| Child | DOB | Place | Marriage | Mar. Place | Spouse |
| Talbot, Green Berry | 25 Nov 1791 | Wilkes Co., GA | 15 Dec 1812 | Morgan Co., GA | Mary "Polly" Grant Hughes |
| Talbot, Green Berry | 25 Nov 1791 | Wilkes Co., GA | 12 Jan 1815 | Morgan Co., GA | Mary Tate Anthony |
| Talbot, Bailey | Abt 1792 | Wilkes Co., GA | |||
| Talbot, Lucy | 26 Sep 1793 | Wilkes Co., GA | 19 Dec 1810 | Morgan Co., GA | Thomas Swift |
| Talbot, Matthew | Abt 1795 | Wilkes Co., GA | 4 Oct 1815 | Morgan Co., GA | Elizabeth Betsey Hughes |
| Talbot, Harriett | 11 Sep 1799 | Wilkes Co., GA | 12 Dec 1822 | Monroe Co, GA | William Hinton Crawford Rev |
| Talbot, Mary Hale | 26 Jul 1802 | Wilkes Co., GA | 10 Oct 1820 | PWMC, GA | William Branch Nunnally |
| Talbot, William | Abt 1804 | Wilkes Co., GA | 21 Dec 1825 | Morgan Co., GA | Catherine Whatley |
| Talbot, James , Sr. | 10 Dec 1805 | Wilkes Co., GA | 27 Feb 1828 | Montgomery Co., AL | Eliza Moore |
| Talbot, James , Sr. | 10 Dec 1805 | Wilkes Co., GA | 17 Apr 1832 | Pike Co., AL | Hannah Herring |
| Talbot, James , Sr. | 10 Dec 1805 | Wilkes Co., GA | Aft 1855 | Robertson Co., TX | Mary Jane Rucker |
| Talbot, Hale | 16 Nov 1807 | Morgan Co., GA | 31 Dec 1829 | Montgomery Co., AL | Mary Ann P Townsend |
| Talbot, Elizabeth | Abt 1809 | Morgan Co., GA | 19 Sep 1826 | Morgan Co., GA | John Harvey |
| Talbot, Martha | 4 Jul 1812 | Morgan Co., GA | Abt 1829 | PMGC, GA | Jesse B. Phillips |
| Talbot, Martha | 4 Jul 1812 | Morgan Co., GA | 14 Nov 1844 | Chambers Co., AL | Jesse Fitzpatrick |
| Talbot, Emily | Abt 1813 | Morgan Co., GA | 23 Jun 1830 | Greene Co., GA | John Greer |
Emily spent her early years in the warm embrace of a large family in a community that was still very much on the frontier. With the exception of Lucy who had married a couple of years before and Green Berry whose first wife died in 1813 after only one year of marriage, all of the children were still at home when Emily arrived. The children ranged in ages from Green who was 22 to the infant, Martha, who was a few months beyond her first birthday. Mary Bailey Talbot had plenty to occupy her time on a working plantation but with six children under ten years of age in the house, the times were surely not dull or uninteresting. The house in which Emily spent her formative years is still standing and can be viewed at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fww64/Talbot_Madison_House.htm
Morgan County, Georgia was a frontier county when Emily was born. A few miles beyond her house to the west lay Cherokee lands and a few miles toward the southwest were Creek lands. Although claimed by both the State of Georgia and the Indian tribes that occupied it, the lands to the west of Morgan County were unorganized. Baldwin County, parent county of Morgan, had been unorganized territory until 1803. Indeed, Indians and settlers remained locked in an epic struggle for the lands stretching east to the Mississippi for two more decades and would be resolved by the relocation of the Cherokees to Oklahoma in 1838. Rebecca Felton, in her fascinating work, Georgia in the Days of my Youth, wrote about the life and times of Morgan County families including their preparations to defend themselves against Indian raids. The excerpt below captures the emotional demands that Lucy Talbot Swift faced in the very year that Emily was born. The experiences of the Swift family would not have been unique to them because every family would have faced the same fears.
