Pendleton District, South Carolina Hardins

Grifin Hardin

was born 1774 or 1775 in Chatham County, North Carolina. In a deposition supporting a Revolutionary War soldier's claim, he said he lived in Chatham County, North Carolina, and knew the soldier in 1786. Griffin is the son of Gabriel Hardin, who resided in Chatham County 1774 or earlier to about 1787, when he left for Pendleton District, SC with all his children. It is possible that Griffin and Aaron Hardin were twins. Griffin Hardin died after 15 Jan 1851, the date he gave a sworn statement on the Revoltionary War Pension application W8702 for Elizabeth, widow of John Sanders.

Griffin Hardin lived all his life in Pickens County, South Carolina, in the part that became Oconee County in 1868. Grifin and Aaron seem to be the eldest of the sons 16-and-under of Gabriel Hardin who were counted in the 1790 Pendleton District census. Griffin Hardin was on an October 1837 jury list for Pickens District.

Source of middle initial W: Vincent Brown said that (Green Berry) Hardin had "150 acres of land more or less on waters of Snow Creek on-or-of adjoining lands of whereon G. W. Hardin lives"
Record is at
Pendleton District Court of Common Pleas - 1800-1828
SC Archives Roll 1106
Date 1820
Greenberry Harden vs. Pleasant Hawkins
and Pleasant Hawkins vs. Greenberry Hardin

From Oconee County, SC, various of Griffin's children went to Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

I began by noting Griffin Hardin and children in the census from 1800 to 1850. To crowd in all those early children, I guess Griffin married at 20. The year was 1794.  I've never seen his wife's name, but she was born in Virginia (according to a descendant's death certificate).

Griffin's oldest son was Thomas Hardin, named according to the English naming custom the family followed, and born circa 1795. The custom gives the oldest newborn the name of his great-grandfather. So we are shown that that Griffin Hardin's grandfather was Thomas. The line of Gabriel Hardin the younger, then, goes through the son of old Samuel named Thomas and not the one named Samuel. The son Gabriel kept his family with him, which becomes more traceable because of its relative isolation from the other brothers.

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I tracked individual children through the decades by logical deduction, I designated their number, and settled on an average or likely birth date. When I looked at my compilation (griffin-deductions.pdf), I thought he sired about 22 children -- but the 1850 census shows Cassendine, the widow of eldest son Thomas, lived in Griffin's house with seven of her children. 

Researcher Susan Hardin Austin at http://www.myheritage.com/site-137109921/griffin-hardin-family-ydna-i1a confirms that Cassendine was a daughter-in-law, not a wife, of Griffin Hardin. She married eldest son Thomas Harden who died about 1840.

In the 1850 census Cassendine was in the household of Griffin Harden and said she was born 1811. Cassendine's eldest son, Samuel Harden, was also in the household and said he was born 1829-30. The youngest child in residence, Thompson Harden, was born 1841, meaning Cassendine's husband Thomas may have lived to 1840. To be a father to Samuel, b. 1830, the father Thomas Harden would have been born before 1810. I place him as Male 1 born 1794-1800.

OLDEST CHILD OF THOMAS AND CASSENDINE HARDIN

Their first son was Samuel Harrison Harden born 1830 in Pickens (Oconee) County, South Carolina. Samuel Harrison Hardin died during the Civil War at Lynchburg Virginia from pneumonia on Jan. 25, 1864. Samuel had married Sarah Caroline McDonald who was born 1835 in South Carolina.

Griffin's wife departed between 1825 and 1830. A woman age 40-50 (b.1790-1800 appeared in the household in 1850. A woman 10 to 20 years Griffin's junior could be a wife. Griffin Hardin b. 1833 is perhaps Griffin's last child but by what mother is unknown.

Over three to four decades Griffin Hardin kept one to two slaves. One was a child who grew into a young man during his bondage, which included 1820 and 1830.

Griffin Hardin was juror number 16 in the Jury List for the year 1828, Pendleton District. "To the sheriff of Pendleton District, Court of Common Pleas to be holden at Pickens Count House on the fourth Monday in October 1828." (A Collection of Upper South Carolina Genelogy and Family Records, Vol. III. Ed: James E. Wooley, Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC, 1982, p. 253)

Griffin Hardin was number 34 on the "Jury List for year 1837. Pickens Dist. Court on Second Monday in October. (p. 254)

In 1841 Griffin Hardin sold to Elias Earle 123 acres on Beaverdam Creek. It was recorded 1852. (Pickens Co deed book G-1 p. 134.)

