Judge Elisha Headlee was one of the pioneer settlers of Greene county, where he was well known among the early residents, was prominent in public affairs and was a successful general farmer. His death occurred on his farm here about 1876. His grandfather, John Headlee, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and his father, E. Headlee, was born in the state of New Jersey in May, 1760, and was married there to Mary Fairchild, and soon thereafter, in 1790, removed to North Carolina. Judge Elisha Headlee was the seventh of eleven children, and was born in Burke county, North Carolina, in October, 1802, where he received a limited education. He removed to Maury county, Tennessee, with his parents in 1823, and there, in 1825, he married Rachael Steele, who was also a native of North Carolina, born in 1803, and removed from the old Tar state to Tennessee with her parents in 1810. Mr. Headlee farmed in Tennessee after his marriage until 1836, then migrated overland with his family to Greene county, being thus among the pioneer settlers here, and eventually one of its most prominent and useful citizens. He was a justice of the peace for several years, and in 1846 was elected a member of the County Court for four years, after which he received his appointment from the governor of the state and served two terms more with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. In 1858 he was appointed public administrator and served in that capacity until 1872. He was a stanch Democrat all his life, and voted for Gen. Andrew Jackson in 1824, and for every Democratic President until his death. However, during the Civil war he was in sympathy with the Union. In 1813 he became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and after the war followed the Southern branch of that denomination. He and his wife enjoyed a happy wedded life of over half a century and became the parents of the following children: Dr. Samuel H., who established himself as a physician at St. James, Missouri, once represented Phelps county in the state Legislature; Mary Caroline, who died in childhood; Caleb C., who died in Louisiana in 1891 after a life devoted to farming; Martha J., mother of the subject of this sketch; Hannah A. married J. D. W. Kerr, who died many years ago; David A. died shortly after the Civil war; he was a soldier in the Federal army; Emma A., who became the wife of Robert Armor; Margaret M., who was a twin of Evaline (deceased); Rachael E. and Harriet I. all remained unmarried and still live at the old homestead in this county.

nhwildbill1 originally submitted this to Ancestry.com on 19 Jun 2010. Copied and pasted as written.