Cedar Lane Farm II
Crystal Valley Farm
Gentry Farm
Lampley Farm
Luster Farm
Nichols Jersey Farm
Peaceful Valley Farm
Smith Brothers Farm
Wilson Family
Farm
Susan McCall Fisher
In
1848, Nancy P. Smithson purchased a farm in the
In 1891, during the settlement of Charles E. Smithson’s
estate, his son, Charles T. Smithson acquired the land with the
As time moved on, Herbert became the next owner of the
property. Along with his wife, Mildred Creswell McCall, they had two children,
Herbert and Gerald. Eventually, Herbert’s son acquired the land and then it
passed to the current owner, Susan McCall Fisher. Today, the farm produces
sheep and some of the land is rented for cattle and tobacco. The white frame
farm house is over the original log cabin and an old log smokehouse that was
constructed in 1898 still stands.
Photo: A
landscape scene on the Bag End Farm.
Mrs. Elizabeth Ogilvie Battle
William and Mary Harris
Ogilvie moved from
William Ogilvie gave and sold many parts of his
landholdings to his sons. In his 1813
will, he gave to his son Richard 315 acres including the house, cabins and farm
buildings. When Richard died in 1822, he willed the farm to his wife Cynthia
and youngest son James Smith Ogilvie.
James Smith Ogilvie married Rachel Webb and they raised
six children on the farm. In 1897, James died and passed the plantation to his
sons Samuel Jason Ogilvie and James Smith Ogilvie II who purchased their
sisters’ shares. Later on, the brothers divided the land with Samuel getting the portion with the
buildings and 150 acres and James received 165 acres on which he built a new
house for his family.
Samuel
Jason Ogilvie died at the age of 36 leaving three young children for his wife
Anna Rucker Ogilvie to raise. With the help of African American families living
on the property, she was able to save the farm for her children, James D,
Rachel, and Samuel. During World War I, James, a Marine, served in
Samuel R. Ogilvie and Elizabeth Ogilvie Battle, the
great-great- great-grandchildren of the founders, received the farm’s 150 acres
in 1964. In 1992, Elizabeth and her husband William Robert (Bob) Battle became the
sole owners. Bob Battle, well known journalist, and
Elizabeth enjoyed living in her family home. With his death in 2012, Elizabeth
continues to live in her historic home, and her son, William Robert Battle, III
and his family live on the farm. Elizabeth and Bob's daughter Valerie Kiengle
will, with her brother, be the next generation of owners. Beech Hill Farm, located one mile south of
College Grove in
Photo (bottom): The spring house, one of the original farm buildings.
Charles and Carol Bond
Blue Grass Farm, established by John B. and Elizabeth
Bryan Bond in 1825, has been a significant contributor to the breeded industry
for 60 years. It lies in eastern
Wed to Rachel Blythe,
Charles G. Bond
Carol A. Bond
In the Bethesda community, P. D. Scales established a farm of
approximately 80 acres in 1870. He added 20 more acres in 1897 for $200.00. The deed for the acreage describes the land
as being bordered by Rutherford Creek that ‘meanders to the old meeting house.”
It also contains a spring, always so important to farms for both livestock and
people. P. D. and his wife Mary were the
parents of Ella, Frank, and Marion. The family raised beef, dairy cattle,
chickens, and hogs as well as a variety of vegetables.
Ella became the second owner of the farm in 1918, purchasing her siblings’ shares of the land. She and her husband Charles Grigsby had a large family including Ethel, Leo, Scales, Charles, Maria, Ella Frances, Catherine, and Harry. They raised hay, cows, tobacco, pigs, and beef. In 1957, Leo and her husband James Bond acquired 50 acres of the family farm. They had three children, James, Charles, and Dan. They raised hay and cattle. Leo became the sole owner after James died in 1967.
Leo sold 19 acres of land to her son and his wife, Charles and Carol
[Allen] Bond, in 1974. After Leo passed
away in 1998, Charles and Carol received the remaining 31 acres of land from
her estate. They continue to live on the
land first purchased by his great grandfather over 130 years ago. Charles and sons, Charles and Robert,
raise beef cattle and hay.
