Oran Hardin's John R. Hardin;  Unclassified

Is John Hardin of Montgomery County the storied John R. Hardin?

This researcher has located little data that supports John Hardin of Montgomery County as being the storied John R. Hardin except the existence of Moses. Children I can attribute to this John Hardin are Moses, Temperance, and Gabriel. This writer is not privy to the stories and characters others have claimed over the past decades. The claims include: 

Claimed sons of second wife

James Hardin

He is the head of the north Alabama and south Tennessee family (which includes the HFA founder and researcher ORAN HARDIN, born Marshall County, Alabama). He married Lodicia Snyder on 2 Oct 1819 in Carter County, Tennessee (Ancestry.com, "Tennessee, compiled marriages, 1784-1825") Born 1800 in North Carolina as shown in the 1850 census for Lincoln County, Tennessee, James Hardin lives with wife Dicey and children John, 22, Mary A., 19, James, 15, Eliza 13, Mary A., 21, Leanah, 18. Further descendants have been documented by others. As for his parents, James Hardin was married in the same county settled about 1799 by William Hardin (Jr.) who may be a son of William Hardin of Moore County, NC.

Robert Hardin

Said born in Rowan County in 1802, he settled in Kentucky with wife Mary Carter and had six sons and five daughters. A daughter, Mary "Polly" Hardin married her first cousin, John Roland Hardin, son of James Hardin, near Wolf River, southern Kentucky, and settled in New Market, Madison County, Alabama.

Claimed sons of the first wife

John Hardin b. 1787 d. 1874

John Hardin on 5 Mile Creek. Jefferson County, Alabama, Hinton 1831

John Hardin of Birmingham, Alabama is documented, but not his parents. He served in the 2nd regiment of Tennessee Militia from 1 Jan 1813 to April. He volunteered from Huntsville, Alabama, then Mississippi Territory. He was discharged at Fayetville, Tennessee. He received a certificate of bounty land under the act of 1838 having served in Capt. Hamilton's Tennessee company and on 1 Aug 1854 was awarded 40 acres in the Tuscaloosa district: The SW 11/4 of the SE quarter of Section 27, Township 16, Range 4 West. That is a plot on Five Mile Creek. Tradition describes the land as at Elyton, Alabama, near the future Birmingham. He had 13 children and died at age 87 in 1874 (b. 1787). On 13 Aug 1813 he married Nancy Johnson in Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama. She was born 1793 in South Carolina. The 1850 census for Jefferson County,  Five Mile district, shows John Hardin, age  63 (b. 1787), laborer, born in  NC. He was living with Pleasant G. Hardin, 23, (b. 1828) b. Ala. And with Nancy, 57 (b. 1793), b.  SC.

John Hardin's descendants lived in Jefferson County, Ala., and also among the descendants of half-brother JAMES HARDIN in north Alabama.

Green Hardin

It is supposed by Mulllings that he was born about 1789.

Moses Hardin

It was supposed by Mullings that he was born in 1791. If this was the Moses Hardin shown as ancestor of test kit #260009 at hhhdna.com (an I1 Hardin in the family under discussion), he was married in 1801, making his birth more like 1780 or before. His researchers named at that site show: Moses born bet 1780-1790; died bet 1841-1849 Tennessee; married 1801 NC to Sophia b. bet 1780-90 NC, died bet. 1841-49 Tennessee.  They had a son named Hiram H. Hardin born about 1802 in North Carolina, died 1853 Tennessee.

The present writer is pleased to find in 2017 some old evidence in existence for a Moses Hardin-- his marriage, which agrees with the Mullings data.

Maryland Ancestry Discovered Invalid by DNA

(see hhhdna.com)

Robert Harding of Talbott County, Maryland > Joseph C. Harding of Talbott County, Maryland > Robert Hardin of Talbott County and of Rowan/Iredell County, North Carolina.

The above names form a lineage, but they are not, as has been claimed pre-DNA, the ancestor line of John R. Hardin or of any I1 Hardin in these pages. They are haplotype R2a. See them at hhhdna.com/hhh.htm kit # 337330 and genebase kit #296808.