Note: The deeds listed on this page are the only ones involving Hardins/Hardens in Pickens District/County until 1894, except that I did not list transactions of Joseph Hardin of Saluda Creek. He is not our relative but an R1B1B2 kit#119147 of the Martin Hardouin Gold group.

Below I list the family of Griffin Hardin with information taken primarily from the U.S. Census 1800 through 1850.  See my compilation for starting sources. All children logically would have been born in Pickens County, SC.

Wife and Children of Griffin Hardin from Census Records

Griffin Hardin, 1774, born Chatham County, NC

Mrs. Griffin Hardin, 1774-75 b. South Carolina

Daughter-in-law, CASSENDINE HARDIN, 1811

Male 1 b.1794-1800, d. ~1840 THOMAS HARDIN

Left home by 1830. Researcher Susan Hardin Austin has identified Thomas Hardin as the son of Griffin Hardin (1775-1852) and the husband of Cassendine Hardin ( -1897) (http://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-137109921/griffin-hardin-family-ydna-i1a). It is by elimination I place him as Male 1. A DNA test, kit #158706 at hhhdna.com, places his descendant in the i1a haplotype matching Oran Hardin and the other Nordic Hardins.

What's New: The line of Griffin Hardin goes back through his father Gabriel to HIS father THOMAS, first son of immigrant Samuel Hardin. After my recent viewing of a talk by  John D. Beatty on English Naming Customs (1600-1800), I concluded that for 2 to 4 generations OUR I-M253 FAMILY FOLLOWED THE ENGLISH NAMING CUSTOM. Working backward, Thomas is the first son of Griffin. By English custom, he ought to be given the name of his paternal great-grandfather. The choices are Thomas, Samuel (the younger), Gabriel, and William. Because Griffin Hardin named his first son THOMAS, we can be confident that THOMAS, oldest son of the original Samuel, was in the line of descent.

The confidence can extend to those Hardins, John and Gabriel (the younger), presumed brothers, who moved down from Granville to settle in Chatham County, NC. in the 1770s. John's family included oddly-named children who made a big swath in Georgia from their beachhead in Washington County there in the 1790s. In 1787 Gabriel took his family to Pendleton District, SC.

Male 2, b. 1795-1800, at home in 1810 -unknown

Male 3, 1800, GREEN BERRY HARDIN

Green Berry Hardin lived in his own house with a wife in the 1820 census. And in the 1830 census, he was age 30-40 (b. 1790-1800) with a female 20-30. (He was listed adjacent to Reuben Hardin.) He lived in his own house in 1840 near Griffin Hardin and Archibald Burton (father-in-law). He said he was born between 1810 and 1820. The better date is 1800. Evidence indicates Greenberry is Griffin's son and a brother to Reuben.

Green Berry and family made their way to Murray County, Georgia where in 1840 he had a wife and one daughter under 5. In 1850 Murray County his family included wife Melissa Barton, 37, b. NC; boys Archibald T., Domican, David M., and Johathan: 13, 6, 4, and 1; and one girl, Indiana, 10. Childen age 4 and younger were born in Georgia. Older children were born in SC. He said in 1840 and 1850 he was born in NC. He was a laborer.

(See below for Greenberry Harden vs. Pleasant Hawkins Court Case, 1820.)

The Green Berry Hardin of Pontotoc County, MS was a son of Reuben Hardin.

Male 4, B. 8 Mar 1801, Reuben Hardin

In 1820 Reuben Hardin was the head of household living near Griffin Hardin. No children at that time. Lived in Pickens District with children in 1830. A plat for 604 acres in Pickens District on branches of Beaverdam and Choastoa Creek for Reuben Hardin and Abner Honey was dated 12/2/1836 (https://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/). In 1850 he was head of household in Franklin County, Alabama. He had a son Green Berry who died in the Mexican war (see below).He and his wife settled in Pontotock, Mississippi. They died there.