Edgar Brown Cannon
Marguerite Cannon
Associations with some of the founding fathers of Middle
Tennessee highlight the history of the Cannon Farm, which stands ten miles
south of
Of the founders’ five children, Agatha Perkins Cannon,
the wife of William Perkins Cannon, became the farm’s second generation owner.
Her husband William was the son of former Tennessee Governor and Whig party
leader, Newton Cannon. The Cannons were major antebellum planters, but the
Civil War led to significant property losses when Federal troops camped at the
farm. At the end of the war, William and Agatha’s son
Edgar Brown Cannon, who is the great great grandson of the founders, is the current owner of the family land. He still owns the farm’s original 775 acres and has expanded his landholdings by an additional 90 acres. Cannon, his wife Marguerite and his family continue to occupy the farm’s mid-nineteenth century dwelling. A century-old springhouse is also intact. The farm’s commodities presently are cattle, corn, wheat, soybeans, tobacco and hay.
Dorothy McCord Ryan
Located twenty miles south of
The next owner of the farm was James’s daughter, Laura
Ann Walker McCord. Along with her husband, William F. McCord, they had two
children. During their ownership, they cultivated corn, cotton, hay, tobacco,
broom corn and raised hogs, cattle, horses and chickens.
In 1932, Laura gave her son, Walker Leland McCord the
land. Under his ownership, he raised the same livestock and crops as his
parents and added goats, sheep and ducks. Married to Annie Lou Reed McCord, the
couple had two children, Laura Elizabeth McCord Crunk and Dorothy Louise McCord
Ryan.
In 1999, the great granddaughter of the founder, Dorothy Louise McCord Ryan, became the owner of the property. Today, Dorothy still owns the land but it is leased for pasture to Mr. Donald Matlock.
Elizabeth McCord Crunk
The Cedar Lane Farm II was founded by James Walker and
follows the same history as the Cedar Lane Farm I, until 1999 when the great
granddaughter of the founder, Elizabeth McCord Crunk acquired the land. Today,
Gerald W. McLaughlin, Jr.
Marylyn McLaughlin Goutmann
Early experiments with livestock breeding took place on
Creekside Farm in
A month after writing this letter, however, Sallie Florence died in childbirth. In 1890, her daughter Florence Rosser wed George M. Adkerson and they moved into Creekside. The Adkersons expanded the farm by an additional 20 acres and built a new barn and buggy house. Two of the Adkerson children, James M. and Branch O. Adkerson, managed the farm throughout the twentieth century. James died in 1955 and Branch died in 1985. At that time, the property was left to their three sisters, Marion Adkerson, Florence Minks, and Nell A. McLaughlin. The sisters owned and managed the 80 acres for several years until their deaths. The children of Nell and Gerald W. McLaughlin, Sr., Gerald W. McLaughlin, Jr. and Marylyn McLaughlin Goutmann are the current owners.
Two mid-nineteenth century buildings remain at Creekside. The two-story house, built in 1835, exhibits Greek Revival detailing typically found in Middle Tennessee. The springhouse is of native limestone and dates to 1866. Along with supplying water, the springhouse also served as a place to cool foodstuffs.
Crystal Valley Farms, Inc.
In 1869, James Thomas Carroll
McCanless, born in 1849, purchased Copeland Farm of 423 acres in the
northeastern part of
Before James’s death in 1884, his
oldest six children had been given their land.
The rest was to remain in possession of his widow until her death or the
end of her widowhood. After her re-marriage
in 1885, the three youngest children, Ardeen, Nina June, and D. Brown, filed a
successful lawsuit against their mother in order to receive their share of the
land.
Ardeen married William Hazlewood
Johnson in 1885 and they lived on the land left to her by her father. Her husband died in 1895, and she married his
brother James Knox Polk Johnson. She operated the farm until her death in May of
1946. Her son by her first marriage,
John Johnson, took over the farm in 1946.
