Gilbert and Mary L.
Graves
Donna Graves Ferrell
Don R. and Diane Graves Weathers
Wiley
Alford and Sophia Drake, the founders of the Alford Farm, were married in 1805
in their native
Wiley
and Sophia Drake had six daughters and five sons. After Wiley’s death, their youngest daughter
Sophia Valentine who married Shadrack Jarmon, lived on at the homeplace with
her mother. Before her mother died in 1875
(both she and Wiley are buried in the family graveyard on Central Pike), Sophia
and Shadrack Jarmon purchased the homeplace and 350 acres from the Alford
heirs. Their daughter Susan married
Pleasant J. Carver and they owned 96 acres of the original Alford Farm. The property was distributed among the heirs
of Susan E. Jarmon and Pleasant J. Carver over the years.
In
the 1930s TVA purchased rights of way on the land, then owned by the William
Lee and Circe Philpot, great-granddaughter of Wiley and Sophia Alford, and
their son Virgil, for the construction of electrical lines. During the years of
World War II, the farm experienced maneuvers on the property. In the 1960s,
Interstate 40 was constructed just one mile north of the farm and J. Percy
Priest Reservoir also impacted the farm.
Today three generations of Alford descendents
live on the farm on which the original log house still stands. In 1986, a
reunion of the families of Wiley and Sophia Alford was held at the home place.
The Alford Farm, in addition to being one of the oldest farms in the county, is
also one of the best documented.
Photo: A
front view of the Alford Log House. This photograph was taken after the front
porch had pulled away and fallen from the house.
Woodrow Baird
Blake Rutland established the Baird Farm, one of the rare
200-year-old family farms, in 1801. Married to Martha “Patsy” Watson, the
couple had nine children. On 640 acres they raised wheat, corn and cattle.
According to CHP records, this family founded the
In addition to managing the farm, the family also owned one of the
first mills in the western part of
The next owners of the farm were
Blake’s son-in-law, John Cawthon and his wife, Parthenia Watson Rutland. John
and Parthenia reared five children, and their son, John Rutland Cawthon, became
the third owner of the land. John was married Ruth Alford and they had three
children.
Eventually, the land was passed to the couple’s son, Francis
Marius “Frank” Cawthon. As time moved on, the land was acquired by Herman Tyler
Burnett and Perry Turner Burnett, descendents of the founders through their
mother, who was a Cawthon. During their ownership, they built a five-acre lake
on the southwest end of the farm. According to the family, the lake was stocked
with game fish and was the site of many baptisms before the Center Chapel
Church of Christ baptistery was installed at the church in 1953.
Today, the land is owned and managed by
Woodrow Baird, who is the widower of the fourth great-granddaughter of the
founder. The land is worked by Barry Graves, a cousin. Currently, the farm
produces beef cattle and hay. Baird lives in a house that was constructed by a
family member in the 1890s. His daughter, Austelle, and her husband, Don
Smartt, and their family also live on the farm.
Photo: This
house on the Baird Farm was built in 1898.
Clara Bates
Julia Bates
Sherlie Bates
Few Century Farm families in the twentieth century have
specialized in custom meat production and processing as the Bates family of
In 1950, Frank Peyton and Howard Oldham Bates inherited
the family landholdings. They improved their father’s meat business by building
a custom slaughterhouse. The quality of their hams became renowned in both
Between 1966 and 1969, the brothers’ widows, Clara and
Julia Bates, inherited the farm. Today, they share ownership of the land with
Julia’s son Sherlie Lee Bates, who, together with Howard P. Bates, raises the
farm’s cattle and tobacco.
Sammie Major
Located approximately nine miles south of
In 1892, the family’s 313 acres passed into the hands of
Wilson Bradshaw Major, the founder’s grandson.
In 1978, Will Allen Major inherited a farm of 167 acres.
He owned a total of 248 acres devoted to the production of beef and dairy
cattle, swine, hay and vegetables. Today, the farm is owned by his wife, Sammie
Major. Beech Hill Farm presently retains four of its nineteenth century farm
structures: a two-story dwelling, a two-story log and smokehouse, the original
log kitchen and a barn.
Grace Harding Harbison
William
Amzi Bell acquired 191 acres 9 miles northeast on
The living room and dining room of Mrs. Harbison’s residence are rooms from the 1875 White Plantation overseer’s house. The house was enlarged in 1907 and 1917 by her mother, Mary Ellen Bell Harding. Mrs. Harbsion manages the farm where today hay and cattle are grown.
Charlene B. Key
On February 15, 1886, William Lapsley Bentley purchased a hundred
acres northwest of
In 1928, William passed
away and the farm was acquired by his widow Portia. Although Portia owned the
farm, John Prim and his wife Rubye Simms Bentley also lived on the farm and
they managed the farming operation together. The family reports that during the
1940s, the farm was one of the sites of the United States Army maneuvers training
soldiers for the invasion of Europe through
In 1958, John Prim Bentley acquired the property. He and his wife
Rubye were the parents of William H. and Charlene. The family continued to produce the same
crops and livestock with the addition of sorghum cane, soy beans, fescue,
apples, peaches, and mules. While managing the farm, John also served as a
Wilson County School Board member from the early 1950s until his death in 1963.
He also was an elder of Melrose Cumberland Presbyterian Church and an active
member of the Grange. Rubye was also
active in the community and taught elementary school for 25 years. Their
daughter, Charlene was an active 4-H club member and won many awards for
raising poultry and dressmaking. She was
an active member of the Home Demonstration Club and in 2006 she co-edited “The
History of Home Demonstration Clubs in
In 1994, the granddaughter of the founder, Charlene Bentley Key
acquired the farm. Married to Richard
Key, daughter Janelle Key Marks was involved in 4-H for nine years with
gardening as one of her main projects.
