Madison County

Beaty Farm

Bond Farm

Coburn Farm

Donnell Farm

Elmwood Farm

Hopper Farm

Smithland Farm

Spivey Farm

Sykes Farm

Taylor Homeplace

Walnut Flat Farm

The following map is for a general geographical understanding. It does not provide the specific locations of the farms because of privacy reasons.

Map courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Beaty Farm

Dorothy Beaty Daniel

Anne Daniel Dale

            In 1850, Albert Green Beaty founded the Beaty Farm that is located approximately one mile from the Haywood and Madison County lines. Prior to establishing the farm, Albert Green was a farmer and justice of the peace in Chatooga County, Georgia. Married to Elvira Batchelor Beaty, the couple had thirteen children. On the 311 acres, the farm produced cotton, corn, flax, oats and wheat. According to the family, Albert, his wife and three of his sons all died in the same week in 1861. Nine months later, a fourth son was killed at the Battle of Shiloh.

            The next owners of the land were Martha Beaty Jones and her husband John. The couple managed the farm for a several years and then sold it to three of her siblings. Their names were F. A. Beaty, Posey Beaty and Mary Ann Beaty Rainey. By 1876, F. A. Beaty owned half of the 211 acres. Having never married, he left the farm and gin house to his sister, Emma Beaty Coffee in 1880.

            Emma was married to W. H. Coffee, however, they eventually divorced and she continued to farm the land by herself until 1926. As time moved on, the land was passed to Emma’s son, Dixon Coffee. At his death, the farm was entailed for the next three generations.

In 1980, Dorothy Beaty Daniel, the great, great granddaughter of the founder became the owner of the farm. Today, Dorothy and her daughter Anne Daniel Dale own the property and the land is leased to Tirry Hooper. 

Bond Farm

John Pat Bond

John Robert Bond

            Located twelve miles west of Jackson lies the Bond Farm that was founded by Lewis Bate Bond in 1827. According to the family, Lewis was a cotton planter and he owned an 800 acre plantation in Poinsett County, Arkansas. On the Bond Farm, Lewis cultivated cotton, wheat, corn, oats, fodder and rye. In addition, he raised hogs, horses and mules. Lewis married Hanah Oldham Dawson Bond and they had eight children. Their son Lewis became the next owner of the land.

            During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate encampments located on the farm because it was near a primary road. Under Lewis’ ownership, the farm produced the same livestock and crops as the founder. Married to Martha Elizabeth Hare Bond, the couple had eight children. Their names were Lewis, Martha Tyson, Sallie Morris, Ramsey Hawkins, Thomas Hare, Lelia Tyson, John and James.

            As time moved on, Thomas Hare Bond acquired the property. Along with his wife, Flora Belle Keelen Bond, they raised seven children. While managing the farm, Thomas also built a one-story frame farm house on the land.

            In 1932, the great grandson of the founder, John Pat Bond, became the owner of the land. Today, John Pat and his son John Robert Bond manage the farm. However, John Pat’s nephew, Thomas Wilmot Bond, Jr. works the land that mainly produces cotton and soybeans. A one-story frame farm house, a log smokehouse and a frame milk shed with a brick cellar that were constructed in the 1870s still stand on the property.

Coburn Farm

Mary L. Coburn

In 1853, John W. West and Sarah Ann Dickinson were married.   As parents of ten children, they were the founders of a family that continues to farm in Madison County today. During the Civil War, John W. West served in Company M of the 7^th Cavalry along with his brother-in-law , James E. Dickinson, from May 1863 until the end of the conflict.  While John was away, Union troops camped on the farm and according to the family, “expected to be fed from the West’s kitchen.” When one of the soldiers made an inappropriate remark, one of John’s and Sarah’s daughters, chased him from the kitchen with her frying pan.  In 1875, during the last days of Reconstruction, John acquired a 125-acre farm.  On this property the family produced typical crops and livestock including cotton, corn, sorghum, wheat, oats, hay, cattle, swine and horses.  Typical of self-sufficient farms of the nineteenth century, the West family maintained a vegetable garden and an apple orchard.

