Greeney Family Genealogy

Greeney Family Genealogy

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Name variations include:
Granier, Grenier, Greaney, Graney, Greeny, Greene, Greenie, Greenup, Gruny, Gruney

Related Family Lines and Alternate Spellings
Including but not limited to:
Burns - Byrn; Culbreth - Culbreath; Clarida - Clariday;
Garrett - Jarrett - Jarrot; Ivy - Ivey - Ivory ?;
Locklear - Locklier - Lockler - Locklar - Lockaleer - Lucklear - Lockalaire - Lockelaire;

Stewart; Lind; Bronge Parks; Tanner ; Rains; Gurley; Foster; Close; Follis; Celik;

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Unidentified Greeney related photos.
(please email me if you can identify anyone)

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Family Regional Ties
Southern Illinois Area
Also Scott County, Arkansas & Missouri
Circa 1820 - 2000

Indian Canoe

Combined Family Lore
(not necessarily fact)
and
A Few Facts

Family is of French heritage
Due to pronunciation, English speaking people such as government officials likely altered the spelling of the name. In French it may have originally been Granier, Grenier or a similar spelling. Old documents may show variations such as Greaney, Graney, or Greeny. Handwriting on some old documents can easily be transcribed as Greenup, Gruny, Gsuny, Gsuney or Gruney.
If the French connection is NOT accurate, the family might be of English, Irish or Scottish heritage as the name is also found there.

MIGRATION & GENERAL TIME LINE

This branch of the Greeney family reportedly came to North America through Louisiana, lived in Missouri for a while, then this branch settled in Southern Illinois around the area of what is now, Williamson County.
Remember the Louisiana Territory was once extensive.

1763 Map
1778 - Map of George Rogers Clark's military expedition
1800 "Non-French speaking settlers were slow to arrive in Illinois – probably less than 2,000 non-Indians lived in Illinois in 1800. But soon thereafter many more settlers came from the backwoods areas of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas. These early settlers were of English, German, Scottish, and Irish descent."
In 1820 the Greeney family is said to have lived somewhere in Missouri

Missouri became a state in 1820 but there was also the Missouri Territory. Borders were very different from those of today.
Lewis and Clark explored between 1803-1806.
We don't yet know WHEN the Greeney line came to the area and nomenclature changed, so keep in mind - Missouri Was Once Illinois and Louisiana

The rivers, particularly the Mississippi river was a major early transportation route in that era.
Other members of the same root family came through Canada, but it is unknown when or where.

Family of John Greeney - Born 1820 - Missouri

1816 Weather and Spiller info
1817 Burns family living in area of Franklin - Williamson County, Illinois
Circa 1820 John Greeney was born in Missouri
1839 - Williamson County, Illinois formed from Franklin County.
1844 John Greeney married Sarah Locklear in Williamson County, Illinois. On the marriage record it appears as John GRUNY or could be misread as YOUNG wed Sarah LOCKLAR.
Sarah's mother was a Burns. There are ties through the Burns, Locklear and Ivey lines to South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.

John and Sarah had 4 children, including twin boys - Major Washington Greeney & Robert Vincent (Vicent or Vinson) Greeney who were born in 1846.
They migrated as did other Williamson County, Illinois families including the Locklear and Ivey's to Arkansas.
A Gilbreath family also lived in Scott County Arkansas, having been born in Illinois. Could the Gilbreath's actually be Culbreath or Culbreth?

1850 - Williamson County, Illinois - Census

+ Greeney John 30 Mo pg0212a.txt 220B 17

Greeney John M 2 Ill pg0212a.txt 220B 16

Greeney Major W 4 Ill pg0212a.txt 220B 14
(above is Major Washington Greeney)

+ Greeney Sarah 35 Tenn pg0212a.txt 220B 15 (Sarah Locklear)

+ Greeney Vinson 4 Ill pg0212a.txt 220B 18 (This is Robert Vinson Greeney)

Greeney William C 3/12 Ill pg0212a.txt

Two Burns' families, the Locklear family and the Head family lived "next door".

Between 1850 & 1860 - Moved to Scott County, Arkansas later returning to Williamson County, Illinois. Franklin County, Arkansas may have kin.

1860 - Scott County, Arkansas census lists the John Gruney family. Name should be spelled GREENEY. Nearby are Blackwell, Locklear and Ivey or Ivy kin.