An undated petition by a few citizens of Pickens District, asking that the courthouse not be moved, but that the district be divided, was signed by RUBEN HARDIN and THOMAS HARDIN. The date must have been between 1826 and when Ruben left the county. A c. 1837 petition asking to move the village of pickens to a more advantageous location included the names of Griffin and Ruben Harden, so 1837 was a time when county seats were being talked about. (http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/onlinearchives/).  Reuben died before 1770 in Pontotoc County, Mississippi leaving Nancy as the head of household. Griffin Hardin, Jr. with his family moved in to Pontotoc beside Nancy probably to help during the difficulty.

Female 1, 1804-1810

Left home by 1830.

Female 2, 1804-1810

Left home by 1830.

Female 3, 1800-1810

Left home by 1830.

Female 4, ~1815.

Left home by 1840.

Female 5, 1815-20.

At home 1840. Not tracked further.

Male 5, 1811-20. ROBERT CARROLL HARDIN

At home 1840. I have not discovered the birthdate of Robert Carroll Hardin. He could be Male 6 but is more likely Male 4 who is the same general age as John Hardin his executor.

On Aug. 3, 1847 Carroll Hardin went to a nearby estate sale of Thomas Bryce and brought home 30 pounds of iron for $1.40 and a basin and box for 31 cents. At a Lewis W. Reeder estate sale nearby in the spring of 1856 R. C. Hardin bought a club ax for 96 cents and his brother John Hardin bought one for 65 cents. These families lived around Snow Creek and Conneross Creek in what is now Oconee County.

South Carolina, Pickens County, Estate Papers, File No. 191-230, 1845-1849, Estate Papers of Thomas Bryce, ancestry.com
South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com.

In the 1857 Will of Robert Carroll Hardin [at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/onlinearchives/] he names as executors "my wife Rebecca and my brother John Hardin." R. C. Harden bought from Demcy Yow 96 acres on Snow Creek. Date of deed 1854. Recorded 1855 (Pickens Co deed book G-1 p. 544). Susan R. Harden sold to Elizabeth Hembree 96 acres on Snow Creek. Date of deed 1859. Recorded 1862 (Pickens Co deed book K-1 p. 128). Note the full name of Robert's widow must be Susan Rebecca Hardin. Robert and John both lived on Snow Creek. Thanks to Patricia Freeman Hardin for her research at the SC Archives.

Male 6, 1810-12, JOHN HARDIN

At home 1840. This one or male 4 is likely the John Hardin whose death on 25 July 1878 was noted below under "Hardins Resident in Oconee County." By three different accounts the man below was born 1810, 1812, or 1814 . The 1814 birthdate come from the 1860 census. At that time he lived in the second regiment at Snow Creek, the community where Griffin Hardin, his supposed father, lived. All were born in South Carolina. John was living at Snow Creek in 1856, when he bought an ax for 65 cents at an estate sale. (See the note under his brother R.C. Hardin)

John Harden, 46, Farmer $650/485

Margaret E. Harden, 39

Samuel Harden, 16

Laura A. Harden, 13

Pheeriba S. Harden, 10

Martha Harden, 5

Margaret Harden, 3.

An 1880 census for Chattooga, Oconee County, SC confirms the loss of the husband:

Margaret Hardin, 53, head, keeping house, SC NC NC

Elizabeth M. Hardin, 21, dau, without occupation

Eddie Hardin, 15, son, farmer

Rebecca Stancel, 23, servant

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Pickens Co Deed Book G-1 page 653. John Hardin bought from Abner Shuttlesworth 74 acres. Date of deed: 1854. Date recorded: 1855.

Female 6, 1820-25

Left home by 1850.

Female 7, 1820-25

Left home by 1850.

Male 7. B. 1820-25. Unknown.

Male 8, 20 Jun 1837, WILLIAM M. HARDIN

Left home by 1850. William M. HARDEN, b.20-june-1827, d.3-nov-1907, is listed at cemetery C10 in Ocomee County, SC. Beside him is Elizabeth Hardin. C10 is BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC,A.K.A. Oakway & Seneca, SC (http://files.usgwarchives.net/sc/oconee/cemeteries /c010.txt)

William M. Hardin was a corporal in Co. K, 3rd Regiment, S.C. Cavalry for the duration of the civil war. He was stationed at Fort Drayton, Red Bluff, S.C. He mustered-in Jan 27, 1862 at age 27 (reads the record) and served at least through October 1864. (See Fold3.com.)

