claytor
T.B. Greer
In 21 Jan 1832, Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will:
Will of John Webster, 1832 John Webster ( seal)
T. B. Greer
David Webster
John Webster
2nd day of December 1833 - he confirmed he had witnessed it.
1834 - Thomas's father Moses Greer died.
Thomas and Ursula's family first six children were all born in Virginia. By the late 1830's, due to economic conditions in the state, many of their friends and family were beginning to move west, especially to Missouri. A large wagon train of them set off to settle in Monroe Co., MO, in 1838.
According to source "From Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia", Thomas and Ursula went west to Missouri with the 1838 wagon train:
"In 1838, he and his wife joined a caravan of covered wagons to Monroe County, Missouri. There he lived out the remainder of his life, died and was buried."
However, they went in 1840 with a different wagon train of friends and relatives.
Thomas and Ursula eventually decided to follow the tide, and made the trek west to the same place in the spring of 1840. The trail they took was probably identical to that of the 1838 wagon train with which Thomas' nephew Samuel Greer and his family traveled, a description of which is found in Marshall Wingfield's 1964, "Pioneer Families of Franklin Co., VA":
‘Samuel W. Greer and his family left Franklin County September 11, 1838, in company with Webbs, Pollards and others numbering nearly a hundred, including several slaves. They drove over the Alleghany Mountains, through Tennessee and Kentucky, crossed the Ohio River at Parker's Ferry into Gallatin County, Illinois, and crossed the Mississippi River at Alton. They reached Monroe Co., Missouri, on the thirty-first day of October, 1838, making the whole trip in wagons.
Thomas and Ursula settled down southwest of the Monroe county seat of Paris in Jackson township among numerous family and friends from Virginia.
Thomas's sister Elizabeth and her husband James Calloway [son of Col. James Calloway] came. Elizabeth (Greer) Calloway died 7 Mar 1856 in Paris, Monroe County, Missouri.
Thomas's sister Molly and her husband Chattin Doggett Pollard also came to Monroe Co., MO. Husband died Oct 1843 in Monroe Co., MO. By Mar 1845, Molly was back in Bledsoe Co., TN. By Apr 1855, she was back in Franklin Co., VA.
The 1840 census shows that Thomas and Ursula left most of their slaves back in Virginia - one hopes so that they weren't separated from family owned by other households. In Missouri they had only five, what looks like a mother and her four children. Most households in Monroe Co., MO had none; the largest slaveholder in 1840 had only 34:
1840 census, Monroe Co., MO, Jackson Township, pg 138
[listed next door to a L.W. Greer, age 40-50]
T. B. Greer
one male age 50-59; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas B.
one female age 40-50 - Ursula
one male age 15-19 - Ursula Jane
one female age 15-19 - William
two males age 10-14 - Moses & Thomas
two males age 5-9 - John & Walter
5 slaves
One female 24-35
Two males under 10
Two females under 10
In Mar 1841, Thomas gave security for Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb, when he became guardian their sister's orphan children when their father, Robert M. Beard died.
Beard, Amanda, Robert & Harvey, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. Guardian, Bird S. Webb. Sec., Thomas B. Greer & Henry Howell. 11 Mar 1841. (i66) Robert M. & Harvey C. Beard, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. G&C, John C. Beard. Sec, Bird S. Webb. 5 Mar 1850. (2-115)
In 1841, Thomas became the pastor of the Primitive Baptist Middle Fork Church in or near Paris. He remained in that position until his death in 1845:
Church and Family History Research Assistance for Monroe County, Missouri CHURCHES: MIDDLE FORK (CEDAR GROVE)
"Middle Fork Church, near the Paris Covered Bridge, was organized May 7, 1831...
The church was originally called Bethlehem, but the following April (1832) the name was changed to Middle Fork of Salt River. The original meeting house was in the town of Paris, on the bank of the Middle Fork of Salt River. Elder Edward Turner was the first pastor, John Curry was the first clerk, and Isaac Coppeage and John Hocker were the first deacons.
The Two River Association was organized October 1838, by Middle Fork, Lunies Creek, South River, Flint Hill, Bear Creek, Clear Creek, Elk Fork, Ebenezer, Saverton and Providence churches. Things went along in peace and prosperity until 1840, when the contention became so great over the modern mission system that Middle Fork Church divided. After the division, both factions of the church met in the same building for some time...
Pastors of the church included Elders Edward Turner (1831), Anderson Woods (1836), Thomas Greer (1841), John L. Linsey (1845)..."
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Originally compiled by: Carl Moss Bounds and Susie Boone Bryan Bounds from original permits and monuments in the cemetery in July 1967.
