Our Heritage
Multiple Generations of Stewardship Along the Stones and Duck Rivers
Stone Duck Farms—named for the Stones River and Duck River that flow through our properties—represents the convergence of three remarkable family legacies, each spanning generations of Tennessee agriculture. Our land tells the story of the Euless-Johnson, Holden, and Ayers families—pioneers who settled along Thompson’s Creek, the Stones River, and the Duck River, building farms that would endure through war, depression, and the ever-changing landscape of American agriculture.
What began as homesteads in the 1820s and 1850s has grown into a heritage operation where multiple generations have worked the same soil, adapting while remaining rooted in the traditions of careful stewardship and community service.
The Euless Beginning
Adam Euless and Turley Shofner Euless, German Lutherans from Orange County, North Carolina, established their farm along Thompson’s Creek, seven miles southeast of Shelbyville. Their 50-acre homestead, built on Revolutionary War grant land, featured a log home.
Adam and Turley raised ten children and became pillars of the Lutheran community, with their daughter Mary marrying William Jenkins, first pastor of Shofner Lutheran Church—Tennessee’s first Lutheran congregation.
The Ayers Legacy Begins
The Ayers family, having journeyed from North Carolina (where Moses Ayers founded Rockford, NC) through Northeast Georgia, settled in Middle Tennessee. John Lane Ayers established the family’s Bedford County presence near Normandy, and his sons James “Jim” Ayers (born 1845) and Jeremiah Kimbro Ayers (born 1851) continued building the family’s agricultural legacy.
Jim Ayers and his wife Bettie (born 1845) established what would become known as the Aunt Bet Farm along the Duck River. The family operated Three Forks Mill on the Duck River (remnants of the dam remain in the river today) and helped establish Three Forks Cumberland Presbyterian Church near the family cemetery, which hosted important presbytery meetings including the formation of the Elk Presbytery.
Antebellum Expansion
Martin Euless, son of the founders, built a two-story Greek Revival home and expanded the farm to 500 acres. Growing corn, wheat, cotton, oats, flax, and raising livestock, the farm prospered in the years before the Civil War.
These were complex times. Like many farms of this era and region, the wealth that built these operations was generated through systems that included enslaved labor—a difficult truth we acknowledge as part of our complete history.
The Holden Farm Established
James Madison Holden purchased 87 acres along the west fork of the Stones River, ten miles south of the intersection of I-24 and Highway 231. J.M. and Elizabeth Leathers Holden raised four children while cultivating corn, tobacco, cotton, and oats, and raising diverse livestock.
Civil War and Reconstruction
John Lane Ayers passed away in 1863 during the war years. The Civil War brought troops camping in the fields of the Euless-Johnson farm. Wounded soldiers from the Battle of Stones River were brought to the Greek Revival home, and one soldier died in the front hallway. Confederate troops attempted to raid the smokehouse, nearly killing Cassandra Euless and her infant daughter Lulu.
After the war, Martin Euless demonstrated remarkable character by selling ten acres to Zach Sims, an African American resident, for the establishment of Mt. Zion Haley Church in 1875—a congregation that remains active today.
Building Community
J.M. Holden deeded one acre for Rock Springs Institute in 1890, followed by an additional 1.5 acres a year later. This school would educate future generations of Holden children, including Gideon Mansfield Holden’s sons, whose mother Lettie served as a teacher there.
The Great War’s Toll
Private Robert Norman Holden left for Camp Gordon, Atlanta, on July 12, 1918, to serve with the Medical Replacement Unit. He died in Noyes, France, on October 14, 1918, leaving behind his mother Lettie, brother Clifford, and an unnamed fiancée who received no survivor benefits because they were unwed.
Modernization Begins
Sam Houston Johnson introduced Angus cattle to the Johnson farm, a gift from his friend Tuck Trigg of New Mexico. Thomas Ayers constructed a large barn from lumber salvaged from the old Three Forks Mill on the Aunt Bet property. Both Jeremiah Kimbro Ayers and James “Jim” Ayers passed away in 1919, leaving the Aunt Bet Farm to continue through the next generation.