At the time of the 1880 census he lived in Center Township, Oconee County. He was 53 and a farmer, born S.C., and states that his father was born North Carolina and his mother in South Carolina. His wife was Elizabeth, 48, b. S.C. At home were daughters Mary and Hepsy M., age 12 and 6, and son Lewis age 16. He lived beside J. Edward Hardin, 28, (b.1852) who was married to Amanda C., 23.

Female 8, 1830 Sally Hardin Hopkins

Left home by 1850. This could be Griffin Hardin's last child except young Griffin Hardin. Sally Hardin Hopkins death certificate says her father is Griffin Hardin and mother born in Oconee County. Date of death April 24, 1923 at Oconee/Seneca. About age 90, so b. abt. 1833. Informant: M.B. Hopkins.

Male 9, 1825-1830, Unknown

Male 10, 1833, GRIFFIN HARDIN, Jr.  (Details at bottom of page)
Male 11, 1830-35, Unknown.

Children of Thomas and Cassendine Hardin in the Griffin Hardin household 1850

CASS Male 1, 1829, Samuel Harrison Hardin

At Griffin's 1840 & 1850, named in 1850. For this family see tree of Engene H. Hardin at MyHeritage.com. The author is J. Hardin (roundtuit@sbcglobal.net) -- the daughter of Eugene Hardin.

CASS Female 1, 1835, CATHERINE HARDIN

At Griffin's 1840 & 1850, named 1850.

CASS Female 5, 1834, JANE HARDIN

At Griffin's 1840 & 1850,  named in 1850. There is an indefinite mark in the last column, "Whether deaf & dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict."

CASS Male 2, 1836, MARTIN HARDIN

At Griffin's 1840 & 1850, named 1850. According to the Old Pendleton District Newsletter, January 2000, Linda G. Cheek, editor, "Martin Benjamin Hardin ... enlisted in Co. E., 4th S. C. Volunteers at Fair Play, SC, on Apr. 14, 1861. He was a son of Thomas and Cassendine Hardin."

CASS Female 2, 1837, LETTY HARDIN 

At Griffin's 1840 & 1850, named 1850

CASS Female 3, 1839, SARAH HARDIN

At Griffin's 1840 & 1850, named in 1850.

CASS Male 3, 1841, THOMPSON HARDIN

At home and named in 1850.

(Only Mary E. Cox Hardin b. 1844 is missing from the 1850 census)

More about the Griffin Hardin family

Greenberry Harden vs. Pleasant Hawkins Court Case, 1820;
Confirmation of middle initial of Griffin W. Hardin

(Thanks to Patricia Freeman Hardin for the on-site research and for the notes of July 2009.)

Pendleton District Court of Common Pleas - 1800-1828
SC Archives Roll 1106
Date 1820
Greenberry Harden vs. Pleasant Hawkins
and Pleasant Hawkins vs. Greenberry Hardin

Pat writes: This case went on for several years with Greenberry Hardin and Pleasant Hawkins suing each other. The file contains many documents. It started with a trade of a horse for a riffle gun and two gallons and 3 quarts of Brandy and six gallons of whiskey. It seems that the horse died soon after the trade and that is what started the suit. It appears that the defendant won the first case and then sued for court and lawyer fees. In the second case Greenberry Hardin was ordered to pay Pleasant Hawkins $53.38. That is when a search was made in April 1822 and it was reported that Greenberry Hardin did not own any property. A note indicated that Vincent Brown said that Hardin had "150 acres of land more or less on waters of Snow Creek on-or-of adjoining lands of whereon G. W. Hardin lives". The land was sold to Edward Moore for one dollar. This was dated Dec. 30, 1822 and another date on the same paper had Feb. 2, 1827.
It seems that there was also a physical fight that took place with many witnesses.

NOTE: Pleasant Hawkins was living next door to Griffin Harden in the 1820 Pendleton District SC Census.

NOTE: Vincent Brown age 70-80 was living next door to Griffin Hardin in the 1840 Pickens District SC Census.

