Farming and cattle raising have always been of chief interest to Ernest L. Meredith and it was to become engaged in farming that he came to the Farmer City vicinity in May 1922 to accept employment with Frank Houser receiving a wage of $26 per month. In July he was offered $28 a month on a farm near Downs and went there to do farm work.
His original home was in Richland county where he was one of three sons and three daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Meredith. He attended grade schools near Noble; went to the Noble high school a year; the high school at Olney a year and a half and completed his high school education and received his diploma from Deland High school in 1924.
In 1923 his parents moved to the Ed England farm near Deland.
In 1925 he rented a 280 acre farm near Mansfield and assumed the equipment from J. O. Bateman. He farmed this for a year.
In 1926 he assisted with the farming of the "Doc" C.E. Judy farm near Bethel, going from this in 1927 to what was then known as the Fred Gould farm, now owned and operated by Robert Bragg. He rented this place and remained there until 1933.
While residing here he married Ethel Beazly of Mansfield and the couple went to housekeeping on this place.
In March 1933 he moved to the Smith Fuller place which he bought from the Federal Land Bank. He did extensive remodeling to this place and in 1936 bought the 120 acres across the road and his parents moved here.
The Merediths owned this place four years then sold this and bought land in Minnesota. He raised milking shorthorn cattle and was engaged in trading cattle during the five years he owned this farm.
He was chief organizer and first president of the Central Illinois Milking Shorthorn Breeders Association and served in this capacity until 1950 when he resigned to go into other business. This association includes 17 counties in Central Illinois. He was likewise honored as the group delegate to the national convention.
During his presidency two purebred shorthorn sales were held here; the Central which he supervised alone brought over 100 breeders to Farmer City at which time a banquet was served at the Country Club; at the other sale he and Verne Zeiders sold surplus cattle stock.
In the fall of 1946 the Merediths bought three acres of the Herrick estate land at the intersection of Routes 150 and 54 and erected the attractive restaurant known as "the Elms" on this spot and a dairy building nearby.
A year later he traded the restaurant and dairy for land in McLean County. Their son, Glenn who married the former Margaret Burge....
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