I have received permission from Annie Greer Heaton, of Heaton, NC to transcribe and post here what is known as "The Jesse Greer Notebook". I've seen the notebook several times. The cover is black and white mottled and the kind of composition book many of us remember using in school. It has lined pages and therefore the lines are straight.

The writing is quite clear and easy to read, but it appears more than one person wrote in the book. I will scan several of the pages, so you can see the handwriting for yourselves. I believe one of the people to write in the book was Jesse Greer, Jr. I have other documents written by him and can therefore compare handwriting.

The first scan is that of the first page. On the left, is the first page of several typewritten pages of notes by Bolard More in November 1968. Those pages are placed in the notebook separately and not part of the original notebook. The scan is mainly so you can see where two pages have been torn out of the book. The edges still show. The word "torn" (in blue) point to the top and bottom of the edges.

The second scan is page 14 showing some of the same information in the first scan only in a different handwriting.

The first pages to be transcribed are Balard More's notes. As for other notes, I'm not sure how many additional notations I'll be adding except for a few on the Brown and Rominger families. I descend from Jesse and Frances/Franky Brown Greer through their daughter Emeline Greer who married Nathaniel Rominger, so I have become familiar with them. My notations will be in brackets and italized or there will be a link to pictures and other information I hope you find interesting. If you have other pictures of anyone mentioned in the notebook or other items pertaining to these people, I will be happy to post and link them to the page.

If you would like to have your own copy of this notebook, it is available for $5.00 from:

Genealogical Society of Watauga County
P.O. Box 126 (Downtown)
Boone, NC 28607

I hope you find this helpful and interesting. Please come back often, I will be adding more documentation as time permits.

MaryFloy Katzman

Pages 1-7 are apparently written in one hand, which always uses the spelling "Greer", and pages 9-16 in another hand, which always uses the spelling "Grear". I believe that the first set of records were written by Jesse Greer, Sr. (1778-1869) or some other early member of the family, and that the second set were written or copies by Jesse Greer, Jr. (1806-92). The family records of Jesse Greer, Sr., and Polly Morris, pages 1 - 3, and of Franklin and Polly Brown, page 7, are repeated with slight differences on pages 14-15 and page 16 respectively. There are obviously additions by later hands on page 5 and on pages 17 - 21.

Mrs. Dena Greer states that the pages with the family of Benjamin Greer, Sr., had been cut out and taken away by someone about thirty years ago. However pages 9 and 10 are still here. It is obvious that pages have been cut out of the book. I think that there may have been another record of Benjamin Greer, Sr., family at the front of the book in the same hand which wrote the present pages 1-7. This record may have shown that John Wilcockson's wife was Sarah Boone and that Benjamin and Nancy Greer's first two children were: Rachel Greer born Mar. 31, 1768, and John Greer born Jan. 14, 1770, as has been claimed in the lists in the possession of several other people. The other names and dates are the same. The chasnges, for unknown reasons, or mistakes may have been made by Jesse Greer, Jr., in copying this earlier list on to pages 9 and 10.

Arthur's "A History os Watauga County" (1915) states on page 313: "Benjamin Greer married a second time, after the death of his first wife, Mrs. Sallie Atkinson Jones, widow of Thomas Jones, who died from a wound received in the Revolution. She reared children by both husbands. They moved to Greer River, KY, where he died in 1810. [Will probated in Greer Co., KY, 1816] There is a Wilkes Co. Marriage Bond, at the State Archives in Raleigh, dated April 26, 1791, for Benjamin Greer and Sarah Jones. The children of the second marriage are unknown, except that Arthur and John M. Greer of High Point, N.C., give a son Thomas Greer (no date of birth), who may have been a son of Benjamin by his second wife. [There is no mention of a son named Thomas in Benjamin's will, but names five (5) additional children not named in this notebook - children by Sarah.] Mrs. Mary Wilson Smith of Farmville, N.C., in her D.A.R. application in 1938 claims that the second wife of Benjamin Greer was a Cutbirth, a niece of his first wife. According to "Wilcoxson and Allied Families" by Mulfeck (1958) pages 18 - 24, Sarah Cutbirth, daughter of Benjamin Cutbirth and Elizabeth Willcockson was born ca. 1772 and nothing further is known of her, but at 19 she would not likely have been the widow Jones who married Benjamin Greer in 1791. Mrs. Smith also claims that Benjamin Greer (Sr.) was the son of Andrew Greer and Ruth Kincaid of Elizabethton, Tenn. I have been unable to find any evidence to this effect. [Estate papers for Andrew Greer filed in Carter Co., TN do not show a son named Benjamin nor grandchildren of a son named Benjamin]. On the contrary the statement on page 9 herein that Benjamin was the son of John Grear and Nancy appears to be correct. John Greer, Sr., of near Wilkesborn, left a will, probated in Wilkes Co., N.C. on June 5, 1782, which mentions his wife "Nanney" and children: John, Benja., Joshua, Jesse, Aquilla, Ann Mitchell, Rachel Michell, Sarah Hardgrave and Hanah Demoss.

MaryFloy Katzman's Notes
*His full name was James Jackson Greer

This record finishes the children of Jessee Greer and his wife whose maiden name was Polly Morris.

(Mrs. Dena Greer did not know who these Browns are, but thought that they must be family of Frances Brown (1810-1905) wife of Jesse Greer, Jr., (1806-92). - B.M.

