A Wayside home

The Wayside house, which has a had a Gray family member living in it since 1905. --Photos by Michael Fields/Daily Mail

The Gray family farm, more commonly known as the Wayside, is located just west of Deerfield was purchased in 1901 by Chester Gray for his father, William, because William wanted to get away from the cold of Gentry County in northern Missouri. So Chester set out with very specific instructions on what to look for in a farm. According to Carolyn Gray Thornton, those instruction were "to find a farm close to a railroad, had a good house, and good outbuildings for his hog and cattle operations." What Chester found was 200 acres with all his father had asked for.

Since the Gray family moved in, a family member has always lived in the house. The farm has seen numourous events over its history to include the very first Town and Country Picnic, which was created to help bridge the gap between the rural community and those that lived in the city. The picnics were held monthly during warm weather and would change locations each month. This allowed people from different areas to get together and have fun. The farm has also seen its share of happy and joyous occasions as well as a few sad ones. The house has played host to weddings and reunions as well as a family hospital that has been the site of six births and three deaths.

Reunions take place once every four years as a way for the family to stay in touch. The farm serves as a central location for the Grays, because over the years, family members have moved to various areas of the country. About 80 to 90 people come back to celebrate with one another and to visit with friends.

Above, Carolyn Gray Thornton and her son Michael hold the Century Farm sign at the entrance to their farm, The Wayside, near Deerfield.

One of the more memorable times was the marriage of Lester Thornton to Carolyn Gray. The wedding took place on the Wayside 62 years ago but was recreated two years ago with the original cast members in their same roles.

The family has created a corporation to run the farm, because many family members live far away.

Currently there are almost 20 owners (all family members) who meet to make decisions for the farm. Michael Thornton, Carolyn and Lester's son, is the farm manager and decribes his duties as this, "I oversee the records, taxes and things to keep the corporation legal as well as maintain the property and the buildings."

submitted photo-- Members of the Gray family, at an early Gray family reunion in 1948. Front row, left to right: Ellen, Chester (father), Pearl (mother) and Carolyn. Second row: Ralph, Vernon, Harold, Kathryn, Gertrude and Miriam.

He went on to talk about recent events, "I have been busy with cleanup after these recent storms, picking up tree limbs and things like that."

He also had this to say "most of the land is in CRP but 80 acres is still farmed by a friend of the family whose family has farmed that section for nearly 100 years."

Carolyn told of how the farm became known as the Wayside -- it's named after a place in one of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Wayside Inn."