From Greathouse Research Guild @ EZBoard
16 January 2004
Attention Nora Shay
The following is from the Greathouse database and shows the known
descendants of William and Jane Lewis Greathouse. Anyone have additional information regarding this line please submit it to Frank Neher
fneher@crcwnet.com so that it can be added to the database.
Descendants of William Greathouse
Generation No. 1
1. WILLIAM5 GREATHOUSE (ISAAC STULL4, HARMON3, HENRY2 GROETHAUSEN, HERMAN1) was born January 1791 in ,Shelby, KY, and died Aft. 1863 in Maysville, Mason, KY. He married (1) JANE LEWIS August 01, 1815 in ,Mason, KY, daughter of GEORGE LEWIS and MARY FORMAN. She was born February 19, 1795 in ,Mason, KY, and died 1849 in ,Mason, KY. He married (2) MRS. MARY BRADFORD Bef. 1850. She was born Abt. 1802.
Notes for WILLIAM GREATHOUSE:
William is mentioned in "The History of Woodford County Kentucky, by Wm. Railey, p. 246 and in "Biographical Souvenir of the State of Texas", pp 246 and 338. Per Louise F. Johnson.
Notes for JANE LEWIS:
Jane Lewis was Niece of Meriwether Lewis of historical Lewis and Clark fame.
Notes for MRS. MARY BRADFORD:
Lived in Mason County, KY in 1850. Louise F. Johnson.
Children of WILLIAM GREATHOUSE and JANE LEWIS are:
i. MARY LEWIS6 GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY.
ii. JENNIE GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY.
iii. ANNA MATILDA GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY; m. EDWARD RANDOLPH
EDWARDS, November 18, 1852, ,Christian, KY.
Notes for ANNA MATILDA GREATHOUSE:
Marriage Record Source Family History Library, SLCity. gives Anna
Greathouse, spouse Edmunds, Edward B. Married Mar 18. 1852, Christian Co.,
KY. CD 223.
iv. SARAH BELLE GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY; d. Abt. 1909, AR; m.
(1) LAWRENCE; m. (2) JOHN WILLIAM YOUNG, December 04, 1855, .Christian, KY.
Notes for SARAH BELLE GREATHOUSE:
Source: Chris Bailey in letter to Pat Greathouse.
Source Marriage Record LDS Family History Library, Film 184374-43.
Greathouse S. Belle Spouse Young, John W. Christian Co., KY.
Notes for JOHN WILLIAM YOUNG:
Died in Civil War. per Chris Bailey.
v. ROBERT GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY; m. MARCELLA JONES.
vi. HENRY GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY; m. (1) MARGARET LEHIGH; m.
(2) JENNIE MC CALL.
vii. ELIZABETH JANE GREATHOUSE.
viii. THOMAS FORMAN GREATHOUSE.
ix. WILLIAM GREATHOUSE.
x. EVELYN GREATHOUSE.
Notes for EVELYN GREATHOUSE:
Source: Pat Greathouse - letter to June Sarte questions if this is child of
William.
xi. RIDGLEY GREATHOUSE, b. Maysville, Mason, KY; d. Aft. 1852, Matador
Ranch, TX.
Notes for RIDGLEY GREATHOUSE:
Source: John D. Greathouse:
Ridgley, the son of William and Jane Lewis Greathouse along with his two
brothers, George and Henry went to California as young men. They were
involved in gold mining, banking, stage lines, and other businesses.
Ridgley was a wealthy banker in northern California, until the Civil War
started. He is the one who got his fame along with Ashbury Harpending for
what became known as the "Chapman Affair". After he was captured, released,
recaptured , imprisoned at Fort Lafayette, located on an island at New York,
he escaped and swam two miles to shore. He went to Canada and then on to
Europe. Later he returned and joined his brother Henry in mining in Idaho.
Henry and Ridgley ended up in Texas. Henry as a banker, but Ridgley never
again acquired his wealth that he had when he was mining at Yreka, CA. He
died a pauper on the Matador Ranch, Texas and supposedly is buried in an
unmarked grave.
