Remembering John Harris Greer, Jr.

John Harris Greer 1887-1967

by his sister Florence Leoma Greer Crosby

  

John with Bina & Lillian on their horse Strawberry

John, the oldest son of John Harris Greer and Orpha Elzetta Nicoll, was born

21 Aug 1887 in St. Johns, Apache County, Arizona. When the young family was living at Concho, school was held at their home half the year and half the year at Udall's. D.K. Udall's daughter was the teacher of ten children.

John married Mary Ellen Heap, daughter of John Henry and Mary Ann Heap, on 24 Dec 1908. From 1900 to 1950, he operated the Greer store, service station, cafe, and motel on the south side of Commercial Street in St. Johns. John and Mary Ellen's beautiful rock home wasn't far from their business. Mary Ellen cooked roasts, pies, and bread for the cafe in her home kitchen. For a time around 1912, John was involved in another venture when he bought the town's water-powered electrical plant. During that time electricity was only delivered in the evening hours. 

Remembering Myrtle Greer Brown

Myrtle Greer 1886-1965

by her sister Florence Leoma Greer Crosby

Myrtle was the first child born to John Harris and Orpha Nicoll Greer. She was born 18 February 1886 in Concho, Arizona. Her brother John and sister Sabina were close in age and her sister Lillian was born when Myrtle was five, so the “young’uns” had built-in playmates to grow up with. Myrtle learned to play the mandolin, to paint, and to do many kinds of handwork. She attended school in Concho and in St. Johns. 

 

It was in St. Johns that she met Benjamin Brown. Ben and Myrtle kept company when Ben took a missionary preparation class at the LDS Academy in St. Johns in 1904. Ben served a mission in Liverpool, England, and on his way home from England he stopped at the Greer Ranch to visit her. After Ben proposed and Myrtle accepted, Loe Burgess drove a team and wagon to take them and Jay Burgess & his fiancee, Jessie Wiltbank, to Holbrook. At the Holbrook train station, the two couples entrained for Salt Lake City and were married in the Salt Lake Temple 9 October 1908.  

After their marriage they lived in Eagar until 1920. Ben was elected treasurer of Apache County and the family moved to St. Johns with their five children. Their last child, Benjamin, was born in St. Johns in 1924.

In 1923, Ben discovered he had diabetes. It became worse and in 1933 he was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital for several weeks to get it stabilized. He died 14 July 1935 in St. Johns. Myrtle raised the family in her little home in St. Johns just west of the elementary school. While visiting her sister Bina in Salt Lake City in March of 1965, Myrtle fell ill and told the doctor she had a gallstone that hadn't passed. She was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday 24 March and died 45 minutes later.

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.

Remembering Orpha Elzetta Nicoll Greer

Orpha Elzetta Nicoll Greer

by her daughter Florence Leoma Greer Crosby

Orpha Elzetta Nicoll was born in American Fork, Utah, the seventh child of a family of twelve children (four boys and eight girls). She moved with her parents to Washington City near St. George, Utah, about 1870. The family lived here until December 1879 when they moved to St. Johns, Arizona, where her father built a fine two-story home.

On March 29, 1885, Mother was married to my father, John Harris Greer, in St. Johns, Arizona by David K. Udall. Mother gave birth to fourteen living children who were all married before her death in 1944. Tom was her only child who preceded her in death.

Mother was a good manager in her home. She was a good housekeeper and cook. She was kind and good and loved her children and taught us to do all the household tasks well. She did all of the sewing for her children and we were neatly clothed. She was hospitable and a good neighbor to all. She loved music. I remember well my sister and I receiving $1 for learning our music notes and our first little piece on the piano.

Mother developed high blood pressure in her later years and died as a result of a stroke while visiting her son James in Whittier, California. She was brought back to St. Johns, Arizona, and buried beside her husband.

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.