Marshall County

The history of the Jersey cattle breed plays a special role in the story of the Allen Century Farm. Samuel Ewing established the property, which is six miles north of Lewisburg at the village of Berlin, in 1833. Ewing served as the postmaster at Berlin and practiced general farming on his 100 acres of land. Married to Terresea Fonville in 1837, Ewing fathered three children and in 1870, the farm passed to Dr. Thomas Alexander Allen, the son-in-law of the founder. Although Dr. Allen managed a property of approximately 222 acres, his sons, Harris and Kennie Allen, carried out the farm’s everyday operations. According to the family, the brothers “were among the first farmers to bring registered Jersey cattle into Marshall County. They bred and sold Jerseys, made and stamped butter for sale and sold milk and cream.”

In 1943, Thomas H. Allen acquired the family property. The great grandson of the founder, Allen managed the farm until his death in 1972. After his death, his widow began supervising the farm operations, which, in 1976, produced crops of corn, hay and tobacco. Mrs. Allen lives in the farmhouse built by Dr. Thomas Allen in the late nineteenth century.

The Sheffield family’s farm has direct ties to the Revolutionary War. Founder Arthur Shuffield (as the name was spelled then), was a veteran of that conflict and he and his father and his two brothers fought against the British for America’s independence. Born in North Carolina in 1750, Arthur married Lucretia Hogan in 1773, and they had12 children. James, a son of Arthur and Lucretia’s, came to Wilson County around 1804 to look over the Middle Tennessee landscape and its farming possibilities before other members of the family came across the mountains to settle and begin farming. In August 1813, Arthur Shuffield purchased 150 acres on Spring Creek of the Duck River in what was then Bedford County and would become Marshall County in 1836. When Arthur died in 1824, a family cemetery was established that is still maintained by his descendants.

Lucretia inherited the farm and, with the help of several sons who owned adjoining farms, managed to keep it in operation. The family raised cotton, livestock and row crops. The Fishing Ford Road, an early route linking Nashville and Huntsville, ran beside or near these farms.

After Lucretia’s death in 1837, her children inherited the farm. The children agreed to sell the farm in 1838 to their brother, John “Jack” Shuffield, but less than five years later, Jack sold the farm to another brother, Jason Bryant Shuffield, who was a member of the first Marshall County Court that met Oct. 3, 1836. During Jason’s ownership, the farm grew to approximately 1,000 acres. Jason married twice and fathered 16 children. Several of his sons and a son-in-law fought in the Civil War. Columbus Jackson Shuffield enlisted in 1861 and he served as an officer in the 4^th Tennessee Calvary, Company A until he surrendered on May 9, 1865.

When Jason died in 1874, his widow, Martha Falwell Shuffield, inherited the farm, where she lived until her death in 1883. After a court battle among the heirs, Jason and Martha’s son Columbus became the next owner, farming the property until his death in 1892. His widow, Laura Adelaide Dobson Shuffield, inherited the property, and she and her son Ephraim, worked the land and added acreage to the farm.

The family had changed their surname’s spelling by the time Ephraim and Henry Sheffield inherited the farm in 1935. Henry then sold his portion to Ephraim. Ephraim and his wife, Alice Letitia Morris, were the parents of Elisha Jackson Jack Sheffield, who inherited the farm in 1959.

Jack Sheffield and his wife, Alice Wheeler Sheffield, were the parents of three children who all were active participants in 4-H programs. To increase their income, Jack also drove a school bus and worked as a night watchman at Durango Boot Company. Alice Sheffield inherited the farm after Jack’s death.

After Alice’s death in 1997, their twin daughters, Mary Sheffield and Martha Sheffield Cook inherited the farm when Martha died. The farm passed to Mary when Martha died, and Shannon Sheffield Cook, Martha’s son and Mary’s nephew works the land today. He and his wife, Amanda, live on the farm with their son Hayden, and daughter, Harlee. Shannon and his sister, Angela Cook Baxter, who also lives on the farm with her husband, Billy Baxter, and sons Pryor and Jackson, will inherit the farm one day. The family raises cotton, tobacco, hay, dairy cows and Black Angus cattle. The remnants of a slave cabin on the farm recall the slaves who worked the Sheffield property before emancipation. Records also indicate that freed blacks continued to work on the property after the Civil War. Other farm buildings remain from the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Few farms remain in the same family and carry the same surname for nearly 200 years, but that is the case with the Tennessee farm now owned by Mary Sheffield.