She was the national 4-H Horticulture winner in 1987. The Keys continue the tradition of producing
a variety of crops on the farm where they raise fescue, winter wheat, tomatoes,
sweet corn, green beans, lima beans, field peas, okra, cucumbers, summer
squash, winter squash, eggplant, peppers, turnips and turnip greens, kale,
Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, lettuce, radishes, English peas,
blackberries, pears, and black walnuts. A farm house, a barn, and a smoke house
that were built in the early 1900s are also part of one of
In 1823, Calvin and Susanna Bass Jones purchased 96.5 acres and established a farm west of Watertown. Calvin, the father of two daughters, operated a blacksmith shop in addition to harvesting crops of corn, wheat and clover. Amanda Jones Berry, the wife of John N. Berry, became the farm’s second generation owner in 1899. She was the mother of two children. During this period, little in the farm’s activities changed and the crops remained the same as those of the founders.
In 1973, the great great granddaughters of Calvin and Susanna Jones, Mary Inez Duff and Martha Duff Adkerson, received title to 50 acres of the original family farm. The sisters managed over 200 acres and raised hay and Hereford cattle for nearly 30 years. With the death of Martha Adkerson in 2002, her daughters, Susan A. Diskmukes and Sandra A. Malone inherited the farm. Susan and her husband Granville “Bo” Dismukes acquired her sister’s portion of the farm and continue to raise hay and run cattle on the farm. A nineteenth century grainery and an early twentieth century barn remain on the farm (see also Philips Farm).
Billy Comer
The
Billy Comer Farm originates with the holdings of James Freeland and Annie Jenny
Birchett Comer. During their ownership, the farm produced cattle and hay. The
founder worked the 194 acres from 1882 until his death in 1935. After the death of Herman, son of the
founder, and wife Nannie, the current owner acquired this property from the
other heirs in 1980. Beef cattle and hay are grown by the founder’s grandson
and his sons, the fourth generation of Comers to live on this property.
Ann S. Boyd
Victoria Ann Wilson
Michael Brent Boyd
Located ten miles west of
After Wilson and Alsey died, their
children continued to live on the farm. Henry Ewing married Addie Elsea and
they had six children. Their names were Frank Wilson, James Hugh, Flora Soper,
Durward Escue, Ruth Miller and Henry Louis. According to the family, when Louis
was between three and four years of age, Addie died. As a result, their aunts
Harriet, Sally and Mary helped Henry raise the children.
In 1953, Henry Louis Bloodworth and
his wife Evelyn Anderson Bloodworth became the owners of the property. They had
two children, Ann Soper and Robert Henry.
On the thirty-five acres, the family raised corn, tobacco, hay,
vegetables and blackberries. In addition to working on the farm, Louis was a
Civil Engineer who helped construct the
Today, the farm is owned by Ann
Soper Bloodworth Boyd, the great granddaughter of the founder. Ann belongs to the Wilson County Farm
Bureau and the La Guardo Home
Demonstration Club. Ann recalls that she was very active in the 4-H club during
her grammar school years. An excellent
seamstress, Ann often made dresses and received recognition by winning first
prize for one of her dresses and selling other dresses at the State Fair in
Photo: A view of the original farm house on the Bloodworth Homeplace Century Farm.
Linda Gayle Wright Nipp
and Robert Nipp
George Washington Wright founded the Blue Lake Ranch in 1891.
Located in the Rural Hill community, the farm was initially 153 acres and
produced cotton, tobacco, corn, wheat and hay. In addition, the Wrights raised
mules, cattle, goats, turkeys, chickens and hogs. Near the farm was the Wright general store
and blacksmith shop. The Wright store housed the post office of the community
of Dodosburg (pronounced Dotisburg). George served as the postmaster in 1884
and his brother, John W. Wright, was postmaster when it was discontinued in 1903.
After that time, the mail was delivered from
George was married twice and he fathered two children by the first
marriage to Lucy Frances Guill and six children by the second marriage to Mary
Ajen Drennan Robinson. During George
Wright’s ownership of the land, the Stone’s River-Baird’s Mill Turnpike, now
Central Pike, was built. The road became the boundary line of the Wright farm
and rock used to construct the pike was quarried on the farm.
After George and his wife
Mary passed away, their son, Dr. James Lee Wright, bought out the other heirs
of the property and became the sole owner of the land in 1907. James graduated
from the Nashville School of Medicine in 1896 and he practiced medicine from
his home on Central Pike for more than 50 years. According to family tradition,
James “was known to barter his medical services for livestock and land if his
patients were unable to pay in cash.” In addition to practicing medicine, James
managed the farm and cultivated crops such as corn, lespedeza hay, tobacco and
soybeans.
James was married to Lola
Ruth Cawthon and they had two children.
The family also raised goats, turkeys, chickens, hogs, beef and dairy
cattle. In the 1930s, the farm operated a dairy business, which continued until
the 1970s, being operated by the Wright’s son-in-law, Wendell Simpson who was
married to their daughter Christine. During the years of World War II, the
farm, like many other farms in middle
In 1959, Christine Wright and her brother James Douglas Wright,
along with their spouses, became the next owners of the farm. Under their
ownership,
In 1990, the great-granddaughter of the founders, Linda Gayle
Wright Nipp, and her husband, Robert Nipp, became the owners of the farm. They
raise and board horses and maintain extensive riding trails. Today, the farm
has many buildings from the early years including a corncrib, milk barn, silos,
a springhouse and the farmhouse.
Photo:
The farm house on the Blue Lake Ranch.
Lillian M. Burton
Mary Burton
Agricultural innovation and adaptation are the themes
that bind the generations who have lived and worked on the Burton Century Farm.
Purchasing 168 acres for $1,515 in 1847, Samuel and Dicey White Smith
established the
At an undetermined time in the nineteenth century, Mary
Smith Burton and her husband Robert L. Burton bought the Smith landholdings.
