Elizabeth Grass Greathouse








From 1879 Illustrated Atlas of Spencer County
Map showing the location of the Greathouse farm. Near South Spencer HS. Google map

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Valuable obituary giving the date of Daniel Grass’s residence in Rockport 1806, a year before taking out a land grant. Presented to Bess Ehrmann by Laura Mercy Wright great grand daughter. On file at the Spencer County Historical Society

DIED

On Tuesday the 18th Inst., at her residence in Ohio township, Mrs. Elizabeth Greathouse, widow of John B. Greathouse.
     Mrs. Greathouse was a daughter of Judge Daniel Grass, well known to all the pioneer citizens of southern Indiana, he having been several times a member of both branches of the State Legislature, beside being known as a judicial officer. He settled in Owensboro, Ky., long before Indiana had a state organization, moved from there in 1806 and settled the farm where James Gentry, Jr. now lives, about a half mile below the present corporate limits of Rockport.
     Mrs. Greathouse was born in Owensboro, Ky., Dec 22, 1803 and was therefore in the seventy-third year at her age, and had been a resident of this township for seventy years.
     She was united in marriage to John B Greathouse, a well known and prominent citizen of this country, Sept 20th, 1821. After marriage they settled in the town of Rockport, where the continued to reside until the year 1840, when they moved to the farm where James S. Greathouse now resides, and where her husband died May 2nd, 1857, since which time she has resided with her son, James S. Greathouse, on the old homestead.
     During the more active period of her life there was perhaps no woman in this country any better or more favorably known than she, her house being the home of all pioneer ministers, most especially the Methodists. Besides being the place for preaching and other religious gatherings it was shelter and home, for many gathered there for worship from this, then sparcely settled region. She has ever been known for her zeal in good works, her unbound charity, her sympathy for the afflicted and poor. Ever willing to give relief in any way she might be able, either by shelter, nursing and watching or food and clothing, ever genial and cheerful, making all happy about her, a most affectionate and loving mother, whose greatest care was the happiness of her household; a model of industry and economy; the esteem in which she was held was evinced by the large attendance at her funeral. A noticeable fact was that all old citizens of the neighborhood and their families were present to pay the last sad rites of respect to one who had lived and labored amongst them for so long.

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John Buche Greathouse (1797-1857) & Elizabeth Grass (Dec. 22nd 1803 - April 18th 1876) had 12 children:
1. Luther (first ferryman of Rockport)(born August 1824)(had 2 children: Mary Ann & Daniel)(Daniel married Sadie Cotton and had 5 children: Luther, Willliam, America, James & Fletcher)
2. Mary Isabell (Ann) Greathouse (born 1825)
3. Marcy Jane Greathouse -(born 1822) married Frank Belmear (had 4 children: Ann, Henry, John, Hilary)
4. Margaret Elizabeth Greathouse (1831-1922) - married John B Wright (1821-1913) They had 6 children
   M1. Amanda Wright (1858-1956) and buried at Shiloh (never married - nickname was Puss - lived to be 98 - Witnessed uncles leaving for Civil War)
   M2. Narcissa Wright - married Henry Ellis (buried at Shiloh)
   M3. Louise Lula Wright - died at age 18 with dipththeria
   M4. Laura Marcy Wright,died 1947, buried at Shiloh,a teacher, an artist, the first to organize a DAR at Rockport
   M5. a son
   M6. James Denny Wright - the son of    Margaret’s sister Amanda - they adopted him
5. Amanda - (or Susan Amanda) married Thomas Denny - 5 children
Emma, Margaret, Bill, Thomas, John
6. Isaac Greathouse - (born 1826, died 1908)
married Leah Howard - had 4 children, Howard, Ida, Enola, Bettie
7. Sarah Cecilia (Aunt Sally) Greathouse married Abel Wright (Sally and Margaret married brothers)
(they had no children)
8. Ann Elizabeth Greathouse
9. Daniel Greathouse married Sarah Cotton (Aunt Sade)
Daniel was born in 1827. 11 children:
    John Seburn Greathouse - never married
    Katie Greathouse - married Newton Beeler - had 5 children
    Luther Greathouse - never married
    America Greathouse - she married William Meyers, they had 1 child
    William Wallie Greathouse - never married
    Nancy Elizabeth Greathouse - married Floyd Clark
    James Greathouse - cripple and in wheel chair
    Amanda Greathouse - married Newton Beeler (her sister’s husband after her sister died)
    Isaac Greathouse born 1865, died 1883, age 18, with diptheria
    Harmon Greathouse
    Clara Greathouse

10. Ann Louise Greathouse (born 1837) married John Burkhart - they had 5 children (Ref: Burkhart farm)
Charles, Gertrude (died at age 9 with diptheria), Johnnie G & 2 others

11. John Fletcher Greathouse - Buried at this location on Google Maps.
(born 1840, died about 1862?) (Company F of the 1st Calvary was organized August 1861, with about
100 soldiers signing on for a 3-year period - died from measles, and his body was shipped home in a salt box)

12. James Smithers Greathouse (1833-1891) buried at Shiloh (*my ancestor) (had 5 children:
John Fletcher Greathouse was born Apr 4, 1865 - died Sept 2, 1950
He married Mary Elizabeth Razor. They had 6 children:
   Mary Catherine Greathouse, born about 1896
   Gerald Allen Greathouse, born about 1896
   He had 3 children (born 1924, 1933 and 1941)
   Esther Geneva Greathouse, born 1902, married to Joseph Robinson
   Had 1 child, born 1924
   Margaret Elizabeth Greathouse, born 1904, married, had 1 child
   John Fletcher Greathouse, born 1909, died 1963, had 1 child - born 1937
   Nellie Grace Greathouse, born 1909 (she and John Fletcher were twins)
she had one child

James Veatch Greathouse, born 1868, died 1957 in California
had 4 children, married a second time and had 2 children
This is the relative our grandpa Greathouse stayed with in Montana. One of the children, Dad got a letter from just this past December. He is in his 90s.

Tina Maude Greathouse, born 1871, married John Richard Wright
They had 3 or 4 children:
Jamie Wright, born 1888, had 1 child
Neil Richard Wright, had 6 children
Hilda Wright, born 1893, had 1 child

Nellie Dot Greathouse - married Charles Ingram - she died in 1954
was in Montana with her brother James Veatch, raised one of his sons when his wife died
I have a photograph of her in 1918 - ‘Aunt Nell, Charles & Jimmie’

Jacob Scamahorn Greathouse 1878-1962
married 1898 to Bessie Lee Hales. They had 5 children, including
Hugh Wiles who married Margaret Blessing, had 5 children:
George James, Hugh Wiles (Pete), Allen, John Jacob, & Carol Eva