Photo (top): Farmhouse
Photo (middle): Remnant of slave cabin on the farm
Photo (bottom): Family Cemetery

The Craig Farm was founded in 1860 by James L Coffey. Located 8 ½ miles East of Lewisburg, the 323 acres produced corn, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, hogs and chickens. Married to Martha Jane Ramsey, the couple had five children. In addition to managing the farm, James made some improvements by remodeling the farm house.

The next owner of the land was James’s son-in-law, B. B. Craig. According to the family, B. B. was very interested in seed corn and planted the crop along with raising hogs and beef cattle.

In 1946, the great grandson of the founder, William Troxler Craig acquired the property. Today, William still owns the land but he leases it to Larry Gambill, who has no relation to the family. The house that the founder constructed still stands and is occupied by the current owner.

Dating to 1811, the Fuller Homeplace Farm lies on the Marshall County-Williamson County border and is currently one of the region’s model progressive small farms. David and Miriam Wright Riggs, its founders, owned 555 acres and raised corn, grain crops and livestock. Riggs and his son Gideon assisted in the construction of the Fishing Ford Road, which provided the farm with an efficient transportation route between Nashville and Huntsville.

After purchasing 165 acres from his father, Gideon became the farm’s second generation owner. Gideon was a veteran of Andrew Jackson’s command in the War of 1812. As a farmer, he expanded “his landholdings in this area to 1,000 acres in Williamson, Marshall and Rutherford counties” and produced apples, peaches, cherries, small grains and livestock. In addition, this thrice-married farmer served as the local postmaster and donated land for the construction of the Church of Christ at Riggs Cross Roads.

The farm’s third generation owner was Gideon Wright Riggs, the founders’ grandson. Gideon and his wife Nancy Allen raised seven children and the family inherited approximately 50 acres of the farm in the mid-1870s. When Gideon died in 1879, the farm passed to his daughter Mary Riggs Fuller, who “was a devout member of the Church of Christ.” Mary’s husband William A. Fuller worked the land, raising corn, wheat, small grains and livestock.

At Mary Riggs Fuller’s death in 1960, Agnes Josephine Fuller and the other surviving children inherited the farm. Agnes, who taught school for over 45 years, made no changes in the farm’s operations. In 1968, her nephew Allen Dixon Fuller purchased almost 49 acres of the family land. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Fuller manages a model small farm, raising grain crops, livestock, fruit, sweet and Irish potatoes and catfish. He also breeds Tennessee Walking Horses.

In 1783, when Davidson County was formed by an act of the North Carolina legislature, it included most of the area west of the Cumberland Mountains that is now middle Tennessee. Major David Wilson, a Revolutionary War veteran who had the distinction of fighting against Gen. Cornwallis, received a land grant of over four thousand acres in what was largely wilderness, but would become Marshall County in 1836. Wilson was an important figure in Tennessee’s early history where he was involved in the founding of Sumner County, and when Wilson County was established in 1799, it was named in his honor.

Major Wilson and his wife Jean Rowen Wilson had eight children. In 1840, David’s nephew Jonathan Wilson acquired the farm. After Jonathan, the farm passed through seven more generations including Joe P. Moss, Sr. and his wife Ruth E. Wilson.

For a number of years, beginning in the 1970s, siblings Joe P. Moss, Jr. and Betty Lee Moss owned about 400 acres. In 2002, Daniel E. Moss, Joe’s son, purchased 56 acres of the farm. His farm now produces Christmas trees and hay. Another important objective, reports Daniel Moss, is managing the land for wildlife. A variety of habitats including oak and hickory forests, grassland, shrubland, cedar glades, and ponds provide important area for deer, wild turkeys and quail as well as a number of rare and declining species. Gladestone Farm, a part of Major Wilson’s original land grant, is the oldest certified Century Farm in middle Tennessee.

