~ Fair Family Farms ~ History

Current farm owners Thomas, Barbara, & Bonnie's 4th Great Grandfather, Lewis Turner (also known as Ludwig Dreher, of German descent), married Anna Maria Belz in 1800 in their hometown of Loudoun County, Virginia. Prior to their migration to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, their first son, Frederick Turner, would also be born.

The original farm, consisting of 241 acres, was purchased by Lewis Turner on September 5, 1812. Obtained from the Estate of George Woods as well as Dr. John Anderson & wife Mary (notable founders of the grand Bedford Springs Resort of the same county), Lewis purchased the farm for $1,205 at the time, or roughly $5 per acre of land.

As years passed, the farm would soon proceed in ownership to Lewis' son, Frederick Turner & wife Susannah, after his passing. On April 24, 1838, Frederick (Thomas, Barbara, & Bonnie's 3rd Great Grandfather) purchases the 241-acre farm for $2000. In the years following, he & Susannah would raise seven children on the farm. 

After Frederick's passing, the farm was formally divided between three of his sons during the period of the Civil War. Andrew Turner (Thomas, Barbara, & Bonnie's 2nd Great Grandfather) purchased the 95-acre Parent Parcel on November 22, 1864.

This land parcel would later become the original survey that has been continually owned by the family for overs 210 years and would also be the land that contained the original gristmill on the property crafted by Frederick Turner prior to the Civil War. Though while it is no longer standing, the mill is mentioned in courthouse documents dated back to the year of 1850, and partial remnants are still visible today. The remaining land from the split after Frederick's passing resides West of the current Fair Family Farmhouse. 

Sometime after his possession of the land parcel, Andrew Turner marries Anna Mariah Hillegass. Together they built the current foundation & primary homestead circa 1850 and raised eight children on the farm. The Turners' original barn dating back to just before the close of the Civil War was destroyed by a catastrophic early morning fire on November 28, 2005.

After Anna Mariah's passing, the farm was then sold to their daughter, Mary M. Turner-Fair (Thomas, Barbara, & Bonnie's Great Grandmother), on December 20, 1912. Mary married John W. Fair, and together they raised six children on the farm.

From that point, the farm was next transferred to Mary & John's son & daughter-in-law, Ralph A. Fair & his wife E. Mae Mowry-Fair (Thomas, Barbara, & Bonnie's Grandparents), on April 2, 1923. Together, they raised three sons on the farm, two of which (Ralph H. & Floyd A. Fair) would receive the farm years later on February 12, 1959.

Floyd Fair passed away in the year 2006 at the age of 87. He lived the entirety of his life on the farm & never proceeded to marry. It was after his passing that the farm would in totality be transferred in ownership to Ralph H. Fair & his wife, Geraldine V. Coughenour-Fair (Thomas, Barbara, & Bonnie's Parents) on June 29, 2006. Ralph "Jr." would also spend the entirety of his life on the farm and would be married to Geraldine "Gerry" for 64 years. Together, they raised six children on the farm.




In the year 2008, Ralph & Geraldine formed a business partnership and created Fair Family Farms LLC. All acreage, except the 10 acres of the Parent Parcel which contains the Andrew Turner homestead, was transferred to the LLC and owners of the ancestral farm. Both parents would sadly pass away in the year 2020. Following their passing, their children have chosen to carry on & honor their family's legacy, and this 7th generation of siblings are the owners of the farm today. Ralph & Gerry's son Thomas still resides at the homestead in an apartment, which has been converted from what used to be a 4-bay garage. In addition, Barbara & her husband Randy reside on the tract of land just West of the main farm.

To date, Fair Family Farms LLC is currently a Pennsylvania Certified Organic Dairy Farm in Bedford County. Additionally, they are poultry farmers, producing millions of farm-fresh eggs every single year. And of course, in May of 2026, The Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast by Fair Family Farms, LLC is born.