1869 - + Robert Vinson (or alternate spelling) Greeney marries Susan Caroline Burns - a neighbor in Williamson County, Illinois. (His twin brother, Major Washington "Wash" Greeney also married a Burns, but in 1874)

They have four children - before she dies.

circa 1870 - Jackson County, IL - John W Greeney
circa 1872 - Sarah T Greeney

1876 - Corinth, Williamson County, IL - Charles Fletcher Greeney
James "Jim" Greeney

1878 Robert Vinson Greeney marries Ester Ann Robinson - Williamson County Illinois

1879 - They have Milton A Greeney

His Aunt Jane C Burns, and his Mother, Susan Caroline Burns, are likely related, possibly sisters or cousins. The BURNS - GREENEY connection needs further research. Note that Nina Greeney, daughter of Charles Fletcher Greeney also married a Byrn, Byrns or Burns.

NOTE: A BURNS family is mentioned here

1900 + Charles Fletcher Greeney and Emma Frances Culbreath or Culbreth of Attilla, Williamson County, Illinois are married in "Poordo", Illinois - Williamson County, Illinois. Over the years they lived in Corinth, Creal Springs, Dykesburg and surrounding areas. Their children:

circa 1902 - Laura (Lora) W. Greeney (later married a Gurley)
circa 1904 - Flora (Flo or Florence) Greeney (later married a Foster)
circa 1906 - Nina L or R Greeney (later married Byrn, sometimes listed as Byrns or Burns)
circa 1910 - Carl Everitt Greeney
circa 1913 - William "Randall" Greeney (married Beulah Allen) - moved to Indiana
circa 1915 - Helen or Hellen Greeney born - (later married Clarence Lind and eventually lived near Danville, Illinois or into Indiana). Their children:

Clarence "Junior"
Delores
William "Bill"

1918 James "Artie" Greeney born - (later married Helene Alberta Button). Children:

Ruby
James "Jimmy"
Charles
Wyman

1930 Apr 3 - Frankfort Twp, West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois

James Greeney (age 54 - IL IL IL), a cobbler and his wife, Sallie (49 IL IL AL) are living at 1607 East Oak Street and have a boarder, Paul Jones, age 30

1930 - St Clair County, Illinois

Milton Greeney (41) and his wife, Bertha (33), and their 11 year old daughter, Nina are living

1930 Apr 11 - Pittsburg Village, Lake Creek Twp, Williamson County, Illinois

Charles W Greeney, a coal miner (34) and his wife, Pauline (unknown) and their 11 year old son, Charles R Greeney are living on North East Street in . Next door live Freeman and Meda Tanner and children.

1930 Apr 15 - Corinth Twp, Williamson County, Illinois (205)

John Greeney, a farmer (59 - born abt 1871) and his wife, Cora (51) have their 9 year old grandson, James Clark living with them.

Branches of the Family attended Coal Bank Church believed to be in Crab Orchard, Williamson County, Illinois

James "Artie" Greeney - known as Art

1930 April 16 - James "Artie" Greeney and wife, Helene Button, are living in the 38th Ward of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, with a brother-in-law Jim and Helene's sister, Iris Malon (?) at 2755 N Morgan St.
1960s - Both James "Artie" Greeney and his sister, Helen (Greeney) Lind (her husband is Clarence Lind) and their families live on adjacent property in St Charles township, Kane County, Illinois, in an area known then as Valley View, or "The Heights 1 & 2". Postal mailing addresses for that era may show them in Elgin, Illinois.
1970 - 80s After retiring from the C E & I Railroad, James Art Greeney returned to Williamson County, Illinois living in Marion on North Walker Street. See the early Marion Railroad Station below.
1988 - Died and buried at Maplewood Cemetery
Descendants have since spread coast to coast: including suburban Chicago, Colorado, Washington and Georgia.

SOME OCCUPATIONS

Fur trapping or fur trading
Later generations farmed
Some worked in the Southern Illinois coal mines
Railroad. Remember, those who worked for the Railroad may NOT show up in the Social Security Death Index as they worked under the Railroad Pension Act.
Restaurant - Grocery Store in Marion, Illinois

Cleft Chin

See 5 generations of photos below:

Descendants of Charles Fletcher Greeney (and possibly others) often displays a characteristic cleft chin.

This is an inherited characteristic in an "autosomal dominant fashion, with variable penetrance". That means you can inherit a working copy of a gene, that for some reason, doesn't work in you, but does work in your children or grandchildren.
The cleft chin trait is more frequent and more obvious in males than females.
One source indicates the cleft chin dimple is on chromosome 5 and cheek dimples on chromosome 16.
Don't be surprised if these little sayings comes up to those with the feature:

Dimple in the chin, pushed by devils within.
Dimple in the cheek, quiet and meek.
It's where an angel poked to see if he was done.

