05/18/2026
Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and the Chief of Staff of the Army General of the Army George C. Marshall are the reasons my family's generational wealth was stifled. The site for Camp Campbell, Tennessee (now Fort Campbell, KY) was selected on September 9, 1941, and the Title I Survey was completed on November 15, 1941. Eminent domain allowed the War Department to take over 300 acres of land from the estate of Harkless Ledford, Jr., aka Thomas Riley Ledford, Jr. The payout was $39.93 per acre, totaling $11,979, and the conversion rate in 2026 is $271,323. This would have been $5,989.50 split between his heirs, Hugh Ledford and Hattie Ledford. With things like Land and mineral rights, who knows what wealth could have been amassed today! If you want to know more about my research, come to the Ledford-Williams Family Reunion!
