Joseph Hardin Sr. facts for kids

Joseph Hardin Sr. (born April 18, 1734 – died July 4, 1801) was an important leader during the early days of the United States. He was a lawmaker, a soldier, and a founder of new territories.

Hardin was an Assemblyman (a type of lawmaker) for the Province of North Carolina. He also signed the Tryon Resolves, which was an early statement against British rule.

During the War for Independence, Hardin was part of the militia (citizen soldiers) from Tryon County. He fought against the Cherokee people who were allied with Britain on the western frontier.

Later in the war, he moved his family over the Appalachian Mountains to the Washington District to keep them safe. There, he joined the Overmountain Men, a group of frontier fighters. He fought in key battles like the Battle of Ramsour's Mill and the important Battle of Kings Mountain.

After the war, Joseph Hardin helped create the State of Franklin. He was also the second Speaker of the House for this new state. Later, he served as a lawmaker in the Southwest Territory before it became the state of Tennessee.

Early Life and Family

Joseph Hardin was born in the spring of 1734 in Henrico County, Virginia Colony. This area is now near the city of Richmond.

He was the second son of Benjamin Hardin II and Margaret Hooper. His younger brother, Captain John Hardin, was known as a hero in the Battle of Ramsour's Mill. His sister, Sarah Hardin, married Lt. Col. Frederick Hambright.

On July 8, 1762, Joseph Hardin married Jane Gibson (1742–1817) in Virginia. They later moved to the 'Salisbury District' of North Carolina. They settled in the new Tryon County, where Joseph became a Justice of the Peace in 1772. This job meant he helped keep law and order.

Joseph and Jane had many children: Rebecca, twins Joseph Jr. and John, Jane Ann, James W., Benjamin I, Robert I, Elender, Mary Easter, Margaret, Amos, Benjamin II, Gibson, and Robert II. Benjamin II and Robert II were named after older brothers who had died fighting Native Americans.

Joseph Hardin was also the great-grandfather of a famous Texas outlaw named John Wesley Hardin.

Public Service and Leadership

Joseph Hardin served as a local Justice of the Peace several times. He held this role in Tryon County, North Carolina (1772–1778), then in Washington County, North Carolina (1783), and finally in Greene County (1796).

He was a delegate (representative) for Tryon County in the North Carolina Provincial Congress in 1776. He also represented North Carolina in its House of Commons in 1778. He later served for Washington County (1782) and Greene County (1788). Hardin was one of the people who signed the Tryon Resolves in September 1775. This document was an early step towards American independence.

Between 1784 and 1785, Hardin, John Sevier, and others helped set up the State of Franklin. This was a new, independent state that was not officially recognized by the U.S. government at the time. Hardin was chosen as its second Speaker of the House in June 1785.

After the State of Franklin ended, Hardin served as a representative for the First Territorial Assembly of the Southwest Territory. This territory was also known as the Territory South of the Ohio River. The assembly met in Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 1794. Later that year, Hardin became a trustee for the newly started Greeneville (later Tusculum) College. In 1795, he became the Speaker of the House for the territorial assembly.

Military Service in the Revolution

Joseph Hardin had a long military career during the American Revolution:

• He was a Major in the Salisbury District Minutemen (1775-1776). These were citizen soldiers ready to fight quickly.
• He served as a Captain in the Tryon County Regiment (North Carolina) of the North Carolina militia (1776-1779).
• He was also a Captain in the 2nd Battalion of Volunteers (1776-1777).
• Later, he became a Major in the Wilkes County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1779-1783).
• Finally, he was promoted to Colonel over the Greene County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1783).

Hardin's first recorded military service was as a major in the 2nd North Carolina Minutemen Brigade in 1775. That same year, he was a captain in Griffith Rutherford's Light Horse Rangers. He took part in Rutherford's Cherokee Expedition in 1776. Starting in 1777, Hardin was a captain in Locke's 2nd Battalion of Volunteers. He fought against Britain and its Native American allies.

During this time, Hardin moved his family to safer western settlements. As a major in the North Carolina militia, he formed a group of volunteers called the Wilkes County Regiment in 1779. As an officer in the Overmountain Men militia, he fought in the Battle of Ramsour's Mill on June 20, 1780. This battle was between American Patriots (Whigs) and those loyal to the British Crown (Tories). He also fought in the important Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780.

After the main fighting with Britain ended in 1783, Hardin was living in the new Greene County. He was promoted to colonel and put in charge of the North Carolina Militia for "The Western Counties." This was because fighting continued with the Chickamauga Cherokee people.

Land Grants for Service

It was common at the time to give land to soldiers for their service. Joseph Hardin received land grants totaling about 8,400 acres (34 square kilometers). In 1786, thousands of acres of this land were set aside for him in what later became Hardin County, Tennessee.

Later Life and Legacy

Even though Joseph Hardin himself never visited the area, on March 11, 1786, land along the Tennessee River was set aside for him. This land, about 3,000 acres (12 square kilometers), later became Hardin County, Tennessee. However, because of legal issues and the wild nature of the area, it took 30 years before his family could settle there.

Joseph Hardin died on July 4, 1801. He is buried at Hickory Creek Cemetery in Hardin Valley, Knox County, Tennessee. There is a large monument there dedicated to him.

The Hardin Expedition

The dedication plaque for the Savannah, Hardin Co., TN courthouse which is dedicated to Col. Joseph Hardin

In the late spring of 1816, two groups of settlers, totaling 26 people, left Knoxville, Tennessee. They were heading for the area that would become Savannah, Tennessee. The first group traveled by boat down the Tennessee River and arrived in May. The second, larger group traveled by land and faced many delays.

When the second group arrived, they met the first group at Johnson Creek, near where Savannah, Tennessee, is today. It was July, and the pioneers began to build the first permanent settlement by non-Native Americans in that area.

This second group was led by Joseph Hardin Jr., the son of Colonel Joseph Hardin. Before his death, Colonel Hardin had received several land grants in the area as rewards for his service in the American Revolutionary War. Joseph Jr. was joined by his brother, James Hardin. James is known for founding the settlement of Hardinville in 1817, though that town did not last. Both brothers also received their own land grants and inherited some of their father's unclaimed land. Around the same time, other settlers from the first expedition started a community further down the river at Saltillo.

Other relatives of Colonel Joseph Hardin eventually settled in the area. These included his sons Gibson, Ben II, and Robert II, and his daughter Margaret (who was married to Ninian Steele). All of them had arrived by 1818.

Hardin County, Tennessee was named in honor of Joseph Hardin Sr. in November 1819. This happened at the first meeting of the county assembly, which took place at his son James Hardin's home. Today, the courthouse in Savannah, the county seat, is dedicated to him.