Map courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Katie C. Williams
Daniel R. Williams
Established at the end of the Civil War in 1865 by William Wright,
the Clendenin Legacy Farm is located southeast of
In 1866, the Wrights’ son-in-law—John F. “Frank” Clendenin,
husband of Thyrza Jane—acquired the property. The Clendenin couple had eight
children, but three did not survive childhood. Thomas, the youngest died in
1881, and his mother died just two weeks later.
In 1883, John married again. He and wife E. A. Woods had two
children, Mattie Bell and John Douglas. Cotton, tobacco, corn, sorghum, cattle,
sheep and hogs were the primary products of the farm.
In 1887, Joseph Lewis Clendenin, the
eldest of the surviving children of John and Thyrza, became the third
generation to own the farm. At the time of his father’s death, some of the
children were still minors, so Joseph and C. P. Caldwell bought the entire
acreage of more than 300 acres to keep the estate within the family. In 1895,
Joseph’s brother, William Wright Clendenin, became the owner of the property.
William and wife Kate Johnson had four children: William Roy, Robert Ely,
George David and Nelle. Then, in 1943, the Tennessee Valley Authority acquired
130 acres from the heirs of William Wright Clendenin.
George David “Dave” Clendenin
inherited a portion of the farm at his father’s death and acquired other
acreage through 1949. He was first married to Mildred Wimberley; they were the
parents of David Lorraine Clendenin. His second marriage was to Beatrice Elaine
Parker; they were the parents of children Betty C. Orr, George Jr., and Bertha
Kate “Katie” C. Williams.
An active and progressive farmer, Dave Clendenin was the winner of
the Commercial Bank Pasture Contest in 1949 for his permanent pasture. He was
also featured on the March 1950 Commercial Bank & Trust Company folder
about pastures. In addition to his farming recognitions, George was involved in
establishing the Henry County Farmers Cooperative and served on the board for
many years. During the 1950s, the farmhouse was selected as a showplace for
modern electricity in a farm-home setting by the Board of Public Utilities.
The family reported that the farmhouse was featured in many
publications during the ‘50s, including “The Parisian” newspaper, “The Paris
Post-Intelligencer” and the “Farm and Ranch-Southern Agriculturist” magazine.
Many of the light fixtures that were put in the home in the 1950s still are
being used today.
Today, the great-great-granddaughter
of the founders, Katie Clendenin Williams, and husband Daniel own the property.
Currently, Katie and Daniel raise cattle, donkeys and hay. In addition, they
lease part of the land, which is used for row crops, including corn, wheat and
soybeans.
In addition to the corncrib and barns, all dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is a potato house. The walls are 1 foot thick and filled with sawdust for storing potatoes and other root crops. The farmhouse has been updated and continues to contribute to the farm’s income as “Mammy and Pappy’s Bed and Breakfast.”
Photo: A view of the farm house and landscape on the Clendenin Legacy Farm.Mary Lou Henry Roberts
Felix Everett Roberts
The Henry Farm is owned by Mary Lou Henry Roberts and
Felix Everett Roberts. Mary Lou Roberts’ great-grandmother, Hannah Martha
Strouse Henry, established a farm of just more than 90 acres in 1895. She and
her husband, Thompson Henry, had five children.
Corn, cotton, hay, cows and hogs were grown by the
Henrys. One son, John Henry and his wife, Maggie McCay, were the next owners of
the land. They had nine children, and two of their sons-R.V. and J. M.
Henry-acquired the property and continued farming the 91 acres of the original
farmstead.
The farm supported a variety of crops, but it was known
for its dairy cattle and sweet potatoes. The daughter of J. M. and wife Mary
Selina Palmer, Mary Lou, and her husband, John Everett Roberts, have owned the
farm since 1994. Their daughter, Beth, is the fifth generation to live on the
farm.
