Submitted by Leona Baker, Historical Society of Salisbury Township

The Historical Society of Salisbury Township has a file of letters from H. H. Kennedy, estate executor for his brother, H. E. Kennedy. Many are to Jacob Martin, who, in 1931, became the tenant of the Kennedy farm, located on the corner of Newport Road and Lincoln Highway, Gap. The letters were written between 1932 and 1936.

The Kennedy family had owned large tracts of Salisbury Township for more than 200 years, and many generations had lived and farmed there. As executor, H. H. guarded the resources of the Kennedy estate carefully, but his own career was in California. Martin was responsible for the success of the Gap farm.

The society only has H. H.'s side of the written conversation, where he questions every bill and the cost of every purchase or farm repair. On veterinarian Dr. Clark's charges for a sick steer, he wrote to Martin, "Does this man think he can (pad his bill?), but if you think he is good, I will pay it."

While H. H. relied on Martin's judgment for orders on buying and selling tobacco, hay and corn, he had strong words for any transaction he felt Martin should have handled differently. Though he took Martin's advice on steers bought to fatten for future market, he often questioned the price of those same animals.

Apparently, one year Martin had made a handshake deal to sell fattened steers. When the national price for steers plummeted, the buyer claimed a misunderstanding on the sale final price that would "cost the estate $200 to $400 loss" that year. Although H. H. seemed very angry at the outcome, writing, "Never contract a deal without getting it in writing!" this incident does not appear to have lessened his regard for Martin's care of the farm in general.

One important crop was tobacco, and in 1935, to encourage food crops, the government put a restriction on how many acres any farmer could devote to tobacco. The government would pay a subsidy according to how many acres the farmer did not plant in tobacco. Tobacco became an often-mentioned issue in many of the letters.

Building repairs were monitored for the cheapest price, including the steer barn and the building across Lincoln Highway, which was in dire disrepair. It had been a blacksmith's home a hundred years before. H. H. questioned whether the repair costs were worth the $5 per month rent they could charge a tenant. He questioned whether too much repair would take years of $5 a month rent to cover the primary work needed. However, he wrote to Martin, "You know best."

By 1936, in the depths of the Great Depression, many farms were near bankruptcy, and the owners were willing to sell for a fraction of the value to get free of debt. In those days, to be a victim of bankruptcy was a disgrace, and one's credit would be ruined.

Speculators roamed the country, offering minimal price per acre. Martin mentioned that several men had been to his door. H. H. corresponded with others involved in the estate and decided to pursue one line of interest.

Martin wrote a letter offering $15,250, which was less than the other bidders. However, H. H. replied, "I would rather sell to someone I know will take good care of the farm than to a stranger."

In September 1936, the Martins became owners of the farm they had successfully maintained for many years. Jacob and his wife raised their children on the farm. Their son, Melvin, took over when Jacob retired.