Photo (top): A barn and landscape scene on the Gladestone Farm.
Photo (bottom): Daniel Moss receives a certificate, booklet and letter of congratulations from (Left) Terry Oliver, Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Governor Phil Bredesen at the Farmland Legacy Conference on October 10, 2008.

Located 3 miles South of Cornersville lies the Hillview Farm that was founded by Shelby Marsh in 1843. Under his ownership, Shelby raised cotton, corn and small grains. Married to Dorinda Marsh, the couple had two children. Their daughter, Belle Marsh Haywood, became the next owner of the land.

Belle married Egbert Presley Cullen Haywood and they had seven children. While raising the children, they also cultivated cotton, corn, hay, small grains and tobacco on the farm. According to the family, the Beck Oil Company came to the farm in 1921 to “bore for oil” on the hill behind the farm house. Although the well was dug to 1,400 feet, they found no oil.

In 1970, the great grandson of the founder, Sam Cullen Smith became the owner of the farm. Today, Cullen still owns the land, however, his son Sam works the land. Currently, the farm produces corn, hay and dairy cattle. A house that was constructed in the nineteenth century still stands and is used by the family as their primary residence.

Located in the Catapla community of Marshall County, the Homeplace Farm began in 1821 when Francis and Jane Carruthers Finley purchased 68.5 acres of land. General farmers, the Finleys diligently tilled their soil and earned enough money to acquire 100 additional acres and to purchase some slaves. In 1863, Frances Carroll Finley inherited the farm. Wed to Mary Milan and the father of seven children, Finley worked the land as his father had, producing cotton, corn, wheat and cattle.

The founders’ grandson Newton Marshall Finley acquired the family land in 1894. He too was a profitable general farmer and he expanded the farm to 230.5 acres of land. In 1918, Newton left the homeplace to his only daughter, Lilly Finley Davis, the spouse of William M. Davis. Lilly and William, the parents of two sons, specialized in raising chickens for market.

In 1972, Homeplace Farm passed into the hands of the founders’ great great great grandchildren, Dudley, David, Beth and Melissa Ann Davis. As of 1976, Beth and Melissa’s father Finley Davis produced hay and beef cattle on their 230 acres. Today, Melissa Davis owns the farm.

James Durham Turner founded a 68 acre farm in 1885. He and Martha Ann Rainey were married 1855 and had eight children, four of whom predeceased their parents. The Turners built a home, out buildings, and constructed fences from red cedar grown on the farm. They raised cows, hogs, and chickens while growing garden produce.

When James passed away in 1918, Martha continued to farm 52 acres while a son, John Thomas Turner, inherited 16 acres. James’s will dictated that upon Martha’s death, the farm was to be divided among the remaining survivors and their heirs, but in 1929, Joe Cecil Turner, John’s son, purchased their interest in the 52 acres. Joe and his wife Maggie Bell Stallings raised livestock and garden produce, while he made a living as a finishing carpenter. He worked for the Woodward Lumber Company and worked on many community landmarks including the Belfast School and the old VFW building. He also built the altar furniture for the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg.

Joe sold the land at a public auction to his nephews, James Davis, Charles Alton, and Joe Loyd Turner and his wife, Nancy McAdams. Over the years, Joe and Nancy have inherited the land owned by James and Charles. The Turners run goats and cattle on the property and grow hay to feed the livestock, as well as chickens, grains, and garden vegetables. The house built by the founders still stands and is used by the owners. The family’s history and genealogy has been recorded in issues of the Marshall County Historical Quarterly.

Photo (top): Lane between two adjoining century farms now owned by Joe Turner. Cedar trees cover much of the area.
Photo (bottom): Turner house built 1886.

Near the Marshall and Maury County line on the Mooresville Highway is the Kirkland Pleasant Valley Farm which dates to 1846 when William H. Pickens purchased 97 acres. Four years later he purchased an additional 125 acres. And in 1860 he sold 174 acres of his farm land to his daughter, Malinda, and her husband James Kirkland for $2000. The deed of sale makes note that this transference of land was to be interest free and was “for the love and affection” he held for the Kirklands.

