William W. Farley, county court clerk of Hardeman County, is a son of Franklin B. and Mary (Parr) Franklin. Both were born, reared and married in North Carolina. In 1833, they came to Fayette County, Tenn., where they remained until 1848, and then moved to Shelby County. The father was a farmer by occupation and a Whig in politics. They were both members of the Methodist Church and lived to a good age. Our subject was born January 18, 1827, in Caswell County, N.C., was reared on a farm and had the very best educational advantages his county afforded. At the age of twenty-one, he began for himself by clerking in a dry goods store. After six years’ experience he began merchandising, which he continued some time. He then engaged in agricultural pursuits . In 1851, he married Mary J. Redd, daughter of Maj. P. B. Redd, an educator of Haywood County. This union was blessed by the birth of one son, William E., a farmer of Hardeman County. Mrs. Farley is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Before the war our subject was a Whig, but since that event he has been a Democrat. In 1876, he was elected sheriff, which office he held as long as the law permits (six years). He was then elected to the office of county court clerk and is now discharging the duties of that position. He also carries on his agricultural pursuits and has 630 acres of valuable land. For forty years he has been a resident of Hardeman County, and the official positions he has held speak well for his popularity in the county. He is a man liberal in his support of schools, churches and other worthy enterprises. His father was of German-Irish extraction.
Source: “The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1886”