            The next owner of the property was Sarah’s sister, Emma Jane Rose Dickinson and her husband, James E. Dickinson. While managing the farm, James served as an active member of the Primitive Baptist Church and rode his horse many miles to attend services wherever they were being held. In addition, he crafted spinning wheels and provided veterinary services for his neighbors’ animals. In 1898, the two-story Victorian farmhouse caught on fire. According to the family, Emma shepherded her children to safety in the barn while instructing the oldest daughter, Ora, to blow the conch horn to summon the men from the fields. Everything the family owned was lost with the exception of a spinning wheel.  Not long after, the farm house was rebuilt and this house still stands today.

            The third generation to own the land was Edgar Hays Pentecost and Bettie Pace Dickinson Pentecost, who was John W. West’s niece. The couple acquired the farm in 1924 and, with their seven children,  raised cotton, corn, cattle, swine, peas, hay, sorghum, fruit, orchards and a vegetable garden. In 1943, Edgar passed away and Bettie continued on the farming operation with the help of their son Burnie.  Bettie was active in the Home Demonstration Club while Burnie and his wife, Jeanette worked at the ASCS office. In later years, Burnie worked for the Tennessee Forestry Service along with his brother, Thomas. Another brother, Kenneth, retired to the farm and lived there until his death in 1984.

            In 1974, Mary Louise Coburn, daughter of Edgar and Bettie,  acquired fifty-five acres.  Prior to owning this property, Mary and her husband, Hubert Coburn farmed in Haywood County where she was an active member in the Home Demonstration Club. Hubert was a charter member of the Haywood Farmers Cooperative and a member of the Farm Bureau. An avid conservationist, he built terraces to control erosion, practiced crop rotation and provided wildlife habitats. In addition to his conservation efforts, Hubert also designed a dairy barn that relieved him from lifting heavy containers of milk; an electric auger system for distributing silage along a feed trough;  and an okra cutter that was used appreciatively by many farm laborers. While Hubert did many of the outside chores, Mary Louise maintained the home and canned and froze the vegetable and fruits that were produced on the farm.  Three daughters participated in 4-H and Future Homemakers of American. 

            In 1993, Hubert died and today the couple’s oldest daughter, Harriet, assists her mother in managing the farm. Currently, the land produces row crops and is worked by Steve and Keith Sullivan of Brownsville. The Big Black Creek Historical Association, Incorporation has placed a sign in front of Emma’s and James’s house and the land is in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program.

Donnell Farm

Billy and Roseann Donnell

            Because it evolved from a large antebellum plantation into a smaller diversified agricultural operation, the Donnell Farm mirrors the history of many West Tennessee farms. The property, established by Andrew Donnell in 1825, is one mile north of Spring Creek. Donnell, who owned 640 acres, worked the land for only one year before his son John took possession of the homestead. In time, John operated one of the county’s most profitable plantations. On 1,662 acres, he cultivated corn, cotton, and wheat and raised cattle and swine. He also owned a cotton gin. Married to Jane McGoha, John fathered eight children. John sold

1,162 acres of his land at an unknown date. Although the record is not clear, the family might have experienced hard times during the Civil War and Reconstruction, forcing them to sell land in order to keep the farm in operation.

            In 1882, George Washington Donnell, the husband of Josephine Ellis and the father of eight children, inherited a farm of 500 acres. His agricultural products were corn, cotton, wheat and livestock. While adding 64 acres to his property, George, like his father, also sold large amounts of the family landholdings. In 1901, his son Joe acquired only 100 acres of the farm. His crops remained the same as those of his father and grandfather. The husband of Iantha Reid, Joe was the father of two daughters.

            Having acquired his first tract of 70 acres in 1929, William Wadford Donnell became the fifth owner of the family land. Working with his son Billy, William managed a 210 acre farm that produced corn, cotton, wheat, hay, cattle and swine. Today, Billy and Roseann Donnell own the land.  

For more information regarding the Donnell Farm see:

Elmwood Farm

James Matthews

            The Elmwood Farm, which dates to approximately 1855, stands eight miles northwest of Jackson. Its founders were Benjamin and Nancy Brooks, who raised cattle, swine, cotton and grains on about 350 acres of land. The property next passed into the hands of their daughter Susan Rebecca Brooks Small, the spouse of Willis R. Small. While producing the same agricultural commodities as the founders, the Smalls increased their landholdings by 115 acres. The family shared what they had with friends and visitors and Willis especially was “noted for his hospitality to all strangers.”