John R. Hardin and Mary Ann Nevin, where are you?

This researcher (Travis Hardin) has in 15 years found no documentation of the existence of a John R. Hardin or of his being a father to James or John Hardin (above) or of any evidence of a Green Hardin.  I have not looked into the Kentucky Robert Hardin or affirmed him as a part of the I1 Hardin family.

For the past 30 years some dedicated amateur genealogists, led by Oran Hardin of the now dormant Hardin Family Association, have published some detailed trees and notes that may be genuine but whose source has not been shared in print. The published family story about Mary Ann Nevin and her Dutch Bible rings true, and that bible may have been seen by someone now living. But if they shared their sources, those sources did not reach me. Looking for proof today, we come up short of being able to say a story is true when no records or contemporary historic writings can be found. If only someone could turn up a family bible from the John R. Hardin family.

 Many trees lead back to John R. Hardin. But the proof offered is circular. I would be pleased to receive tips on where to find evidence, even circumstantial, for the existence of John  R. Hardin, or whoever is the father of the five boys above: James, Robert, John, Green, and Moses. And what is the source of the "R."?

Earliest Found Sources for John R. Hardin -- Round and Round

Ancestries existing for years have claimed that Moses Hardin went to Tennessee from North Carolina to settle his family there, without proof of the North Carolina origins. Tennessee census ages show it was between 1821 and 1830 when they went to Tennessee. The father of Moses had been shown as "John R. Hardin," whose origin and middle initial have been unexplained. It is likely John Hardin of Montgomery County, father of Moses Hardin and Temperance Hardin, is the storied John R. Hardin. To accept that possibility based on three existing records from that time is not to accept every claim. Many claims seem to be circulating ones without any beginning -- without any records visible to us today. The closest to an original record is this, and it admittedly comes from genealogy collections, so it is probably circular:

The  most referenced source for John R. Hardin, but of unknown authenticity:

Name	John R. Hardin
Gender:	Male
Spouse Name:	Mary Ann
Spouse Birth Place:	Gr (Germany)
Spouse Birth Year:	1765
Marriage Year:	1799

The above was in the U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Source number: 25051.001; Source type: Pedigree chart; Number of Pages: 1

Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

These records, which include information on over 500 years of marriages, were extracted from family group sheets, electronic databases, biographies, wills, and other sources.

More records with unknown authenticity:

More records with unknown authenticity:

Name:	John R Hardin
Death Date:	1810
City:	Rowan
State:	NC
Country:	USA

Description: Family Data Collection - Deaths, was created while gathering genealogical data for use in the study of human genetics and disease.

The Mysterious John R. Hardin  -- Summary and Background

Much ink has been used in the last quarter century by Oran Hardin (1923-2010), founder of the defunct Hardin Family Association, and by his associates and friends, in the quarterly journal "Harden-in-ing Family Association Newsletter." The result has been travel from the unknown in a circle back to the unknown, with people citing each other as sources. I've done some of that, mistakenly thinking veteran researchers must be experts. But often they were traveling in the circle. Now, due to the increasing availability of records through the effort of the LDS Church and others, and importantly through DNA testing, we are now in a position to begin to cite more original sources and claim more certainty. I attempt to do that on this Web site.

Without many original sources, the family of Oran Hardin (descendant of James Hardin b. ~1800) depended heavily on the 1934 publication first listed:

The Hardin Family Tree 1729-1934
by J R Hardin , published 1934, describes the family of James Hardin b. 1800. Unfortunately his work, though sincere, is mostly sourceless. He depends on family members' memories.

Hardin family by Delores Mullings (deceased). Her still existent Web site described the family of both James and John Hardin (below).

  Please notify me if you can't access the Mullings site and I will post a mirror.

Gabby Hann has also looked into  the John Hardin family. See database .2749870, HANDINHANN at Rootsweb Worldconnect . But she has the wrong father.

It was claimed in 1934, and continues to be claimed, that the Hardins in the row of counties in far north Alabama and adjacent Tennessee counties including Lincoln and Franklin, are descended from John R. Hardin, who supposedly married his second wife, had two children, and subsequently died in Rowan County, North Carolina.  The second wife's name is claimed to be Mary Ann Nevin who married in Salisbury, N.C. in 1799. The first wife is admittedly unknown.

