A Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Harris Greer did not leave us any personal writings about his life. Most of what we know about what a great man he was--highly respected, strictly honest, reliable, full of integrity, devoted public servant, tender father--we learn from what others have written about him. But nothing is mentioned about his testimony of the Gospel and devotion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We get a glimpse of this, however, from something his son Jim wrote:

     I remember that when [Father] came to California, to visit me, how much I enjoyed having him.
     He talked about the good things that were in store for me, if I would become interested and work
     in it, and of what a wonderful man Joseph Smith was. I will always remember the love and
     counsel he gave me then.

Today is the 173rd anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Harris must have had a great love for him. Some of that may have been passed down from his parents--especially his mother, who was personally acquainted with the Prophet [see the post on this blog from June 27, 2013]--but it also had to have been something that he developed deep in his heart on his own. I think he would want us to know that today.

Wild Celebration of St. Johns Day

The San Juan Fiestas have been celebrated annually on or near June 24th since the earliest days of St. Johns. The following story was reported in "The Pioneer Press," a local newspaper.

Harris at age 17, one year after this incident

There was a wild time in St. Johns on the day of the Mexican population's patron saint, San Juan, June 24, 1882, when Nat Greer and a band of Texas cowboys entered the Mexican town. The Greers had been unpopular with the Mexicans since they had marked a Mexican with an ear underslope, as cattle are marked, this after a charge that their victim had been found in the act of stealing a Greer colt. The fight that followed the Greer entry had nothing at its initiation to do with the Mormon settlers. Assaulted by the Mexican police and populace, eight of the band rode away and four were penned into an uncompleted adobe house. Jim Vaughn [one of the Greer cowhands] was killed and Harris Greer was wounded.... It was declared that several thousand shots had been fired, but there was a lull, in which the part of the peacemaker was taken up by "Father" Nathan C. Tenney, a pioneer of Woodruff and father of Ammon Tenney. He walked to the house and induced the Greers to surrender. The Sheriff, E.S. Stover, was summoned and was in the act of taking the men to jail when a shot was fired from a loft of the Barth house, where a number of Mexicans had established themselves. The bullet, possibly intended for a Greer, passed through the patriarch's head and neck, killing him instantly. The Greers were threatened with lynching, but were saved by the sheriff's determination. Their case was taken to Prescott and they escaped with light punishment.

[You can read a more complete version of the story (from the Greer point of view) in Errol G. Brown's book The Greer Family and a Look Into the Past available online through the catalog at FamilySearch.org. This story starts on page 42.]

memorial honoring Nathan Tenney,
who gave his life trying to save the Greer boys

Remembering John Harris Greer

L-R back row: Nat, Orpha, Myrtle, Harris with Lillian
L-R front row: Sabina, John

Memories of Father

by Catherine Ellen Greer 

John Harris Greer (also known as Harris) was the sixth child of a family of twelve children. He spent his early childhood in Texas where he was born. His parents had Negro slaves (or colored help) at this time who had refused to leave the family when they were freed and had come with them to Texas. They often spoke of Jeff and Mammy.

HAPPY 129th ANNIVERSARY, HARRIS & ORPHA!!!

On March 29, 1885, John Harris Greer married Orpha Elzetta Nicoll in St. Johns, Arizona. To celebrate their 129th anniversary, this blog will be posting remembrances of them and their 14 children contributed by their descendants. These will appear in separate postings over the next 16 days. We will begin with Orpha in a separate posting today and Harris tomorrow, then continue with their children in order of birth.

We encourage you to post your personal remembrances in the comments section. If you have any additional photos or information you would like to share, please e-mail them to barbaraballantyne@hotmail.com.

Remembering the Prophet Joseph Smith

The Prophet Joseph Smith, along with his devoted brother, Hyrum, was martyred 169 years ago on June 27, 1844, in Carthage, Illinois. We remember him today through the stories of two family connections.

Where it all began…

Orpha Elzetta Nicoll was born in American Fork, Utah, 29 March 1867 to Alexander Nicoll and Sabina Ann Adams. When she was three, her family moved to Washington City, Utah (near St. George), then on to St. Johns, Arizona, in 1880 when she was thirteen.

John Harris Greer, the son of Thomas Lacy Greer and Catherine Ellen Camp, was born 10 February 1866 in Bosque County, Texas. He came to St. Johns in 1884 with his sister Oasis to attend school. They lived with their Uncle Gilbert and Aunt Julia, who happened to be Orpha’s older sister. Orpha and John Harris soon fell in love and married in St. Johns the next spring on 29 March 1885 (her birthday).

They are the parents of 14 children, and this blog is intended to provide a place for their descendants to connect with each other. Please help us honor their memories and keep their family together by submitting information to be added to this blog. Each child has a tab where their information will be stored. Just follow the instructions above (to the right of the family photo).

Welcome to the Greer family reunion that never ends!