Pembertons represent rare convergence of Century Farm families

This picture shows the home that was built on the Harris farm east of Marshall in 1923. The home was unique for its time, because it was built with indoor plumbing and a generator-type power plant to run electricity and heat the house. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Richard Pemberton is one of over 100 Century Farm owners in Saline County. He and his wife, Carol, are unique in the fact that they own two Century Farms, one that came through his mother's family, and the other that came through his father's family.

The Pembertons were honored for their Century Farms in 2004 and 2005. Century Farms are farms containing at least 40 acres that have been in the same family for 100 years or more.

From left, Otis Arthur Pemberton, Benjamin Richard Pemberton and Fannie Hickman Pemberton in an old family portrait. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

In the Pemberton's case, they still live on the land east of Marshall, which contains 200 acres of the land that was originally deeded to Peter B. Harris and his wife, Anne Hook, in 1855 from the U.S. government. Harris had come to Missouri from New London, Conn., and was a hatter by trade, settling first in Howard County. One of the tales in the Harris family is that the famous frontiersman, Kit Carson, was once his apprentice but ran away. They had five sons. The land was passed on to one of his sons, Henry Hook Harris. Henry Hook was just 14 years old when his father arranged with Judge Burris Brown, a surveyor, for Henry to carry the chain to survey the town site of the city of Marshall in 1839. Henry Hook married Mary Anne Staples in 1857, and the couple eventually had six children.

Two of their sons, Thomas B. and Henry Hook II, bought out their sisters and owned the land originally granted to Peter B. The land then was split when it was passed to Mary Harris Pemberton, daughter of Thomas B., and then was passed to Henry Hook Harris III. That part of the land, on the south side of Highway 41, has now been sold out of the family. The original Harris house was also on that tract of land, but burned in the 1930s when Henry Hook II lived there.

Mary Harris Pemberton and her husband, Benjamin, passed their portion of the land to their son, Richard, making him the fifth generation to own the ground, which now includes 240 acres, 40 of which were added later.

In 1923, Thomas B. and his wife, Francis "Verba" Wilson, built a large stucco house, barn, garage, chicken house, smokehouse and wellhouse for just $10,000 when they retired from the Methodist ministry. The next two generations have raised their children there. Mary Harris Pemberton and husband, Ben, raised two children and Richard and Carol raised three children: Thomas, Melissa Pemberton Abright and Timothy.

"The seventh generation visit the farm frequently," said Carol, speaking of her grandchildren. "They love to swim in the family swimming pool that sits on the ground that was once their great-great-grandmother's vegetable garden."

The home, which has since been extensively remodeled, was unique in its time, as it was built with electricity and indoor plumbing, something rare for "country" homes. The Harrises had lived in several towns and in the Kansas City area and were used to modern conveniences, which hadn't yet come to rural Saline County. The home was built with a power-plant generator that provided the electricity and heat. It also had a wellhouse and a 1,000 gallon water tank in the basement that used a pump system to provide indoor plumbing.

The Pembertons tell a story about a couple from New York City who got stuck in a seep on the road running in front of the Pemberton home, which at that time was still a dirt road.

They ended up staying at the recently-built Harris house overnight and the lady yelled to her husband each time she discovered the house had a modern convenience she didn't expect. "John, they have a fireplace out here on the farm. John, they have electricity out here on the farm. John, they have indoor plumbing out here on the farm."

The Pembertons have added onto the home and have a fireplace mantel that was saved from the original Peter B. Harris home that burned. When they were remodeling, they took off wallpaper his parents had hung, many years before.

"In the living room, we found drawings on the wall that Richard had done as a child," said Carol.

Pemberton's other Century farm came through his father's family, when Otis Arthur Pemberton and wife, Fannie Hickman, purchased 80 acres near Norton in 1895 for $1,800. In 1909, they added another 80 acres. They lived on the farm and had two children, Virginia and Benjamin Richard. Ben Pemberton purchased his sister's half-interest in the farm after Otis' death.

Benjamin farmed with his father for several years raising registered Shorthorn cattle and registered Duroc hogs. Pemberton said they used to drive the cattle about two miles to Norton, where there was a stockyard. They also took the hogs in wagon boxes to Norton, where the animals were shipped on a train from there.

Richard remembers growing up on the Harris farm where they had a dairy herd and registered Duroc Hogs. They also held several production sales at the farm through the years.

Richard and his father started Pemridge Angus Farms when Richard purchased three Angus cows as an FFA project in 1949. They eventually sold off the dairy herd, concentrating on the Angus herd, which was recently recognized as a 50-year Angus herd by the American Angus Association. Richard retired from full-time farming over 20 years ago but still has about 30 Angus cows, sells seed and rents the cropland from his farms to another farmer. Richard served as executive vice president of Marshall's Chamber of Commerce. He also served as dean of students at Missouri Valley College for a year and was a Northern district commissioner for 10 years. Ironically, his grandmother, Fannie Hickman Pemberton's, father served as county commissioner when they built the County Rest Home north of town. "I was county commissioner when we sold it," said Richard. However, Hickman and the rest of the commission at that time weren't re-elected. "People were so upset about how much they spent to build the county rest home, they didn't re-elect that commission," laughed the Pembertons.

Contact Marcia Gorrell at marshallag@socket.net