Steve E. and Tina
Paschall
For 150 years, generations of the Paschall family have
undertaken the back-breaking work of planting, cultivating and harvesting an
annual tobacco crop. Heritage Farm, established by Jesse and Rebecca Wilson
Paschall in 1836, originally contained 480 acres located three miles northeast
of the Jones Mill community. Jesse moved to
In 1897, the farm passed into the joint ownership of
Arlin D. and Elmer O. Paschall. The brothers raised corn, tobacco, swine and
cotton. They also managed a small dairy. These new crops and farm products
mirror the changing nature of agriculture faced by many turn of the century
farmers. In 1914, Elmer acquired total control of the farm and worked the land
for the next 34 years. Upon his death in 1948, his widow Iva Kuykendal Paschall
remained at the place and her son
In 1979,
Shirley A. Flanagan
In 1821, the same year that
John W. Nored and his wife, Sarah
Hasseltine became the owners of the farm after his parents Aaron and
Margaret. John and Sarah had nine
children and produced cotton, tobacco, corn and timber on the land. Eventually,
the land was inherited by their children, however, their daughter Edna and her
husband Will Linsman bought most of the farm from the other heirs. Edna and
Will were the parents of Effie Mae, Plase, Clint, and Paul. The family recalls that excess vegetables and
eggs were sold in
 |
 |
In 1947, Plase purchased the farm
from his parents. Along with his wife, Prentyce, they raised sweet potatoes,
corn, tobacco, cotton, beans and dairy cattle.
The milk was sold to Pet Milk Company of
Photo (left): Edna and Will Linsman were the third owners of the Homeplace Farm.
Photo (right): Plase, Prentyce and their daughter Shirley.
Baker
Dorthy Graham Kendall
Located ten miles from
The next owner of the farm was the
founder’s son, Eli Kendall. He his wife, Elizabeth McNutt, were the parents of
ten children. The main cash crops were potatoes
and tobacco. The third generation to own
the property was James Edmund Kendall. He wed Sallie “Sarah” Wynns and they had
two girls and four boys. Their names were Lizzie Mae, James Wilkins, Carrie,
Fred, Clyde Peter and Edmund.
Eventually, James Wilkins Kendall acquired the land. During his
ownership, the farm produced corn, cotton, sheep and pigs. He and his wife
Martha Muncie Baker had two children, Joe Baker and Sarah Belle Kendall Cox.
Sarah attended
In 1982, the great, great, great
grandson of the founder, Joe Baker Kendall, Jr. acquired the farm. He and his
wife, Dottie Graham Kendall, manage the property that mainly produces beef
cattle and forage and they enjoy living on the farm that has been in the
Photo: This barn on the Kendall Homeplace Farm was built in the 1930s.
Tommy Kesterson
Danny Kesterson
The Kesterson Farm dates to 1851 when William and Julia
A. Melton moved from
In 1902, the farm passed into the hands of Mrs. Ida
Melton Kesterson, the granddaughter of the founders. By the 1970s, Mrs.
Kesterson’s heirs had obtained joint possession of the land. Millard Kesterson,
Jr., bought the property in 1980 and assumed full control of its operations. Today,
Tommy Kesterson and Danny Kesterson own the land.
Joe V. Martin
Levi K. and Nancy Lemonds Martin established the Martin
Century Farm in 1846. The founders, who were the parents of six children, owned
one of the county’s major antebellum plantations. A native of
In 1917, Enloe Martin acquired approximately 480 acres of
his grandparents’ estate. He and his spouse Madie Wynn expanded their
landholdings to almost 1,000 acres. Cotton, corn and tobacco were their chief
agricultural commodities.
Joe. V. Martin, the great grandson of the founders, obtained approximately 80 acres of the original farm in 1971. On his land is the original farmhouse, now used as storage for the beef cattle operations.
Charles E. McDaniel
Sandra S. McDaniel
Jason C. McDaniel
In 1838, Theophilus Hansel and his half-brother, William Hinson,
traveled from North Carolina to Henry County and bought a 101-acre farm.
Theophilus and his wife, Nancy Wyatt Hansel, had 12 children. The family raised
corn, tobacco, horses, mules, chickens, and pigs.
The family’s history reports several stories from the Civil War
period. During these years, the farm and house were occupied by Union troops.
The youngest son, Joseph Noah Hansell, who turned 10 at the outbreak of the
war, took food to his brothers as they hid in the farm fields to avoid being
conscripted to fight for the Union. When
the Union troops left, they took young Joseph Noah’s new horse with them and
left another one that died the next day.
It was Joseph Noah who became the
second-generation farm owner in 1874. By this time, the farm had increased to
about 140 acres. He and his wife, Mary Margaret Beard, were married in 1878 and
had five children. After Joseph Noah’s death in 1940, his son, John Hansel,
kept the house, living there until his death in 1962.
John’s three sisters, Olive Elizabeth, Tonie Ellen, and Nancy
Zula, remained in the area where they reared their families. In 1940, Zula and
her husband, Jesse McDaniel, acquired the farm, where they continued to raise
tobacco, corn, horses, mules and chickens. Their son, William Earl McDaniel,
became the owner of the family farm in 1978. He and wife Janette are the
parents of Charles.
