Joseph Hardin Sr. (April 18, 1734 – July 4, 1801) was an Assemblyman (in the Provincial Congress) for the

Province of North Carolina Province of North Carolina was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monarch of Great Britain was repre ...

, and was a signatory of the

Tryon Resolves The Tryon Resolves were a brief declaration adopted by the citizens of Tryon County in the Province of North Carolina in the early days of the American Revolution. In the Resolves, the county vowed resistance to coercive actions by the government ...

. Early in the War for Independence, as a member of the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

from Tryon County, Hardin fought the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

allies of Britain along the western frontier. Later in the war, having taken his family over the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

to the

Washington District The Washington District is a Norfolk Southern Railway line in the U.S. state of Virginia that connects Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria and Lynchburg, Virginia, Lynchburg. Most of the line was originally built from 1850 to 1860 by the Orange and ...

for safety against the advance of the Red Coats out of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Hardin joined the

Overmountain Men The Overmountain Men were American frontiersmen from west of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are the leading edge of the Appalachian Mountains, who took part in the American Revolutionary War. While they were present at multiple engagements in t ...

. He saw action at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill and the decisive

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pla ...

. Following the peace with

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, Hardin was a co-founder and second

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

for the State of Franklin; and an Assemblyman in the

Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States a ...

before its statehood as

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Early and family life

Joseph Hardin was born the spring of 1734 in Henrico Co.,

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertGilbert (Saunders Family), Sir Humphrey" (histor ...

in an area several years later to be encompassed by the fledgling town of Richmond at the Falls (now Richmond), Virginia Colony. Hardin was the second son, and fourth child, of Benjamin Hardin II and Margaret Hooper. He was older brother to Captain John Hardin (1736–1802) (noted as the hero who turned the tide of battle for the patriots at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill during the "Southern Campaign" of the Revolutionary War) and Sarah Hardin, wife to Lt. Col. Frederick Hambright. Hardin married Jane Gibson (1742–1817) on July 8, 1762 in Virginia. They moved to the '

Salisbury District Salisbury was a local government district in Wiltshire, England from 1974 to 2009. Its main urban area was the city of Salisbury. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 and the pursuant The English Non- ...

' of the Province of North Carolina, settling in the newly formed Tryon County, where he became Justice of the Peace in 1772. Hardin's children were: 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. "Ben-two" and "Robert-two", as they were called, were both named after older brothers who had been lost in battle with Native Americans. Hardin was a great-grandfather of Texas outlaw, John Wesley Hardin.

Civil service

Hardin served several stints as a local Justice of the Peace: first in Tryon County, NC (April 1772 – 1778); then Washington Co., NC ( Tennessee East District) (1783); and finally Greene Co. (1796). He served for Tryon County as a delegate to the

North Carolina Provincial Congress The North Carolina Provincial Congresses were extra-legal unicameral legislative bodies formed in 1774 through 1776 by the people of the Province of North Carolina, independent of the British colonial government. There were five congresses. They ...

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * Januar ...

and representative to the North Carolina House of Commons in

1778 Events January–March * January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Captain James Cook, with ships HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oahu then Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, which he na ...

. He also served for Washington County (

Washington District, North Carolina The Washington District of North Carolina was in a remote area west of the Appalachian Mountains, officially existing for only a short period (November 1776 – November 1777), although it had been self-proclaimed and functioning as an independent ...

) (1782) and, Greene Co., Tennessee East District, NC (1788). Hardin was a signer of the Tryon Resolves in September 1775. During the period of 1784-1785, Hardin,

John Sevier John Sevier (September 23, 1745 September 24, 1815) was an American soldier, frontiersman, and politician, and one of the founding fathers of the State of Tennessee. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he played a leading role in Tennes ...

, and several others were instrumental in organizing the extra-legal State of Franklin. He was elected its second

in June 1785. A few years after the failure of Franklin, he served as a representative for the First Territorial Assembly of the

(also known as the Territory South of the Ohio River) held at

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

in the summer of 1794. Later that same year, Hardin became a trustee of the newly chartered Greeneville (later Tusculum) College. He was elevated to Speaker of the House in the territorial assembly in 1795.