"The Cedar Grove Primitive Baptist Church was organized at the home of Eli Bozarth on May 7, 1831. There were 19 members. The first church building was inside Paris, a log building located at the south entrance to the covered bridge; the second building was a brick structure. Later a split occurred between the missionary and the non-missionary members and after using the same house of worship for a time, the non-missionary members sold their interest in the building and built what is now the Second Baptist Church of Paris. Later this was sold to the Negro Baptists and the congregation moved to the present Cedar Grove location."
About 1842, Thomas's and Ursula's seventh and last child, a girl they nicknamed "Kitty", was born.
Thomas lived less than five years in his new home, working to build up his new congregation (almost certainly still without a church building) and seeing his eldest son, William, married and eldest daughter Ursula Jane married to the son of a fellow Baptist Virginian ex-patriate, before dying in January of 1845. He was buried in the Baptist cemetery on the farm of Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb. His daughter Jane Greer's 1866 obituary identifies her father's final resting place:
"Her remains were placed by the side of her dear old father's, in the Baptist grave yard on the farm of Bird S. Webb."
Ursula, presumably unhappy in the unpolished frontier community or perhaps just wanting to obtain a better education for her children still at home, returned to Virginia with the younger children.
*****
Thomas B. Greer and Ursula Webb Greer's children:
1. Dr. William Armistead Burwell Greer, b. 1821, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 2 Aug 1842, Monroe Co, MO to Mary F. Mason [b. 1822, KY; d. after 1891, Macon Co., MO]; he d. 1880-91, New Cambria, Macon Co., MO; obituary exists, but I haven't seen it.
*****
2. Ursula Jane Greer, b. 24 Jun 1824, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 16 Aug 1842, Monroe Co., MO, to Walker Wright [son of Larkin and Nancy Ann (Sebree) Wright]; she d. 21 Jun 1866, Monroe Co., MO; buried Webb cemetery.
*****
3. Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer, b. 10 Feb 1827, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st Celestia Taliaferro; m. 2nd Katherine Frederick [widow of Col. Fred Claiborne of SC]; m. 3rd to Katherine Claiborne Frederick; he d. 26 Dec 1891, Franklin, VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.
"Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer served on Virginia's first Board of Medical Examiners. He was associated with Dr. Hunter McGuire in modernizing surgery. He married, first, Celestia Taliaferro, daughter of Dr. Richard M. and Polly (Hale) Taliaferro; and second, Kate Claiborne, widow of Colonel Frederick of South Carolina."
*****
4. Dr. Moses Theodorick Greer, b. Oct 1829, Franklin Co., VA; m. Louisa J. Thompson [b. 1833 VA; d. 1880-1900, Blackwater, Franklin Co., VA]; 1900 living in Blackwater Dist., Franklin Co., VA; d. 1904, Paris, Monroe County, MO; buried Willis Family cemetery, near Paris, Monroe County, MO.
*****
5. Dr. John Henry Greer, b. May 1833, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st c. 1855, Franklin Co., VA to Maria Webb [1st cousin, daughter of Creed T. Webb and Mahala F. Booth. Creed was son of Theodorick B. Webb and Sallie Huff]; 2nd m. 12 Jul 1865, Franklin Co., VA to Elizabeth Mosby Wade [sister of Kitty Greer's husband and daughter of Henry Wade and Elizabeth Patterson. Elizabeth (Patterson) Wade married 2nd to Ramsey Webb, son of Theodorick F. Webb and Nancy Tate]; he d. 6 Oct 1905, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
During the Civil War he served in Patrol Guard 11 Cong. Dist. (Mounted.)
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.)
"John Henry Greer attended school at Patrick Court House. His room mate was J. E. B. Stuart, who became famous as a Confederate General. When quite young, John Henry Greer ran away from home, went to New York, met some noted actors and played minor parts with Edwin and John Wilkes Booth who were his remote relatives. There also he met Henriette Sontag, the great singer, for whom a post office in Franklin County was named. Ole Bull, also playing in New York at the time, was attracted by the Virginia lad and became his life long friend. John Henry Greer served as assistant surgeon in the 37th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. When off duty, he would lighten the hours of the soldiers by playing his banjo and relating his New York experiences. He was married, first, to his cousin Maria Webb, and, second, to Elizabeth Mosby Wade. Thomas Street Greer was his son by the first marriage. His home on Chestnut Creek was noted for its hospitality."
*****
6. Walter Callaway Greer, b.c. 1835, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 12 May 1859, Macon City, MO, to Martha Elizabeth Craig; d. after 1880, Macon Co., MO. Returned to Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA, with mother after father's death in 1845? Haven't found on 1860 census. He served with the Union army during the Civil War.
