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Cheatham County was established in 1856 from parts of Davidson, Robertson, Montgomery, and Dickson counties. The county was named in honor of Edward Saunders Cheatham, Speaker of the State Senate. The county seat is Ashland City. Cheatham County has several archaeological sites that document activities by Native Americans who once lived in the county. With its access to the Cumberland River, the railroad system and roads such as Interstates 24 and 40 and U.S. Highways 70 and 41A crossing the county, Cheatham County has played an important role in the transportation history of Tennessee. Cheatham County has nine Century Farms and the oldest is the Hewitt Farm that was established in 1805. For more information regarding Cheatham County, please go to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture website.

The following map is for a general geographical understanding. It does not provide the specific locations of the farms because of privacy reasons.

Located in Cheatham County approximately a mile and half from Pleasant View is Edgen Hills. The original 49 acres was purchased in 1879 by Joseph Agent. Joseph married Elizabeth Farmer and changed his name from Agent to Edgen. They had three children and raised wheat, oats, corn and livestock on the farm. Their son, Oliver Hicks Edgen became the next owner of the land. Oliver and his wife, Maggie Harris Edgen, had two children and they cultivated the same crops and livestock as the previous owner.

Upon the death of Oliver Hicks, the property was divided between his two daughters, Margaret Edgen Head and Peggy Edgen Suaer. In 1961, Margaret and her husband John purchased the other half of the farm from Peggy. Today, Margaret and John continue to manage the farm and they raise hay, tobacco
and livestock. A primary house and barn that were constructed in the 19^th century are still in use today.

The Four M Acres Farm is located 2 miles south of Highway 49 on the right side of Highway 41A in Cheatham County. Four M Acres was founded in 1849 by Charles Birdwell and his wife Martha Binkley. It is unknown what was produced on these 11,000 acres. The couple had eight children. Their son, Abner Franklin Bidwell, was the next owner of the land, along with his wife, Mary Francis Justice. The farm produced corn, hay, and tobacco.

The current owner is the founder’s great grandson, Morris Bidwell. The 107 acre farm now produces corn, beans, hay and cattle. There are three generations living on the land today. Morris is a member of the 4H Club and in FHA.

William Pace founded this 100 acre Farm in 1805. He raised cattle, corn, small grains, and hogs. The second generation owners were William Pace and his wife Martha Shaw Pace. They had nine children, five girls and four boys. William Pace acquired 200 additional acres from a tax sale. William’s son, Joel Pace and his wife Polly Davis Pace became the next owners of the farm. Over the years, the land was acquired by Nancy Elizabeth Pace Nicholson and then to their daughter Mary Elizabeth Hewitt. Mary’s son, James Hewitt was the next owner of the farm and he and his wife raised one child, Larry Hewitt.

Larry Hewitt, the current owner and great great great great grandson of the founder, acquired the land in 1975. Larry and his wife Kimberly produce wheat, corn, tobacco, straw, hay, and support cattle on the farm. In addition to managing the farm, Larry was recognized as Cheatham County’s Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1981. a four room house and tobacco barn that are at least 100 years old still stand on the farm and are used today.

The Jackson Farm is located in Cheatham County and founded by Peter and Elizabeth Hobbs Woodson in 1806, is among the oldest in Middle Tennessee. The Woodsons were the parents of ten children and their son Peter H. Woodson was the next owner of the farm. On his 375 acres, Peter H. practiced general farming and specialized in dark fired tobacco. Together with his wife Wilmoth S. Thomas, he raised nine children.

By the turn of the century, Archibald Woodson, the founders’ grandson, had taken possession of 200 acres of the family land. Woodson, his wife Mary Bradley and their seven children raised corn, swine and grains. Archibald also planted tobacco. In 1922, Carrie Woodson and her husband Gilford Morris returned to Cheatham County to farm her parents’ land. When the farm went on the auction block after the death of Mary Woodson in 1949, Gilford and Carrie Morris, along with their daughter Elizabeth Morris and her husband Richard Jackson, purchased the property and kept it in family hands. Today, the Richard Jackson family lives on the original Woodson land, with three rooms of their present residence coming from the former 19^th century farmhouse. The Jacksons continue to specialize in tobacco, producing dark fired, air cured and burley tobacco.

Located south of Pleasant View, the Jimmy E. Shearon Sr. Farm was founded in 1813 by Sterling Harris Shearon and his wife Nancy Anne Williams Shearon, who had six children. The founding couple’s son, Jesse Shearon, who married Annie Harris, became the next owner of the land, where tobacco was the primary crop. In 1858, the land was passed to Jesse’s brother, Joseph Washington Shearon.

Today, the current owners are Jimmy E. Shearon and Wayne Shearon, the great-great-grandsons of the founder. Jimmy and his wife Shelly Mobley Shearon, along with their sons Jimmy Jr. and Timmy, live on the Jimmy E. Shearon Sr. Farm, where they produce tobacco, hay and grains on 92 acres. A stock barn and a tobacco barn still stand on the land today.

