and Their Stories - Tracing and Placing Our Family Roots

THIS WEBSITE IS FOR ALL OF THE FAMILIES OF MERCER COUNTY ILLINOIS

Tracing the ancestors and descendants of the people who settled in Mercer County Illinois takes us through the ages from 200 A.D. to the present. Have you ever been to a family reunion with 500 - 800 people in attendance? I have.

How many of you can say that when you were growing up you had two Grandfathers, two Grandmothers, two Great Grandmothers, ten Great Uncles, 12 Great Aunts, eight Uncles, and eight Aunts who were all living and you knew each of them personally? I can.  (The oldest of these Great Uncles and Aunts were born as long ago as 1867.)

My paternal Grandfather, Ernest Craig Greer was one of 13 children of Thomas 'Tam' Franklin and Eliza Celeste Marsh Greer. I feel very blessed that out of these 13 children I personally knew eight of them and their spouses. I also knew the spouses of three of the others whom had passed away before my birth in 1955. These were not just people that I knew of; these were people who lived down the street, around the corner or just a few miles from me. I, my sister, Ellen, my brother, Warren Charles Greer and my parents, Nellie Rose Bridger and Ernest Maynard Greer, spent many a happy hour visiting them or while they visited us.

 The information in this database is not based on speculation or wishes as some genealogy websites claim., it is based on the personal knowledge of the webmaster and that of residents and former residents of Mercer County, IL.

I am now presenting this data to aid you in your search for your family roots and to provide you with a centralized depository for your findings.

I want to be sure to include everyone who went to the Aledo Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) church and Aledo / Marsh school...Wait...I don't want to stop there...whether you are related to any of the people mentioned on this site or to Mercer County Illinois, why not join us and grow your own family tree here with us...and "Our Ancestors from the Prairie".  Contact me at webmaster@ourancestorsfromtheprairie.ws to request your own tree with your family name.

If there are websites already out there that contain information you think should be part of this history, please contact me at webmaster@ourancestorsfromtheprairie.ws.

CLICK HERE to join to join us now, or to view other options about how to get your data included.

p.s.  Are you taking care of an older family member?   My good friend and neighbor, Terrie Dennard Johnson has written a most insightful book about her adventures in elder care.

"Lord, Help! Here Comes Mom! offers a true, slice-of-life look into the lives of a single mother, two teenagers, and a college student as they embark on the journey of caring for their 85-year-old mother and grandmother after she sells the home she has lived in for 47 years and moves across the country to live near them. Readers will roar with laughter at times while being moved to tears at others as they find themselves caught up in this timeless story of family, love, commitment and renewal.  CLICK HERE to order