Among the recollections of my childhood, the most startling to my youthful mind, was a story told me by my mother of an Indian raid that came near enough to my grandfather's home to massacre and scalp the whole family of friends, Brantly by name. Within a very few miles of the Brantly's there was a large settlement of whites, who owned their farms - some had lands inherited from their parents. For many years they had not been thus molested and the massacre of the Brantly family came like a shock from a clear sky. Mr. Brantly was plowing in a nearby field, his wife, with a servant woman, was washing at the spring branch, when the red skins swooped down upon them and tomahawked the last one of them.
Morgan county, Ga., was not a border county either {ATBW's note: it was a border county in 1813], and when the alarm was given, my grandfather Swift, then a comparatively young man, saddled a gentle horse, helped my grandmother into the saddle, lifted my small uncle, William, up behind her, and placed the three-months old baby (my own dear mother) in grandmother's lap. Armed with a musket, he walked beside the horse, until they were in sight of my great grandfather's home [This would have been William Talbot's home], when he bade his little family goodbye and went back to join the near neighbors who had agreed to pursue the Indians. Night and day these armed men hunted the tracks of the murderers, but to small effect. This occurred in the year 1813.
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See the following link for more of Mrs. Felton's book: http://docsouth.unc.edu/felton/felton.html
Emily might have been aware of living conditions when she was a little girl, but like most small children, she probably did not dwell on the topic. Playing with older sisters and brothers would have been more important to her.
A brief digression to emphasize the times extant in 1813 may be helpful to imagine conditions in the United States when Emily was born. The US was engaged in its second war with England, the War of 1812. The country had been a nation for only 25 years, James Madison, the 4th U.S. President, was in the middle of his terms and Washington, DC was a city less than 20 years old with a population of slightly more than 15,000. Congress had been holding its sessions in Washington for only 13 years. There were no large cities in Georgia, Atlanta’s founding lay far into the future and Monticello, the county seat of adjoining Jasper County was the westernmost town in Georgia. Travel was limited to walking, horseback, and small boat. A journey of twenty miles was a major undertaking. There were 18 States in the country and Louisiana had just been admitted. A large fraction of the entire population lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. Only six more States would be admitted before Emily was married in 1830.
The William Talbot family resided in Militia District 281 along the western most borders of Morgan County and in 1820 that District contained 100 households while the County contained 1323 households. All of the families were engaged in agriculture and about half of them were slave owners. William Talbot appears to have been the largest landowner in the area and the 23 slaves he owned exceeded that of any of his neighbors. The County had 51 plantations with a slave population equal to or greater than 20. The William Talbot plantation was surely among the largest in the County and was probably among the upper five percent in the State. The Talbot plantation consisted of several hundred acres of land, nine members of the Talbot family and 23 slaves for a total of 32 people who were solely dependent for their livelihood on their farming efforts. The County Seat of Madison was about 12 miles away but to cover that distance required a journey of several hours to complete. Few goods were available for purchase and plantations like the Talbot had to be self-sustaining and largely independent, stand-alone operations. The map below shows the Militia Districts in Morgan County that were in existence when Emily was born in 1813.
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Militia Districts in Morgan County, Georgia |
An aerial view (2006) of the William Talbot house (upper left) William owned more than 800 acres here. We believe that the burial grounds are located at the bottom (center) of the picture just above the small print and we think it likely that Matthew (II) Talbot is buried here as well as Mary Bailey. There are stones that appear to mark graves but no inscriptions. |
Travel was rare; communities relied on their own initiatives for entertainment, health care, and civil defense. Governmental services consisted largely of judicial and record keeping clerical functions. Roads were unimproved and consisted largely of trails developed by Indians and along waterways frequented by animals. There was no system of common schools and the little schooling available was scheduled around the needs of the farm. The Talbots were members of the Sandy Creek Baptist Church and were likely regular churchgoers although services were not scheduled with the regularity and order that are typical today.
William Talbot’s first cousin, Matthew Talbot, was a member of the Georgia Senate from Wilkes County, became the Senate President and would later serve as Governor. Another cousin’s husband was the mayor of Augusta and later served in the United States Senate. Although Green Berry was elected Militia District Captain, Emily’s father apparently had no political ambitions but contented himself with his family and attending to the plantations and mills that he owned.