Today the property remains in the family as Crystal Valley Farms, Inc., a family owned farm corporation. James Caldwell McCanless, Sr., the great grandson of James Thomas Carroll McCanless, purchased the farm from John Johnson in 1970 and was the president of the corporation. His wife Barbara Jean, and their children James C., Jr., Robin Carol (Thomas), and Jonathan Lee remain involved with the farm. On a little less than 150 acres, Todd Thomas works the land raises livestock, corn, wheat, and hay where his ancestors have farmed for generations.
Charles J. Gentry
Jean G. Mangrum
Scott G. Mangrum
Just north of Triune is the Gentry
Farm that was founded in 1887 by A.D. Gentry. Married to Mary Jane McCanless
Gentry, they had ten children. On the 106 acres, the family raised a variety of
crops and livestock such as corn, wheat, hay, mules, horses and cattle.
In 1937, one of the founding
couple’s sons, E .B. Gentry, acquired the farm. Married to Eugenia Green, they
were the parents of Martha, Charles, Mary Ruth, Katherine and Dorothy. During
their ownership, the farm produced corn, wheat, hay, tobacco, cotton, cattle,
mules and horses. After E.B. passed away in 1970, Eugenia became the owner.
In 2002, Charles J. Gentry, married to Margaret Lampley, became the owner of the farm. Today, three generations including Charles, his son Wayne and grandson Charlie work about 80 acres and mainly raise hay and cattle.
Mr. and Mrs. O. F.
Williams
John Williams
Five miles east of
Over 100 years later, in 1972, 40 acres of the original
homeplace passed into the hands of O. F. Williams, Jr., and John Williams, the
great grandsons of Zacheus and Emeline German. Today, the Williams brothers
jointly own 480 acres. They annually harvest crops of grain, tobacco, hay,
corn, wheat and soybeans. In addition, they manage a herd of beef cattle.
Calvin C. Glenn
More
than a decade before Tennessee became a state in 1796, Thomas Gillespie was
issued a land grant of 4000 acres in what was then the western regions of North
Carolina. This land, along Flat Creek and the Duck River, would eventually
become a part of Williamson County when it was formed in 1799. The Gillespie family’s history is very much
aligned with that of the county and state. Thomas Gillespie and his wife Naomi
were the parents of two sons, Issac and David, and a daughter, Lydia. Lydia and her first husband, Capt. James
Knox, had a daughter, Jane. Jane married Samuel Polk and their son, James, Knox
Polk, named after her father, became the 11th President of the
United States. According to the family,
James K. Polk would visit his uncle and his family on his travels between
Columbia and Murfreesboro.
In 1816, Issac Gillespie acquired the farm. Married to Mary Ann McQuire, they built a
house on the property which remains today and raised cattle, hay, and
corn. One of Issac and Mary Ann’s sons,
William “Bill” Gillespie was the next in the family to own the property. Aside from his father’s land, he also
inherited a portion of his Uncle David’s property in 1866. He and his wife, Elizabeth Reed, had two
sons, Samuel and Wallace.
Samuel inherited the land when his father died in 1914. He and his wife Pauline farmed the land for over 30 years. In 1948, the farm was acquired by their relatives, Jackie and Lola Reed Glenn. Their son Calvin Glenn has been the owner of the farm since 1979. He and his wife Sandra work 121 acres where they raise hay, tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, and cattle. This family farm is currently the oldest certified Century Farm in Williamson County and joins the ranks of Pioneer Farms, a special designation for those farms founded before or in the year 1796 when Tennessee became a state.
Alice E. Sparkman
In 1886, J. Buchanan Hunt established the Hunt-Beasley
Farm. Located fifteen miles south of
The farm passed to Evie and she had one child, Willie Mae
with her husband N. C. Beasley. As time moved on, Willie Mae inherited the property.
Along with her husband, J. R. Jones, they had two children, J. W. and Alice.
In 1985, Alice E. Jones Sparkman the great granddaughter
of the founder acquired the land. Alice and her husband Ollie Jones
Sparkman continued to work the farm for several years.
Photo: Ella Beasley Hunt, Evie Hunt and J. Buchanan Hunt in front of their house.
Earl D. Lampley, Jr.