NOTE: Edward Moore lived one house away from Aaron Hardin in the 1820 Pendleton District Census

Thomas Hardin, married Cassendine

Susan Hardin Austin has done a good job, as always, with this family tree at http://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-137109921/griffin-hardin-family-ydna-i1a#
Mrs. Austin is currently researching and can be reached through the above site.

According to her research this is the family of Thomas and Cassendine Hardin:
Samuel Harrison Harden B. 1830 Pickens Co SC D. 25 Jan 1864 Lynchburg, VA
Catherine Williams (born Harden) B. 1834 M. Alex Williams
Martin Benjamin Harden   B. 1836
Letty Harden  B. 1837
Sarah Harden B. 1839
Thomson Harden  B. 1841
Mary E Cox (born Harden) B. 1844 M. E.H. Cox B. 1822
Jane Harden B. 1844  

Greenberry Hardin, son of Reuben, Mexican-American War Record

Capt. Stewart's Co., Batt'n Miss. Rifles (Anderson's).
Pvt., age 22 years, appears on company muster-in roll of organization above. Roll dated Vicksburg Miss. Jan'y 10, 1848. Muster-in date Dec 23, 1847. Joined for duty and enrolled: Oct. 20, 1847, Aberdeen. Appears on Company Muster Roll for Dec 23/47 to Feb 27 1848. Present or absent: Not stated. Mar & Apr 1848. Present or absent: Not stated.

Green B. Harden, Pvt. Co E, Batt'n Miss. Rifles (Anderson's). Mexican War.
Age 22. Appears on Co. Muster-out Roll dated Vicksburg Miss June 28, 1848. Last paid to Apr 30, 1848. Remarks: Died board the vessel on return from Tampico, Mexico June 16th 1848.
(Source: Compiled Sevice Records of Volunteer Soldiers who Served During the Mexican War in Organizations From the State of Mississippi, NARA M863. fold3.com.)

Reubin Hardin received land in Alabama for death of his son Greenberry.

Land grants in Franklin County, Alabama included:
accession number InMW-1059-421.
Patentee GRIFFIN, JOSEPH LENNON, 3/10/1851, 6S 12W, east 1/2 of NE 1/4, section 23.
Patentee HARDIN, REUBIN, 3/10/1851, 6S 12W, ne 1/4 of the se 1/4 of section 23.
Warrantee HARDIN, GREENBURY, 3/10/1851, 6S 12W, E½NE¼ of section 23.

Warrant issued 3/10/1851 reads in part:
Know Ye, that in pursuance of the Act of Congress, entitled "An act to raise for a limited time an additional military force, and for other purposes," approved February 11, 1847, Rubin Hardin father and heir at Law of Greenbury Hardin deceased late a Private in Captain Stuarts Company Battalion Mississippi Riflemen Volunteers
having deposited in the GENREAL LAND OFFICE a WARRANT in his favor, numbered 6150D, There is therefore granted by the United States, unto Joseph Lennon Griffin asignee of the Series Reubin Hardin and to his heirs. the East half of the NorthEast quarter the NorthEast quarter of the South East Quarter and the North West quarter of the South East Quarter of Section Twenty three in Township Six of Range twelve West in the District of Lands ____ to Sale at Huntsville Alabama containing one hundred and fifty nine Acres, and thirty three hundredths of an Acre ... T

Joseph Griffin on his own account received a military land warrant in the same section 23 in 1852. One of two warrant reads: "Whereas, in pursuance of the Act of Congress approved September 28th, 1850 entitled 'An act granting bounty land to certain officers and soldiers who have been engaged in the Military Service of the United States' Warrant No. 4150 for 80 acres, issued in favor of Joseph Griffin Private in Captain McFatter's Company, Colonel Moore's Regiment North Carolina Militia War 1812..."

Newspaper Clippings and Notes

Issue of Thursday, August 1, 1878
“We regret to announce the death of Mr. John Hardin, one of our best citizens, on the 25th Ult. [25 July 1878] Mr. Hardin was in his 66th year, and leaves many friends to mourn his death.”
The Keowee Courier 1844-1851; 1857-1861 and 1865-1868,edited and indexed by Colleen Morse Elliot, c. 1979, The Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr., Southern Historical Press, Easley, SC.