Prior to purchasing land from his father-in-law, James Kirkland was a licensed Presbyterian minister and preached in Lincoln and Giles County from 1843 until 1856 when he was appointed minister at Bear Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He held this position until 1860 and earned $600 a year for his pastoral duties. He continued to preach by appointment until his death in 1886. The Kirklands raised Aberdeen Angus, Oxford Down sheep for wool, Berkshire hogs, work horses, mules, and poultry. They also grew grains like oat and millet and were engaged in the lumber industry.

The family was slaveholders and 2 bills of sale indicate that James purchased two slaves for the sums of $1300 and $1500 in 1859 and 1860. During the Civil War, the Kirklands supplied the community with bee keeping supplies and honey to supplement the lack of sugar. He also processed sassafras roots to be brewed as a substitute for coffee. Towards the end of war, in 1864, James began building a house, but encountered problems when Federal troops came through the area. They burned the floor of the unfinished house, and stole “meat and gold.” After the war the Kirklands continued farming with the assistance of tenant farmers well into the twentieth century. One barn, located behind a tenant house is referred to as the “tenant barn.” This was for the use of the tenant family’s personal livestock and crops.

In 1910, Malinda and James Kirkland’s son, James and his wife Pearl Bryant acquired the 174 acre farm. The year before he acquired the farm, he bought one $25 share in the Mooresville, Lewisburg, Culleoka, and Lynnville Turnpike Company. This generation continued the livestock tradition established by his father and breed Aberdeene Angus, Oxford Down sheep, and Berkshire hogs. By 1917, James was manufacturing and selling bee keepers’ supplies and pure honey. The Kirklands expanded their agricultural products in 1935 and began growing tobacco. The family remembers that the December sales “helped add to Christmas gifts which were very small.”

The farm was passed down to the Kirlands’ four children – Macie, Mary, Sara, and Bryant – in 1957. The farm was now 158 acres and was used to raise dairy cows, white faced Herefords, hogs, and chickens. Tobacco continued to be an active crop while the Kirklands also grew large gardens and cut approximately forty acres of hay.

In 1983, Mary Kirkland Smith’s son, George O. Smith and his wife Earlene acquired the land. They grew tobacco until 1989 but continued to grow hay while raising Limousine cows. This same year, the present owners, Cynthia Smith Haislip (the Smiths’ daughter) and her husband Michael moved to the farm. They restored the original home, keeping many architectural elements the same while incorporating modern conveniences.

Today, Cynthia and Michael Haislip live on the Kirkland Pleasant Valley Farm and grow hay and raise beef cattle. They still make use of numerous nineteenth century barns and sheds; these structures include a tool shed, hay barn, stables, tenant barn, milk barn, spring house, chicken house, and tobacco barns. Cynthia writes that the farm “will be passed on to our children Nathan Haislip (Erica) and Tracie Foster (Justin) with our hope that many more generations will enjoy the farm!

Photo (top): Landscape view of the Kirkland Pleasant Valley Farm.
Photo (middle left, B&W): Harvesting hay in the 1900s on the Kirkland Pleasant Valley Farm.
Photo (middle right, B&W): Members of the Kirkland family transporting large timber through town.
Photo (middle right): Tenant barn on the Kirkland Pleasant Valley Farm.
Photo (row of three, left): Hay barn and stables.
Photo (row of three, middle): Milk barn.
Photo (row of three, right): Tobacco barn and stripping room.
Photo (bottom): Kirkland Pleasant Valley farmhouse before restoration.

The Lanier-Smith Farm dates to 1847 when Benjamin Bugg Lanier founded the farm. On 242 acres, a log house was built. According to the family, the house consisted of two rooms with an open hall that was between and a kitchen that made the house L-shaped. During this time, the farm produced hogs, sheep, cattle, hay, wheat, oats, corn and barley. Benjamin married Mary Donelson Lanier and they had five children. After two years of living on the farm, Benjamin passed away. He and three of their five children died in four years time, leaving Mary and two of their sons, Benjamin Jones Lanier and Robert Nicholas Lanier.

