Three generations of the Holley, McWhorter, and Greenhaw families made important contributions to Mesquite's commerce, schools, and fine arts. Tennessee native Nathaniel A. Holley (1861-1947) came to the area in 1884, farming 40 acres near Balch Springs and raising sugar cane, vegetables, and orchard fruits. After a year, he returned to Tennessee to care for his widowed mother, then came back to Mesquite intending to open a grocery store. Although he purchased a lot on the town square, the deaths of his wife and son delayed those plans. Holley and his second wife, Adell Humphreys, had four children, and in 1903 he opened his store with stock hauled from Dallas and loaded in a wagon and a buggy. He also began a family tradition of civic involvement by serving a term as city alderman and seven school years as a board member. Nathaniel and Adell's two sons, Raymond and Anson, served in the military in World War I and, after returning from France, joined the family business. Their youngest daughter, Eula, married Ferd Arthur McWhorter, who in 1943 expanded the family business along Broad Street. The retail operation, called McWhorter's and later McWhorter-Greenhaw, included hardware, farm supplies, furniture, and appliances. Ferd continued the family's commitment to education by serving 11 years on the school board. Ferd and Eula's daughter Patricia married musician and educator Frank Greenhaw, who joined the family enterprise and served as a school board member and president, school choral and band director, and director of music for First Methodist Church of Mesquite. Through their long-running business and in the names of a street, a school, and a city park, Mesquite remembers the Holley, McWhorter, and Greenhaw families.