Hello radstockjeff,
It isn't an easy one to solve!
I found two people on Genes Reunited who had Elias Greenstock in their trees. I don't know if you have looked at this site.
I found a site which shows the marriages for Stalbridge from 1740-1850. You may have seen this already:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engdorse/Stalbridge/C.htmlI noticed the marriage of John Greenstock to Priscilla Jeans on 16/02/1782. It shows they were of Stalbridge. This is the first time there is anyone by the name of Greenstock in this register. The Jeans family dominate the register throughout however.
On 25/12/1800, John Jeans married Ann Habersham, another connection with your family.
In the baptism registers:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engdorse/Stalbridge/A.htmlThe first Greenstock baptism is on 25/02/1782, George Greenstock, s/o John and Priscilla.
I cannot find another one, what details of their other children do you have?
What clinches it for me is the fact that the first born children of Elias and Temperance were named John and Priscilla. I would say that this gives a strong chance of John and Priscilla Greenstock being the parents of Elias. John is a common enough name but Priscilla is unusual.
My view would be that the Greenstock family had origins elsewhere and that John Greenstock came from another place before he married Priscilla. Question is where?
Have you looked to see if there is a either an obituary, or a Will for Elias? These might give some clues. I imagine that there would have been something written on him if he was the Parish Clerk.
I found a baptism for John Greenstock on 15/12/1753, s/o William, in Horsington, Somerset. There was a baptism for a Mary Greenstock, d/o Andrew, there in 1754. There seem to be Greenstock families in Charlton Horethorne around that time too.
There are 2 people on Genes Reunited who have an entry for John Greenstock born 1754, Stalbridge. Another 2 have John Greenstock born 1753, Horsington. Of the 39 entries for Greenstock around that time, most have them born Horsington.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Horsington/The NBI has a burial for John Greenstock in Stalbridge on 4 July 1833, aged 83.
Jo.