In January of 1886, U. Z. Lampley
purchased a farm of 162 acres in western
Robert A. Ring
Andrew S. Ring
Anna S. Ring
Henry H. Ring
The 6th District of Williamson County is home
to the Locust Guard Farm, which is one of the two oldest Century Farms in the
county. John Motheral, a Revolutionary War veteran from
The parents of seven children, the Motherals deeded 225
acres to their son Joseph in 1822. Joseph and his spouse Anness Lea Williams
transformed the farm’s appearance and activities. Joseph directed the
completion of the farm’s stone fences and the construction of a grist mill, new
barns, milk house and a “machine house for spinning and weaving.” The family
survived the Civil War without any damage to their agricultural operations.
Joseph’s will in 1872 stipulated that his land south of
the
“For many years a magistrate of
In 1953, Locust Guard passed into the hands of the
surviving children of Sarah McClellan Ring. Eight years later, the farm was
deeded to Emma Mai Ring and her nephew Robert Ring. In 2009, and for about 25
years starting when Robert Ring began his 16 years as Williamson County
Executive, corn and soybeans have been share cropped on the land. Occasionally
hay has been harvested.
Locust Guard Farm has three early nineteenth century buildings that still stand and have been maintained. They include a log smokehouse, a milk house and the original log home, which had been incorporated into the present family home. The front six rooms of the home were completed in 1823 and are clapboard. The only logs form the foundation framing. It is thought that the log smokehouse and milk house were finished at the same time or even earlier.
Millard F. Mitchchum, Jr.
The history of Longview Farm begins with Virginia (Jennie) Brown Pointer,
one of only a few women to found a Century Farm in the nineteenth century. While
women worked the farms alongside men and often inherited farms, keeping the farm
in the family, sometimes through several generations of women, property laws did
not favor female ownership. In 1897, Jennie became the owner of about 200 acres
in southern Williamson County near the Maury County line. Married to Henry
Pointer, the couple raised a variety of crops and livestock.
Jennie Pointer died from illness she contracted after spending a day in
the rain with a shotgun to prevent highway workers from cutting trees to widen
the road in front of her house. Later the right of way was taken from Pointer
property on the other side of the road.
Henry Strange Pointer, son of Jennie and Henry, was the next generation
owner of the farm. He married Mattie
Campbell in 1904 and they lived with his mother for several years. Though he and
Mattie had no children, when he died in 1929, the property remained in the
family through Mattie, who raised her sister’s child, Mary Polk. In 1930, Mary
Polk married Millard F. Mitchum, Sr., and they made their home with her aunt.
They were the parents of Alice and Millard, Jr.
In 1993, Millard (Bud) Franklin Mitchum, Jr., son of Mary and Millard,
Sr., acquired the family farm. Henry S. and Mattie Campbell Pointer were his
great aunt and uncle. Of the original 1897 farmstead, Bud Mitchum owns 24 acres
though he owns and farms other acreage. He advises that barns and a buggy shed,
as well as a house built about 1900, remain from the founder’s time. Mitchum is
active in the diverse day to day farming operations in an area of the county
that has seen enormous changes since Jennie Pointer established this farm 115
years ago.
Nelson Luster II
The current owner, Nelson Luster ll, grandson of the founders, acquired the property following Mattie’s death in 1991. Mr. Luster and his son, Anthony W. Luster, live on the farm and manage a beef cattle operation. The farm was reduced from its 80 plus acres to just over 60 by Highway 840. Anthony, whose daughters represent the fifth generation, advises that Mr. Luster continues to supervise the farm that is the reality only dreamed of by his great grandparents.
Photo: Jennifer A. Luster, the descendent of Grant Luster, Sr,, sits in the tractor on the farm.
Jackie Ogilvie
Among Tennesseans today there is probably no single
animal better loved than the Tennessee Walking Horse. The Maple Crest Stock
Farm has played an important role in the development of this show horse. The
farm dates to 1870 and was originally located on 125 acres of land that stood
20 miles southeast of
Walter William Ogilvie inherited one-third of the family
land in 1920 and after purchasing the shares of his brothers and sisters, he
became the farm’s sole owner. His 515 acres produced grains, burley tobacco,
horses, cattle, sheep and swine. Walter was best known, however, as a leading
breeder of Tennessee Walking Horses. A founder of the Tennessee Walking Horse
Association in 1934, he bred the show horses until his death in 1977.
