Who were these people who became known as Scotch-Irish? They were Lowland Scots who were encouraged to emigrate into northern Ireland by the English, who were in a long process of conquest against that turbulent island. It had been invaded and partially conquered in the 12th century and was increasingly subjected to English rule from then on. The province of Ulster in northern Ireland became impoverished by this warfare and by the displacement of its wealthier class. Into this depleted land came the tough and thrifty Scotch people and they made it bloom again. They rapidly established villages, schools, churches, producing farms and general prosperity. By 1672 there were about 100,000 of these people later known as Scotch-Irish in Ulster and it was the most prosperous area in all Ireland.
The English's actions towards the settlers of Ulster, whom they had, in essence, placed there, started to turn against them. The land owners repeatedly raised the rent of the Scotch settlers and the Church of England placed humiliating restrictions on non-members, which included the almost entirely Presbyterian Scots.
It was because of these persecutions and a number of poor harvest years that caused the Ulster Scots to look elsewhere for better opportunities in America. From 1717 to 1790 they left Ireland, about 80,000 of them went to Pennsylvania. They came to Cumberland Valley and Juniata Valley.
They were somewhat "clannish" and didn't care to be close to care to either the Germans or the English Quakers. The founder of Raystown which became Bedford was a Robert Ray, he was a Scotch-Irish, the name which was given them to distinguish them from those of pure Irish heritage. Was this Ray father of Margaret Ray?
I have seen the name spelled in our American records many different ways, Hardey, Harding, Hardon, Harder, Harty, and Harden. Mostly it is recorded Hardy and Hardey.
The Hardy or Hardie name is of French, Scottish and English origin, a descendant of Hardi, a short form of Harbouin meaning bold friend and one who came from Hardy (Hard's Island) in Lancashire.
William had a cabin with horses, horned cows, and a still. The settlers back in those days needed a still for household and medicinal reasons along with being a drink. William Sr also eructed a tobacco house on their place. William used this to dry the fresh tobacco leaves he bought from the south, possibly Maryland.
Before William Sr moved to Southampton it is possible that he had 60 acres on the north forks of Turkeyfoot sense 1778, a patent his son William Jr obtained suggested this. William Sr was listed in the 1784 Cumberland Valley tax roll as having 25 acres of cleared land. One year later Londonderry was created from Cumberland Valley. William cleared 25 more acres of his land in this new township by 1787.
In the 1790 census William was listed in Bedford County as head of the household. His son Joseph was nine years old and William Jr was about eleven. There were other females besides their mother Margaret listed in William Hardy Sr's household. Who they are is still a mystery to me, were they Joseph and William's sisters and grandmother? On the 23rd of December in 1793 William Hardy Sr paid off the money owed on his land on the water of Gladden Run and a deed was drawn up. William paid 14 pounds and 10 shilling to James Clark of Bedford for the 330 acres. In all he had 330 acres on the waters of Gladdens Run in what is now Southampton, Somerset County.
In 1795 when Somerset was created from Bedford county, Londonderry was divided in half. Half went to Somerset county and was named Southampton in 1801. The other half stayed Londonderry township in Bedford county. Somerset is located between the Great Allegheny mountain and Laurel hill. It is composed of what they call glades. These glades are level wet lands from the head-waters of the numerous streams that are in this area.
There was some coal mining in Somerset. History of Somerset and Bedford County says the following of the area.......... "The township contains considerable good farming land and is rich in mineral deposits. The coal veins extend throughout the township. In this locality a thickness of coal measure of more that six hundred feet including more that twenty-four feet of coal. The coal is of excellent quality and has been pronounced by experts the equal of any in the state. There are several seams known to exist which have not been fully proved."
A 1814 land deed between Samuel Riddle and William Hardy and others tell us William and Joseph's land was a one time part of a large scale survey called the Great Survey and Smith Lands belonging to Samuel Riddle Party and Trustees of the Juniata Coal Company. It was surveyed and those settlers who had their farms on these lands was required to make deeds in accord to the new survey and patient their land. All mineral rights belonged to Samuel Riddle Party and Trustees of the Juniata Coal Company.
William Sr in the 1820 census was alone, his wife Margaret died between 1810 and 1820. Before William disappears from the tax records in 1822 it appears that the two sections of land he claimed, Turkeyfoot and Gladden Run he turned over to his sons William and Joseph. Turkeyfoot was in William Jr possession and Gladden Run in Joseph's. Only record of William Sr's death is in a release of a quit claim recorded 15 September 1830 between Joseph and William Jr regarding the legacy William Sr left.
William Jr moved back to Southampton in 1806. He acquired a cabin in Southampton and married Margaret Mull daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Mull. It appears William Sr gave his claim on the North Fork of Turkeyfoot to his son, William. In 1808 William and Margaret moved to Turkeyfoot and raised a family.
William Jr and Margaret had six children Joseph, John, William and possiably three daughters, whose names I do not know. I found in the 1860 census William III, a wagon maker, in Pontoosue, Hancock County, Illinois. I would think he learned his trade from his father the blacksmith.
While still in Turkeyfoot in 1812 William Jr's father-in-law Henry Mull died. William was bondsman in the probate. All the Mull children received a 13th share of 215 acres from the estate. At the end of the probate William Jr took out an application for a warrant on his Turkeyfoot land in 1815, surveyed in 1816 and patented the claim one month later on Feb 13, 1816.