Emily was not yet a teenager when her mother died in 1825 and her whereabouts during the five years following the death of her mother are unknown. Her father did not remarry until 1830 and we do not know if she continued to live with him or with one of her older sisters who had married and lived in the area. Land records show that William Talbot sold or otherwise transferred the home place to Thomas Swift, husband of William’s oldest daughter, Lucy, in 1826 although we do not know whether William continued to live on the place. But by 1830, he was remarried and living in the adjoining Walton County, not far distant from the original home place.
Following the death of Mary Bailey Talbot in 1825, the family that had remained so close for decades experienced significant relocations. The urge to “go west” seemed to hit this family very hard, especially the males. Green Berry Talbot, the oldest child, moved his family to Meriwether County, Georgia about 1828 and seven years later moved further west to Chambers County, Alabama where he received a grant for 640 acres of land. The four remaining sons, Matthew, William, James, and Hale all moved to Pike County, Alabama before 1828. Lucy Talbot, who had married Thomas Swift in 1810, settled on the Talbot home place, and there she reared her children. Mary Hale Talbot had married William Branch Nunnally in 1820 and they had settled on a farm a few miles west of the Talbot home place. Harriett had married William Hinton Crawford in 1822 and they were living in Greene County, Georgia, the adjoining county east of Morgan. Elizabeth married John Harvey in 1826 and they were probably living nearby although their exact whereabouts are unknown. We do know that the Harvey family left Georgia and moved to Robertson County, Texas in 1835 and that they were the victims of what became known as the Harvey Massacre near Calvert, Texas in 1836. Martha married Jesse Phillips about 1829 in Greene County, Georgia and soon after the marriage, she and Jesse moved to Chambers County, Alabama where they farmed near the Tallapoosa County line. (The Talbot web page contains a more complete account of each of the children and the reader may see the page at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fww64/talbot_I.html
Emily married John Greer in Greene County, Georgia in 1830. The fact that both Martha and Emily were married in Greene County leads us to speculate that Martha and Emily may have been living with their sister, Harriett Talbot Crawford, following the death of their mother but that is solely circumstantial citing, not fact. We have been unable to find the John Greer family on the 1830 Census although there were eight families named Greer in Greene County. Emily’s older sisters, Harriet Talbot Crawford and Martha Talbot Phillips were listed on the 1830 Census for Greene County and both had children.
Emily Talbot Greer, at about age 20, moved with her husband to Meriwether County, Georgia and there she reared her family for the next 15 years. It is interesting to speculate why the Greer family moved to Meriwether County; her older brother Green having settled there in 1828. But Green moved to Chambers County, Alabama in 1835 and Martha Talbot Phillips and her husband, Jesse, moved to Chambers County in 1836 or 1837. We believe that Emily and John Greer had at least six children while they lived in Meriwether County. We have found no specific evidence to show what their lives may have been like during the Meriwether County years but they were surely farmers. Meriwether County had then and continues to have a small population, no cities of note except for Warm Springs which was made famous in the 1930's by President Franklin Roosevelt. We have found no record of the family in the 1840 Census. There were Greer families in Meriwether County but the data seem inconsistent with what we think we know about Emily and her family. In 1846, the Greer family moved to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana and their last child, Juliet, was born there in 1847.
The Greer’s settled near Homer, Louisiana and they were listed on the 1850 Census for Claiborne Parish. John Greer’s son, Bolling, from an earlier marriage plus the seven children from the marriage to Emily were at home. John Greer gave his occupation as “Planter” and Bolling listed his as “Overseer”. In August 1854, the Greer’s were active in the organization and establishment of the Homer Methodist Church. See: http://www.claiborneone.org/cppj/history/homer-mc.html . The Greer’s were farmers and probably were interested in the social issues that gripped the country during the decade of the 1850’s but their interests were likely no greater or less than other family farmers who were trying to make a living from small farms.