            In 1964, James Shields Matthews, Jr., who is the great grandson of the founders, received 220 acres of the original farm. He presently owns a total of 745 acres. James raises the farm’s apples, peaches and pork, but rents his crop land to Fred L. Bowyer, Jr. In 1967, the family “completed a remodeling of the home place” and have since “kept the place in mint condition.”

Photo: The farm house on the Elmwood Farm.

Hopper Farm

Kathryn Hopper Bass

            Daniel and Lucinda Burrus Hopper purchased 90 acres and established the Hopper Farm in 1843. From these humble beginnings, they developed a major antebellum plantation of 2,000 acres, which produced cotton, corn, wheat, swine, cattle and mules. Daniel, in addition, owned and operated the community’s first mule-powered cotton gin.

            In 1886, William Hopper acquired 1, 600 acres of his parents’ land. William and his wife Roberta Boone, the parents of two children, raised cotton, corn, wheat, cattle and swine.

            Kathryn Hopper Bass, the great granddaughter of Daniel and Lucinda Hopper, inherited 492 acres in 1965. Today, she manages 517 acres and her hired labor grows cotton, soybeans and corn and breeds registered Hereford cattle. A log dog-trot dwelling stands as a reminder of the farm’s early history.

Smithland Farm

Rachel Jeanette Smith

Annie Mai Smith Jamison

Harriet Smith Huggins

The Smithland Farm is located six miles west of Jackson, Tennessee and was founded in 1900 by Daniel and Rachel Smart Smith. On 640 acres, the couple produced horses, cows, cotton and corn. The Smith family included five children of whom their son, John Harold Smith, became the next owner of the farm. He and his wife, Jeanette Predergast Smith had three daughters. Together the family farmed 120 acres and raised cattle, horses, mules, hay, corn and cotton. During this period, several acres were purchased for part of the airport, McKeller Field, where German POWs were held during World War II.

            In 1980, Rachel Jeanette Smith, Annie Mai Smith Jamison, and Harriet Smith Huggins, granddaughters of the founders, became the owners. The farm has undergone some changes during their ownership. The airport purchased an additional 40 acres of the farm in 1994 and a tornado demolished the 1900 barn in 1999. The daily operations of the farm are managed by Rachel and Harriet and they raise beef cattle, horses, and hay on 165 acres. The home place built about 1900 remains from the time of the founding generation and a building now used as a shop dates to the nineteenth century. A barn and silos from the 1940s continue to be used on the farm.

Photo: A Cattle herd on the Smithland Farm.

Spivey Farm

Jo Eddie Wilbur O’Cain

Catherine Camille Wilbur Jobe

The Spivey Farm was founded in 1849 by Calvin J. Spivey and his wife Mary A.E. Spivey.  This farm is composed of 150 acres.  They had two children, Mary and Calvin Spivey. Joe and Calvin Spivey, the founder’s grandsons, were the next owners of the farm. The now 350 acre farm produced cotton, corn, and hay and supported mules, sheep, cattle, swine, and chicken.  Joe Spivey and his wife Mildred provided a country store and grist mill for the community.  He also furnished mule teams to maintain the county roads.  In addition to farming, the land was used as an Auxiliary Training Airfield during WWII. 

At the passing of Joe and Mildred Spivey, the farm was left to their two daughters, Mildred and Betty Joe.  Betty Joe’s husband William Bradford was recognized as “Save Our Soil” winner in Madison County in the 1970s.  In 1982, he was Madison County Outstanding Farmer of the Year.  The farm has more Class 1 soil than any other farm in Madison County.  Great, great

granddaughters, Jo Eddie Wilbur O’Cain and Catherine Camille Wilbur Jobe, are the current owners of the farm.  

Photo: The farmhouse on the Spivey Farm was built in the 1910s by Joe Spivey.