The farms were wired for electricity, tractors replaced mules, and automobiles arrived. Between 1935 and 1937, young Bobby Holden helped his father Clifford build a two-story loft barn that still stands today, having survived three tornadoes (2018, 2023, and 2024).
Matriarch’s Passing
Bettie Ayers, namesake of the Aunt Bet Farm and wife of James “Jim” Ayers, passed away at age 89. She is buried at Three Forks Cemetery on the farm, having witnessed nearly 90 years of Tennessee history from the antebellum era through the modern age.
Depression and New Deal
Clifford Holden served as a local leader for New Deal programs and as a Democratic election official. Selected as one of the county’s soil supervisors, his work required extensive travel, earning him an extra ration of tires during wartime. Annie Mai Gentry Holden Williamson became active in the Home Demonstration Club, serving as president of the Midland chapter in 1944.
A Young Man’s War Years
Thomas Phillip Ayers II (Phil) faced profound loss when both his parents passed away—his mother Delsie in 1940 and his father Thomas P. Ayers in 1941—leaving him a young man alone on the farm. As Tennessee’s men volunteered for World War II, living up to the Volunteer State’s legacy, Phil, barred from enlisting, remained behind to keep the farm operating.
During the war, he made regular trips to Camp Forrest in Tullahoma to retrieve German prisoners of war who worked on the farm—men who’s homesickness was often exacerbated by the region’s resemblance to their native Europe’s countryside. After the war ended, Phil finally enlisted in the Navy, sailing aboard the USS Missouri on what was likely one of its first voyages after hosting the Japanese surrender.
While Phil served at sea, tragedy struck home: the historic Greek Revival house built by Martin Euless burnt to the ground. Farm legend holds that a longtime farmhand carelessly tossed an unextinguished cigar, which a bird carried to its nest in the rafters of the old house, sparking the blaze that consumed generations of family history.
Modern Farming Takes Root
All three farms transitioned from subsistence to commercial operations. Oscar Ayers, son of Jeremiah Kimbro Ayers and half-brother to Thomas P. Ayers, lived in the original Ayers home on the Aunt Bet Farm. In 1966, following Oscar’s death, Thomas Phillip Ayers II purchased the 100-acre property from the estate, consolidating the Ayers family holdings along the Duck River. An additional 40 acres connecting to the original John Lane Ayers farm were acquired in the 1990s.
Dairy barns, silos, and modern equipment transformed daily life. The distinctive steep hill with a silo at its base on the Johnson farm—bisected by Normandy Road which cut through the old house’s front yard—became known as Silo Hill. The Ayers children raised registered Ayrshire dairy cattle through 4-H and FFA, winning numerous awards.
Family Tragedy and Resilience
Thomas P. Ayers III — eldest brother of Sam Ayers and husband to Cindy’s sister Kim — passed away tragically at age 47. Known affectionately as Uncle Tom, he was deeply connected to the Aunt Bet Farm and would have inherited it. His loss was deeply felt by both the Ayers and Holden families, as the sisters married to brothers created an intertwined family legacy.
Three Legacies Unite
Sam Wright Ayers and Cynthia Denise Holden Ayers brought together the Johnson (Silo Hill), Holden, and Aunt Bet farms under the name Stone Duck Farms—named for the Stones River flowing through the Holden property and the Duck River flowing through the Aunt Bet property. Today, they work alongside their sons Holden Harrison and Scott Oakley Ayers, representing multiple generations continuing to farm these lands.
The combined 260+ acres focus on hay production and cattle, maintaining practices that honor both tradition and sustainability while preserving the springs, barns, cemeteries, and heritage that connect us to nearly 200 years of Tennessee agricultural history.
A Note on Our Complete History: We recognize that the prosperity of 19th-century Middle Tennessee farms was built upon a foundation that included the forced labor of enslaved people. This difficult truth is part of our heritage and our responsibility to acknowledge. Records show that among those who labored on this land were Louis, Mary and her children Bell and Mary, Martha, and Wilson. The strength, skill, and unrewarded labor of these individuals and others contributed to the agricultural wealth of this region during its early development. We honor their memory by naming them when we can, telling our farm’s complete story, and working to be worthy stewards of land made productive by many hands, both free and enslaved. If you have information about these individuals or their descendants, please contact us.