Walter married Kathleen Smith and together they raised
three children. In 1977, the property passed into the hands of Kathleen and the
children. Two of the farm’s original buildings-a granary and a
barn-remain part of the farm’s physical surroundings.
John and Mona Lee
Located sixteen miles south of
Following the Civil War, the plantation was divided between the four children. John Wills Napier Lee inherited a portion of the original Land Grant. He and his spouse, Molly Core, were the parents of three children. No longer did the family manage cotton fields; instead, the Lees grew wheat and corn. John also bred horses and one his horses set the World's record for stallions in the high wheel sulky in Detroit in 1887. The horse, named Duplex, sired many other racehorses. Following John Wills Napier Lee's death in 1921, the farm was left to his three children.
J. W. N. Lee, Jr., acquired title to his father's portion of Maplewood in 1928 from his sisters. He lived on the farm until his death in 1963, and his portion passed to is two sons, J. W. N. Lee, III and Sam Lindsey Lee.
His son, J. W. N. Lee, III, had acquired 289 acres of the original land grant from the estate of his great uncle Charles Alford Lee in 1944. He and his father had farmed the two tracts together until J. W. N. Lee, Jr.'s death in 1963.
In 1985, John Napier Lee acquired his grandfather's portion from his father, J. W. N. Lee, III and his uncle, Sam Lindsey Lee. In 1991, he inherited most of his father's portion combining the bulk of the tracts divided following the Civil War. He operates a cow/calf business on the farm with the help of his family.
Photo: The farm house on the Maplewood Farm.
Herbert Nichols
The Nichols
Jersey Farm, one of the few remaining dairy farms in
In 1923, Lena Senethius
McFarlin became the second generation
owner of the farm. Married to Berry O.
Nichols, their children were Mary Jane, Sue Mildred, Rebecca, Robert, Douglas,
and Herbert. Row crops and diary cattle were raised
during these years.
Today, the farm is owned by Herbert
Nichols, the grandson of the founder, who obtained the land in 1972. Currently,
Herbert and his son Mark work the land and raise dairy cattle and hay. A Grade
A Dairy barn, constructed in the 1940s, and a hay barn continue to be used
daily. Herbert and his wife Agnes live
in a log structure house that is believed to have been built around 1803. The original dwelling had two log rooms
downstairs and two upstairs and was added on to in 1935. The historic house and
the founders of the farm were featured in the publication Nolensville: 1797-1987, Reflections of a
F. Perry
Ozburn, Jr.
Ennis C. Wallace, Sr.
South of Triune in the College Grove community, C. M.
Smithson purchased 100 acres in September of 1905. A widower, he raised four children, Dewey,
Ora Mai, Sammie Lou, and Nathaniel.
Together they grew crops of wheat, corn, tobacco, and hay, and their
livestock. In 1925, C. M.’s cousin, C.T. Wallace,
obtained the property. He and his wife Ella H. Wallace had one daughter, Mildred.
In 1955, the current owner Ennis C. Wallace Sr., whose
grandmother was a cousin to the founder, acquired the farm. With his wife,
Allean Harper Wallace, and their sons, Ennis C., Jr. and Kenneth L., the family
primarily raised tobacco, hogs and cattle. Ennis, Sr. and Allean were
recognized for their successful efforts and awarded honorary state Farmer
degrees. Ennis, Jr. and Kenneth both
have FFA state Farmer degrees, have served as FFA officers and have an American
Farmer degree. Ennis, Sr. is the owner
of 4-Star Inc. Farm Equipment in Triune.
He has been a member of the Hill Masonic Lodge for 52 years and an
officer in the Flat Creek Community Club for 63 years. He is the co-author of
the book, Flat Creek: Its Land and Its
People.