*****
7. Catherine "Kitty" Bailey Greer, b. Oct 1842, Monroe Co., MO; m. 1872, Franklin Co., VA to Zachary Taylor Wade [b. Jan 1849, VA; son of Henry Wade and Julia Patterson]; she d. after 1900, prob. Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; almost certainly buried with husband in High Street cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
*****
The son of Moses Greer Sr. and his wife Nancy Bailey of Baltimore, MD and Franklin Co., VA
16 Mar 1805 Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will: James Callaway Jr, Walter Dent Jr and Thomas Greer witnesses to will of Christopher Kitterman «Frkln Co Will Bk 1:355»
He married on 6 Mar 1816, Franklin Co., VA, to Ursula Webb, daughter of Theoderick Webb (formerly Fitzgerald) and his wife Sarah Huff.
Ursula's father had been baptized into the Primitive Baptist church by Ursula's future husband Thomas B. Greer's brother, Rev. Moses Greer, who also baptized Thomas. Ursula would also later be baptized into the church, probably by either Moses or by Thomas himself, who at some point either before or after his marriage received ordination.
The Primitive Baptists were a strict, uncompromising sect, strict Calvinists, the old "hard shell" Baptists. They believed (and still do) in the total depravity of human nature, the ‘final perseverance' of the saints, baptism by immersion, and the foot washing ritual. They broke away from the main body of Baptists over the issue of missionary societies, Sunday schools, and the use of instrumental music in church – among other things. The Primitives opposed all of these. They also discouraged the idea of an educated clergy, believing that an ignorant man was more likely to be imbued with the true faith than a learned one.
The anti-missionary movement arose suddenly about 1820 in at least nine different Christian denominations, although it was mainly attributed to the frontier Baptists. It arose as a reaction against a growing tendency in the east of the larger denominations to establish central seminaries, missionary societies, and Sunday school curriculums and to send out ‘missionaries' to win converts from other denominations. The smaller sects feared that they would be overwhelmed and even predicted the re-establishment of an ‘orthodox' Christianity and loss of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion. The minorities reacted by withdrawing from interdenominational associations, the Primitives becoming perhaps the most isolated. They even managed to estrange themselves from other Baptist by the severity of their doctrine. Regular ‘missionary' Baptists were willing to concede the benefit of some education for the clergy and saw nothing wrong with trying to win converts from other denominations.
Thomas represented Franklin County in the Virginian General Assembly, as did his father and later his son, Moses Theodrick Greer.
He and Ursula were well off, as shown by the 1820 census enumerating twelve slaves in their household. They did not have any children:
Male 16-25; b. 1785-1794 - Thomas B.
1820 census, Franklin Co., VA, pg 145
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 26-44; b. 1776-1794 - Thomas
one female age 16-25 - Ursula
Slaves (11 total)
one male age over 45
one male age 26-44
one female age 26-44
one male age 14-25
three females age 14-25
four males age under 14
1827 – Thomas's mother Nancy (Bailey) Greer died.
By 1830, they had four children and fifteen slaves:
1830 census, Franklin Co., VA
Thomas B. Greer
one male age 40-49; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas
one female age 30-39 - Ursula
one male age 5-9 - Ursula Jane
one female age 5-9 - William & Moses
two males age under 5 - Thomas Jr.
Slaves (15 total) one male age 55-99
one male age 39-54
one age 24-35
one female age 24-35
three males age 10-23
two females age 10-23
two males age under 10
four females age under 10
Free blacks in house one male age 24-35
12 Dec 1831 – Franklin Co., MO Thomas witnessed a deed for Joel and George Walker with three of his brothers-in-law:
Signed and sealed and acknowledged Joel Walker Seal
In The presence of us
Bird S. Webb
Creed T. Webb
Harvey Claytor
T.B. Greer
In 21 Jan 1832, Franklin Co., VA - Thomas witnessed a will:
Will of John Webster, 1832 John Webster ( seal)
T. B. Greer
David Webster
John Webster
2nd day of December 1833 - he confirmed he had witnessed it.
1834 - Thomas's father Moses Greer died.
Thomas and Ursula's family first six children were all born in Virginia. By the late 1830's, due to economic conditions in the state, many of their friends and family were beginning to move west, especially to Missouri. A large wagon train of them set off to settle in Monroe Co., MO, in 1838.
According to source "From Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia", Thomas and Ursula went west to Missouri with the 1838 wagon train:
"In 1838, he and his wife joined a caravan of covered wagons to Monroe County, Missouri. There he lived out the remainder of his life, died and was buried."
