Arlie Lay

Arlie Monroe Lay (1897-1990) was an Oneida businessman who founded Lay’s Oneida Furniture Co. and the Lay-Simpson brand of furniture stores. He was the first president of the Scott County Chamber of Commerce, and a veteran of World War I.

Biography

Born Jan. 22, 1897, Lay was the son of William Alford Lay (1874-1955) and Margaret Collins (1880-1973). He was one of six children. His brothers were Ellery Lay, who died in infancy; Ezra Lonzo Lay (1899-1958), Elmer Richard Lay (1904-1923); Charles Robert Lay (1909-1970) and Harry Lynn Lay (1912-1993). 

The Lay family was originally from the Rock House area of eastern Scott County. The family migrated from North Carolina to Tennessee with Lay’s second-great-grandfather, “Missouri Jack” Lay, who settled in Elk Valley. Missouri Jack Lay’s grandson, Arlie Lay’s grandfather, Rev. Greenberry Lay (1851-1933) was the first of the Lay family to move across the mountain to Rock House. Berry and his father, William “Dandy” Lay, purchased a farm at Rock House, and it was on that farm that Arlie Lay was born in 1897.

During Arlie Lay’s childhood, the family moved from Scott County to Campbell County to Claiborne County, as his father pursued jobs in the coal mines, sawmills and the railroad.

Standing just 5 ft., 6 in., Lay nevertheless became a standout athlete. He excelled in track and field at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn.

On June 12, 1922, Lay married Orange Mae West (1901-1982). She was the daughter of Charles Sherman “Sherd” West (1876-1937) and Nancy Caroline “Nannie” Wilson (1881-1965) of Oneida. Arlie and Orange’s first child, son William Joseph Lay, was born a year later. 

Arlie and Orange would go on to have five more sons: Robert Burton, Allyn Monroe, Jack Marvin, and John Charles, as well as a son who died in infancy, David Harold.

The Lay family moved to Oneida, and that is where Arlie and Orange spent the remainder of their lives, living in a home on 4th Street near the Scott County Hospital. They also spent considerable time on their nearly-1,000-acre farm on Coopertown Road west of town, land that Lay purchased in the 1940s and built a lake and cabin, and raised cattle and crops.

World War I

Lay was attending classes at Lincoln Memorial University when the United States entered World War I. He initially volunteered for service and was turned down due to poor eyesight. However, he was later drafted into the U.S. Army in August 1918 and landed at Brest in France on Oct. 7, 1918, just over a month before the war ended.

Furniture Business

Arlie Lay got his first job in the furniture business when he returned from World War I. He began working at a furniture store in Pineville, Ky. on July 18, 1919. But Oneida was undergoing rapid growth thanks to the railroad depot there, and Lay decided to return to Scott County and open his own business. He established Oneida Furniture Co. in 1920, when he was just 23. The store was located on the south side of the Cincinnati Southern Railroad depot in Oneida, where the Hartco flooring plant would eventually be built.

Shortly thereafter, Oneida Furniture Co. moved to a new and larger location on Depot Street, located on the north side of the railroad tracks. 

On July 1, 1932, Lay moved his furniture store to a new brick building on North Main Street, next door to First Baptist Church of Oneida. A large slogan across the front of the store proclaimed, “Your credit is good here.” Newlyweds would visit the store to select furniture for their home, pay for it “on time,” and it would be delivered to their home the same day. Financing and delivery remained staples of Lay’s Oneida Furniture Co. through the years.

Lay developed a reputation for kindness and fairness as one of Oneida’s leading merchants. Writing for the FNB Chronicle in 1995, Josetta Griffith told the story of a young couple who visited the store in its early days: 

“They really wanted a set of Revere cookware, but had already spent as much as they felt they could afford, so they didn’t take the cookware. When the furniture was delivered to them, the cookware they wanted was included. They were told it was a gift from Arlie and Jack and the folks at the store.” 

Inventory for Oneida Furniture Co. would be delivered to the Oneida freight yard on railroad box cars, and then loaded into trucks and moved to the furniture store on North Main Street.

Lay-Simpson Furniture

As Lay’s Oneida Furniture Co. flourished, Arlie Lay entered into a business partnership with Virgil Simpson of Somerset, Ky. The two men opened a number of furniture stores under the Lay-Simpson name, including stores in Stearns, Campbellsville and Albany in Kentucky, and Celina, Caryville, Rockwood and Monterey in Tennessee. They also had a bedding company in Somerset, Ky.

Lay managed the day-to-day operations of the Oneida store until the 1950s, when he turned the business over to his sons. He spent much of his latter years working on his Coopertown farm and researching his family’s history. He wrote a book, “The Lay Family History,” which was published by the Scott County Historical Society and is still available for purchase. 

Jack M. Lay became manager of the Oneida store and president of the Lay-Simpson corporation after is father retired. In 1991, Jack’s son, Jerry, began working at the store and later opened a new store, Lay Family Furniture, on the Four lane in Oneida. Lay Family Furniture remains open and is still operated by Jerry Lay, now representing more than 100 years of family tradition.

The last manager of Lay’s Oneida Furniture Co. was Arlie Lay’s youngest son, John Charles Lay. 

In 2024, Jerry Lay, his mother, Sue (Jack M. Lay’s widow), and John Charles Lay and his wife Linda were all present when state officials with the TN Dept. of Economic & Community Development visited Oneida to honor the Lay furniture brand for more than 100 years of tradition.

Business & Civic Interests

Arlie Lay was active in civic and religious circles throughout his life. He was a long-time member of First Baptist Church of Oneida, and was the first president of the Scott County Chamber of Commerce in 1955. He was influential in the movement to build Scott County Hospital in the 1950s, and supported the purchase of the Boss Glove building in Oneida.

Lay served as chairman of the board for First Trust & Savings Bank, which was later renamed United Cumberland Bank. He was a one-time president of the Oneida Kiwanis Club, and was the club’s oldest member at the time of his death. He was also a 50-year member of Oneida Masonic Lodge No. 695 F&AM. 

Death

Lay died on Aug. 30, 1990 at Scott County Hospital, at the age of 93. A funeral service was held two days later at First Baptist Church, with Rev. Philip Kazee officiating. Lay was buried at Carson Memorial Park, where his wife, Orange, had also been buried in 1982.

At the time of his death, Lay had 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. 

Help complete the historical record. If you have something to add, please email newsroom@ihoneida.com.