Robert and Mary, who were the parents of six children, operated a highly
diversified farm. Corn, sorghum, broom corn, grapes, asparagus, sheep and mules
were just some of their agricultural commodities. When Robert died in 1911,
Mary Smith Burton gained complete control of the farm’s 500 acres. She served
as its manager for the next eighteen years and in 1924, her sons planted “the
first burley tobacco crop grown for market in
In 1929, Samuel and Marticia Northern Burton inherited
the farm. They continued its progressive management and during the Great
Depression, in 1930, they harvested and sold strawberries. The family also
began to breed “fine gaited walking horses.” Marticia assumed the farm’s
operations when Samuel Burton died in 1952. She sold almost 100 acres of the
farm for the construction of Old Hickory Dam and
Marticia left the farm to her children, Mary Burton and
Robert S. Burton, in 1962. Robert, Mary and Robert S. Burton, Jr., cultivated
tobacco and a vegetable garden. The
The Burton Farm gains added significance from its
retaining nineteenth century farm structures. The property still contains two
log houses, three log corn cribs, a log granary, smokehouse and calf shed.
Claudette Carter Goad
Bethany Anne Goad Wright
Robbie Delynn Goad
Charles T. Carter founded the Carter Farm in 1840. With his wife
Julia M. Calhoun and their ten children, the family worked the 96 acres and
produced corn, tobacco, hay and cattle. Charles T. Carter, Jr. was the next
owner of the land. He married Mattie Elizabeth Roemack and they were the
parents of four children, including Alonza, who was the third-generation owner.
Alonzo and his wife Hattie Lou Simpson were the parents of four
children, including Claud, Inez, Charles T. and Otis, and they continued to
raise a variety of crops and livestock.
The Carter Farm was the site of army maneuvers in preparation for
World War II, and with the family’s Century Farm nomination materials, they
submitted a copy of their 1942 certificate, which was presented by the “Victory
Committee” to farm families who cooperated with the War Emergency Programs.
Today, the daughter of the Claud and Pauline Carter, Claudette
Carter Goad, along with husband Wayne Goad and their daughters, Bethany Goad
Wright and Robbie Goad, are the farm’s owners. Cattle, hay and tobacco are the
primary crops grown currently grown on the land, where three generations now
reside. Additionally, a post office that was used when the farm was Route 10
and mail was delivered in horse and buggy still stands on the land today.
Wesley L. Farris
Margaret Jane Boaton
Farris
The Carter-Miller Farm, located near
Billy L. and Margie L.
Trice
Cameron
Ozment established a farm 3 miles south of
The current owner, Billy Trice is the great
grandson of the founders. He and his wife Margie and their three children
continue to tradition on 33 acres that still supports crops of hay and tobacco.
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie L.
Burton
Descendents of Samuel and Dicey Smith also established
the Cedar Acres Farm, which lies eleven miles northwest of
In 1929, Edmund and Emma Peek Burton inherited 92 acres
of the family landholdings. Producing a range of commodities from tobacco to
watermelons to mules, Edmund met with substantial success and expanded his farm
to over 400 acres. He and Emma were the parents of thirteen children and “all
worked on the farm.” Edmund died in 1954 and Emma assumed control of the
family’s 92 acres. Two years later, Leslie L. Burton received title to Cedar
Acres. For the last 30 years, he has managed its fields and pastures. The great
grandson of the founder, Leslie raised tobacco, corn, hay, vegetables and
livestock in 1976. The farm at that time retained much of its nineteenth century
landscape, including the founder’s log house, a log corn crib and a barn.
Louis Chambers
Margaret Chambers
In 1847, John and Margaret Reece Palmer founded the
Chambers family farm four miles north of
In 1958, Louis Chambers, a great grandson, and Margaret Chambers Burton, a great great granddaughter of the founders, inherited 700 acres of the family landholdings. They raise cattle, corn, oats, barley and hay and store a portion of their harvest in a mid-nineteenth century log barn.
Eric and Cathy Hoagland
In
the Gladeville community is the farm established by Joseph Allen and Nancy
Bettis Clemmons in 1880. Clemmons Farm
was the drop-off point for mail going to the Gladeville Post Office and each
day when the delivery was made, Joseph Clemmons would stop his work and carry
the mail to the post office. The
founders built a two-room dwelling with brick fireplaces which was enlarged
over the years and remains the main farm house.
The house is built of a variety of native woods including oak, cedar,
and poplar. Other significant buildings
include a double-walled smokehouse and a 1901 barn with stone foundation.
The
founder’s son, Howard Edwin, and wife Emma Bell Haralson Clemmons, gave the
right of way on both sides of
In
1962, the granddaughter of the founder, Emma Ruth Clemmons Hoagland acquired
the farm. Over the years, Emma and her husband Gwynn E. Hoagland planted
seventy-five trees. While part of the land was used for woodlands, some of the
acreage was used for pasture and for producing fruit trees.
Margaret Mitchell
John Mitchell
A future member of the Tennessee House of
Representatives, Captain Archie Debrow Norris, and his wife Sarah Baird Norris
established the Clendennan’s Branch Farm, located twelve miles northeast of
Mattie Belle Norris Lamb and her spouse John P. C. Lamb
were the second generation owners of Clendennan’s Branch. They acquired the
farm’s original 82 acres and expanded their landholdings to approximately 122
acres. Like many twentieth century farmers in Middle Tennessee, the Lambs
planted tobacco as a major cash crop. Their labor also produced corn, wheat,
oats, swine, sheep and beef cattle.
In 1956, Margaret Elizabeth Lamb Mitchell inherited the
original Norris acreage. She is the founders’ granddaughter and the wife of
Jerry E. Mitchell. Twenty years after obtaining the land, the Mitchell family
farmed over 440 acres, raising beef cattle, tobacco, corn and hay.
Mr. and Mrs. James
Duncan Ligon
Mr. and Mrs. Herschel
Cloyd Ligon
Mr. and Mrs, W. J. McCluskey
Cloydland Farm is in
Dora T. Cloyd, an unmarried granddaughter of John and
Margaret Cloyd, was the farm’s third owner. In 1916, James Duncan Ligon, the
great grandson of the founders, acquired all of the original Cloydland acreage.
The farm’s history also documents early twentieth century experiments with
purebred cattle, swine and sheep.
