THE LAND. THE FAMILY. OUR HISTORY
Part 1 - Our History
Pausing, I have been thinking about Life and Legacy. These are the things I think about and have conversations with Dave about. So I ask the questions:
When does a farm or place or business become a legacy?
What does a legacy mean?
At what point does something become a legacy?
The way I see it is that it all began with a single dream. A family tending the land to make a home, life that’s when a place like a farm becomes a legacy. A legacy is when it becomes something worth passing down. Its like the love in a heart not just the physical organ.
With this said, The Greenfield Farm is a legacy that has been passed down from generation to generation since before 1876. I am going to start the story where we started before we began researching more on the our family history.
Clark S. Greenfield moved to the farm in 1876 when he married his wife Mary Margaret Runnions Brady. The farm was once her grandfather’s. They were blessed with three children (Howard, Lester, and Agnus). As a family they worked the land and survived together.
The farm was passed to Howard their eldest son after he bought the part we live on today! He married Anna Anderson. As they worked the land, made a life, they had four children (Howard Jr., Richard, Alice Jean, Katherine. Howard and Anna built the home we live in today. In 1913 the home was built with a indoor bathroom, indoor plumbing and was wired for electric lights and outlets that was not yet available in the country. This house was and still is more than just a house it’s a legacy all on its own.
As the years passed, it became the time for Dave’s Grandpa, Howard Jr. to take over the farm. He married Grandma Dorothy Gifford. They had three children Donald, Fred, and Carol. Don the eldest son, also known as Dad to Dave and Papa to Logan.
Don was one of many children over the years to grow up in the house his grandpa built. He married Bernadine Briggs, they have two sons Jeff and Dave.
Today, Don and Dave continue to build on the legacy their ancestors have begun over 150 years ago. They farm the land together as Logan (Dave and Meghan’s son) looks up to them and jumps on for a tractor ride.
The stories and history facts are told, sometimes recorded all shape our past, present and future. As I sit with the thoughts about what is and what makes a legacy more I think it all starts with a dream. Weather, you are just starting that dream to pass on its a living legacy or you may be like us building upon a dream that started many years ago.
As we add our own twists to this legacy. I hope you follow along for a good story and be inspired for your own living legacy.
Stay tuned as our past history unfolds with more research and our future opportunities unfold as we live them.
Keeping the past, present, and future stories alive.
This is something worth passing down.