However, they went in 1840 with a different wagon train of friends and relatives.
Thomas and Ursula eventually decided to follow the tide, and made the trek west to the same place in the spring of 1840. The trail they took was probably identical to that of the 1838 wagon train with which Thomas' nephew Samuel Greer and his family traveled, a description of which is found in Marshall Wingfield's 1964, "Pioneer Families of Franklin Co., VA":
‘Samuel W. Greer and his family left Franklin County September 11, 1838, in company with Webbs, Pollards and others numbering nearly a hundred, including several slaves. They drove over the Alleghany Mountains, through Tennessee and Kentucky, crossed the Ohio River at Parker's Ferry into Gallatin County, Illinois, and crossed the Mississippi River at Alton. They reached Monroe Co., Missouri, on the thirty-first day of October, 1838, making the whole trip in wagons.
Thomas and Ursula settled down southwest of the Monroe county seat of Paris in Jackson township among numerous family and friends from Virginia.
Thomas's sister Elizabeth and her husband James Calloway [son of Col. James Calloway] came. Elizabeth (Greer) Calloway died 7 Mar 1856 in Paris, Monroe County, Missouri.
Thomas's sister Molly and her husband Chattin Doggett Pollard also came to Monroe Co., MO. Husband died Oct 1843 in Monroe Co., MO. By Mar 1845, Molly was back in Bledsoe Co., TN. By Apr 1855, she was back in Franklin Co., VA.
The 1840 census shows that Thomas and Ursula left most of their slaves back in Virginia - one hopes so that they weren't separated from family owned by other households. In Missouri they had only five, what looks like a mother and her four children. Most households in Monroe Co., MO had none; the largest slaveholder in 1840 had only 34:
1840 census, Monroe Co., MO, Jackson Township, pg 138
[listed next door to a L.W. Greer, age 40-50]
T. B. Greer
one male age 50-59; b. 1781-1790 - Thomas B.
one female age 40-50 - Ursula
one male age 15-19 - Ursula Jane
one female age 15-19 - William
two males age 10-14 - Moses & Thomas
two males age 5-9 - John & Walter
5 slaves
One female 24-35
Two males under 10
Two females under 10
In Mar 1841, Thomas gave security for Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb, when he became guardian their sister's orphan children when their father, Robert M. Beard died.
Beard, Amanda, Robert & Harvey, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. Guardian, Bird S. Webb. Sec., Thomas B. Greer & Henry Howell. 11 Mar 1841. (i66) Robert M. & Harvey C. Beard, minor heirs of Robert M. Beard, decd. G&C, John C. Beard. Sec, Bird S. Webb. 5 Mar 1850. (2-115)
In 1841, Thomas became the pastor of the Primitive Baptist Middle Fork Church in or near Paris. He remained in that position until his death in 1845:
Church and Family History Research Assistance for Monroe County, Missouri CHURCHES: MIDDLE FORK (CEDAR GROVE)
"Middle Fork Church, near the Paris Covered Bridge, was organized May 7, 1831...
The church was originally called Bethlehem, but the following April (1832) the name was changed to Middle Fork of Salt River. The original meeting house was in the town of Paris, on the bank of the Middle Fork of Salt River. Elder Edward Turner was the first pastor, John Curry was the first clerk, and Isaac Coppeage and John Hocker were the first deacons.
The Two River Association was organized October 1838, by Middle Fork, Lunies Creek, South River, Flint Hill, Bear Creek, Clear Creek, Elk Fork, Ebenezer, Saverton and Providence churches. Things went along in peace and prosperity until 1840, when the contention became so great over the modern mission system that Middle Fork Church divided. After the division, both factions of the church met in the same building for some time...
Pastors of the church included Elders Edward Turner (1831), Anderson Woods (1836), Thomas Greer (1841), John L. Linsey (1845)..."
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Originally compiled by: Carl Moss Bounds and Susie Boone Bryan Bounds from original permits and monuments in the cemetery in July 1967.
"The Cedar Grove Primitive Baptist Church was organized at the home of Eli Bozarth on May 7, 1831. There were 19 members. The first church building was inside Paris, a log building located at the south entrance to the covered bridge; the second building was a brick structure. Later a split occurred between the missionary and the non-missionary members and after using the same house of worship for a time, the non-missionary members sold their interest in the building and built what is now the Second Baptist Church of Paris. Later this was sold to the Negro Baptists and the congregation moved to the present Cedar Grove location."
About 1842, Thomas's and Ursula's seventh and last child, a girl they nicknamed "Kitty", was born.