Today, the current owners of the
farm are Charles McDaniel, wife Sandra and their son, Jason. Charles is the
great-great-grandson of Theophilus and Nancy Hansel. On the family farm where three generations
currently reside, Charles and Jason work the land and raise corn, cotton, hay,
cows, mules, and horses.
Robert L. Morris, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. James H.
Morris
Mr. and Mrs. David
Gallimore
One mile northeast of Puryear lies the Morris Farm,
established by Andrew W. and Margaret A. Carson in 1837. They initially
possessed 300 acres and grew corn, wheat and tobacco. The parents of six
children, Andrew and Margaret deeded 150 acres of their property to their
daughter Mary Carson Douglass Lyon in 1863. Married twice, Mary was the mother
of six children. Throughout this period of ownership, the patterns of farm
operation remained the same as those of the founders.
In 1892, Matilda Douglass inherited 60 acres of the farm
and 31 years later she willed 30 acres to Jerusha H. Lyon Morris. Jerusha and
her husband William H. Morris eventually purchased another 30 acres of the
family property. Jerusha and William were the parents of six children.
Robert L. Morris, Jr., the great great grandson of Andrew
and Margaret Carson, acquired 30 acres of the original farm in 1940. Today, he
owns 50 acres and his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. David Gallimore,
work the farm, harvesting fields of corn, tobacco and soybeans.
Jimmie Joe Olive
Willie Mae Olive
Located twelve miles northwest of
Today,
the farm is owned by the grandson of the founder, Jimmie Joe Olive who acquired
it in 1992. Along with his wife, Willie Mae Olive, they raise soybeans, wheat
and corn on the farm. A stock barn and a share cropper cabin that were built in
the nineteenth century remain standing on the property.
Tillman Clarence
Paschall, Jr.
In 1868, John D. and Malinda Nantes Paschall purchased 50
acres and established the Paschall Farm twelve miles northwest of
In 1942, Tillman C. Paschall, Jr., obtained title to 164
acres of his grandparents’ property. Four decades later, he still manages the
farm. His son Tillman, III, grows corn, wheat, soybeans and tobacco on a total
of 197 acres of land.
Mrs. Dathal Lax
Like several Century Farms, the Rabbit Creek Hereford
Farm stands along a now forgotten nineteenth century transportation route. The
oldest Century Farm in
For the next 100 years, the Rabbit Creek farm passed
through the different generations of the Lax family and heirs. Several family
members served in the Confederate army during the Civil War; others made
lasting contributions to the social and economic development of the community.
Throughout the decades, “the growth of farming has been universal,” wrote John
F. Lax in 1976, “from hand, horse, water and wind power to steam, then to
combustion. The analysis of soil, the application of fertilizer and other soil
improvements, the upbreeding of plants and animals and hybridization, (and) the
more efficient operation by better planning and inventions have contributed to
change in almost all the farming processes.”
In 1943, John Franklin Lax obtained 196 acres of his
great grandparents’ farm. He specialized in dark-fired tobacco production for
the following three decades. In 1976, he and his brothers raised soybeans,
corn, small grains, hay, silage and cattle. At that time John commented that “I
began the study of agriculture when we were experimenting with soybeans and how
to use them, crimson clover, open pollinated prolific corn and other grains,
early terracing, fruit tree pruning, blooded animals rather than the scrub, as
well as hillside plows and other tools.” Since the original Century Farm
survey, however, John Franklin Lax has passed away and today his sister-in-law
Mrs. Dathal Lax owns and operates the property.
Felix Everett and Mary
Lou Roberts
Joe Dudley and Marthey
Roberts
The Roberts Farm was founded in 1894 by A. J. Barnett on
100 acres about eight miles west of
According to the Center for Historic Preservation’s
records, in 1905 Barnett had a four-room, one story farmhouse constructed from
lumber that was cut on the farm. The family grew corn, cotton, sweet potatoes,
tobacco, wheat, and hay and raised hogs and cattle.
In the 1930s, a new concrete road was built between
Vernice died in 1993 and John in 1996. At that time, the
farm was acquired by their sons-Everett (and wife Mary Lou) and Joe (and wife
Martha). Today, the great-nephews of A.J. Barnett grow corn and soybeans on the
farm.
