‘The gift that kept on giving’
Descendants selling 140-year-old farm of former slave
Ethel White Hayes and her son Deron survey the land in Mason, Tenn., that's been in their family for more than 140 years. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Hillery W. Key rose from slavery to prominence in higher education and the ministry. The large farm he bought in 1880 just northeast of Memphis will finally leave his family next month.
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slavery Hillery W. Key United Methodist Church auction farmlandThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Tom Bailey
Tom Bailey retired in January as a business reporter at The Daily Memphian, and after 40 years in journalism. A Tupelo, Mississippi, native, he graduated from Mississippi State University. He has lived in Midtown for 36 years.
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