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

Province of North Carolina The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern col ...

, and was a signatory of the Tryon Resolves. Early in the War for Independence, as a member of the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

from Tryon County, Hardin fought the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

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, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

to the Washington District for safety against the advance of the Red Coats out of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, Hardin joined the Overmountain Men. He saw action at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill and the decisive Battle of Kings Mountain. Following the peace with

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, Hardin was a co-founder and second Speaker of the House for the

State of Franklin The State of Franklin (also the Free Republic of Franklin, Lost State of Franklin, or the State of Frankland) was an unrecognized proposed U.S. state, state located in present-day East Tennessee, in the United States. Franklin was created in ...

; and an Assemblyman in the

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

before its statehood as

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Early and family life

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

Virginia Colony The Colony of Virginia was a British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colony lasted for t ...

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' 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 Provincial Congress of North Carolina was an extralegal representative assembly patterned after the colonial lower house that existed in North Carolina from 1774 to 1776. It led the transition from British provincial to U.S. state govern ...

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. * January ...

and representative to the North Carolina House of Commons in

1778 Events January–March * January 18 – Third voyage of James Cook: Sea captain, Captain James Cook, with ships HMS Resolution (1771), HMS ''Resolution'' and HMS Discovery (1774), HMS ''Discovery'', first views Oahu, Oʻahu th ...

. 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 Speaker of the House in June 1785. A few years after the failure of Franklin, he served as a representative for the First Territorial Assembly of the Southwest Territory (also known as the Territory South of the Ohio River) held at

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, 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 of the North Carolina militia (1779-1783), initially under the Salisbury District Brigade 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 Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the 2nd North Carolina

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

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

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Griffith Rutherford'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) 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 Wilkes County Regiment, in early 1779. As an officer in this Overmountain Men 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 Battle of Kings Mountain, 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 (armed forces), 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 colon ...

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

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 (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah, Tennessee, Savannah. Hardin County is located no ...

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 National Association of Interco ...

. The first party came by boat down the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

, 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 high ...

. 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, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

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 from 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 from pre-statehood Tennessee University and college founders