Military service

American Revolution service record: *Major in the Salisbury District Minutemen, part of the North Carolina State Troops (1775-1776) *Captain in the Tryon County Regiment (North Carolina) of the North Carolina militia (1776-1779) *Captain in the 2nd Battalion of Volunteers (1776-1777) *Major in the

Wilkes County Regiment The Wilkes County Regiment was authorized on December 9, 1777 by the Province of North Carolina Congress at the same time that Wilkes County, North Carolina was created from Surry County, North Carolina and Washington District, North Carolina. T ...

of the North Carolina militia (1779-1783), initially under the

Salisbury District Brigade The Salisbury District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disba ...

but moved to the newly created Morgan District Brigade in 1782 *Colonel over the Greene County Regiment of the North Carolina militia under the Morgan District Brigade (1783) Hardin's first documented military service shows his appointment as the first major of the 2nd North Carolina Minutemen

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

(from the

) in 1775.''Joseph Harden''[sic]
Carolana; accessed Aug 2015 That same year, he appears in the rolls as a captain in the

Griffith Rutherford Griffith Rutherford (c. 1721 – August 10, 1805) was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War, a political leader in North Carolina, and an important figure in the early history of the Southwest Territory and the state of Ten ...

's Light Horse Rangers. Hardin took part in Rutherford's Cherokee Expedition into the Washington District late the following year, under Captain William Moore. Beginning in 1777, Hardin carried a captain's commission in Locke's 2nd Battalion of Volunteers (part of General Allen Jones'

Halifax District Brigade The Halifax District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the ...

) seeing action against Britain and its Native American allies. It was during this time that Hardin moved his family to the western settlements for safe keeping. As a major in the North Carolina militia, he raised a battalion of volunteers, the

, in early 1779. As an officer in this

militia, he fought in the Battle of Ramseur's Mill, between the Tories (Loyalists to the Crown) and the Whigs (American Patriots) on June 20, 1780 and later that year at the

, on Oct 7. After the cessation of the ground war with Britain (1783), Hardin, then living in the newly established Greene County, was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and appointed Commandant of the North Carolina Militia for "The Western Counties" (old Washington District) due to the continuing hostilities with the

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne'' * ''Chic ...

Land grants

As was the custom of the time, he was awarded land grants totaling for service to his country. In 1786, several thousand acres of this land was set aside for Col. Hardin in what later became

Hardin County, Tennessee Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah. Hardin County is located north of and along the borders of Mississippi and Alabama. The county wa ...

Later life and legacy

Although he himself never set foot in that region, on March 11, 1786 the land along the far western reaches of the Tennessee River was surveyed by Isaac Taylor and warrants were drawn on behalf of Hardin for in what was to become Hardin County, Tennessee However, due to legal trouble with squatters and the wildness of that area in Tennessee, it was thirty years before his family could settle there. Hardin died July 4, 1801. He is interred at the Hickory Creek Cemetery, Hardin Valley, Knox Co., TN. There is a large monument dedicated to Hardin at the site. The inscription reads:

The Hardin Expedition

Two parties of settlers (totaling 26) struck out of

in late spring of 1816 bound for the general area which would eventually become

Savannah, Tennessee Savannah is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,213 at the 2020 census. Savannah is located along the east side of the Tennessee River. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football nationa ...

. The first party came by boat down the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

, landing in May at ''"the easteward curve of the Tennessee"'' at Cerro Gordo. The second, and larger, party had travelled overland and suffered from many delays. Upon the arrival of the second group, the parties finally rejoined at Johnson Creek, near present-day

. It was now July, and the pioneers set about the laying down of the first permanent settlement by non-Native Americans in the area. This second party was led by Joseph Hardin Jr., son of Col. Joseph Hardin, who had, before his death, accumulated several land grants to the area as rewards for his Revolutionary War service. Joseph Jr. was accompanied on the trip by his brother, James Hardin (known as the founder of the settlement of Hardinville; a failed endeavor that would be created in 1817 on nearby Hardin's Creek). Both men executed land grants in the area. They had fought alongside their father in the war and had been likewise rewarded with their own land patents, and had inherited some of their father's remaining unclaimed grants. About this same time, other settlers from the initial expedition established a community further down river at

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

. Other relatives of Col. Joseph's were to eventually settle in the area, including sons: Gibson, Ben II and Robert II, and daughter, Margaret (wife of Ninian Steele), all having arrived there by 1818. The county was named

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

for Joseph Hardin Sr. in November 1819, at the first meeting of the county assembly which took place at the home of his son, James Hardin. Today, the courthouse in the county seat of Savannah is dedicated to him.

References

External links

Tennessee's Landmark Documents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardin, Joseph Sr. 1734 births 1801 deaths People from Henrico County, Virginia American Presbyterians Joseph Sr. People from Washington County, Tennessee People from the State of Franklin People from Knox County, Tennessee Signers of the Tryon Resolves People of Virginia in the French and Indian War People of colonial North Carolina North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution People of Tennessee in the American Revolution Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Members of the Southwest Territorial Legislature Pre-statehood history of Tennessee People of pre-statehood Tennessee University and college founders