In the 1860 Census, John Greer is listed as a farmer in Homer, Louisiana, Claiborne Parish with his four youngest children. Emily is not listed and we presume that she had died after 1854 but before 1860. Thus, the life of Emily Talbot, last child of the William and Mary Bailey Talbot family ended when she was no older than mid 40's and she was laid to rest in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. She had lived a short life even by the stark standards of 1850 life in America. She had seen a lot, lived in at least three States, moved more than 1000 miles from the place of her birth, but she could not have imagined the unbelievably harsh realities that awaited her children as the country lurched headlong toward civil war. John Greer is not on the 1870 Census and we presume that he died during the 1860’s.
The Children of Emily Talbot
Generation No. 1
1. Emily6 Talbot (William5, Matthew (II)4, Matthew (I)3, Thomas2, Sir John1) was born Abt. 1813 in Morgan Co., GA, and died Bet. Aug 1854 - 1860 in Prob Claiborne Parish, Louisiana1. She married John Greer 23 Jun 1830 in Greene Co.,GA. He was born 04 Oct 1796 in Georgia, and died Aft. 1860 in Prob Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
Notes for Emily Talbot:
The evidence regarding Emily Talbot is somewhat speculative as of this date(9-2006). Sources are:
1. Marriage recorded in Greene County, Georgia PER Ancestry.com
2. James Solon Greer, presumably her son, wrote in 1911(Confederate Census of CSA Veterans) that he was the son of John Greer and Emily Talbot and that he was born in Meriwether County, Georgia
3. The 1850 Census for Claiborne Parish, LA lists a John Greer with Emily and the names of the children identical with those on the Ralph Terry website.
4. The 1860 Census for Claiborne Parish, LA lists a John Greer with the youngest four daughters at home. Emily is presumed to have died.
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(FWW's Notes)
Although based on speculation, I believe that, after the death of their mother, Emily and her older sister Martha lived with their older sister, Harriett, who had married Hinton Crawford in Greene County, Georgia. In 1830, Emily married John Greer, a widower with several children, and that they moved shortly after the wedding to Meriwether County, GA. They remained there for ten years or more and moved then to Claiborne Parish in North Louisiana. All of her children were born in Georgia except for Juliet, the youngest, who was born soon after they arrived in Louisiana.
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More About Emily Talbot:
Census: 1850, Claiborne Parish, LA , 140+, All children at home plus Bolling from John's previous marriage
More About John Greer:
Census: 1860, Claiborne Parish, LA, 188, Homer, Emily not living, Four youngest children at home
Marriage Notes for Emily Talbot and John Greer:
Greer, John married Talbot, Emily on 23 Jun 1830 in Greene County, Georgia - From Ancestry.Com
More About John Greer and Emily Talbot:
Marriage: 23 Jun 1830, Greene Co.,GA
Children of Emily Talbot and John Greer are:
2 i. William W.7 Greer, born 1830 in Georgia. He married Frances Cynthia Tuggle 23 Dec 1856 in Claiborne Parish, LA; born 1835 in Georgia.
More About William W. Greer:
Census: 1860, Claiborne Parish, LA, 186, living near his father, no children.
More About William Greer and Frances Tuggle:
Marriage: 23 Dec 1856, Claiborne Parish, LA
+ 3 ii. James Solon Greer, born 20 Aug 1834 in Meriwether Co.,GA; died 08 Jan 1920 in Arkansas.
4 iii. Washington B. Greer, born 1837 in Georgia. He married Henrietta Lofton 03 Jan 1860 in Claiborne Parish, LA; born 1845 in Georgia.
Notes for Washington B. Greer:
W.B.Greer was on the 1860 Census in the Loftin Household
More About Washington B. Greer:
Census: 1860, Claiborne Parish, LA, 781, Living with Isaac Loftin, father-in-law
More About Washington Greer and Henrietta Lofton:
Marriage: 03 Jan 1860, Claiborne Parish, LA
5 iv. Mary E. Greer, born Bet. 1839 - 1842 in Georgia.
+ 6 v. Harriett F. Greer, born Bet. 1842 - 1844 in Georgia; died 22 Dec 1929 in Bienville Parish, LA.