In 1867, John W. Johnson founded a 130 acre farm near Ashland City. Married to Harriette Stringfellow, Lucy Ellen, Mary Ann, Ada Elizabeth, William, Hiram, Hardy, Nancy and John T. were their children. On 130 acres, the Johnson family raised tobacco, corn, hay, cattle and hogs.

In 1884, the founder’s son, Hardy Johnson became the second generation to own the farm. During his ownership, the farm supported crops including corn, tobacco, hay, sweet potatoes, and the family also had an apple orchard. They also raised hogs and cattle. Hardy and his wife. Bettie Judd, had six children -- Earl, Lucile Johnson Hagewood, Lorelle Johnson Duke, Mildred Johnson Radford, Allea, and Carl.

The land was inherited in 1949 by the widow of Earl Johnson, Myrtle Ruth Johnson. Today, Ruth lives on the farm with her daughter Juanita Taylor, her grandson Terrill Taylor, his wife Susan and their children. Ruth’s granddaughter Pam and husband Hal Bryant and their son Will also live on the property. Currently, the farm produces corn, hay, pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and cattle and is managed by the family and worked by Juanita and Terrill Taylor. The farm still has many historic buildings, including the original farm house that was built by Hardy Johnson in 1913, a tobacco barn built in the 1930s, a smokehouse built in 1913, and a large potato house dating from the 1920s. Mrs. Johnson advises that the acreage was called “Riverview Farm” in the early 1900s, but today the land that has been owned by Johnsons for 140 years goes by the family’s name.

Rest Tennessee Farm was founded in 1884 by John Thomas Newmand and his wife, Mary Jane Newman. At that time, the farm was a part of Davidson County and John Newman was the post master. The post office was in a corner of the yard and people would deliver and pick up their mail and water their horses. This is how the address and post office came to be called Rest, Tennessee. The 159 acres produced tobacco, hay, corn, wheat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and supported swine and mules. The couple had nine children. Family tradition recounts visits by Jesse James and his gang who would rest their horses and ask Mary Jane Newman to cook for them. Viola, one of the five daughters of the founding couple and her husband, Wiley Rediker, were the next owners of the land. They also had nine children.

The third generation owners were Marvin Ellis and Allene Rediker Ellis, granddaughter of the founders, who acquired the farm in 1945. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were active in the Cheatham County Farm Bureau, each serving as President for multiple terms. Allene continues to serve as Farm Bureau Womens Chairman. Marvin, who died in 1985, was also a Director and President of the Eastern Dark Fired Tobacco Growers association. An excellent and creative cook, Allene won first place in “The Tennessee Beef Cook Off Contest” in 1978 and also won numerous Dairy Foods contests. Allene Rediker continues to be actively involved in the management and operation of the farm. The 159 acre farm now produces tobacco, corn, wheat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and hay and supports mules and swine. Mrs. Rediker reports that on the farm is a log house, built in 1933, a house built in 1929, and log smokehouse and two other outbuildings dating from 1884. Family members living on the farm today, in addition to Mrs. Ellis, include Joyce E. Rose, Jeanne and Jeff Spears, and Jennifer and James P. Binkley.

James Omar Walker owns two adjacent Century Farms within Cheatham and Robertson counties. The Walker Farm dates to 1860 when T. M. Walker acquired 125 acres of land on which he cultivated wheat, corn and tobacco. He also raised swine and cattle and operated a mercantile business in Pleasant View. A religious man, Walker helped build the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1881.

Married three times, Walker had nine children and his son A. H. Walker inherited 101 acres of the farm between 1909 and 1918. In 1949, the current owner acquired 79 acres of the property, where he still practices the general farming of his father and grandfather, cultivating tobacco, hay, corn, soybeans and cattle. Because the construction of Interstate Highway 24 eliminated 22 acres of the farm, it now contains only 79 acres of the original Walker land.

The Felts Farm was originally the property of James T. Felts, who established the farm by 1875 at a location two miles south of Pleasant View. On 236 acres, James and Mary Morris Felts grew corn, tobacco and wheat while breeding cattle, horses and swine.

James and Mary had two children and their daughter Gillie and her husband Arthur H. Walker acquired 134 acres of the family land in 1934. Today the founder’s grandson, James O. Walker, owns the Felts Farm, where his land yields soybeans, corn, tobacco, hay and cattle. He operates both the Walker and Felts Farm as one agricultural unit.

The Wayne Shearon Farm shares a common history with the Jimmy E. Shearon, Sr. Farm because each was a part of a 286-acre farm founded in 1813 by Sterling Harris Shearon and his wife Nancy Anne Williams Shearon. Sterling and Nancy had six children and their son, Jesse Shearon became the next owner of the property. In 1858, the land was passed to Jesse’s brother, Joseph Washington Shearon.

Today, the great-great-great-great son, Wayne Shearon and his wife Glenda Glasgow Shearon live on 92 acres with their sons Darryl and David. This family’s land, now known as the Wayne Shearon Farm, produces tobacco, hay, wheat, and supports cattle. Additionally, the home built in 1920 still stands on this land today.