Map Courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Ross Bagwell
In about 1800, David and Mary Moore founded the Howell
family farm, ten miles northeast of
Priscilla Moore, the daughter of the founders, inherited
the entire farm sometime in the 1830s. She married William Howell and became
the mother of six children. The family annually harvested corn, wheat and
tobacco.
Oliver L. Howell was the great grandson of David and Mary
Moore and he inherited the family’s landholdings in 1922. Oliver farmed these
250 acres for more than 50 years. Corn, wheat, tobacco, soybeans and timber
were his agricultural commodities. Since the original Century Farm survey in
1976, Oliver had passed away and his heirs currently manage the farm.
Carol Kingins Alexander
A testament to the changing status of the family farm in
modern
In 1902, Andrew Jackson Kingins inherited one-half of the
farm and nine years later, he bought the remainder from his brother C. B.
Kingins. Andrew wed Samantha Glasgow and fathered seven children. To meet the
changing demands of the tobacco industry, he planted the farm’s first burly
tobacco, the tobacco of choice for cigarette makers throughout the South.
James Carroll Kingins, the great grandson of the
founders, acquired the family’s 220 acres in 1937. He has since purchased an
adjacent 125 acre tract in
In 1976, James Kingins proudly pointed out that “I have
farmed all my life and never held any other job that wasn’t farm related.” Ten
years later, his daughter Carol Kingins Alexander wrote that “I plan for the
Kingins farm to always be maintained by the family. However, because of the
present farm economy, it is doubtful whether the farm will ever again be the
sole support of a family as it has been for my parents and the generations
before them.” Carol’s comments reflect the concerns of many farm families
throughout the
Howard L. Jobe
Bruce V. Jobe
James S. Jobe
Kenneth L. Jobe
Jobe Farm was founded in 1812 by John Randle and his wife Jane Randle. The 400 acres yielded cotton, tobacco, corn, hay, and timber and also supported cattle, hogs, sheep, mules, and poultry. The couple had four children. Their son-in-law, Elbert Greene Sexton, was the next owner of the land, along with his wife Mary Ann Randle Sexton. The farm supported cotton, corn, tobacco, hay, sorghum, wheat, timber, cattle, sheep, mules, hogs, and poultry. A cotton gin and a brick kiln were operated on this property. Evidence of the brick kiln can still be seen today. The Jobe Farm has four current owners: Howard Jobe, the great, great, great grandson of the founder of the farm, and three of his sons, Bruce, James, and Kenneth Jobe. The farm produces Angus beef cattle, TN walking horses, hay, and timber. Howard Jobe is currently on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors.
Oliver Houston Vaughn
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s development of
Nancy Gray Weaks, the daughter of the founders, received
300 acres of the farm as a gift in 1844. Nancy and her husband William B. Weaks
managed a successful farm of corn, tobacco, wheat, cotton and livestock. At an
undetermined time before the Civil War, so states family tradition, the Weaks
freed their slaves. The Weaks were the parents of eleven children and
approximately 184 acres of their land passed to their son Joseph Henry Weaks in
1909. Joseph and his wife Mollie Sikes raised corn, tobacco, swine and cattle
and had a difficult time surviving the hard times of the 1920s and 1930s. To
raise money during the Great Depression, Joseph was forced to mortgage the
farm, but he later repaid this debt.
In 1957, Mrs. Oliver H. Vaughn, the great great
granddaughter of the founders, and her husband Oliver H. Vaughn bought over 203
acres of the family land. They later sold 81 acres of this property to the TVA
for the
Located near Bumpus Mills, the Walker Farm dates back to 1886 and
was founded by William G. H. Walker. According to the family’s Civil War
history, William fought in the battle of
The second owner of the farm was the founder’s son, James Henry Walker, who acquired the property in the 1890s. Married twice, he fathered nine children. During his ownership, the farm continued to produce tobacco, grains, and livestock. In 1942, the grandson of the founder, Marvin Walker acquired the land. Currently, Marvin and his wife Mary own and live on the farm which is worked by Neil and Brian Wright. They continue to raise the farm’s traditional crops of corn, tobacco, cattle, hogs and hay. A log barn dates to the era of the Saline Furnace’s operation and the Walkers have a sugar kettle that was made at that furnace.
Photo (bottom): A log barn that dates back to the days when the Saline Furnace was in operation can be seen near the crops that are grown on the Walker Farm.
Robert F. Wright
Ruth Griffin Wright
Millard Albert Griffin and his wife Ruth Griffin founded
the Wright Farm in 1892. Under their ownership, the farm produced corn and
tobacco and supported swine and cattle. Shortly
after he purchased the farm, Millard died and Eudora, with her brother’s help
built the farm house.
The next generation to own the farm was Millard’s and Eudora’s son, Willie Franklin Griffin. He wed Lillie Ann Scott Griffin and they had eight children.
Their daughter, Ruth Wright,
acquired the farm in 1965. During that same year, a bathroom and running water
was added to the farm house. Today, Ruth and her husband Robert live on the
land with their grandson, Brian Wright. The original house, from the late
1800s, still stands on the land.