Illinois family 'holding on to heritage' for 170 years and counting

According to Tom Ewing, his family has actually owned a particular plot of land in McLean County for 170 years, but only recently was it recognized for having been in the Ewing family for 150 years.

According to a press release, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has designated the Ewing farm a Sesquicentennial Farm because it has been owned in a straight or collateral line of descendants for at least 150 years.

“I am privileged to present this distinction to this amazing family,” Illinois Director of Agriculture Jerry Costello II said. “This designation not only honors their farm operation today, but also their ancestors who labored through adversity to maintain the family farm. The Sesquicentennial Farm program helps to reinforce that family farming remains a viable entity in Illinois agriculture.”

The farm is west of McLean and was settled in 1853, Ewing said. It has been a well-rounded operation with livestock and grain as key components.

“My grandfather had thoroughbred cattle, short-horn cattle,” Ewing said. “My brother and I had Hereford thoroughbred cattle.

“Grandfather also had a 6-horse hitch (with Clydesdales).”

Unfortunately, a train accident claimed the life of two of the horses and the Ewing's grandfather, who used to take the hitch and horses all around to show, was no longer able to do so.

Ewing said that the livestock pretty much went away by the 1970s.

It was in the 1970s when the Illinois Sesquicentennial Farms program began. Sesquicentennial Farm owners, of which there are more than 1,200, are recognized on “Agriculture Day” at the Illinois State Fair.

There is also a sign that is placed on the property signifying the honor. Like in the days when it was not unusual to spend time at the farm, members of the Ewing family, some coming from as far away as Texas, gathered for the dedication of the sign on Oct. 7. The Ewing family is involved in farming in the McLean, Logan and Livingston counties.

“They started with 140 acres and the second generation came along, his name was Samuel,” Ewing said. “He expanded the family holdings to a thousand acres.”

The Ewing family first settled in the colonial period when James Ewing started a farm in Virginia in 1746. He had two sons — William and Samuel — who sold the Virginia land and migrated to Kentucky after the revolution where they acquired land and was prospered.

James Ewing, a son of William, served as a colonel in the Kentucky Rifle Regiment during the War of 1812 and his son, Nathaniel Porter Ewing ran into troubled times and moved to Illinois in the 1850s.

N.P.'s son, Samuel Young Ewing, added to family holding as the farm expanded to 1,000 acres by 1890.

The homestead passed from N.P. to Samuel Young to Nathanial Porter Ewing, the grandson of N.P. Ewing. A train accident claimed the life of Nathanial Porter in 1930 and it then went to N.P.'s great-grandson, Samuel Young Ewing.

Showing little interest in farming, the younger Samuel Young turned over the management to Thomas W. Ewing, who has been the full manager of the homestead since 1979 upon the death of his father.

Ewing was recognized for his leadership in agriculture policy and served on the agricultural committees at both the state and federal levels. He has received several agricultural awards for his service, including the 2002 Charles B. Shuman Distinguished Service award from the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Ewing still manages the farm but Martin Van Horn of Atlanta works it. Ewing said eventually one of the children or grandchildren will run it.

Tom Ewing, who served in the Illinois State Legislature for 18 years before serving in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., for 10 years before retiring.

Ever active, Ewing, now 88, has been working on constructing a fence for the homestead, as well as doing other things around the place.

Although he did not personally grow up there, it has been a big part of his heritage.

“It was like a gathering place,” he said. “I didn't actually grow up there. My brother lived there and raised his family there.

“To me, this is holding on to your heritage. You can invest your money in a lot of different things but to me, land is still as good an investment as there is, and one that you can pass on to your heirs.”

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Illinois family receives Sesquicentennial Farm designation