Twenty-seven families will be displaying their family histories
By Tina Snell
Staff Writer
Janet Greig, left, and her husband Lee display his family history for The Gathering, to be held in Motley Sept. 4. They, and 27 other families, will be displaying their family history and are willing to share stories and more with all interested parties.
Morrison County will again see a Gathering. The second celebration of the history of a community will take place in Motley, Sept. 4. The first one was held in 2007, at Belle Prairie Park, north of Little Falls, with over two dozen participants.
A Gathering seeks to promote an awareness of, and interest in, the rich history, the diverse cultures and the accumulated genealogy of Morrison County. It creates an activity to share these historical experiences with other members of the community.
A Gatheringis held with a goal to instill a sense of community pride that will lead local community members to continue exploring their shared heritage in ways that may preserve, document and record the local historic legacy before, during and beyond the actual event.
Family stories and local history will be displayed in Motley by 27 local families. At 10:30 a.m., the American Legion of Motley will post the colors and the original Motley school bell will be dedicated at Veterans Park.
A meal will be served at the Motley Fairgrounds beginning at noon and the exhibits will open at 1 p.m., in the Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall.
The Gathering will have exhibits from the Motley Area Historical Society, the Morrison County Historical Society, the Motley Fair Board Centennial and the Morrison County Genealogy Society. There will be Powerpoint presentations, local history exhibits, entertainment and snacks. Also, several Motley class reunions are being held in conjunction with The Gathering.
Maps will be available for a self-guided tour of the city.
One couple excited about the event is Lee and Janet Greig. Lee has been a resident of Motley since 1946, when his family moved from Fargo, N.D.
“My dad was a salesman for Carpenter School Buses,” said Greig. “Motley was part of his territory. He actually purchased land north of Motley in 1938, but we only stayed there a few times in the summer.”
Over the years, Greig’s father, Leroy Sands Greig, had his fingers in a lot of enterprises, including a restaurant called the HiWay Cafe, a filling station and a bus company. That bus company eventually morphed into Greig’s Northwestern Transit which handles coaches and school buses for the Staples Motley School District.
Greig’s family history doesn’t stop in Motley, but travels back through the centuries to 787, and the sons of McAlpine, the king of the Scots. Motley’s Greig family is descended from Greig, the second son of McAlpine.
Greig’s great-great-grandfather, Alexander, emigrated from Scotland to Canada in the early 1800s and eventually some of his descendants traveled to the United States.
“For as many generations as I can remember, the first son born in the Greig families each generation has been named James,” said Greig. “My son is James VII.”
The Greigs have many more stories, lots of pictures and other family lines in their display.