Gentry Family
Cotton was once the dominant crop in
Corinne Glass Gordon and her spouse Edward Allen Gordon
were the third owners of Pleasant View. Their land produced corn, tobacco,
swine and hay. Their three children, Corinne, Agnes and Fielding, inherited
joint ownership of the farm from their parents. Corinne, who married Hugh
Channell, later bought her sister’s share of the property. After her brother
Fielding died, Corinne and Hugh assumed management of the family land.
Mrs. James Cannon Gentry, the great great granddaughter of Samuel and Sarah Glass, obtained title to 496 acres of family land in 1974. Her son Allen Gentry works the farm, raising wheat, hay, tobacco and cattle. The property contains three pre-1886 buildings: a one-room log cabin with half dove-tail notches, a log barn and a two-story brick house which features “common bond brick, 6 over 6 windows and paired brackets.” A prehistoric village site from the Mississippian period also stands at Pleasant View Farm, an indication that agriculture has been practiced on this land for hundred of years.
Photo (top): A log house on the Pleasant View Farm.
Photo (bottom): An aerial view of a cow maze on the Pleasant View Farm.
This farm is also featured on its own website. To see more click the link: Gentry Farm.
Janice Green
The development of the dairy industry in the early
twentieth century gave many farmers an opportunity to make their land
productive once again. In an increasingly urban society, dairy farmers supplied
milk to households who no longer owned their milk cow. The Sherwood Green Dairy
Farm is one of the leading dairy operations in the county. A former government
surveyor from
Lundy L. Green, the founder’s grandson, inherited 140 acres of the farm in 1920. In addition to practicing mixed agriculture, Lundy established the farm’s dairy. He wed Maude York and they were the parents of two sons who jointly acquired the land later in the century. Working as partners, Allen J. and John E. Green produced dairy products and general agricultural commodities. Today the Greens raise beef cattle.
Jeffrey Lee Holt
Just inside
Williamson County on the Maury County line is the Smith Brothers Farm founded in
1878. The farm was founded by Frank
Erwin Smith, who was born in Marshall County in 1847. He purchased the farm from
George and Rebecca Cathey who were related to Frank’s wife, Sallie P. Cathey
Smith. The Catheys settled in the area as early as 1818. The founding couple are buried in the Smith
Family Cemetery near the farm.
Sons, John D.
and Thomas P. Smith were subsequent owners of the farm as were grandsons William
Franklin and Riley Smith. Thomas P. Smith acquired 200 acres from his father in
1924. He and his wife, Annie Hazelwood raised 12 children in a 3-room house.
He built two barns, 2 sheds, and a smokehouse for the farm’s diverse
operations. Over the years, family
members were active in the Duplex Home Demonstration Club, 4-H and FFA, as well
as the Williamson County Farm Bureau. In
1981, the heirs decided to divide the property legally but to continue to work
the property as one farm. In 1998,
Jeffrey Holt the great, great grandson of the founders, built a home for his
family of a parcel of the farm and began the day to day work of the farm.
In 2008, Holt
inherited the acreage east of Ash Hill Road and now farms about 42 acres of the
original farmstead. He and his wife,
Jennifer and their children Clay and Stacey raise hay, beef cattle, and goats.
Jeff was in 4-H at Bethesda Elementary
and FFA at Page High School and is currently on the Board of Directors for the
Williamson County Cattlemen’s Association.
Jennifer was a 4-H member in Arkansas and Stacey and Clay are also in
4-H. Jeff, Clay, and Stacey are volunteers at the Williamson County Fair. Also involved in the joint family farm work are Jeff’s uncles, Danny and
Tommy Smith and mother and stepfather, Peggy Smith Fisher and Steve Fisher.
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Photo (top): Barn with Jeff Holt bailing hay in the background.
Photo (bottom left): Holt Family. Left to right - Jennifer, Clay, Jeff. Front - Stacey.
Photo (bottom right): Goats on the Smith Brothers Farm.
Sullivan
Givens Farm
Grady
B. and Stacey L. Givens
Sullivan
Givens Farm was founded in 1904 by Owen Thomas “Tee” Sullivan and his wife
Matilda Jane Tidwell. The founder’s
father, William, was an Irishman who served in the Confederate Army. He took care of mules that pulled the wagons
on which cannons were hauled. The family
recalls that he was still breaking mules at age 90.