As time moved on, Benjamin Jones and Robert Nicholas became the next owners of the land. During the 1880s, Robert moved to Texas and Benjamin bought out his share of the property. Under his ownership, Benjamin raised the same livestock and crops as the founder. Married to Almanza Katherine Wallace, the couple had three children. Their names were Ivie Lanier, Lillian Lanier and John Lanier. Eventually, the land passed to Ivie Lanier Smith.

In 1964, Ivie Lanier Smith died and her son, Frank Donelson Smith acquired the property. Along with his wife, Jessie Branham Smith, they raised three children.

Today, Frank’s son and the great, great grandson of the founder, Joseph Branham Smith is the current owner of farm. Currently, the farm produces sheep, beef cattle, hay and pasture. The original log house that was built in 1848 still stands on the property with other barns and houses that were constructed in the nineteenth century.

In 1901, Henry Ransom (H.R.) Johns travelled with his family by train from Texas to Tennessee to start a farm. He decided on a piece of land near Holts Corner in Marshall County. H.R. and his wife Victoria (Queenie) were the parents of nine children. The family worked hard, making payments on the land, abd growing corn, soybeans, and cotton on their 206 acres. In addition to these crops they had 9 milk cows and 22 teams of horses. The family recalls that “Mamma J” “would get up in the morning, fix breakfast, get the children ready for school, milk the 9 cows, fix lunch and take it to the hired hands, pick 200 pounds of cotton, wash clothes, milk the cows again, and fix supper.” Given this industry, the family is unsure why the farm was named the “Lazy J.” Christmas Day was a time for the family to gather and Mamma J would cook for a week, baking cakes and storing them in the cellar and making custard by the gallon using a churn. Croquet was a favorite game and was taken seriously by the participants.

During the influenza epidemic of 1918, two of H.R. and Queenie’s sons, Andrew Roscoe and Dewey Ransom died one day apart of influenza. H. R. was also ill but was able to recover.

Walter B. Johns, a son of H.R. and Queenie, inherited the family farm in 1934, during the Great Depression. Like his parents, Walter raised corn, soybeans and dairy cows. Walter had married Myrtle Baird on April 29, 1920 and their children were Billie Elaine, who died at birth, and Charles Edward Charles had a pet crow named “Wahoo” who followed him to school every day and rode the harness when Charles plowed the fields.

Charles Johns inherited the farm in 1963 and grew corn, soybeans and wheat. He married Mary Ellen Hilliard in 1941. They had one child, Chady Johns. Like his ancestors, Charles worked the land with his family, instilling the family values of caring for the land and hard work in future generations.

Moses Farm was founded in 1898 by W.S. Moses and his wife Elizabeth Ann Moses. The 72 acres yielded timber, orchards, a garden, corn, hay, cattle, and swine. The couple had three children. Their son, John Harrison Wiley, became the next owner of the farm. With his wife, Maggie Ownby Moses, and their four children, the family raised tobacco, corn, hay, and livestock. The grandson of the founders and current owner is Allen Holt Moses. The farm produces hay, tobacco, cattle, hogs, and timber. A house, originally built by John Harrison Moses in 1930, a barn built over 100 years ago, a garage built in 1928, and smokehouse built in 1904, still stand on the land today.

In 1851, William H. Ogilvie founded the Ogilvie Farm that is located fifteen miles North of Lewisburg. On 537 acres, the farm produced cattle, horses, wheat and hay. Married to Mary Gentry, the couple had four children.

William’s and Mary’s son, Romulus Ogilvie was the next generation to own the land. During the 1860s, Romulus, like many Tennesseans fought in the Civil War. Under his ownership, he cultivated corn, oats and hay and raised cattle, hogs, chickens and horses. Along with his wife, Elizabeth Morgan Ogilvie, they had four children. Their names were William H. Ogilvie, Sallela Ogilvie, Pearl, Ogilvie and James Ogilvie.