Sykes Farm

Helen Sykes Hamilton

            The 4^th District of Madison County is home to the Sykes Farm, the oldest Century Farm in the county. Established by Jonas Sykes in 1822, the farm originally consisted of 142.4 acres. Jonas had not planned to locate his new home in Madison County, but while his family camped on the land “waiting for spring weather, his baby died and his wife refused to leave where her child was buried so they settled there and built their home.” Sykes developed a farm of 172. 5 acres which produced cotton, corn, hay, wheat, timber and livestock.

            In 1843, Eliza Hollingsworth Sykes and Cyrus Sykes, respectively the daughter-in-law and grandson of the founders, obtained 142.5 acres. Cyrus, who served in the Confederate army during the Civil War, married twice and fathered six children. During his operation of the farm, crops and products became more varied and included clover, cotton, vegetables, corn, wheat, sorghum, broom corn and livestock.

 Mrs. Fannie Sykes and her three daughters, acquired the farm in 1963. The three daughters are the great great great granddaughters of the founders. They jointly owned 82 acres and their cousins, Jesse and Earl Sykes, planted and harvested their crops of soybeans and cotton. In 1999, some of the acreage belonging to other family members was auctioned off and Helen Sykes Hamilton became the sole owner of the farm.

Photo: Walter and Fannie Sykes.

Taylor Homeplace Farm

Ann Taylor Pope Wagster

Betty Vanlandingham Taylor

            Located three miles southeast of Mercer is the Taylor Homeplace Farm that was founded by Robert W. Taylor in 1878. On 80 acres, the farm produced cotton, corn and dairy cattle. Married to Mary Ellen Pentecost Taylor, the couple had seven children. Their son, George Street Taylor became the next owner of the land. Wed to Ruth Katherine Derryberry Taylor, they raised eight children.

            After George died, one of his sons, William Ernest Taylor bought out his other siblings interest and became the sole owner of the land. William managed the land until his death in 1970. At this time, the land was inherited by William’s children, Billy Hollaman Taylor and Ann Taylor Pope Wagster. On April 21, 1971, Billy passed away and his interest of the farm was acquired by his wife Betty Vanlandingham Taylor.

            Today, Ann and Betty continue to own the land that produces cotton and soybeans. Currently, Ann’s son, Stephen F. Pope and his family live on the farm, however, the land is leased to Ray Fuller.

Walnut Flat Farm

William Ward Woolfolk

            The Civil War’s impact on the planter class in West Tennessee is well illustrated through the history of Walnut Flat Farm. In 1865, William and Eliza Williams Pearson purchased 1,062 acres for $1,500 and established the Walnut Flat Farm ten miles northeast of Jackson. Prior to the Civil War, Pearson had been “the second largest slaveholder in Henderson County” and a prosperous plantation owner. But during the war, “Yankee soldiers came through the country, stopped and tied their horses to the columns on the front of the house, and with the help of the slaves freely looted and took whatever they pleased.” After the war, their new Madsion County plantation gave the Pearsons an opportunity to rebuild their lives. Eventually expanding his property to 1, 357 acres, Pearson managed cotton, corn and hay fields and swine and cattle herds. In 1870, William and two sons donated land for the construction of the Claybrook Cumberland Presbyterian Church and five years later, they gave land for the construction of the community’s black Methodist church.

            In 1871, Susan Elizabeth Pearson inherited 153 acres of her parents’ plantation. Susan wed John George Woolfolk and they had four children. The present family home, called Walnut Flat, dates to 1870. The family raised cotton, corn, hay, wheat, swine and beef cattle on a farm that eventually totaled 249 acres. William Brodus Woolfolk acquired 225 acres of the family land in 1918. A charter member of the county Farm Bureau and a member of the Woodsmen of the World, Woolfolk operated the Claybrook cotton gin in partnership with his brother-in-law Sam Simpson. As a farmer, William produced cotton, corn, hay, wheat, swine and cattle. His operations were profitable even during the Great Depression, allowing him to spend $500 for an additional tract of land. He wed Laura Laws and they were the parents of five children.

            Woolfolk died in 1947 and left the farm to his four surviving children, Gladys, John B., James and William. James died in 1976 and John passed away six years later. Today, Gladys and William are the farm managers and Gladys lives in the Walnut Flat homeplace. Working the farm’s 477 acres are William Woolfolk and his sons. The family has “been building a herd of registered Polled Hereford cattle” and they cultivate cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat and oats.