He was one of the three "fabulous Greathouse brothers" who ran successful
shipping, banking, and transportation and real estate businesses out of
Yreka. What Ridgely Greathouse did with his wealth got him into a whole lot
of trouble. He was from Kentucky and more than a sympathizer for the South
in the Civil War. He joined two other Confederates and bought the J. M.
Chapman, a ship they planned to outfit as a pirate frigate so that they
could capture the gold and silver-laden ships as the sailed out of San
Francisco Bay. They had papers from the President of the Confederacy
authorizing these activities for the South. The Chapman was about ready to
sail to an island off San Francisco where the cannons and other armaments
concealed in the hold under agricultural produce would be mounted in place.
However, their ship was forced to wait until the last minute to go out with
the tide because one of the conspirators was delayed in obtaining the papers
from the Confederacy. This delay gave the Navy reason to become suspicious
and to search the ship and incarcerate the perpetrators in Alcatraz. After
the war ended they were pardoned, but Ridgely Greathouse was later captured,
charged with treason and imprisoned at Fort Lafayette, near New York. He
escaped to Canada after killing a guard. His diary of this whole affair was
published as it was received by the Sacramento Union, stimulating many
letters to the editor. One report placed him in Idaho for a while while
another placed him in Texas where he lived to a ripe old age.
2. xii. GEORGE LEWIS GREATHOUSE, b. June 16, 1820, Maysville, Mason, KY; d.
1879.
Generation No. 2
2. GEORGE LEWIS6 GREATHOUSE (WILLIAM5, ISAAC STULL4, HARMON3, HENRY2
GROETHAUSEN, HERMAN1) was born June 16, 1820 in Maysville, Mason, KY, and
died 1879. He married LOUISE LAFFERTY January 26, 1856 in ,Shasta, CA. She
died May 08, 1907 in ,Santa Rosa, CA.
Notes for GEORGE LEWIS GREATHOUSE:
He came to California in 1849. He was first in Sacramento, then in San Jose
and finally settled in Northern California near Yreka. For a number of years
he ran a mule train from Marysville to Susanville and sold it to Wells
Fargo.
Source: Ken Fullerton, son of Isabel, a descendant submitted information on
this family.
Children of GEORGE GREATHOUSE and LOUISE LAFFERTY are:
i. BELLE7 GREATHOUSE.
ii. JANE GREATHOUSE.
iii. ROBERT GREATHOUSE.
3. iv. RIDGLEY GREATHOUSE, b. June 01, 1862, Yreka, CA.
v. LOUISA GREATHOUSE.
vi. GEORGIA GREATHOUSE.
Generation No. 3
3. RIDGLEY7 GREATHOUSE (GEORGE LEWIS6, WILLIAM5, ISAAC STULL4, HARMON3,
HENRY2 GROETHAUSEN, HERMAN1) was born June 01, 1862 in Yreka, CA. He married
UNKNOWN 1893 in Oakland, CA.
Notes for RIDGLEY GREATHOUSE:
Source: Ken Fullerton son of Isabel. Submitted information on this family.
Children of RIDGLEY GREATHOUSE and UNKNOWN are:
4. i. ISABEL8 GREATHOUSE, b. January 27, 1895.
ii. ALICE GREATHOUSE, b. September 03, 1896, Oakland, CA.
iii. GEORGE GREATHOUSE, b. September 29, 1898, Alameda, CA.
iv. RIDGLEY GREATHOUSE, b. September 29, 1902, Richmond, CA.
Generation No. 4
4. ISABEL8 GREATHOUSE (RIDGLEY7, GEORGE LEWIS6, WILLIAM5, ISAAC STULL4,
HARMON3, HENRY2 GROETHAUSEN, HERMAN1) was born January 27, 1895. She married
GEORGE E. FULLERTON June 08, 1921 in San Francisco, CA. He was born 1898.
Notes for ISABEL GREATHOUSE:
Source: Ken Fullerton son of Isabel. Submitted information on this family.
Children of ISABEL GREATHOUSE and GEORGE FULLERTON are:
i. KEN9 FULLERTON, b. 1922, Oakland, CA; m. DORIE.
ii. JOHN FULLERTON, b. 1923, Los Angeles, CA.
iii. ALICE FULLERTON, b. 1925, Los Angeles, CA.
iv. RICHARD FULLERTON, b. 1930, Los Angeles, CA.
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