Owensboro, Kentucky....Home of some of the Western Kentucky GREERS

Samuel Greer II was born about 1801 and married Minerva Cooper on 05 December 1822. Minerva was the daughter of John and Mary Cooper. The wedding ceremony for Samuel and Minerva was performed by Isaac Taylor and witnesses included David Huston and Samuel Huston.

Minerva Cooper was born in Nelson County, Kentucky about 1802 and died in Daviess County, Kentucky 14 November 1871. According to the tombstone, she was 68 years 6 months indicating she was born about May 1802. She might have been born as late as 1804 though. I am not sure who made up their birth dates!!!

Samuel II was the youngest of the three sons of Samuel and Rebecca Howard Greer. Part of Samuel II's life was spent in Nelson County, Kentucky. He did not marry until after his father died in 1820. In the Samuel Greer I's will, Samuel II received 100 acres of land on the southeast end of the survey which included the "mantion" (mansion house). He was also willed a "black boy named Johnson and a good featherbed and common furniture".

James and Samuel II also received after Rebecca's death "the black man Peter and the black woman Pat and all their increase from the date of his death". They were "Not to sell or barter blacks but to treat them in a human like manner".

Samuel and Minerva lived in Nelson County and Shelby County near Mt. Eden until they moved to Daviess County, Kentucky in 1832 according to Sallie Carter, a daughter of William Boyd GREER..
Samuel II died 20 October 1846. Samuel's tombstone says he was 75 years indicating he was born in 1771. This is not correct. As I am sitting here tonight with a magnifying glass trying to figure out what is written on the bottom of the stone, a thought just occurred to me. I would bet a 4 was mistaken for a 7 by a German carver. Of course, it should have been a four and he was 45 years old.

He was dead by the 1850 census where Minerva was left with seven children but in no way was he born much earlier than 1800. Samuel Greer ‘s tombstone also says across the left hand top on a Holy Bible ""Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord". At the bottom it says "Tis .... to gaze upon the sad; That wraps thy moldering clay ..... (another full line" which was in the grass). [The inscription presumably ran: "Tis sweet to gaze upon the sod that wraps thy mouldering clay. To think thy spirit rests with God who called it hence away." It appears to be a common sentiment on tombstones from the era. -Ed.]

Coleman D. GREER was the oldest son of Samuel, Jr. and Minerva Cooper. One of his sons was Coleman Henry GREER and he was the father of Della GREER who married Heber MIDKIFF. Heber and Dellie had five children, three of whom are Markley FREER, Lincoln MIDKIFF, and Esther (Sissy) EDGE This family is very musically inclined and are wonderful to be around.

They are shown here with Markley on the left, Link in the middle and Sissy on the right.
A much older picture taken about 1906 shows Coleman and Nellie Greer with some of their children. Included are Aaron GREER (in back between his parents), Delia to the left and behind her father, Erbit to the far right, Dillie standing between his dad's legs and Mary Elizabeth in her mother's lap. Mary Elizabeth died young. The family lived in Ohio County, KY when the children were young. Aaron died in Walkerville, Michigan.