Founded in 1866, the Grooms Farm at Liberty Road in Weakley County has a long tradition of producing row crops, livestock, and timber. James Marshall “J.M.” Grooms and his wife, Nancy Richie Grooms, settled on the 107-acre farm in 1866. The couple had seven children. Newly freed African Americans worked the land, raising corn, beans, cotton, and cattle, and made the bricks for their quarters and the Grooms family home. Daughter Frances Alice “Fannie” Grooms married a distant cousin, Zebulon Wasson Grooms, and they became the second owners of the farm in 1887.
Dean Zebulon Grooms, a son of Fannie and Zebulon’s, became the third owner with his wife, Ruth Hillis Grooms, in 1928. Dean served as a state senator in the Tennessee General Assembly from 1943-1947. The family of Dean and Ruth’s son, James Zeb Grooms, inherited the farm in 2003.
Today, sisters Laura Grooms Vernon and Sarah Grooms Long, great-great granddaughters of the founders, own the farm of 105 acres. Brian Garner works the land, which produces corn, beans, cotton, wheat, and timber. The family’s original 2-story brick home, built in 1868, is still occupied and in excellent shape. Welcome to the Tennessee Century Farms Program!
Contributed by Dr. David Long.