Herschel continued the
farming traditions of his family. He was founder and president of “Registered
Farmers of America and Associated Consumers.” Twice he testified before the
Senate and House Agricultural committees. He was featured in a television
program and a number of newspaper articles. For example, the Tennessean ran an article in 1991 with a
photograph of his Poland China sows which he was exhibiting at the Tennessee
Pork convention at
Photo:
Bill Ligon receives a certificate, booklet and letter of recognition
from (Left) Terry Oliver, Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of
Agriculture and Governor Phil Bredesen at the Farmland Legacy
Conference on October 10, 2008.
Herman Comer, Jr. and Sue
Trice Comer
James
Freeland and Annie Jenny Birchett Comer established this farm in 1882. They grew hay, sorghum, and wheat as well as
fruits. Their son, Herman, and wife Nannie Rushing Comer added tobacco and
cattle. Herman and Nannie had three sons -- Herman, Billy Rushing, and
Sam David.
In
1978, the current owner and the grandson of the founder, Herman Comer, Jr.
acquired the farm. Today, Herman and his wife, Sue Trice Comer continue to
manage the farm that produces cattle, pasture, hay and emu.
Eulexis Kelly Cook
Located several miles west of
In 1944, Susan and Eulexis’s son,
Joe L. Cook, acquired the farm. Under his ownership, many of the same livestock
and crops were raised with the addition of horses. He and his wife Claude
Johnson had five children. Their names were Joe L. Jr., Sue, Joanne, Johnson
and Eulexis Kelly.
In 1973,
the grandson of the founder, Eulexis “Lex” Kelly Cook, acquired the farm.
Today, Lex still lives on the land with wife Sylvia McFarland, where he manages
the farm and raises cattle, hay and garden vegetables. A smokehouse, sheep
barn, slave cabin, tool shed, chicken house and a tobacco barn remain on the
farm that retains the name and the land of the founders of the historic farm
founded 125 years ago.
Upper
Photo: The chicken house on the Cook’s Hill Farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Harding Cunningham
During
the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries, farm families
relied on mules to power their plows, threshers, wagons and other implements.
There was always a great demand for a good mule and many farmers, such as the
Cunnighams of Wilson County, took advantage of this market and bred mules to be
sold throughout the South. The 18th Civil District of Wilson County
is home to the Cunningham Farm, located four miles east of Norene. William
Warren of
Shortly before the Civil War, in 1860, John and Sarah
Warren Cunnigham acquired family land totaling 267 acres. Sarah was the
founder’s daughter and like her father, she was an early organizer of the
The great grandson of the founder, Massey Cyrus
Cunnigham, and his wife Willie Ashworth acquired 60 acres of the original farm
in 1906. Massey purchased the other shares of the property and eventually
developed a farm of 250 acres that produced apples, peaches, corn, wheat, hay
and livestock. Massey and Willie Cunningham raised six children and in 1971,
Harold Harding Cunningham and his wife inherited the land. Harold is the
founders’ great great grandson and as of 1976, his agricultural products were
swine, cattle, silage, hay and tobacco.
Photo: The Cunningham Family poses in front of their house.
Margaret Dillard Gentry
and Richard B. Gentry
Linda Dillard Jones
Located in the Taylorsville Community, the Dillard Farm was
founded in 1897 by Andrew Jackson Tomlinson and his wife, Arizona Conatser
Tomlinson. The 163 acres produced tobacco, hay, corn, and a vegetable garden
and supported cattle, sheep, hogs, mules, horses, and chickens. He built a house, barn, smokehouse, storm
cellar, and chicken house on the land.
The couple had four children. Their daughter, Daisy Tomlinson Dillard,
was the next owner of the land, along with her husband, Andrew J. Dillard. The farm produced tobacco, corn, hay, cattle,
hogs, sheep and mules. A part of the
Second Army training and maneuvers of 1942-44 occurred on the farm. The current
owners are the founder’s great granddaughters, Margaret Dillard Gentry, and her
husband, Richard Gentry, and Linda Dillard Jones. The 163 acre farm now produces hay and
cattle. A primary family house, used for
storage, still stands on the land today.
Thomas Mitchell Dobson
Thomas M. Dobson, Jr.
Marie E. Dobson
Jeanette Dobson Vance
Donna Dobson Goff
In 1803, Benjamin Dobson established the Dobson Farm in the
Gladeville community. Benjamin and wife Elizabeth traveled on horseback from
In 1828, William R. Dobson became
the next owner of the land. Under his ownership, cotton, oats, sheep and geese
were added to the farm’s products. Married twice, William fathered 10 children.
Benjamin B. Dobson was the third generation to own the farm. Along
with his wife, Sarah J. Partlow, they had three children. In 1879, Benjamin and
his family traveled to
Benjamin and Sarah’s son, Thomas M.
Dobson Sr., acquired the property in 1890. Thomas and his wife, Evie G. Smith,
were the parents of 11 children. Thomas also served as a rural mail courier for
the community, traveling by horse and buggy. In 1907, Thomas built a farmhouse
with the lumber from
In 1946, Thomas M. Dobson Jr., the
great-great-grandson of the founder, acquired the land. He and wife Marie have
made the farm their home. Their children, Thomas Mitchell Dobson, Jeanette
Dobson Vance and Donna Dobson Goff, are also owners of the farm, while
grandsons Thomas and Michael Dobson and Thomas Adam and David Austin Goff
assist with the farm work.
Today, the 66 acres produces hay, oats, corn, cattle, hogs and
soybeans. The farmhouse that was built
in 1907, and where Thomas M. Dobson Jr. was born, became the first house the
Tennessee Valley Authority provided electricity to west of 231 in
Photo:
The farm house on the Dobson Farm.
Ethelyne D. Lannom
Jackson Lannom
In 1893, Robert Newton Donnell established the Donnell Farm.
Located south east of
Married to Lantie D. Donnell, the couple had four
children—Alexander Clarence, Robert Stone, Henry Toy and Martha Christine.
During World War I, Alexander Clarence served overseas. After he returned from
the war, he married Fannie Ethel Turner. Not long after, Robert constructed a
second house for Alexander.