Here is the oldest "source", which are pedigree sheets collected by Yates Publishing beginning in 1972 and indexed by Ancestry.com as "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900"

Name:     Mary Ann Nevin
Gender:     Female
Birth Year:     1767
Spouse Name:     John R Hardin
Spouse Birth Year:     1729
Number Pages:     1

The oldest "source" for John R. Hardin lists the wrong parents. The father is not of the I1 DNA type. It's in Ancestry.com's "Family Date Collection -- Individual Records":

Name:     John R Hardin
Spouse:     Mary Ann Nevin
Parents:     Robert Hardin, Mrs Hardin
Birth Place:     North, NC
Birth Date:     1759
Marriage Place:     Salisbury, Rowan County, NC
Marriage Date:     1799
Death Place:     Rowan County, NC
Death Date:     1810

Invalidity of some John R. Hardin Trees

This researcher (Travis Hardin) has in 15 years found no documentation of the existence of a John R. Hardin or of his being a father to James or John Hardin (above) - who are documented - or of any evidence of a Green or Moses Hardin (but see a Moses here). I have not looked into the Kentucky Robert Hardin or affirmed him as a part of the I1 Hardin family.

For the past 30 years some dedicated amateur genealogists, led by Oran Hardin of the now dormant Hardin Family Association, have published some detailed information that may be genuine but whose source has not been shared in print. The family story about a Dutch Bible rings true, and may have been once documented. But someone in possession of documentation passed on without sharing their sources. Looking for proof today, we come up short of being able to say whether an undocumented statement is trustworthy. Many trees lead back to John R. Hardin. I would be pleased to receive tips on where to find evidence, even circumstantial, for the existence of John  R. Hardin, or whoever is the father of the five boys above: James, Robert, John, Green, and Moses.

---

Unknowns

Lincoln County, Tenn - John W. Hardin 1854-1932 - unknown family

John W. Hardin died 2 Oct 1932 in Shreveport, Caddo, Louisiana, age 78. He was a white male whose  birthplace was Lincoln County, Tennessee in 1854. His father's name was given as William Hardin. We can be confident that Mrs. William Hardin lived in Lincoln County in 1854.

A mystery family who is put temporarily on the Oran Hardin page.

Death Certificate.

(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F33B-2HJ : accessed 14 March 2016), William Hardin in entry for John W Hardin, 02 Oct 1932; citing Shreveport, Caddo, Louisiana, certificate number 10803, State Archives, Baton Rouge; FHL microfilm 2,392,643.

John T. Hardin 1820-1850 -- unknown family

This small family of Hardins in eastern Limestone County, Alabama  purports to begin with William Hardin and wife Martha "Patty" Malone, possibly of Virginia and  born soon enough to sire John Hardin (1783-1855), who married Martha  (1787-1839), and second Susanna Jane Milhous (1801-1861). John Hardin (b. 1783) was born in Virginia, according to the 1850 Limestone County census. He lived alone in 1850.

One of John's sons was John T. Hardin (1820-1850, died age 30). He married Susannah E. Mitchell. From the land grants another son appears to have been William Hardin. William was born 1818 in Tennessee, according to the 1850 Limestone County census. His wife Susan was born 1826 in Alabama.

Beside the older William and Martha Hardin listing I wrote "Circuit Court Minutes 1824-1825."

A Ransford F. Hardin, b.1817 in North Carolina was also in Limestone County in 1850. His wife was Nancy, born 1823 in Kentucky. "Hunting for Bears" reports Nancy B Garrison married Ransford F Hardin 26 Mar 1842 in Limestone County, Alabama. By 1860 the family was in Monroe County, Arkansas, and in 1870.

from Findagrave.com, seven graves, the entire census of Hardin Cemetery, Limestone County, Alabama Coordinates: 34.91670 N, -86.80560W

