GREENING, THOMAS A., was born Nov. 19, 1796, in Fauquier county, Va. His parents, Reuben Greening and Sarah Allen, were born and married in that county. In 1804 they moved to the vicinity of Cumberland Gap, Claiborne county, Tenn., and in 1808 moved to Clarke county, Ky., where they spent the remainder of their lives. Thomas A. was a soldier from that county in the war of 1812. He was married there, in 1816, to Elizabeth Dawson. She was born Jan. 1, 1789. They had six children in Kentucky, moved to Montgomery county, Mo., and from there to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in the fall of 1830, at Buffalo Hart Grove, where they spent the winter of the "deep snow." In the spring of 1831 they moved to what is now Loami township, where they had four living children. Of their children--

ELIZA A., born in Clark county, Ky., married to John A. Neal. See his name.

THOMAS, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county, to Dicey Bilyeu, and both died.

DAVID, born Sept. 20, 1822, in Clark county, Ky., married in Sangamon county, Dec. 6, 1842, to Mary P. Colburn, who was born March 25, 1827. They have seven children. JAMES enlisted in 1861, in Co. --, 30th Ill. Inf., for three years; re-enlisted as a veteran, Jan. 1, 1864, served to the end of the rebellion and was honorably discharged, July 17, 1865. He was married to Florence Skinner, and has five children, DAVID O., ANNIE E., WILLIAM T., JAMES O. and MINNIE O., and live in Chatham township. MARIA E. married Charles T. Dodd, has one child, WARREN L., and lives in Loami township. ZACHARY T., NOAH L., GEORGE W., WILLIAM D. and ULYSSES TECUMSEH live with their parents in Loami township, north of Lick creek. David Greening remembers that during the winter of the "deep snow" the deer would assemble in the rush flats in Buffalo Hart Grove, beat the snow down, and secure sufficient food to sustain life. He saw twenty-five or thirty deer in an open space with the snow banked up fifteen or twenty feet around them. It had drifted in that form. The crust was of sufficient strength to bear a man, and they could walk to the brink and look down. Dogs that ventured in were soon killed, and even wolves fared no better, except that some of them burrowed out, in order to escape from the enraged deer.

AMANDA died at eleven years of age.

ABIGAIL, born in Kentucky, married in Sangamon county to A. J. Sweet, had three children, and Mr. Sweet died. She married Levi Church, has four children, and resides at Waverly.

SARAH A., born in Clark county, Ky., married in Sangamon county to John B. Fowler. See his name.

ELIZABETH, born Oct. 17, 1830, in Sangamon county, married John H. Miller. See his name.

JOHN W., born Sept. 17, 1833, in Sangamon county, married Mahala A. Neal, and have two children. CHARLES W. lives with his parents. CAROLINE married George W. Neal. See his name. John W. Greening enlisted August 9, 1862, in Co. B, 30th Ill. Inf., for three years, was forty-seven days under fire at the siege of Vicksburg, was with Sherman in his march to the sea, served full term, and was honorably discharged at Springfield, June, 1865, and resides in Chatham township.

JULIETTE married John Cutter. See his name.

JAMES M., born Dec. 14, 1839, in Sangamon county, married March 5, 1863, to Margaret C. Darneille. They have four children, MARY E., JAMES F., EMMA MAY, HARVEY E. and LAURA EDITH, and live at the homestead settled by his parents in 1831. It is in Loami township.

Thomas A. Greening died May 4, 1855, and his widow died Jan. 31, 1872, in her eighty-fourth year.

Thomas A. Greening kept a store for several years where his son, James M., now lives. His goods were all hauled from St. Louis and Alton. He would send teams down loaded with produce, which was exchanged for goods and hauled back. There was no competition nearer than Springfield.