In 1954, Henry Toy Donnell acquired
the land. Along with his wife, Willie Davis, they cultivated hay, corn,
tobacco, small grains and raised livestock.
Ethelyne D. Lannom, niece of the founders, acquired the farm in 1974. Today, Ethelyne and her husband Jackson Lannom continue to own and manage the land. David Wrather raises livestock and hay on the property.
Earle Towns
Around 1800, Thomas Drennan
established a farm near what is now known as Stewarts Ferry Pike. Although he
farmed in the area for over thirty years, little else is known about the
founder. After Thomas passed away, he was buried in the family cemetery on the property.
In 1835, Thomas’s son, William
Drennan purchased the property from other heirs and became the sole owner of
the farm. Married to Catherine Drennan, the couple raised hay, corn and cattle
on the land. As time moved on, the couple’s daughter, Cynthia Drennan McMenaway
inherited the land.
In 1917, the farm passed to
Cynthia’s sons, J. W. and Luke McMenaway. In 1925, J. W.’s son and daughter,
Horace McMenaway and Ollie McMenaway Bland obtained the land, however, in 1937,
Ollie’s daughter, Mary Bland Towns and her husband Earle Towns became the
owners of the property. Mary and Earle had three children. There names were
Photo: Many of the family members of the Drennan family are buried in the family cemetery on the farm property.
Mr. and Mrs. John Nelson
Bryan, Sr.
Breeding livestock for work and show has always been an
important activity on the Dromoland Farm. Established by Nelson J. and Minerva
Waters Bryan in 1836, Dromoland Farm is five miles south of
In 1943, the farm passed into the hands of John Nelson
Bryan, Sr., the great grandson of the founders. John worked 200 acres and
plants tobacco, fruit, vegetables and hay. Like his grandfather and father,
John also specializes in livestock production, breeding mules and Black Angus
cattle. Of the farm’s mid-nineteenth century structures, only a barn and corn
crib are standing.
Jess Bass
Established in 1858 by William B. Jennings, the Everett
Century Farm lies in western
In 1938, Jess Bass Everett acquired all of the original
Helen Sanders Grandstaff
David
Wilson Grandstaff, the founder of the Grandstaff Farm, was a lieutenant in the Confederate Army and sheriff of
The
grandchildren of the founders continued to raise beef and dairy cattle, sheep,
hogs, corn, hay on 116 acres. Will Frank
and Walter Edwin Grandstaff bought the
farm from the other heirs in 1940. Walter and his wife, Helen Sanders
Grandstaff, purchased Will’s interest in the farm in 1946. Their children were
active in 4-H and two were state winners in sheep project. Edwin Grandstaff built a small spring-fed
lake that supplies water to the residence and livestock. He also coached the TRX baseball team in the
community for many years and was on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors and
active in the beginning of the Farmers Co-op in
The original house, incorporated into the current farm house, is said to be the first in the community to have an indoor bathroom (added around 1910) which operated by gravity from a cistern on a tall platform. A smokehouse and granary and well as a one- room log cabin used as a tenant house and now a tobacco barn remain from the nineteenth century.
Photo: The farm house on the Grandstaff Farm.
Raymond G. Wright
Nelson and Emmie Lou
Steed
Benjamin
G. Graves and Mildred Hancock Graves established a 100 acre farm 8 miles west
of
The
founder’s son, James M. Graves owned a small farm adjoining his parents and
acquired their farm as well in 1872. He
and his wife Elizabeth Ann Conyer had 10 children. One son, Thomas Rutherford Graves became the
owner in 1888. Joseph Hollis Wright and
wife Martha Susanna, daughter of James M. Graves, succeeded him in 1898. She became the sole owners in 1914. Two members of the
Joseph Frederick Wright, great grandson of the founder and son of Martha acquired the property in 1939. During this ownership, many changes took place on the farm. Electricity was connected; the county road was paved; the first tractor was bought; tobacco was grown for the first time; TVA transmission lines were built across the land in 1942; and the farm was used by Gen. George S. Patton for maneuvers of the 2nd Army. Joseph and his wife Margaret Susan Eagan Wright had five children. Three of their sons served in World War II and Joseph Edward, a pilot in the Army air Corp, was killed during the war. A fourth son, Raymond Graves Wright became the owner of the farm in 1966. His daughter Emmie Lou and husband Nelson Steed acquired 12 acres of the original farm in 1997. Three generations of the Graves/Wright families live and work the property today.
In 1870, as
Siblings Ida Johnson Groom and Andy
Johnson inherited the farm in 1897. Andy later sold his part of the farm to
Ida’s husband, R. W. Groom. During the
Groom’s ownership, old farm house was replaced with a new one in 1917 and a new
barn was built the following year. R. W.
Groom installed a Delco lighting system.
The family grew corn, tobacco, wheat and hay and raised hogs, cattle,
mules and horses.
In 2001, Dwight G. Saddler, a direct
descendent of John C. Johnson, became
the owner of the property. Today, three generations live on the farm including
Dwight and his wife Bulah Katherine Melton, their two sons, Eric and Jared, and
grandchildren Evan and Ella. Dwight is
the manager and raises corn, tobacco, wheat, hay, hogs and cattle on the land
that has been farmed by his family for 140 years.
Photo: Image of John C. Johnson, founder.
Loretta Haley
In 1834, John George established the Haley Farm that is
located four miles east of
The next owner of the farm was the grandson of the
founder, John Samuel Haley, Jr. Along with his wife, Hattie Jones Haley, the
couple had one child. During his ownership, the farm produced the same products
as the founder.
John Smith Haley was the next owner of the land. Wed to
Mattie Frances Agee Haley, the couple had two children, William T. Haley and
Loretta K. Haley. After John and his wife died, the farm was inherited by
William and Loretta.
In 1991, Loretta bought her brother’s interest and she
became the sole owner of the farm. A farm house that was built in 1937 still
stands on the property.