Cole, Christian C. 63877791 b. 1833 d. Dec. 5, 1891	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA
Gough, Sarah Jane Hardin 154860597 b. Dec. 9, 1928 d. Nov. 10, 2015	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA
Hardin, John 43961888 b. Apr. 20, 1783 d. Jan. 4, 1855 Son of William Hardin/Harding and Martha "Patty" Malone. Spouses: Martha Harding (1787 - 1839)*   Susanna Jane Milhous Hardin (1801 - 1861)* Children:   John T. Hardin (1820 - 1850)* *Calculated relationship	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA
Hardin, John T. 43962059 b. Nov. 8, 1820, Limestone County, Ala. d. Dec. 1, 1850  "Age 30" Son of John and Martha Hardin Husband of Susannah "Susan" E. (Mitchell) Hardin Parents:   John Hardin (1783 - 1855)   Martha Harding (1787 - 1839)   Spouse:   Susannah E. Mitchell Williamson (____ - 1861)*  *Calculated relationship	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA
Harding, Martha 43961950 b. May 18, 1787 d. Oct. 21, 1839 Spouse: John Hardin (1783-1855) Children  John T. Hardin (1820 - 1850)*  *Calculated relationship	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA
Suggs, Norman L. 23448877 b. unknown d. Dec. 15, 2007	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA
Williamson, Mrs Susannah E. "Susan" Mitchell 43962134 b. unknown d. 1861 Daughter of Elizabeth Milhouse Mitchell Marred 1st, John T. Hardin 2nd,  William T. Williamson ~ Sep 17, 1857, Madison Co., Alabama Spouse  John T. Hardin (1820 - 1850)	Hardin Cemetery Limestone County Alabama, USA

Land grant records at the Bureau  of Land Management for Hardin, Limestone County.

	AL1260__.353	HARDIN, JOHN	9/10/1834	5508	AL	Huntsville	001S - 004W	N½NE¼	4	Limestone
	AL3640__.246	HARDIN, WILLIAM	8/1/1849	13388	AL	Huntsville	001S - 004W	SW¼NW¼	12	Limestone

AL3650__.456

HARDEN, WILLIAM

4/1/1850

14110

AL

Huntsville

001S - 004W

NW¼NW¼

12

Limestone

In the 1850 census John Hardin, age 67, is living alone in district 3 of Limestone County, Ala. He was a farmer and owned property worth  $2000. He was born in Virginia (calculated 1783). He had nine slaves, all male. The 80-acre grant to John Hardin in 1834 was adjacent to the Tennessee line and included what is now Ardmore, Alabama.

John T. Hardin in the 1850 slave census lived in 2nd regiment 33, Madison County, Ala. He had eight slaves. I can't find him in the 1850 census otherwise. According to trees and findagrave.com, John T. Hardin died at age 30 on 1 Dec. 1850 at Wooley Springs, Limestone County. Location of the community is at the east end of Wooley Springs Road at Little Limestone Creek, 34° 54' 10" North, 86° 47' 30" West according to maplandia.com. The Hardin Cemetery is 1.22 miles northwest of the Wooley Springs community.

William Hardin in 1850 lived in district 3 of Limestone County. He was a farmer born in Tennessee, 32 (calculated born 1818). His wife was Susan, 24, b. Ala., with a son, James S. Hardin, 8, b. Ala.

Adjacent to WIlliam at family no. 183 is James F. Hardin, 27 (b. 1823 in Tenn.), Sarah Hardin, 48 (perhaps a mother or unmarried older sister), born Tenn., a boy Sanford, 14, a girl Elander, 10, and a girl Babe, 7. All children born in Ala.

William Hardin was granted 40 acres in 1849. It is at the site of the present Tillery Cemetery under a present-day high-tension line 1/2 mile west of the Madison County line. In 1850 William was granted 40 additional acres at the southeast corner of what are now Old Schoolhouse Road and Elkwood Section Road, just north of Davis Branch. The land almost adjoined the present state highway 53, the Huntsville-to-Ardmore Road, on its east. The latter property was cater-cornered to the first, with the west boundary of the latter being Old Schoolhouse Road.

I suspect the above is not our I1a Hardin family, thought it might be a John R. Hardin descendant as presented by J. R. Hardin in 1934 and by Delores Mullings

---