+ 7 vi. Emily Talbot Greer, born Aug 1845 in Georgia.
+ 8 vii. Juliet C. Greer, born Bet. 1847 - 1848 in Prob Claiborne Parish, Louisiana.
Generation No. 2
3. James Solon7 Greer (Emily6 Talbot, William5, Matthew (II)4, Matthew (I)3, Thomas2, Sir John1) was born 20 Aug 1834 in Meriwether Co.,GA, and died 08 Jan 1920 in Arkansas. He married Martha Ammaretta Hawkins 07 Apr 1869 in Mount Holly, Ark. She was born 26 Apr 1841 in Arkansas, and died 30 May 1930 in Springhill, LA.
Notes for James Solon Greer:
"Greer, James Solon, of Emerson, Arkansas was born August 20, 1834 in Meriwether County, Georgia, the son of John Greer of Walton, Georgia and his wife Emily Talbot. Subject was educated in Homer, Louisiana. He was a farmer, a Democrat and a Missionary Baptist. (no military data included) He married Martha Ammaretta Hawkins, daughter of John Blanton and Martha Hawkins, at Mount Holly, Arkansas, April 7, 1869. Children: 1) C. H. Greer of Emerson, Arkansas; 2) Mary Campbell of Many, Louisiana; 3) Laura H. Jackson; 4) Lizzie P. Sanders of McKamie, Arkansas; 5) Martha Emily Greer. Certified by Auby Rowe, Assessor of Columbia County, August 1, 1912." (Arkansas - 1911 Census of Confederate Veterans, Vol. 3, edited by Bobbie J. McLane, et al.)
More About James Solon Greer:
Census 1: 1870, Claiborne Parish, LA, 228, Homer, Sister, Hattie, living with him and teaching
Census 2: 1880, Claiborne Parish, LA, ED 15, 76A
Census 3: 1900, Columbia Co.,AR, ED 56, 2B, Mississippi Twp, Age 66, wife, 59, all children at home, two married
Census 4: 1910, Columbia Co. AR, ED 66, 9B, Mississippi Twp, Mattie and Laura at home plus two grandchildren
Census 5: 1920, Columbia Co. AR, ED 88, 2A, Age 85, Martha 74, no others in household
More About James Greer and Martha Hawkins:
Marriage: 07 Apr 1869, Mount Holly, Ark
Children of James Greer and Martha Hawkins are:
9 i. Charles H.8 Greer, born 14 Mar 1870 in Louisiana. He married Sarah E. Vaughan 05 Dec 1900 in Arkansas; born 1881 in Arkansas.
More About Charles H. Greer:
Census 1: 1910, Columbia Co. AR, ED 66, 9B, Mississippi Twp, Living next door to his father
Census 2: 1920, Columbia Co. AR, ED 88, 2A, Living next door to parents
More About Charles Greer and Sarah Vaughan:
Marriage: 05 Dec 1900, Arkansas
10 ii. Laura H. Greer, born 02 Jan 1873 in Claiborne Parish, LA. She married J. R. Jackson; died 07 Feb 1899 in Arkansas.
More About Laura H. Greer:
Census: 1920, Columbia Co. AR, ED 83, 15A
11 iii. Mary Lumpkin Greer, born 02 Jan 1873 in Claiborne Parish, LA, Homer; died 15 Jun 1941 in Desoto Parish, LA, Mansfield. She married Thomas Madison Campbell 30 May 1900 in Lincoln Parish, LA, Arcadia; born 16 Jan 1869 in Bossier Parish, LA; died 01 Jul 1943 in Caddo Parish, LA, Shreveport.
Notes for Mary Lumpkin Greer:
Mary Lumpkin Greer had a Teacher's License (No. 54) for Grade No. Two from the Department of Public Instruction, State of Arkansas dated November 27, 1890. Thomas Madison Campbell and Mary Lumpkin Greer were married by James Samuel Campbell, the brother of Thomas Madison Campbell, on May 30, 1900 at Arcadia,Lincloln Parish, Louisiana.
