Rachel Walser ^{1 2 3}

  Notes:

Obituary for Rachel Walzer Whittaker Greathouse was privoded to Larry Kistner by Lois Goodson of the Edwards Coundty IL Historical Society.
'She became a member of the Primitive Baptist church called Long Prairie, in Edwards county, at the age of 23, since which time she has alwasys lived a true and devoted Christian."

"The English Moravian Website in West Salem states that it was a man named
Walser (no first name given) who ventured west to the Southern Illinois border with Indiana (around 1830 (give or take 5 years) and returned to Salem NC with news of a wonderful country.
His fellow English Moravians (followers of the Englishman Wycliffe and the
Czech-Bohemian Jan Huis) packed their wagons and headed west.
They loved the area and petitioned the state government to have the village named "New Salem". They were disappointed to find that the name was already taken by a village near Springfield (soon to be the home of the Young Abraham Lincoln). They decided on West Salem since they had traveled west from Salem NC. The irony is that their village is due east of Salem, IL, the birthplace in 1860 of William Jennings Bryan." ²

  Burial Notes:

Funeral at the family residence, conducted by elder F. C. Bell, of Olney, IL.

  Details of her life include:

• Her obituary was published in 1911. ³
Rachel Greathouse - nee Walser was born June 5th, 1833; died Feb 20, 1911, age 77 years, 8 mos, and 15 days. She was first married at about the age of twenty years to Reuben Whitaker, to which union there were born four children, three surviving, namely Emily Greathouse of West Salem, Miles Whitaker and George Whitaker of Billings , Oklahoma, and one , Amanda, having died in infancy. Having survived her husband, she was again married on teh 13th day of Feb. 1859 to Enoch Greathouse, whom she also survived .To this union was born seven children, 6 sons and one daughter, namely, Henry V., Morris, Norris, Isaac, Ira, Lawson and the one daughter Addie. Of this family the follwoing children survive: Isaac Greathouse of Orlando, Okla., Lawson Greathouse, of Houston, Texas, Addie Clodfelter , of West Salem. She also had four step-children, all of which survive her. she became a member of the Primitive Baptist church called Long Prairie, in Edwards county at the age of twenty-three, since which time she has always lived a true and devoted christian. The funeral services were held at the family residence, conducted by elder F. C. Bell, of Olney, Ill. Interment at family graveyard two miles southwest of West Salem.

Rachel married Enoch Greathouse, son of Isaac Greathouse and Sarah (Sally) Russell, on 13 Feb 1859 in , Edwards County, Illinois.¹ (Enoch Greathouse was born on 15 Jul 1811 in , Warren County, Kentucky, died on 28 Feb 1896 in , Edwards County, Illinois and was buried in Greathouse-Hoeszele Cemetery - Earl Ibbotson Property, Edwards County, Illinois.)

Rachel next married Ruben Whitaker about 1853.^{1 2} (Ruben Whitaker was born before 1833 ² and died in 1858 ².)