John Greer, Sr. with his second family of children immigrated west and south. They were living in Onslow County, North Carolina in 1752 when John died at the age of 72. One source states there were debts and the four new, minor children, were bound out to pay off his debts after his death.
The will states he left twelve pence sterling to his six sons and three daughters. However, to John Greer, Jr. (my generation's 6 GGF), Sr. left his Negro man, Jack, and two hunting guns. John Sr. may have been a gunsmith, as he left his gun stock tools and all tools to his 'Dearly Beloved Wife Cloe Greer', who was also the executrix. This court was held at Johnston on the New River in Onslow County July 1752. This is the first time human slavery emerges in a direct ancestral will.
(Most of the above was taken from Genealogy.com under the name of John G. Greer. Sources include land, rent and court records in Baltimore County, Maryland. The Greer family history, starting on the Gunpowder River in Maryland has been well researched. Google the names, and one can spend many hours sorting through the materials. Beware, as is normal in genealogy, not all dates and names agree.)
12/11/10
When We Were Greers Part VII
by Glenn N. Holliman
The Lord of Lag
My lords and ladies of the MacGregor Clan, before we begin to move forward in the American colonial period, I wanted to share some pictures I found on line of our Greer ancestry in Scotland. North of Dumfries, Scotland is a small village named Dunscore. Move east a few miles (one can do this on a Google map) and lo and behold standing next to a farm house are the remains of the manor house, a quasi-castle of the Lord of Lag, the Greer family from which James Greer, my generation's 8th GGF, immigrated in the 1670s. His father (9th GGF) was Sir James Grier, a descendant of the MacGregor clan. See October 22, 2010 posting.
The remains of Lag Tower, 1790 print. The remains of the tower and 'castle' look dramatic in this 220 year old print. Remember the facility was constructed no later than the 1400s.
Below is a decidedly unromantic picture of the remains taken from a Google street map in 2007. Note the red farm equipment in front of the castle. A barn and farm house are to the right of this photo. You can locate this yourself. Go to Google Maps and drill down to to Dunscore, Scotland, about 7 miles northeast of Dumfries. Move your little 'yellow man' a few miles east over Holm Road. Look to the right (south), and you will spot this ruin below. This was and is an isolated part of the world. Many long, cold dreary nights; perhaps that is why our ancestors perfected Scotch!
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