More About Mary Lumpkin Greer:
Burial: Salem Cemetery,Red Land, Bossier, LA
Census 1: 1910, Grant Parish, LA, ED 62, 12B
Census 2: 1920, Sabine Parish, LA, ED 84, 19A, Many
More About Thomas Madison Campbell:
Burial: Salem Cemetery, Red Land, Bossier, LA
More About Thomas Campbell and Mary Greer:
Marriage: 30 May 1900, Lincoln Parish, LA, Arcadia
12 iv. Lizzie Pitman Greer, born 08 Jul 1876 in Claiborn Parish, LA. She married William Fletcher Souter 28 Dec 1905.
More About William Souter and Lizzie Greer:
Marriage: 28 Dec 1905
13 v. Martha Emily Greer, born 09 Nov 1880 in Claiborn Parish, LA.
6. Harriett F.7 Greer (Emily6 Talbot, William5, Matthew (II)4, Matthew (I)3, Thomas2, Sir John1) was born Bet. 1842 - 1844 in Georgia, and died 22 Dec 1929 in Bienville Parish, LA. She married M. C. Lawrence 14 Jan 1872 in Claiborne Parish, LA. He was born 1837 in Ohio, and died Bef. 1900 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
More About Harriett F. Greer:
Census 1: 1870, Claiborne Parish, lA, 228, living with her brother, James Solon Greer.
Census 2: 1880, Claiborne Parish, LA , ED 15, 30D, Homer,
Census 3: 1900, Claiborne Parish, LA, ED 25, 9B, Living next door to her sister, Emily Young. Dau, Ernestine, living with ehr
More About M. Lawrence and Harriett Greer:
Marriage: 14 Jan 1872, Claiborne Parish, LA
Children of Harriett Greer and M. Lawrence are:
14 i. Carrie Bell8 Lawrance, born 1873 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
15 ii. Ernestine Lawrence, born Dec 1879 in Claiborne Parish, LA; died 30 Dec 1957 in Gibsland, LA. She married Francis Ellis Brewer; born 29 Jul 1879 in Louisiana.
More About Francis Ellis Brewer:
Military: 12 Sep 1918, WWI - Draft Registration, Shreveport, LA
7. Emily Talbot7 Greer (Emily6 Talbot, William5, Matthew (II)4, Matthew (I)3, Thomas2, Sir John1) was born Aug 1845 in Georgia. She married John Young 29 Dec 1872 in Claiborne Parish, LA. He was born 1823 in Ohio, and died Bef. 1900 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
More About Emily Talbot Greer:
Census 1: 1880, Claiborne Parish, LA. ED 15, 42D, Homer, John Young is a lawyer
Census 2: 1900, Claiborne Parish, LA, ED 25, 9B, Living with her son and his wife.
More About John Young and Emily Greer:
Marriage: 29 Dec 1872, Claiborne Parish, LA
Child of Emily Greer and John Young is:
16 i. C. G.8 Young, born Nov 1874 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
8. Juliet C.7 Greer (Emily6 Talbot, William5, Matthew (II)4, Matthew (I)3, Thomas2, Sir John1) was born Bet. 1847 - 1848 in Prob Claiborne Parish, Louisiana. She married James R. Kenner 10 Feb 1869 in Claiborne Parish, LA. He was born 1846 in Alabama.
More About Juliet C. Greer:
Census 1: 1870, Claiborne Parish, LA , 228, Living near her brother, James Solon Greer, No children, Older sister, Emily, living with her, age 23.
Census 2: 1880, Claiborne Parish, LA, 393
More About James Kenner and Juliet Greer:
Marriage: 10 Feb 1869, Claiborne Parish, LA
Children of Juliet Greer and James Kenner are:
17 i. E. F.8 Kenner, born 1871 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
18 ii. T. D. Kenner, born 1873 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
19 iii. T. W. Kenner, born 1875 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
20 iv. A. Y. Kenner, born 1879 in Claiborne Parish, LA.
Endnotes
1. http://www.claiborneone.org/cppj/history/homer-mc.html.