C58,HARDEN, John, b.1810, d.25-july-1877, w. margaret e.
from OCONEE SC TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS by Ann Rogers, SURNAME RANGE: Ha to Ha, Database File: sort-ha-ha.txt.

Findagrave.com says John Hardin, 1810 - Jul. 25, 1877, spouse Margaret Thomas Hardin (1813-1891) and a daughter is Margaret "Elizabeth" Hardin Wilbanks (1856-1939). According to Debbie L at findagrave.com, the burial is at Double Springs Methodist Church Cemetery, Walhala, Oconee County. Modern directions: Highway 28, North of Walhalla, SC. Turn left onto Highway 37-258 Chattooga Ridge Road. Mountain Rest Community. Small white church on left. Cemetery in back church yard.

HARDIN, ROBERT, 1823 - 23 JAN 1908. Died on the 23rd inst. Robert Hardin, age of 84 years, died at home of his daughter Mrs. Robert Brown.

-Pickens Sentinel, 23 Jan 1908

Samuel Hardin (b. ca 1830) died of disease at Richmond, Virginia; he served in Co. C, 2nd S. C. Rifles (Moore's Regt.), CSA. He was a grandson of Griffin Hardin. His wife was Sarah C. Hardin, and the couple lived near Snow Creek in Pickens District, SC. - from Old Pendleton district Newsletter, January 2000, Linda G. Cheek, editor.

J. L. Harden (or Hardin). This confederate vet's name was listed on the Civil War pension roll in Pickens County, SC, in 1911. -Cheek, OPD newsletter,1996.

 

Clipping: Mark Bernard Harden (1838-1916) served in Co. E, 4th S.C. Volunteers, CSA. His wife was Mary M. (Payne) Hardin (1847-1901). This Confederate veteral died April 26, 1916, and was buried at the Old Stone Church near Clemson, South Carolina. -Cheek, ibid.

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Griffin Hardin, Jr. 1833
The Lives of Griffin Hardin, Jr. and Mary Jane Roberson: A Frontier Family's Journey

Griffin Hardin, Jr.'s Early Life

Griffin Hardin, Jr. was born in 1833 in South Carolina, the youngest son of Griffin Hardin (born 1774). In 1850, at age 17, he was still living in his father's home on Snow Creek in Pickens County, South Carolina, where census records noted him as "Griffin Hardin Jr."

The Roberson Family's Migration

Mary Jane's parents, William and Sarah Roberson, began their westward journey in Alabama. In 1840, they were living in Rockford, Coosa County, Alabama, where both were recorded as being in their twenties (born between 1811-1820). Sarah was actually born around 1815 in South Carolina, while William was born around 1804 in Missouri.
By 1850, the Roberson family had moved to Louisiana, settling in Ward 4 & 5 of Morehouse Parish. The census shows William Roberson, age 46, married to Sarah, age 35. Their daughter Mary Jane, then 11 years old, was living with them. This places Mary Jane's birth around 1839 in Alabama Her Confederate pension application later claimed she was born in 1839 in Talladega, Alabama.

The Texas Years Begin

Both Griffin Jr. and the Roberson family arrived in Texas around 1854-1855, apparently independently. Griffin had left South Carolina and established himself as a farmer in Cherokee County, Texas. Mary Jane's family had also made their way to Texas, where she would soon meet her future husband.

Marriage and Early Family Life

On December 31, 1855 (though one record shows 1856), Griffin Hardin Jr. married Mary Jane Roberson in Cherokee County, Texas. Mary Jane was approximately 16 years old at the time of their marriage.
The 1860 census in Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas, shows the young family:

    Griffin Hardin, 27, farmer with property valued at $440
    Mary J., 20, keeping house
    William T. Hardin, 2 years old
    M. A. Hardin, 1-year-old daughter

Civil War Service

Griffin enlisted in the Confederate Army around 1861, serving in Company G, Hubbard's Regiment, Texas Cavalry (also recorded as Fourth Mounted Volunteers, First Regiment, Sibley's Brigade Cavalry). Military records inconsistently show his birth year as 1836 rather than 1833, creating a discrepancy that would follow him throughout his service records. He served approximately one year and was discharged in 1864 due to disability.