Mary Grace Haley Gregory
and Sarah Carolyn Haley Hogue
In 1821, David Young came from
The founders’ son, David Young Jr.,
acquired the property following his father’s death in 1856. Along with wife
Mary “Polly” Calhoun Young, they reared seven children—Thomas Calhoun, Amanda,
Thomas was the next owner of the farm. He
married Mary A. Carter Young and they had four children. In addition to
managing the farm, Thomas was a member of the Big Springs Presbyterian Church.
His son, Thomas Lee Calhoun “TLC” Young, was the next owner of the property.
Under TLC’s ownership, the farm produced corn, hay, wheat,
tobacco, jacks, jennets, mules, horses, cattle and sheep. According to the
family, TLC was a pioneer breeder of five-gaited and three-gaited American
Saddlebred horses. The family reports that he was the first man in
The farm passed to their daughter, Kate Eula Young Murphy, and
then the great-great-great-grandson of the founder, Charles Young Haley, who
was married to Margaret H. Phillips, eventually obtained it. The Youngs
produced wheat, corn, hay, cattle, horses and tobacco. The daughters of Charles
and Margaret, Mary Grace Haley Gregory and Sarah Carolyn Haley Hogue, acquired
the farm in 1997. The acreage is currently leased to Jerry and Earl Burton.
Joe Wayne Hardy and Jean Lannom Hardy
In
1868, George Washington Sullivan established a farm of 65 acres west of
Ashley
Eli Sullivan, acquired the property in 1924 and continued growing many of the
same crops and added registered Herefords.
The cedar rail fences were sold to pay for the farm. The horse drawn equipment was mostly replaced
by tractors and machines during this time. However, a horse-drawn l-cycle
cut-off saw was used to cut wood for the community. Progressive farmers, the
Sullivans were one of the first families in the county to grow crimson clover
for a cash-crop.
The
current owner, the great-grandson of the founder, Joe Wayne Hardy acquired the
farm in 1958. With a total of 155 acres,
beef cattle and hay are raised. Fences
were moved and land given for the farm for widening of the Leeville-Gladeville
Raod in 1976. A log wheat house that was constructed in the nineteenth century
still stands and is used as a storage shed.
Photo:
George Washington Sullivan and his wife Mary Elizabeth Young Sullivan along
with the next owner and wife Ashley Eli Sullivan and Eva Gibson Sullivan stand
in front of the original farm house on the Hardy Farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Claude
Harris
Over the last 160 years, the Harris Hereford Farm has
evolved from a self-sustaining nineteenth century homestead into a modern
specialized livestock farm. Dr. Jacob and Nancy Miles Woodrum established the
farm, which is two miles southwest of Gladeville, in 1818. Woodrum, a native of
In 1835, Elizabeth Woodrum Harris and her husband Alfred
H. Harris obtained 143 acres of the farm. They later sold 34 acres of this
property. Elizabeth and Alfred raised seven children. In 1891, E. L. Harris
received title to the family’s 109 acres. The great grandson of the founders,
Harris was a profitable general farmer at the turn of the century. To increase
his level of productivity, he tried new farming techniques and increased his
landholdings by 132 acres.
E. L. Harris wed Ann Sinclair and they were the parents
of seven children, one of whom, Guill Alden Harris, acquired 240 acres in 1944.
The agricultural operations of Guill and his wife Ruby Swain became more
specialized in the areas of corn, beef cattle and dairy production.
In 1974, Claude Swain Harris took possession of the
family farm and now owns 309 acres, devoted to the production of beef cattle.
He is the great great great grandson of Jacob and Nancy Woodrum.
Kenneth Harris and Kay Smith
William
R. Lannom purchased approximately 160 acres 9miles south of Labanon in
1856. His family, wife Sallie Leath
Lannom, and their 10 children, raised cotton, corn, wheat, horses, cattle, and
swine. Their son, Nathan P. Lannom and
his wife Caldonia Tennessee Burke, increased the holdings to a substantial 600
acres. A saw mill was purchased in 1884
and a grist mill added the following year to grind flour, wheat, and corn for
the family and the community. Their daughter, Lucy Jane, married Asaph A.
Harris in 1890, and he became the next owner of the property. Lucy was born in 1873 in the original frame
dwelling built by her grandfather or father (now the front three rooms of the
current farm house) was married there, and died there in 1954. She and her husband, known as Uncle Sap,
hosted a party every July 11th,
his birthday, for over 50 years. The
Harris family would provide barbeque and family and friends, numbering as many
as 200, would bring baskets of food to
add to the dinner.
Son, Wesley Bryan Harris and wife Carrie Sanders Harris and their three children continued farming 185 acres. Carrie Harris Lannom, who acquired the property in 1983 and husband, Earl Lannom. who was the great-grandson of the founder, raised horses, cattle, hay and pasture lands. Kenneth Harris is the great-great grandson of the founders. Part of the existing farmhouse was built around 1860 and generations have been born, lived, and died in this dwelling.
Photo: The
farm house on the Harris-Lannom Farm.
Mary Jo Young
Hill Top Farm, northeast of
John R. Trice
John A. Trice
Timothy Greene
Located four miles northwest of
In 1902, Eddie Walter Smith obtained the entire farm to
which he later added 100 more acres. Like his father, Eddie practiced mixed
agriculture. He wed Minnie Bradshaw and they raised two children. Their
daughter Eddie Smith Clay inherited the farm in 1945. She supervised the farm’s
operations for over 40 years and pointed out that she “was one of the first to
harvest and sell Kentucky 31 Fescue seed in
Glynda H. Falconberry
Edna H. McKnight
On 85 acres located two and a half miles northwest of Cainsville, George
G. and Mahale Williams Huddleston founded the Huddleston Century Farm in 1846.
George, who later increased his farm boundaries by 279 acres, was a profitable
antebellum farmer of corn, wheat, hay, cattle, swine and sheep. He and Mahale
had seven children, one of whom became a doctor and another an attorney. Thomas
A. Huddleston, however, stayed on the farm, purchasing his brothers’ and
sisters’ shares and acquiring full control of the property in 1884. Together
with his spouse Etta Neely and his nine children, Huddleston managed a typical
farm of the late nineteenth century. Corn, wheat, hay, red clover and cattle
were his agricultural products.
