Celebrating 200 Years of a Family Legacy: Honoring Thomas Lacy Greer

Welcome to our Annual Greer Family Reunion--a virtual gathering of hearts, memories, and shared heritage. In 2026, we celebrate Orpha's 159th birthday as well as Orpha & John's 141st wedding anniversary. This year is especially meaningful as we "come together" to focus our celebrations on a remarkable milestone: the 200th birthday of Thomas Lacy Greer who was born on 2 September 1826 in DeKalb, Georgia. 

Two hundred years ago, Tom entered a world vastly different from our own--one of frontier challenges, deep-rooted faith, and resilient family ties. While records may only capture fragments of his life, what remains clear is this: his legacy lives on in each one of us. Whether he was herding cattle, raising a family, or forging a path through uncertain times, Tom represents the strength and perseverance that continue to define the Greer family today. 

Please take some time to read about Tom on his ancestor discovery page on FamilySearch using this link: Thomas Lacy Greer. Even if we don't know every detail of his life, we are living evidence that his story mattered.

Pause for a moment and imagine

• the world Tom was born into
• the choices he made that shaped future generations
• the unseen impact of his life echoing forward 200 years

Now look at us--spread across the country, yet still connected. This is legacy.

Two hundred years ago, Thomas Lacy Greer could not have imagined this moment--his family gathered across time and space, remembering him. And yet, here we are--because of him.

Happy 200th birthday, Thomas Lacy Greer!

Did Your Ancestor Cook the First Thanksgiving Dinner?

Orpha's 10th great aunt, Elizabeth Fisher, was the second wife of Stephen Hopkins, a prominent leader at Plymouth Colony. Elizabeth is noted in historical records as one of only four adult women living there in 1621 when the first Thanksgiving was held. She is frequently inferred by historians as the woman who cooked the first Thanksgiving dinner. So yes! Your ancestor more than likely did cook the very first Thanksgiving dinner! Happy Thanksgiving!

(Refer to the previous post from November 17, 2020, for more information on your Mayflower ancestors.)

Remembering Thomas Lacy Greer

John Harris Greer's father, Thomas Lacy Greer, died on July 30, 1881, at his beloved Greer Ranch near Hunt, Arizona. He was only aged 54. He suffered throughout his life from a bullet wound to his shoulder he received fighting in the Mexican War when he was twenty years old. The bullet was never removed, causing partial disability and much suffering later in his life. He is buried in the St. Johns Cemetery. His son, Richard Decatur Greer, paid him this beautiful tribute:

He acted slowly and wisely

Truly a man among men.

His presence was strongly felt

It was like a fresh exhilarating breath of Spring.

His culture, refinement and kindly ways

Made one feel as though he were in the presence of a king.

Here is a fun coloring page portrait of Thomas Lacy Greer created using Coloring Book Hero on chatgpt.com. Click on the image to download, then print it.

               

My Native Land--Farewell

Nathaniel Hunt Greer was a cowboy, frontiersman, family man, devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--and a poet. After joining the Church with his family in 1854, he felt called to join the Saints who were gathering to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. This was a great sacrifice for Nathaniel because he loved his home in Texas. He wrote the following poem the year before they left. In it he writes of his sadness at leaving his beloved Texas and his devotion to His Savior Jesus Christ. Nathaniel ultimately gave his life in his service to his God and Church.

The Greer family left Milan County, Texas, on March 15, 1855, in the Seth M. Blair and Edward Stevenson Company of Emigrating Saints. This company arrived at Mormon Grove on June 2, 1855. After some reorganizing, they left Mormon Grove on June 15th. An outbreak of cholera soon struck the company. Nathaniel succumbed to the disease about ten days out and died on June 24, 1855, in Nemaha County, Kansas. His mortal remains were laid to rest on a hill about half of a mile east of Grasshopper Creek. He not only lost his own life but that of his son John Irvin and six of his grandchildren.

Remember our devoted pioneer ancestor Nathaniel Hunt Greer on this Pioneer Day.

My Native Land--Farewell

I go in the name of Christ to bear

In lands and isles unknown

And when my pilgrim's feet shall tread

On lands where darkness dwell

Where light and truth have long since fled

My Native Land--farewell.

I go an erring child of dust

Ten thousand foes among

Yet on his mighty arm I trust

That makes the feeble strong.

My sun my shield, forever nigh

He will my fears dispel

This hope supports me when I sigh

My Native Land--farewell.

I go devoted to his cause

And to his will respond

His presence will supply the loss

Of all I leave behind.

His presence cheers the sinking heart

And lights the darkest cell

To exiled pilgrims grace impart

My Native Land--farewell

I go because my master calls

He has made my duty plain

No danger can the heart appall

When Jesus stoops to reign.

And now the vessel's side we've gained

The sails their bosoms swell

Thy beauties in the distance fade

My Native Land--farewell.

Nathaniel Hunt Greer

19 February 1854 

St. Johns 2025 Pioneer Days Schedule