Other Characteristics that may be related

May be more likely to be left handed.
May be likely to have thick curly hair as an adult, even if their hair as a young child was straight and fine.
Males may lose their hair early.


Unknown Greeney or Grainer or similar name.	NO IMAGE AVAILABLE John Greeney About 1820 - Unknown	NO PHOTO AVAILABLE Robert Vinson or Vincent Greeney Circa 1846 - Circa 1879-80
Charles Fletcher Greeney Cleft Chin	James Art Greeney Cleft Chin Curly Hair	Living Cleft Chin Straight Hair
Living Cleft Chin Curly Hair	Living Cleft Chin Straight Hair

Greeney Family from 1820 - WorldConnect Family Tree

If you have additional information on the Greeney family or related families, please e-mail me at

[email protected]

LINKS

Additional research is needed on the interconnected families. Here are some links to other sites that may have information and varying perspectives on the history and area.

"Ah what a tangled web we weave as we build these families."

Illinois - Native American Info
Illinois - History - Black Laws - Slavery
Illinois - the French & Little Egypt
Museum - State of Illinois - River Bottom - Archives

Williamson County, Illinois AHGP

Williamson County Illinois Pioneer History - mentions Burns
Williamson County Illinois - Early Land Entries - mentions Burns & Culbreath
Williamson County Illinois - Early Settlers - lists Lockaleer, Burns, Garrett
Williamson County Illinois - Indian Occupants - Fur trade

Africa, Illinois History

Census - 1818 > Burns
Census - 1818 > Garrett
Census - 1818 > Locklear

Family Lines - Ivey Ivy Womack and more

Burns & Ivey

Locklear - Lockler - Locklier Mary Simons

Chicago tied mobsters were active around Williamson County, Illinois.

Klu Klux Klan and Unions

Herrin Mine Massacre

Learn more about Fur Trappers and Traders

http://www.greatriverroad.com/frchome.htm
http://www.trailblazers101.com/fur1.htm
http://www.outdoorcentral.com/mc/pr/04/02/06e2.asp

Where is that?

Regional Map

Absher, (Abshier) an unincorporated

According to "An Historic Gazetteer of Williamson Co., Illinois" it was a
villiage in Crab Orchard township, section 35,
Named for William A. Absher, dealer in farms in that part of the county.
Absher became a post office July 27, 1892 with William A. Absher the first
postmaster. He had the office at the crossroads where he also dealt in real
estate.
M.R. Jones, the general storekeeper, was postmaster when mail service was
discontinued April 15, 1908.
The Shawnee Indians had a camp near Absher at a spring. They came there
regularly until 1817. Indian Camp church supplanted the Shawnees at this
camping site.

Atilla (Unincorporated)
Burn's Neighborhood - near Corinth

UNKNOWN

Corinth (Unincorporated)
- Located east of Johnston City
- Latitude & Longitude: 37°49'08" N, 88°46'35" W
- Survey: T. 8 S., R. 4 E.
- Elevation: 519
- <>Civil township: Corinth
Crab Orchard

Located on IL 13 between Marion and Harrisburg
Latitude & Longitude: 37°43'45" N, 88°48'15"
Survey: T. 9 S., R. 4 E.
Elevation: 495
Civil township: Crab OrchardUSGS Quad: Crab Orchard

Creal Springs (City)

Population: 702 (Change since 1990: -11.3%)
Located on IL 166 between Marion and New Burnside<>
Latitude & Longitude: 37°37'10" N, 88°50'12" W
Name origin: Edward G. Creal
Post office: Sep. 22, 1846 - Now

Poordo

UNKNOWN

Pittsburg (Village)

Population: 575 (Change since 1990: -4.5%)
Located northeast of Marion
Latitude & Longitude: 37°46'37" N, 88°50'58" W
Name origin: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Post office: Mar. 10, 1907 - Now

Some of these ancestors may have seen these

Views of Williamson County Illinois

Some postcard views of Williamson County Illinois of the era.

Illinois Central Railroad Station, Marion, Ill	West Main Street, Marion, Williamson County, Illinois about 1908
Marion Illinois - South Main Street Dirt Street likely 1905-1910 - Note Church Steeple	Elks Home, Marion - Williamson County, Illinois 1909 era
Marion Illinois High School. Formerly Site of General Logan's Home	Elks Home or Elks Club - Marion Illinois
Goodall Hotel, Marion Illinois	Public Square Marion Illinois

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