MaryFloy Katzman's Notes
(1) Estate records of Polly Brown (1838) show his name as "Francis".
(2) Not included on page 16
(3) Married Joseph O. Greer son of Jesse and Polly Morris Greer
(4) Niece of Jesse Greer, Jr. (may be the daughter of his brother, Joshua)
(5) Caroline Elizabeth "Lizzie" married James Carter Donnelly
(6) Frances Charlotte "Lottie" was the 2nd wife of Nathan Harris Waugh

Page 9:
The Birth and death of *Benjamine
Grear and Nancy Grear his wife the
daughter of John Wilcockson and Sary
Benjamine Grear the son of John Grear
and Nancy was Born febuary the
9 in the year 1746 Deceased this life
October the 23 in the year 1816 and
Nancy Grear his wife was born May
the 17 in the year 1745 and Deceassed
this life October the 31 1790

Rachel Grear the Daughter of the a foresaid was Born January 16 1770
William Grear was born January 21 - 1772
Benjamin Grear was Born February 14 - 1774
Anna Grear was born April 26 - 1776

(This could not have been written by Jesse Greer, Sr. (1778-1869) as he was dead in 1886, but must have been written by Jesse Greer, Jr. (1806-92). The latter did not have a son named Jesse, but he did have a grandson named Jesse Clinton Greer (1864-1949) and may therefore have called himself "Seignyer". - B.M.)

John Greer was married to Nancy Owens and they were living in Johnson County, TN by 1840 where he was listed as Head of Household age 70-80 (1760-1770). In 1850 he was listed in the 1st District and his age was given as 82 (1768). It would appear from both the 1840 and 1850 census' he was older than Rachel.

IF John was the child of Benjamin and Mattie Lipps Greer, was that the reason he wasn't listed among the children of Benjamin Greer and Nancy Wilcockson in this notebook? In Benjamin Greer's Will probated in Green Co., KY in 1816, his children are named starting with John and Rachel. Unfortunately, some of the other children were not listed in order of their births so we can't make assumptions from that.

Lyman C. Draper, who wrote "Battle of Kings Mountain and Its Heroes", evidently hoped to write a biography of Daniel Boone and as was his custom he wrote hundreds of letters to people asking for information about Daniel Boone and family members. Jesse Greer, Jr. was among the people Mr. Draper wrote to and from whom he received an answer. Mr. Draper never wrote the biography, but his massive collection of correspondence has been microfilmed and I have a copy of both letters. In his letter to Mr. Draper, Jesse Greer, Jr. mentions his "Uncle John". Comparing the handwriting in both this notebook and the letter to Mr. Draper, I believe this part of the notebook was written by Jesse Greer, Jr.

Did Jesse, Jr. just "forget" to include John among the children of Benjamin Greer and Nancy Wilcockson? Is it possible this information was on the first two pages torn from the notebook? Food for thought.]

Pages 11, 12 and 13: - Spelling and punctuation as near as I can make out from the notebook

He was born the son of Benjamine and Nancy Grear in Wilkes County North Carolina on the 14th November 1778. then traveled on to the year of maturity under a tender father and mother and at 16 years old I left my Parents much Against their will. then serving the the Devil was all my delight. till the year 1800, then married Polly Morris which was born a daughter of Henry and Franky Morris on the 17th september 1787. then went on in the Gall of Bitteness as tho there was no soul to save or to be lost. til the year 1810, at the Baptism of Brother Benjamin, I Began to think that my soul must dwell with the rich man. then I betook my self to trying to pray for about ten months. But the Devil pursuaded me it was so hard that I could pray no longer. But betook myself to cursing and swearing and drinking and all kinds of sin til the year 1814. very Gardless we went to meeting to the Oldfeel [Old Field] meeting house but there was no ministry Came to preach. but as they thought proper that they should sing and pray one of them began and as I set I saw a small child about twelve or thirteen years old crying as if He would Breake her heart. and it seamed to strike me like a Clap of Thunder, to think that God was at work with such small Children and I still in the gall of bitterness then I went hence trying to pray. but it oppressed? to me that God would not hear my weak pertishion. I soon began to think that I had passed the day of grace and soon betook my self to my friends and to the people of god to see if they could give any Conslation. but I had to go moving through the wilderness until 1815. I had been from home and on my return home some hour in the night I thought if I was lost I would die a praying. and as I was trying to pray I thought that my Blessed Jesus meet with me and Bid me not fear. then I went home Rejoycing and praising God that I had Been lost But now was found. and in the time to follow his Companion Got a hope that she had made peace with god and we was Received in to the Baptist Church and was Baptised on the 4th Sunday in June 1815.

(This must have been copied by Jesse Greer, Jr. (1806-92) from something written by Jesse Grear, Sr. (1778-1869). B.M.)

fanny Grear the first Born was Born January the 29=1801
Benjamin Grear was Born May 9=1802
Joshua Grear was Born December 18=1803
Nancy Grear was Born febuary 21=1805
Jesse Grear was Born December 16=1806
and was married to franky Brown
november the 16th 1826 and Both joined
the Baptist Church september 31=1831
and Remains until now
Polly Grear was Born June 9=1808
Sally Grear was Born November 4th=1810
Betsy Grear was Born March 17 1814

Comments, please contact Basil McVey

Copyright © 2000 Mary Floy Katzman