Two hundred-year farm acknowledgment started in 1993 through the Ohio Department of Agriculture, recognizing social, economic and historic contributions of farm families through the Ohio Bicentennial and Century Farms programs.

“Farms are small businesses, run by families that contribute much to the economy,” said David Daniels, Ohio Department of Agriculture director.

He was at the Jefferson County Fair to make a 200-year farm presentation to Donald Jr. and Elizabeth “Beth” Carnahan for a farm that extends back to 1814.

History tells that James Andrews came to Yellow Creek on a hunting trip in 1812. Returning to Brooke County, he was caught in a rainstorm. After the storm’s fury, he saw a rainbow spanning the crest of the hill to his rock shelter. Later, he was given that piece of land for his service as a major in the war.

It is not known if the story is all true, but Andrews did acquire section No. 28 of township 8, range 2, in a land grant issued April 10, 1812, by President James Madison.

Carnahan Jr. has possession of the original parchment deed signed by Madison and James Monroe, secretary of state.

Andrews sold portions of the land, keeping the northwest fourth to build a cabin and married Margaret Kerr in 1824. They raised seven children and farmed until his 1845 death.

William L. Householder lived nearby, and in 1853 married Mary Andrews, daughter of James and Margaret, and had two children. John Franklin died at age 3 and Esther Ella died at age 13.

William purchased 20 acres adjacent to Andrews’ in 1862. Hearing a call for war between the states volunteers, he enlisted with the 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Co. D. and mustered out from Steubenville in 1862. His wife had died in 1861, so he left his 3-year-old daughter, Esther Ella, with his sister-in-law, Esther Jane Andrews. Although shot in both thighs and chest, Householder lived and got out in 1865

He sent letters home from various camps to Esther Jane, referred to as “my sister,” and 13 remain in family possession. They married in 1868 and had a son, Clark, and purchased 206.2 acres of land.

Cora Wells, housekeeper with the Householder family, married their son, Clark, and had four children – Alice Mable, William Lloyd, Mary Esther and Eula Grace.

In 1930, after the death of William and Esther Jane, Clark filed an affidavit of descent as the only living heir to the farm, which included seven tracts totaling 386 acres.

Eula, youngest of William Householder’s children, born in 1913, grew up in the same house James Andrews built 100 years earlier, and the four-room cabin grew to a two-story addition with basement.

Eula attended the one-room Holt primary school, located not far from home. Children would ride a horse to school, turn it loose to go back and walk home in the afternoon. To get her diploma, Eula went to stay with relatives and graduated from Wellsburg High School. Her dad, hoping she would become a teacher, sent her to Kent University but she returned after a year.

She met Hershel Carnahan and they married in 1932, moving into a small house on 3 acres of the farm. Eula had six children – Donald Edward, James Hershel, Elizabeth “Betty” Marie, David Robert, Esther Jean and John Clark.The second son, Jimmy, slipped into Yellow Creek and drowned at age 3.

Hershel worked at National Steel and during World War II made shells for the Navy. His spare time was spent on the farm and both labored in the fields, baled hay. raised livestock and poultry and mended fences.

Clark and Cora, who were getting older, sold 100 acres to Eula in 1953 for $1, giving her ownership of the farm house and surrounding buildings.

When Clark died in 1954, 13-year-old David moved into the farm house to look after the aging Cora. Betty, Esther and John followed and soon after, so did Hershel and Eula. Later, Cora went to Toronto to live with her son, William.

Hershel and Eula compensated the heirs and consolidated the remainder of the farm, which totaled about 350 acres.

Improvements were made to the house and outbuildings. A sawmill was bought and timber from the farm supplied wood for construction. With the purchase of a tractor, work horses were no longer needed but Hershel kept a riding horse and ponies for the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Betty married Raymond Hilderbrand in 1955 and had three children, Raymond Floyd Jr., Robin Lynn and Linda Kay. Raymond worked for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and owned and operated an auto body repair shop.

Don Carnahan Jr. married Elizabeth Saltsman in 1982 and moved into a cabin on the farm. It had been a summer camp for the William Cooper family from Toronto and known as Coopers Camp.

The Carnahans built on, remodeled and made it their permanent home and raised two children there. Wendi Jo and Marcus Andrew and were given the house in 1990.

Don Jr. worked at Titanium Metals, Weirton Steel and Ohio Edison Power as welder and electrician, and Beth works as office manager for Forms and Systems in Wintersville, but their spare time involves the farm.

He bought a John Deere tractor with loader in 1985, making it possible to use round bales. The couple produced and sold maple syrup, with sap coming from maple trees on both sides of Yellow Creek. Plastic tubes carried the sap across the creek to a storage tank to make 16 gallons of maple syrup.

In 1993, Hershel struck his head on a beam while backing his tractor into a shed. He was taken to the hospital but never recovered enough to return home. He went to Sunset Nursing Home and died in 1996 at 85.

Eula continued living in the farmhouse and all pitched in to help her. Beth cooked evening meals, often serving four generations at the same table. Dave helped Eula put in the vegetable garden, and Don Sr. mowed the grass and kept a supply of wood on the porch. Betty provided transportation for grocery shopping and doctor appointments. Eula worked on family genealogy and her crocheting. She spent winters with her children, mostly Betty. Eventually she went to Foxcrest Assisted Living Center and died in 2010 at age 96.

In 1993, Eula had put the farm into the Eula G. Carnahan Trust. After her death, the land was divided. Don Jr. inherited the property containing the old farmhouse and 24.4 acres in section No. 28. Don Sr. inherited 130 acres and Don Sr., Betty, Dave and Esther shared 95 acres. Eula had gifted 3 acres to Dave and 18.3 acres to Esther years earlier.

On Nov.14, 2013, the Carnahan farm was recognized by the Ohio Department of Agriculture as an Ohio Bicentennial Farm, one of three in Jefferson County and 65 in the state.

The certificate was awarded at the 2014 Jefferson County Fair. There was an acknowledgment from the Ohio General Assembly House of Representatives under sponsorship of Jack Cerra, D-Bellaire.

Six generations lived and worked the land along Yellow Creek to make the celebration possible. For some, it was their only means to make a living.

Methods have changed, but all have done their part to continue the family tradition.

The old farmhouse is vacant and most of its contents dispersed throughout the family. Old buildings remain but the sight of newly constructed buildings and cattle grazing in the pasture denotes that family traditions will continue.