The third generation to own the farm was William Harris Ogilvie. Married to Jimmie Floyd Ogilvie, they had four sons. As time moved on, the four sons became the next owners of the land. Although all of the brothers owned the farm, Jason Floyd Ogilvie lived on the farm and worked the land while his brothers pursued careers others than farming. In 1963, the original farm house burned and a new brick home was built as a replacement.

In 1999, the great grandson of the founder, James “Jimmy” Floyd Ogilvie acquired the farm. Currently, the farm is owned by Jimmy, Brenda Ogilvie Brown and Joe Boyd Ogilvie, Jr. Today, the farm is a modern dairy complete with a parlor barn, a loafing barn and a lagoon. In addition to the dairy, the farm produces hay. According to the family, the farm was rated in the top ten in the state in milk production for 1999.

James Orr, who was married to Elizabeth Lowrance Orr, founded Orr’s Green Valley Farm in 1817. On 110 acres located west of Lewisburg, the couple produced oats, corn, lumber and wheat and supported hogs, sheep, cattle and bees.

During his ownership, James Orr gave a parcel of land for a Cumberland Presbyterian Church, presently known as Bear Creek Church. The family recalls that “he was ordained a ‘Ruling Elder’ of that church and until his death considered the human cornerstone of the church. …” Also, during this time the farm was recognized as a leader in the Jersey cattle industry.

James and Elizabeth Orr had seven children. One of their sons, Thomas Walker Orr (born 1822), kept a journal and in it is an account of his arrest and imprisonment in Pulaski during the Civil War, as well as other events and a ledger from farm sales in 1881 and 1882.

Thomas’s brother, Robert Moore Orr, was the next owner of the farm. Married to Mary Ann Pickens, the couple had seven children. The farm produced corn, tobacco, wheat, swine, sheep and cattle. Subsequent family owners include their son, Robert Riggs Orr, and his wife Ella Mai Pickens; James Walker Orr and his wife Bertha McNeese Orr, and James Wayne and Linda Hinds Orr, parents of the current family owner, Mary Lynn Orr Berlin. Along with her husband, Joe and their children, the Berlins live on the farm and raise hay and horses. They reside in a house built in 1845 and maintain the adjacent smokehouse, from the same period, as a guest house. The family has a collection of items of family and community history from the 19^th and 20th centuries that document the contributions of the Orr family to the agricultural, religious, and civic life of Marshall County.

Ridge Vale Farm was founded by Thomas Leonard and his wife Hannah James Leonard on land purchased from men who received Revolutionary War North Carolina military service Warrants and Tennessee Grants. The portion containing the founder’s house, cemetery, and Leonard’s Bluff was a 230 acre parcel that Leonard purchased in 1809. In early 1816, the farm was licensed to make up to 145 gallons of whiskey, a practical use of the corn produced there.

As the farm passed down through generations of sons, starting with Griffith James Leonard, it continued to be used for corn as well as hay, cattle, horses, and sheep. The family’s interest in horses led to William Stephen Leonard organizing the Petersburg Colt Show that operated for 50 years. A log barn and old buggy “house” dating prior to 1900 remain on the farm landscape. Today Thomas Clayton Wilson, the 4^th great-nephew of the founder, his wife, Edna, and their two children reside on 480 acres, raising cattle, horses, and hay. A portion of their land came from a farm owned by the founder’s grandson, Civil War veteran and prisoner of war, Samuel J. Leonard.

In 1898, John Bond Trout established the Shady Lawn Farm in Marshall County. On 128 acres, the farm produced hay, corn, tobacco, dairy cattle, mules, horses, hogs, turkeys and chickens. Married to Callie Jones Trout, the couple had eleven children. In 1913, J. B. built a farm house on the property

As time moved on, John’s and Callie’s son, Jasper Herman Trout, acquired the land. During his ownership, he purchased 50 additional acres for the farm. Jasper married Elizabeth Adelle Barnes Trout in 1917 and over the years they had ten children.

In 1983, the grandson of the founder, Ronnie Trout became the owner of the farm. Today, Ronnie and his son Michael Concy Trout work the land that produces alfalfa, hay, grass, corn and dairy cattle. The farm house that was constructed by the founder still stands as a reminder of the long legacy of the land.