Owen and Matilda Sullivan
had nine children and on their farm of 48 acres they produced turnips, sweet
potatoes, Irish potatoes, fruit, hogs, and beef cattle. The couple had nine children. The founder used mules to build a stock pond
that is still uesd today. Prior to the
building of State Route 100 in 1928, the
Members of the family have been
active in the community over the years. Ora Sullivan Givens, was a notary
public, a member of the Home Demonstration Club, and a school teacher for many
years. Her husband, K. E. Givens, was
elected Justice of the Peace in 1957 and the family recalls that many couples
were married on the farm. Other family
members have been active in 4-H through the years. The current owners are Grady and Stacey
Givens. Their 81.26 acre farm produces
hay, vegetables, fruit, and beef cattle.
An ice house, fertilizer shed, and equipment shed, all from the
1930-40s, still stand on the land today.
Photo: Landscape Scene on the Sullivan Givens Farm.
Kerry and Sharon Connell
In 1827, Allen F. Wood founded the Valley View Farm,
which is 20 miles southeast of
Robert Sanford, who is the great grandson of the
founders, obtained a farm of 147.5 acres in 1945. He has since expanded his
property to over 200 acres and presently specialized in beef cattle and hay.
Valley View’s original log dwelling built in 1827, remains as one of the rooms
of the family dwelling.
Today, the farm is owned by
Kerry and Sharon Connell.
Carl H. Walker
The Walker Farm was founded in 1900 by William Thomas
Walker and his wife Harriet Beech walker. The 180 acres yielded grains and
fruits and also supported horses, mules, swine, cattle and sheep.
Jesse E. Short, III
Mary Anne Short
William Miller Short
Susan Short
Kathy Short Simpson
James B. Short
Located
three miles west of
Although
J. A. never married, B. F. wed Frances Tennessee Boyd and they had on son,
Jesse Edelin (J. E.) Short, Sr. As time moved on, Jesse became the next owner
of the land. Under his ownership, he grew row crops of grain and corn and
raised cattle, pigs and Karakul sheep. During this time, J. E. was the only
owner of the Persian sheep in the state and he “took pride in educating others
about the attributes of the breed.” The pelts of the lambs were black and curly
and valued as pelts for coats. As the sheep matured, their fur became white and
non-curly, however, they were valuable sources of wool. J. E. married Lucile
Corrine Cotton Short and they had three children. Their son, Jesse E. Short,
Jr. became the third generation to own the farm. Married to Alma Carter Bennett
Short, they had four children.
In
the 1960s, Highway 96 was built and approximately ten acres were sold to the
State of
In
1979, Jesse E. Short, Jr.’s children and grandchildren acquired the land. The
farm continued to be a dairy farm until 1994 when it became unprofitable.
Today, with the help of a neighbor named, Jimmy Jewell, the farm yields
soybeans, corn, wheat and tobacco. A log smokehouse, a wash house and a granary
that were all constructed in the nineteenth century still stand on the land.
Photo:
Aerial View of the Westbrook Farm.
Walter L. and Sarah Jordan
Just after the turn of the twentieth century, in 1901,
Thomas Harvey (T.H.) Page and his son-in-law, Archer Lee (A.L.) Jordan purchased
11 acres near the Trinity community, also known historically as Rock Hill.
The men, along with their wives, Nannie McClaran
Page and Annie Page Jordan, daughter of T. H. and Nannie, raised row crops,
Jersey cattle, horses and mules and vegetables.
T. H. Page was a founding member of the Trinity
Methodist Church.
A. L. Jordan was a breeder of registered Jersey
cattle. His children and grandchildren participated in showing these animals.
A. L. and Annie were the parents of one daughter,
Nannie Sue, and six sons, Thomas Lee, Garner, Aubrey, William, Bruce, and
Walter.
Walter C. Jordan, the grandson of T. H. and Nannie Page and
the son of A. L. and Annie Jordan was acquired the farm in 1945.
He and his wife, Emma Ida Wilson, and their son,
Walter Lee Jordan, farmed approximately 125 acres on which they grew corn,
tobacco, Angus and Jersey cattle and horse and mules.
