[160] Three Greene County Farms Join State's Century Farms Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 26, 2009
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947

THREE GREENE COUNTY FARMS JOIN STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
Two of County’s Newest Century Farms Also Named Pioneer Farms

(MURFREESBORO)—Three farms in Greene County have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU.
Moreover, two of the three farms—Mattie Lou Broyles Snapp Farm and Graveyard Hill Farm—also have been designated as Pioneer Century Farms because they were founded prior to 1796 when Tennessee became a state, Hankins said.
• Established by Jacob Broyles, the current-day Mattie Lou Broyles Snapp Farm is derived from Horse Creek Farm. Broyles, a descendent of German and French immigrants who moved to the eastern part of Tennessee during the 18th century, founded the Horse Creek Farm in 1778. Family and community history indicates that this land was settled as early as 1765 and previously owned by Emanuel Sandusky.
Although Broyles may have lived in the area and farmed the land earlier than 1778, it was Nov. 2 of that year that the deed for more than 600 acres was officially recorded for the property in what was then the state of North Carolina.
Jacob and his wife, Elizabeth Yowell, had seven children: Lewis, Delilah, Jeremiah, James, Keziah, John and Ezekial. As with most farm families, the Broyles were as self-sufficient as possible, raising a variety of livestock and crops, including cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, oats, barley and corn.
In 1794, still two years before Tennessee became a state, Lewis Broyles became the second generation to own the farm. He and wife Mary McCain also had seven children. During their ownership, the farm produced tobacco, barley, oats, wheat, cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. In addition to farming, the family built a gristmill on the property. According to the family’s records, a two-room house was built above the mill for the traveling doctor who came to the community.
The farm passed through five more generations, and in 1964, the great-great- great-great granddaughter of the founder, Mattie L. Snapp, acquired 32 acres of the original farm owned by her ancestor, Jacob Broyles. Today, Wayne Brown works the land and he raises hay and tobacco.
• Located 12 miles from Greeneville is the Graveyard Hill Farm, which was named for the historic family burying ground that is still cared for by the current generation. Robert Clemons Gray Sr. established the farm in 1795. Robert married Catherine Alexander Gray and they had three children, Mary A. C. Gray Walker, Robert C. Gray Jr. and Elizabeth Gray Hayes. The family raised tobacco, corn, hay, wheat, and had apple orchards as well as sheep, cattle, chickens, pigs and Belgium horses.
Robert owned and operated a store in the Graysburg community, which was named for the family, in addition to operating the Graysburg Post Office from 1840 to 1883. Robert C. Gray Jr. acquired the farm next and raised many of the same crops and livestock.
The third generation to own the farm was Alexander Brabson Walker, the great-nephew of the founder, who was married to Rachel Elizabeth Morelock. The couple had five children. Prior to owning the property, Alexander was a Confederate soldier and part of the Company B, Tennessee 12th Cavalry Battalion. This company was raised from men in Hawkins, Greene, Knox, Hamblen and Grainger counties. The unit was assigned to Wharton’s, J. J. Morrison’s, H. B. Davidson’s, Grigsby’s and Vaughn’s Brigade.
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The farm passed through several generations, and in 1962, the current owner, Willis “Billy” Morelock, the great-great-great-great nephew of the founder, obtained the property. The current generation of the Morelock family has been active in many community and regional organizations.
Billy is married to Jeanette Luttrell and they have two daughters, Lisa M. Gosnell and Ginger M. Frembling, who were active in 4-H and other organizations growing up on the farm. Lisa, who owns the farm along with her parents, is currently employed by the Northeast Tourism Association and is also a genealogist. Among other activities, she and husband David are members of the Washington County Farm Bureau.
Ginger is a former 4-H Extension Agent in Edenton, N.C. Billy and Jeanette are members of the Greene County Farm Bureau, Tri-State Antique Power Association, Greene County Farm & Auto Club, J. I. Case Collectors Association and J. I. Case Heritage Foundation. In addition to belonging to these organizations, Billy is a collector of J. I. case tractors and equipment and has more than 25 antique tractors, garden tractors, tools, farm and tractor memorabilia, as well as a toy tractor.
His collections of antique tractors have been featured in Fastline Antique Farm Edition Trade Magazine, Old Abe News, Old Iron Calendar, and most recently in the 2009 book, Iron Memories (Heartland Publications).
• Also established more than 200 years ago is the Pin Oak Farm founded by Benjamin P. Pickering. On 140 acres, Benjamin and wife Rebekah Ellis and their 12 children raised livestock and row crops, with tobacco being their primary cash commodity.
“Pin Oak Farm is one of the few farms in Greene County that has annually raised a tobacco crop, a longstanding tradition that continues today,” Hankins noted.
The generations of ownership descend from the founding couple through more than two centuries to current owner Barbara W. Carter. She and her husband, Edwin Clay Carter, manage and work the farm of about 12 acres, where they continue to grow tobacco, along with hay. Kim and Billy Boswell and their children—Gibson, Graham, and Gretchen—have become the newest generations to live on the farm that their ancestors have worked since the early years of the 19th century.
“Greene County is has the second highest number of certified Century Farms with 57 recognized to date,” Hankins confirmed.

About the Century Farms Program

The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.

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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farms’ respective owners or request jpegs of the farms, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947. Please note there are no jpegs of the Pin Oak Farm at this time.





With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.