The founders’ grandson and great grandsons, Jim
Huddleston and Benton and Glen Huddleston, received title to 166.7 acres of the
family land in 1938. Jim’s wife was Cora Hall and besides Benton and Glen, Cora
raised six other children.
In 1957, Glen Hall Huddleston obtained the founders’
original 166.7 acres. With a total of over 436 acres at his disposal, Glen
raised hay, corn and beef cattle. In 1997, Glen passed away and the farm was
acquired by his two daughters, Glynda H. Falconberry and Edna H. McKnight.
Charles L. and Minnie F.
Huddleston
Charles L. Huddleston, II and Lisa M. Huddleston
Sarah
Warren’s family had lived in the area for many years when she met and married Jesse
E Huddleston, who owned property adjacent to her parent’s farm. On 151 acres, they grew corn, tobacco, hay,
and produced molasses. Jesse and Sarah had two children, however, one of them
only lived a few months. Jesse died when he was 25 leaving Sarah and two-year
old son George. Their way of life was
one of real hardship until George became old enough to help his mother run the
farm.
In
1914, World War I began and George was drafted into the U. S. Army in 1917. A
year later, George was wounded in the war and he was discharged with
tuberculosis. His mother went to
In
the 1940s, the farm like many in Middle Tennessee, was used extensively for
maneuvers. According to the family, fences and trees were destroyed and fox
holes dug in the fields and forest.
Sarah Jane often gave food and water from the well to grateful soldiers.
After World War II, George, who had been working in a defense factory, and his
family returned to the farm and he began to raise feeder pigs and goats. George Huddleston used the farm as collateral
for loans many times during his long life but repaid every debt so that the
farm was clear when he died at the age of 89.
In
1992, Charles L. and Minnie Huddleston and their son and wife became the third
and fourth generations to live on the land. About 40% of the farm is in forest
Charles
Huddleston helped to clear the right of way for TVA power in this area as a
teen. He also worked on the extant bridge across Spring Creek and
Photo:
A view of the landscape on the Huddleston Heritage Farm.
Timothy A. Hudson, Sr.
The Hudson Farm on the
As time moved on, the land passed
to Green’s and Sallie’s son, Martin Hudson. Martin was married to Fanny Hudson
and they had nine children. Under their ownership, they raised beef cattle,
cotton and tobacco. The farm then passed to Clarence Hudson and his wife Leila
Christian.
Today, the wife of the founder’s great-grandson, Clarence Hudson, owns 39 acres and great great grandson, Timothy Hudson, Sr. and his wife and three children own 10 acres. Timothy Hudson, Sr. works both farms. Beef cattle are raised and clearing and reclamation of the land continues.
James Harvey Davis Farm
The James Harvey Davis Farm has enjoyed an interesting and varied history
for more than 180 years of continuous operation. Located near Laguardo, Tenn.,
the farm was established in 1824 by James Harvey Davis, who purchased 98 acres
for $196. Like many antebellum farmers in Tennessee, Davis grew cotton, tobacco,
wheat, oats and corn. In 1860, on the eve of the Civil War, Davis began building
a large home, constructed of bricks made on-site by slaves. The war halted the
work when the house was only three-quarters finished. During the Civil War,
Union soldiers occupied the house and used the top floor as a lookout. The Civil
War touched the family in other ways too, as two sons, John and Bunkum, joined
the 18th Confederate Infantry. Bunkum eventually became its chaplain and the
family still has the Bible he carried throughout the war.
In 1861, the Davis family donated land to the Laguardo Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, which is still in existence. James Davis died in 1864 before the house
was complete, but the family was able to finish construction in 1865. James
Davis is buried in the family cemetery on the farm. James Davis married twice,
first to Penelope Drake, with whom he had eight children. He and his second
wife, Eliza Thomas, also had eight children.
Emma Davis, one of James Davies’ daughters, inherited the family farm in
1864, which by this time had grown to approximately 2,000 acres. Emma, who
remained unmarried, employed an overseer, a former slave named Andrew Hunter
Davis to help her with farm operations. At J. A. Davis’ death, A.H. Davis was
given a piece of property and used part of it to build a chapel. He became known
as the Rev. Andrew Davis and preached at the church for many years.
Known today as the Andy Davis Chapel at Laguardo, the building is the
site of a reunion held by descendants of Andy Davis’ large family every other
year. The owners of the James Harvey Davis Farm always welcome those who gather
at the farm where their patriarch was the overseer.
Stories related to the long history of the Davis Farm are many. For example,
local lore recounts that Jesse James buried the loot from his robbery of the
Bank of Russellville, Ky. on the farm during the late 19th century. Stories also
circulated that his brother, Frank James, who lived in Wilson County at the
time, retrieved the treasure.
Gemma Gause Adams, a granddaughter of James Harvey Davis and her husband,
Edward Everett Adams, became the next owners of the Davis Farm.
The farm supported hay, cattle and general farming. Gemma and Edward
Everett Adams were the parents of two children, Sidney Virginia Adams and Alfred
A. Adams IV, who inherited the family farm in 1932. Alfred married Louise Green
and they were the parents of Alfred Armstrong V. The farm consisted of 200 acres
during Alfred and Louise’s tenure and produced Black Angus cattle and hay.
Military maneuvers were held on portions of the farm during World War II.
The fifth-generation owner, Alfred A. Adams V, is descended from James
Harvey Davis and his second wife, Eliza Thomas. Alfred acquired the farm in
1953, and he and his wife, Annette, and their son, Fred, raise hay and Black
Angus cattle on the farm named for the founder.
Photo: Farmhouse on the James Harvey Davis Farm
Richard Kent Dudley
The Kenton Farm was established by Barry Cooper Kenton in 1891.
