S and S Livestock Farm
Michael T. Smith
Peter Paul (P.P.) Smith founded a 57 acre farm fourteen miles northwest of Shelbyville, just south of the Bedford County line, in 1903. The deed records that a school house for African-Americans was on the property at the time of the purchase, but was reserved from the sale until such time as it ceased to be used for a school. At that time, the school property would become part of Smith’s holdings. The Smith family, which included two children, Dorsey and Cecil, grew corn, fruit, and vegetables while raising cows, horses, and mules which he bred and sold to area farmers. During the harvest months, P. P. would load a buggy and travel to Shelbyville to sell and trade farm products. These trips usually began before daylight on Saturdays and ended after dark. P.P. and first and second wives, Arpie W. Smith and Annie Ralston Smith, are all buried on the farm.
The next family member to own the farm was P. P.’s grandson, Henry E. Smith, who acquired 35 acres in 1950. With his wife Ethel Ruth and their three children, Ronald, Kenneth, and Michael, the family continued to raise livestock and produce row crops. They grew corn and beans while raising cows. In 2004, Michael Smith became the farm’s owner.
Michael and his wife, Dayna, live in the original farm house with their son Michael Henry. They raise Black Angus cattle and grow garden produce.