Joan Shankle
Founded in the midst of Reconstruction, in 1868, the
Shankle-Scott Farm is eight miles northwest of
In 1942, Clarence Lee Scott, the grandson of George and
Sarah Scott, acquired about 76 acres of the family farm. Wed to Lillie Cox and
the father of three children, Clarence was an active member of the local Farm
Bureau and operated a progressive farm. Corn, tobacco, soybeans, cattle, swine
and sheep were among the commodities he raised for market and home consumption.
Mrs. George W. Shankle is the founders’ great
granddaughter and she owned 76 acres of
the original farm. Today, Joan Shankle owns the land.
Charles A. Sweatt
Sweatt Farm was founded on 134 acres in 1858 by James Jefferson
Sweatt and his wife Sarah, then transferred to their sons, Francis V. and
George in 1891. According to
Goodspeed’s History, J. J. Sweatt was born in
The present owner’s father, Charlie M. Sweatt and his wife
Angeline, acquired the property in 1932.
Each of the first three generations raised corn, cotton, tobacco and
sweet potatoes, cattle, and hogs.
Charles A. Sweatt, great-grandson of the founder, and his wife Joy, have
expanded the original parcel to 273 acres on which they raise cattle and
goats. They are remodeling the two-story
frame house where Francis V. Sweatt lived, and continue to use a barn and shed,
both built in 1928.
Photo:
This stock barn was built in 1928.
Jane Thompson Overton
Located seven miles east of
The next owner of the land was their son, J. J. Thompson,
Jr. He married Mattie Belle and they had four children. Their names were John
Frank Thompson, Annie Wilson, Mary A. Halcomb and Lottie Lee Hay. Under J. J.
Jr.’s ownership, he cultivated tobacco, cotton and corn.
As time moved on, another son of the founder, W. F.
Thompson acquired the farm. W. F. wed Jane Caldwell Thompson and they had one
son named William Caldwell (W. C.) Thompson. While managing the farm, he helped
raise two children with his wife Claudine.
Today, W. C.’s and Claudine’s daughter, Jane Thompson
Overton is the owner of the farm. Jane manages a beef cattle operation and
rents part of the land to her cousin, Gerald Bomar, who grows row crops. The
farm house that was built in 1917 by W. F. Thompson and a small family cemetery
still stand on the property as reminders of the long heritage of the farm.
Robbye Crews Culley
Moffitt
The history of the Tyler Farm, which is located eight
miles northwest of
In 1939, the farm passed into the hands of Mrs. Robbye
Crews Culley Moffitt, the granddaughter of Miles and Laura Tyler. Currently,
Howard Grubbs works the land and harvests fields of corn and soybeans.
John M. Upchurch
The Upchurch Hereford Farm is another Century Farm in
In 1936, John N. Upchurch obtained all of his great
grandparents’ original farm. Working that property, along with 559 additional
acres of land, Upchurch has produced wheat, alfalfa, beef cattle and timber
over the last 50 years. The El Grove Inn, an important transportation landmark,
still stands on the farm. Built in 1836, before the railroads became the main
focus of transportation, the Inn served stage coaches and freight wagons
traveling from Paris Landing to the town of Paris “and other points.”
Mr. and Mrs. Albert
Rucker Wade
The Wade Farm is another Henry County Century Farm founded in the years
following the Civil War. Established by Pleasant C. and Mary Robinson Wade in
1876, the farm yielded grains and livestock. The founders and their five
children worked a total of 150 acres. In 1880, this property jointly passed to
Thomas Rucker and Robert J. Wade. Five years later, however, Thomas acquired
his brother’s share and became the farm’s sole owner. Like his father, Thomas
bought more land and expanded the farm’s boundaries by 76 acres. Corn, wheat,
oats, sheep, and swine were the farm’s primary agricultural commodities.
Thomas R. Wade wed Mattie E. Jones and they were the
parents of eleven children. Between 1920 and 1930, Owen Rucker Wade received
title to 221 acres of the family landholdings. In addition to the products
formerly raised on the farm, he planted sweet potatoes, a popular early
twentieth century crop in
Lizzie Bowles Wynns
Located eleven miles east of
In 1966, Mrs. Lizzie Bowles Wynns received a lifetime
interest in 176 acres of the original farm. The grandson’s widow, Lizzie
managed the land for about fifteen years. At her death, T. Philip Wynns worked
the land, raising corn, soybeans, cattle and swine until his death. His widow
currently lives on the farm, which contains 226 acres of land.