Walter was an accomplished vocalist and Emma Ida an
excellent pianist.
They played and sang at Trinity Methodist Church for
many years and also at funerals, weddings, and community events.
Walter
C. Jordan was also a long-time member of the Williamson County Court and Emma
was a school teacher in Williamson County.
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In 1992, Walter Lee Jordan, a World War II veteran,
inherited the farm from his father and has taken the farm into the twenty first
century.
He and his wife Sarah live on the family farm where a barn
from 1915 continues to be in full use for cattle and hay.
All
generations of this Jordan family have been active in the Home Demonstration
Clubs, Farm Bureau, and 4-H.
Walter Jordan taught in county schools before
holding
several
positions at the Tennessee State Library and Archives including
Senior Archivist, Director of Records Management, and
Director
of the Archives. His wife, Sarah, is retired from Williamson County School and
volunteers at Williamson Medical Center.
Photo (left): W. L. Jordan view of house, garages, etc. from Highway Wilson Pike.
Aaron B. Wilson
Blake P. Wilson
Marilyn Wilson Hawkins
Thomas P. Wilson
South of Franklin, off the Lewisburg Pike, John B. Bond purchased 140 acres in 1893. He and his wife, Emma Catherine Sprot, were the parents of Leonard, Lucille, and Gladys. The family raised cattle, swine, and chickens along with row crops including tobacco. They lived in a log cabin on a “little rise beyond the creek.” The children attended Bethesda School, at the corner of Bethesda and Arno Road where the Bethesda Market is today. The family remembers that Catherine walked by the “pony cart to see that Leonard got to school every day.” Catherine died in 1902 when Gladys was less than two years old. John was a single father who did his best in every way. Gladys recalled that she and her sister would run and hide under the bed so their Papa couldn’t get to them to comb their hair. The second generation owner was Leonard Bond. Leonard went from the little country school to Battle Ground Academy where he was president of his senior class and played football. World War I put an end to his plans for becoming a lawyer. He was the victim of mustard gas and left for dead on the battlefield, but was found and taken to a hospital by the Red Cross. He was listed as “missing in action” and his parents were devastated. Finally, though, they received word that he was alive and would be returning home. He did and married Elise Core and they had a daughter, Dorothy.
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Dorothy named the farm Maple Lawn Farm in the 1940s
for the maple trees that lined the drive.
Her father kept horses and she had a pony.
She also attended Bethesda School and rode her pony
to and from classes.
She got into trouble for racing the school bus.
In 1991, Aaron B. Wilson, the great, grandson of the
founders and grandson of Gladys Bond Wilson acquired the farm. He and his wife, Lynn Chester Wilson and their sons,
Riley, Lucas, and Landon, and daughter, Samantha, make their home of the farm. They raise corn, soybeans, pumpkins, popcorn, wheat,
and chickens. The Wilsons, who are also involved in Ace's Kettle Corn
business, are the keepers of family photographs and stories as well as the
farming traditions of nearly 120 years.
Ann
Elizabeth Moran
Early transportation routes, the Civil War and the Great
Depression have shaped the history of the Woodland Farm. Established by Sam
Houston and Margaret Fain Moran in 1857, the Woodland Farm is ten miles
northwest of
In 1912, James Walker Moran inherited the entire farm
from his mother. James transformed
Ann Elizabeth Moran, the founders’ granddaughter, inherited 195 acres of the farm in 1973. Today, she supervises the work of her brother-in-law Paul Kinnie, who raises the farm’s tobacco and cattle. Woodland Farm is particularly notable for its remaining nineteenth century farm buildings, including the dwelling, buggyhouse, smokehouse and barns.
R. N. Herbert
With 100 acres, Richard Herbert, a native of
George O. Herbert, the founder’s great grandson obtained title to the farm’s original 100 acres in 1968. Eight years later, George and his son R. N. Herbert worked a total of 220 acres, raising hay, grain, livestock, cattle and swine. Also at that time, the farm retained a barn built in 1845 and a rock springhouse, both of which the family used in their daily operations.