Post-War Struggles and Recovery

After the war, the 1866 Cherokee County tax rolls show Griffin's modest circumstances: he owned one horse ($50), five cattle ($20), and miscellaneous property ($10), suggesting he may have been sharecropping rather than owning land outright.

1870 To Pontotoc County, MS.

Griffin's brother Reuben died in Pontotoc County, MS and before 1870 Griffin moved his family adjacent to Nancy (his widow) and her remaining family. While in  Pontotoc, baby Anna E. was born in October 1869. To that 1870 census taker Griffin said he was a farmer with a $300 personal estate. He was born  SC and was age 41 b. 1829.  Wife Mary, who kept house, was born Ala and was 31. Children were Mary 10, Martha (Mattie) 9, Marion 5 (a male), and John 3, all born in Texas. The remaining child was Anna, b. October 1869 in Pontotoc, MS.

Reuben’s wife Nancy, head of household, b. SC, was 56 and had $400 in real estate and $800 personal property. The children were Reuben 28, a farmer and Archie, 26, farmer, both born in SC.
Silas 20 and Paul 17 were  born in Alabama, lived in the household, and farmed. William, 14 was born Miss.

Females in Nancy Hardin's household: Candace 30, was born Alabama; Nancy 17 and sister Georgia, 13 (at school) were born Mississippi. The last child at home was Ann, 11,  at school, born Mississippi.

The Move to Cooke County

By 1880, the family had relocated to Cooke County, Texas, on the Oklahoma border, where they established a more substantial household. The census that year shows:

    Griffin (listed as age 56, though this conflicts with his actual birth year)
    Mary J. (age 41)
    Their children: Mary A. (20), Frank (14), John (12), Anna E. (10), Minnie (, and young Griffin (3)

Griffin's Death and Mary Jane's Later Years

Griffin Hardin Jr. died on January 20, 1892, at age 59 calculating from a birth year of 1833. His widow Mary Jane applied for a Confederate pension on February 18, 1919, from 9707 E. Daggett Street in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas. At that time, she stated she was 80 years old and had been residing in Texas for about 65 years (since 1854).
Mary Jane spent her final years in the care of her youngest son, Griffin III, who had moved to Quanah in Hardeman County. She died on December 16, 1923, in Chillicothe, Hardeman County, at age 84. Griffin III served as the informant on her death certificate, who said on the death certificate that her father was Billy Roberson and her mother's maiden name was Hardin.

Known Children and Grandchildren

Griffin Hardin Jr.'s Children:

•     William T. Hardin (born 1858)
  
•     Mary A. Hardin (born 1859) - listed as M. A. in 1860 census
•     Martha P. (Mattie) Hardin (born 7 Feb 1861)  - later became Mattie P. Smith, who died November 5, 1919, in Childress, Texas
  
•     Marion (male born 1865) (shown only in 1870 census).
  
•     Frank Hardin (born circa 1866)
•     John Hardin (born circa 1868)
•     Anna E. Hardin (born Oct 1869 in Pontotoc, Mississippi)
•     Minnie Hardin (born circa 1872 in Pontotoc, Mississippi)
•     Griffin Hardin III (born 1877 in Cooke County, Texas)

Possible Grandchildren:  Griffin D. Hardin (served in U.S. military, 1919)
    Unknown: J. G. Hardin (married Bell Adams on September 22, 1871, in Cherokee County, Texas)

Inconsistencies and Unresolved Questions

Several discrepancies appear in the records:
Birth Year Confusion: Griffin Jr.'s birth year is recorded as both 1833 (most reliable, from early records) and 1836 (military records), with the 1880 census showing 1824.
Missing Records: No record but the 1870 census exists for daughter Martha (Mattie P.) Hardin born February 7, 1861, despite her death certificate listing Griffin and Mary as her parents.
Family Relationships: The connection of J. G. Hardin and Griffin D. Hardin to the main family line requires further documentation to confirm their relationship.

This frontier family's story illustrates the challenges of 19th-century record-keeping and the mobility of American families during westward expansion, while also showing their resilience through war, economic hardship, and multiple relocations across the South and Southwest.

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