Elijah went to school through the 3 rd. or 4 th. grade. A school record shows him attending school Dec 1865-Feb 1866 at 15 years of age. He educated himself further, owned lots of books,and wrote Spencerian. He was a surveyor all over the country and a nurseryman. He raised and sold trees for Stark Nursery. John Dilks (# 3010) said, " all the fruit, berries, horseradish, peaches, pears, plums, and apples were Greenlee's. The apple from the field across the road is a Beitingheimer. They had an October Peach and a red flushed peach called Indian, also a cling of good flavor and the white peach. The pear to the south was good, not gritty." 1993, there is still a green gage plum.
Elijah had a bad leg and either rode a horse or used a buggy. He was known to peddle his trees and fruit with his buggy and white horse that he was very proud of. Their first home was built down in the meadow by the pond. Lige built a large house and barn and was known to keep travelers over night as they passed through the country.
Elijah was appointed postmaster of Rock Springs 11 August 1894. In politics he was a Populist; in religion a Roman Catholic; resided in Anthonies Mill and Richwoods, MO.
Cora Witt Northcutt (# 21187) recalled Mrs Rachel Greenlee and children moved to Richwoods for school each fall. In the spring she could hear Mrs Greenlee's wagon on the road, near Maple Grove Church where she lived, with Mrs Greenlee driving the horses and all the children on the wagon, along with bedding and chairs and all the household gear and the cow tied behind the wagon.
Albert Bishop Sr. and his wife Neva (# 830) rented the Greenlee Farm before Etna Dilks bought it. Albert Jr almost set the old Greenlee house on fire twice as a small child, playing with matches near the curtains. One time he hid under the porch while his mother and dad wheeled water up from the cistern to put the fire out. Albert "got it" when his dad got him out from under the porch. Leona's notes also says that a Jim Briggs rented the farm before the Dilks bought it also.
John Dilks ( # 3010) said that when his dad, Etna Dilks (# 4671), bought Lige Greenlee's farm, he sold timber to Gib Bennet for $900.00. He borroweed from Cavernville School at 1% for the remainder of the total price of $1,100.00 for 197 acres. Later he bought the three acres Lige Greenlee had given to Cleve and Mamie Greenlee Record and had the original 200 acres of Greenlee's farm in one piece. Etna rode his horse, High Pockets, to Potosi to buy the farm ( about 18/20 miles). John said after he paid for the farm, he had 31 cents in his pocket, not enough to buy his lunch. When they moved(about 1932), it was a fall evening, cold and damp, with a fine mist. John Dilks, a six year old was in charge of carrying the yellow tom cat and the alarm clock, his sisters walked along with him, and the cat kept getting away. They had a couple rail fences where someone had a difference of opinion about land lines (a Dutchman's lane John called it- each farmer put his fence in a little from the middle). Etna owned both pieces of land at that time. Etna and Irene and the other kids rode with the household goods in a wagon up through a hollow which joined up with the mining road, and then back to the Greenlee Farm. That was the way they had previously gone to the Anthonies Mill Store, too. They called it Mulberry Lane. The old three story Greenlee house stood in a grove of large cedars, and the wind blew through them and the branches scraped and moaned. There were four tall cedars over two feet in diameter, in what is now the garden plot and more on the south side of the house. It was so shady you couldn't see the sunlight. Etna cut them and tilled the burdock and weeds out of the garden area. The wind in the trees added to the childrens thoughts about the ghost tales they had been told of the house being haunted (stories some thought were told to keep anyone from buying it). Etna and Irene set up a stove and John says he slept well in spite of the spooky newness of the place. There were three huge bedrooms on the second floor and the attic was never finished, Irene put in a board floor and hung her dried apples and peaches and beans there. One night shortly after moving in they heard bumps on the stairs to the third floor but never saw anything when they opened the door. Then Etna set a trap and caught a rat with a ball of mud on its tail, which was what was bumping on the stairs. The road ran south of the house then, the Old Jefferson Road. The house and barn sit on it now.
MRS. REBECCA GREENLEE
PASSED AWAY THURSDAY
Mrs. Rebecca Greenlee, nee
Middleton passed away at her
home in this city Thursday, Feb.
28, after an illness which had ex
tended over several weeks.
She was a native of Iowa. She
was married to Elijah Greenlee
and to this union ten children
were born. She came here about
eight years ago to make her home.
She was a quiet and reserved
lady and made many friends
since she moved to Vandalia. She
was a very devout lady.
Funeral services were conduct-
Text in this area was to blurred to read.
was made in the Vandalia ceme
tery. Rev. Fr. Kline of Laddonia
officiated. Her children were all
at her side when the end came.
Surviving are the following:
John Greenlee, Caladonia, Mo.,
Cecil Greenlee, Madison, Ill., El
mer Greenlee, Granite City, Mrs.
Mary Warden, St. Louis, Law
rence Greenlee, Kaylor, Mo., C. A.
Greenlee, Vandalia, and John
Greenlee, Edgewood, Mo. Three
of her children passed away be
fore her death. She is also sur
vived by a number of grandchil
dren and many friends and one
brother, John Middleton.
We regret to record her passing
and extend sympathy to the be
reaved families.
The above obit was OCR from a
digital image.
Spelling was only corrected to
comply with the original document.
Kaylor, MO. should be Naylor, MO.
Date of death was FEB. 28, 1946. -------------------------------------------
Greenlee Cemetery #199
Located near Anthonies Mill, Missouri, on the farm owned by Elijah and
Rebecca (Middleton) Greenlee. (now owned by Charles & Leona Heitsch)
Greenlee, Elijah F #199
Parents: John Elijah and Rachel (Litton) Greenlee. The latest picture I
have of him.
Greenlee, Ray Middleton Daughters #199
Rebecca ( Ray)(Middleton) Greenlee and daughters (left) Mae (Greenlee)
Warden (right) Mary Rachel (Mamie) ( Greenlee) Record, Rebecca is
holding her granddaughter Beulah (Greenlee) Stovall.
Greenlee, Rebecca Ray Middleton #199
From Jerry Dean Greenlee_rin199.jpg)
Greenlee, Rebecca Middleton #199
This is the way I remember her (Pearl in mid 1930's)
Greenlee, Rebecca Middleton Gravemarker #199
Cavernville School Names #4671
The Heitsch place was owned by Elijah Francis Greenlee. Jim Briggs must
have rented the place as after Elijah's death the place was sold to Etna
Dilks.
Cavernville School 1 #4671
see Cavernville School names
from Bob & Ruth (Harper) Black
Greenlee, Elijah On Horse # 199
Parents: John Elijah and Rachel (Litton) Greenlee.
Pioneer School Days #199
From Bob & Ruth Harper Black copied from copy given to me. It was
reprinted in the Bourbon Paper in 1972