Thomas lived less than five years in his new home, working to build up his new congregation (almost certainly still without a church building) and seeing his eldest son, William, married and eldest daughter Ursula Jane married to the son of a fellow Baptist Virginian ex-patriate, before dying in January of 1845. He was buried in the Baptist cemetery on the farm of Ursula's brother, Bird S. Webb. His daughter Jane Greer's 1866 obituary identifies her father's final resting place:
"Her remains were placed by the side of her dear old father's, in the Baptist grave yard on the farm of Bird S. Webb."
Ursula, presumably unhappy in the unpolished frontier community or perhaps just wanting to obtain a better education for her children still at home, returned to Virginia with the younger children.
*****
Thomas B. Greer and Ursula Webb Greer's children:
1. Dr. William Armistead Burwell Greer, b. 1821, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 2 Aug 1842, Monroe Co, MO to Mary F. Mason [b. 1822, KY; d. after 1891, Macon Co., MO]; he d. 1880-91, New Cambria, Macon Co., MO; obituary exists, but I haven't seen it.
*****
2. Ursula Jane Greer, b. 24 Jun 1824, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 16 Aug 1842, Monroe Co., MO, to Walker Wright [son of Larkin and Nancy Ann (Sebree) Wright]; she d. 21 Jun 1866, Monroe Co., MO; buried Webb cemetery.
*****
3. Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer, b. 10 Feb 1827, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st Celestia Taliaferro; m. 2nd Katherine Frederick [widow of Col. Fred Claiborne of SC]; m. 3rd to Katherine Claiborne Frederick; he d. 26 Dec 1891, Franklin, VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.
"Dr. Thomas Bailey Greer served on Virginia's first Board of Medical Examiners. He was associated with Dr. Hunter McGuire in modernizing surgery. He married, first, Celestia Taliaferro, daughter of Dr. Richard M. and Polly (Hale) Taliaferro; and second, Kate Claiborne, widow of Colonel Frederick of South Carolina."
*****
4. Dr. Moses Theodorick Greer, b. Oct 1829, Franklin Co., VA; m. Louisa J. Thompson [b. 1833 VA; d. 1880-1900, Blackwater, Franklin Co., VA]; 1900 living in Blackwater Dist., Franklin Co., VA; d. 1904, Paris, Monroe County, MO; buried Willis Family cemetery, near Paris, Monroe County, MO.
*****
5. Dr. John Henry Greer, b. May 1833, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 1st c. 1855, Franklin Co., VA to Maria Webb [1st cousin, daughter of Creed T. Webb and Mahala F. Booth. Creed was son of Theodorick B. Webb and Sallie Huff]; 2nd m. 12 Jul 1865, Franklin Co., VA to Elizabeth Mosby Wade [sister of Kitty Greer's husband and daughter of Henry Wade and Elizabeth Patterson. Elizabeth (Patterson) Wade married 2nd to Ramsey Webb, son of Theodorick F. Webb and Nancy Tate]; he d. 6 Oct 1905, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; buried High Street Cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
During the Civil War he served in Patrol Guard 11 Cong. Dist. (Mounted.)
From "Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia," 1935 by Marshall Wingfield, page 92.)
"John Henry Greer attended school at Patrick Court House. His room mate was J. E. B. Stuart, who became famous as a Confederate General. When quite young, John Henry Greer ran away from home, went to New York, met some noted actors and played minor parts with Edwin and John Wilkes Booth who were his remote relatives. There also he met Henriette Sontag, the great singer, for whom a post office in Franklin County was named. Ole Bull, also playing in New York at the time, was attracted by the Virginia lad and became his life long friend. John Henry Greer served as assistant surgeon in the 37th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. When off duty, he would lighten the hours of the soldiers by playing his banjo and relating his New York experiences. He was married, first, to his cousin Maria Webb, and, second, to Elizabeth Mosby Wade. Thomas Street Greer was his son by the first marriage. His home on Chestnut Creek was noted for its hospitality."
*****
6. Walter Callaway Greer, b.c. 1835, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; m. 12 May 1859, Macon City, MO, to Martha Elizabeth Craig; d. after 1880, Macon Co., MO. Returned to Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA, with mother after father's death in 1845? Haven't found on 1860 census. He served with the Union army during the Civil War.
*****
7. Catherine "Kitty" Bailey Greer, b. Oct 1842, Monroe Co., MO; m. 1872, Franklin Co., VA to Zachary Taylor Wade [b. Jan 1849, VA; son of Henry Wade and Julia Patterson]; she d. after 1900, prob. Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA; almost certainly buried with husband in High Street cemetery, Rocky Mount, Franklin Co., VA.
*****
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