Married to Clarenda Howell, the couple had one child, Thomas Chapman
Kenton. On 108 acres, the family raised
corn, tobacco and cattle. Kenton
continued to acquire property and at his death in 1937, “owned approximately
1200 acres on Benders Ferry and the surrounding community. “
The second generation to own the
property was Thomas Chapman Kenton and his wife Mary Etta Jones. Their children
were Nelle Geneva, Icie Lee, Ridley Wesley, Boyd B. Sonny and Bess. During
their ownership, the farm produced cattle, tobacco and vegetables. In 1937, Bess Kenton Williams obtained the
land. Bess and her husband, J. Luther Williams, raised cattle and tobacco,
The current owner and great, great
grandson of the founder, Richard Kent Dudley, acquired the farm in 1997. The farm supports cattle, goats, and
vegetables.
Rodney Purnell
The Kingswood
Farm, located seven miles east of
F. A. and Mary Harris had two children. Sue Ella Harris
King, the great niece of Baker Harris, and her husband John W. King became the
farm’s third owners after acquiring 200 acres in 1896. The Kings, parents of
two children, expanded the size of the farmhouse. In 1917, their daughter Lucy
King Purnell and her spouse Charles D. Purnell became the new owners. Charles
worked 300 acres of land and specialized in the breeding of registered
In 1967, Rodney K. Purnell inherited 300 acres of
Josiah Wood and his wife, Elizabeth,
had six children and raised corn, hay, produce, cattle and horses. More than 50
years later, Josiah’s son, L. W. Wood, acquired the 199-acre farm and the
ferry. He married Indiana Freeman Wood, and the couple had two children, Lottie
and Nannie Wood Kirkpatrick.
In 1904, the farm passed to Nannie
and her husband, Lemuel R. Kirkpatrick, and it is from these owners that the
farm’s name is derived. They were the parents of six children, and the family
raised tobacco, corn, hay, vegetables, cattle and horses. A private lake on the
property, Kirkpatrick Lake, was a popular place for fishing and boating.
George Milton Kirkpatrick became the fourth-generation owner in 1960. He and his wife Louise C. Kirkpatrick, raised corn, hay and cattle on their 70 acres. The current owner, Nancy W. Voight, is the great-great-granddaughter of the founder, Josiah Woods. Nancy was a member of the 4-H club and currently is involved with the Farm Bureau. She oversees the operations of the farm, and Mark Gray tends to the cattle and the hay. A barn estimated to be 100 years old continues to be used for livestock and farm work. Wood’s Ferry is still owned by the descendents of Josiah Wood as is the 70 acres of his original land, which is certified as the Kirkpatrick Century Farm.
Charles R. Freeman
One of the oldest Century Farms in
Haywood and Claudine Massey
Henry Massey, a Revolutionary War
veteran, acquired 40 acres in the Bellwood Community in 1835. He raised cattle, swine, mules, horses, corn,
and hay. His son, Henry Yancy Massey and
his first wife Nancy Gillespie, had 9 children.
After her death he married Eliza Shipp who had five children of her
own. The large family raised corn, hay,
horses and cattle on 224 acres. J.T.
Massey, the founder’s grandson, and wife Ruth Haley were successful farmers and
built a new house on the property in 1884.
During the ownership of their son, Joseph Walter Massey, the farm was
the site of maneuvers during World War II. The current owners acquired the farm
in two transactions in 1948 and 1951 and continue to live in the 1884
farmhouse. City water became available
in 1991 replacing reliance on the old spring.
Today, three generations live on the farm and raise beef cattle, hay,
and tobacco.
Ralph A. McKee
Located two miles from
the
In 1926, T. A.’s son Tom McKee took over the farm operations. Tom
was married to Brydie and their daughters were Mildred and Ganelle and sons
were Ralph and Joe. After Tom’s death,
his son Ralph A. McKee, Sr. became the third generation owner of the farm. In
addition to maintaining the farm, Ralph was very active in the community and
served on the
From 1973 until 1999, the
McKees operated a dairy. Ralph Jr. and
his wife Opal were selected as the outstanding young dairy farmers in the
southeast by the Dairyman, Inc. in 1978.
Following a trend across
Monty Mires
The Mires Farm was founded in 1853 by Peter Myres (Mires) and his
wife Diannah Carter Myres. The 160
acres yielded corn wheat and hay and also supported horses, and cattle. The
couple had 11 children. Sons Morgan and
William joined the Confederate Army, enlisting at
Mildred A. Edwards
James Sterling Weatherly purchased seventy
acres in 1888. He and his wife, Mary Louisa Ashworth Weatherly, had seven
children. The family grew corn, wheat, and hay while raising cattle, sheep, and
mules. When James died in 1927, his wife
inherited the farm, though her daughter, Ona Pearl and her husband Frank
Phillips, acquired the farm as well as an additional 150 acres that same year.
The brother-in-law and sister of Frank, E. M. Marvin and wife Fannie
Phillips Lester, jointly owned this land until the Phillips bought their
interest in 1938. Ona and Frank Phillips
had two daughters, Ina Rebecca and Mildred Ann. The 220 acres were used to raise
cattle, sheep, hogs, goats, mules, and horses while also growing several
varieties of corn, wheat, hay, sorghum, and fruit trees.
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Mildred Ann Phillips Edwards and her husband, Riley Marshall, became the
owners of 160 acres in 1960. Their
children are Sharon Anne Edwards Buchanan and Marsha Lynn Edwards Beadle. Today,
Mildred Edwards lives on the farm while her son-in-law, Bob and daughter Lynne
Beadle work the land. They have added tobacco to their list of farm products. In
addition to the farmhouse, several historic outbuildings including three log
barns, a wheat house, smoke house, hen house, well house, and garage, are part
of the history of the Old Home Place.
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Located northwest of 
the land. Along with his wife, Belle Donnell
Beard, they raised tobacco, corn, wheat, oats, apples, peaches and grapes. In
addition, they produced hogs, horses, mules, cattle, chickens, sheep and goats.
Turner had a wheat threshing machine that was powered by a steam traction
engine. The threshing machine was set up in different places in the community
so farmers could bring their grain to be threshed. During these occasions, the
women of the community would cook huge dinners and the festivities were
celebrated by many in the area.
Located
in the 
