Smiley Farm in Ohio Marks 2.5 Centuries of Family Farming

In partnership with: Ohio Department of Agriculture

John Smiley recalls fondly the trip he took to the fairgrounds in Columbus with his father, James, in 1976, where their farm was recognized for its long history. 

“My dad had done a lot of research and was proud to document that history and share it,” Smiley says. 

It’s a history that had started more than 200 years earlier, in 1772, when King George III of England granted Alexander Smiley 500 acres of land in what was then Virginia.

See more: 100 Years Strong: Preserving the Legacy of a Century Farm

Today, the address of the original farm is different – Adams County, Ohio – but the family ties remain the same. John is the seventh generation in the long line of Smiley men who share not just a last name but a first one. The original owner, Alexander, had a son named James, which is also John’s father’s and son’s names; John’s grandfather was also John, as is one of his grandsons; his second grandson is named Alexander. 

There is a lot of pride in the Smiley name and the Smiley Farm, which this year is being recognized by the Ohio Historic Family Farms Program as the state’s first Sestercentennial Farm in honor of its 250th year as a continuously held family farm.

“We’ve been blessed to have been able to keep the farm in our family all these years,” Smiley says. “Every generation had their challenges and through their hard work were able to keep the legacy going.”

Meeting those challenges meant being diligent and determined when Mother Nature or other circumstances intervened – like when the home John was born in, which was built in 1813 from quarried limestone on the farm and hauled by horse and wagon, was destroyed by fire in 2004. Six months later, John had built a new home, minus all the antiques, and was back living and working on the farm.

See more: Ohio Historic Family Farms Honor 100 Years and Counting

The Smileys’ adaptability and practicality have also helped them meet the challenges. Over the years, in addition to growing crops, the farm has been home to a sorghum cane mill, maple sugar tap, sawmill, stone mill, and one-room schoolhouse. While tobacco was a mainstay for decades, today the family raises beef cattle, corn, soybeans, and hay on more than 100 acres of the original farm, in addition to 500 more acres that they own and other land that they lease. 

Ohio’s first Sestercentennial Farm has been a place that’s made a living and a life for generations of Smileys.