William Jr and his family moved in 1807 to 307 acres called "Thomas Edwards" on the Bush Creek branch of Will Creek in Allegeny, Somerset County. He bought this land from Samuel Shoemaker, attorney of Philadelphia and acquired the deed in 1817.
In 1819 Catharine Mull, William's sister-in-law, was having problems obtaining her part of land that she received from her deceased father's estate. William Jr with the power of attorney she granted him 12 February claimed back the land that was rightful hers from her brother David Mull.
William Hardy Jr was a tavern owner in the 1822 tax records and by 1826 he was operating a saw mill.
William was one of the administrator of probate for Elizabeth Mull, mother of his spouse Margaret who died in 1828. William Jr in 1836 caused some sort of disruption against his spouse. On the 25th of April Margaret entered a complaint, William was arrested and charged with surety of peace. The court fined him one hundred dollars, and held him until he could pay his fine. J. S. Black acted as his surety. The next day William paid his fine and released on the condition he keeps the peace for one year.
Three years later William Jr and Margaret gave Jeremiah S. Black power of attorney to sell their land Thomas Edward. What to them after this is a mystery. Did they follow their sons and brother and go west?
In 1808 Joseph built a cabin for his new wife Nancy White, my third great grandmother. Nancy was born in Virginia in 1788 and went by the name Ann. Joseph and Nancy had seven children, Margaret who married Levi Baker, Elizabeth who married John Logston, James who married second great grandmother Minvera Tomlinson, Susan who married Erastis Haskins, Joseph Jr who married Betsey Lownsbury, and Lloyd Hardy who married Ann.
Juliana their last child was baptized 28 May 1826 at the Zion's Lutheran Church in Southampton. She is the only one of their children I found to be a baptized.. Was she was sickly and they were afraid she would die on the wagon trail they were about to go on to the West. Juliann died in Jackson, Steuben county Indiana 17 Sept 1838 age 12.
Joseph with his new family farmed what he could. The climate in that region is too cold and the summers too short for raising corn and the principal crops that would be for a ready market. The glades made productive dairy farms. The well-known glade's butter is of this area. William Jr had a good occupation as a blacksmith. The short growing season would not have bother him. Being Joseph was a farmer, I wonder if that was why he chose to go west in search of better growing season.
On 27 of May 1815 Joseph paid off the money owed on his 330 acres in Southampton and a deed was drawn up. This land was adjoining to his father William's land. Joseph then had it patent May 5, 1817.
By March 31, 1830, William Sr had died. Joseph then sold all his land and paid his brother William Jr his part of the inherence. Joseph was now in a position to fulfill his desire to go west.
Joseph and Nancy packed their family into a wagon and left for Logan Ohio. Joseph's daughter Susan married in Logan 10 Feb 1834 to Erastis Haskins. After three years in Logan they packed again in 1836 or 1837 and went to a newly created county in Indiana called Steuben county.
Joseph lived in a village that he owed called Winchester in the Township of Jackson for the rest of his life. He did quite a few improvements to his farm. Joseph's son Joseph Jr helped him build up the farm. They built a barn, planted apple trees and tilled the land to raise wheat. He raised sheep, hogs, cows, turkeys and guinea hens.
Joseph was 66 when he died on 21 Jan 1847. They paid three dollars for his coffin and one dollar eighty-seven cents for the funeral. His estate went to probate and settled in 1850. The estate was auctioned and Nancy received her 1/3 dower which ended up being $150.00, and 16 lots in Winchester. Item that went to auction was one horse and a small wagon. Household items included a bureau, cupboard, dishes, a stand, a table, nine chairs, a clock, looking glass, 2 beds and 3 bedstands. Kitchen items like flour, kitchen furniture and lard were just important and valuable. Other items like bags, box, chest, wheel, flax, 2 cows, one bull, 20 sheep, 27 pounds of scrap teeth, five togs, carpenters tools shovel, 2 hoes, drag, bell, rings, grindstone, guinea hens, turkeys, 6 hogs, pork, wheat and winter wheat told me Joseph was a carpenter and a farmer, total self sufficient.
Three years after Joseph death his beloved spouse Nancy died. Both are buried at Jackson Prairie Cemetery in Jackson Township, Steuben County, Indiana
James lived in Steuben County for about 14 years. He was a farmer. He was appointed the first constable of Jackson town in 1837. He was also first bailiff in charge of the grand jury in 1838.
James's father Joseph died in 1847, and his mother Nancy a few years later. Joseph's probate was settled in 1850. James then moved his family farther west across the Iowa border to Coonsville, Pottawattamie County, now Glenwood, Mills county.
Mills county was created from Pottawattamie on the first Monday in August of 1851 and James was elected the sheriff and county assessor of this new county. Record shows James was still sheriff of Mills co. in June 1852.
James was not total satisfied in his present location in Mills County. James moved further north in Pottawattamie county in the autumn of 1852. He moved to the site of what is called Magnolia, Harrison County, Iowa. Again he was one of the first settlers of the counties of Iowa.
James entered 160 acres of land in Magnolia and a quarter of Section 15 in Calhoun in 1852. That first winter James rented a house in Calhoun town while he built a log cabin on his 160 acres.
In 1853 James laid out what is known as "Hardy's Addition". In March of the same year James assisted the county seat commissioners in locating the county seat of Harrison county to this place in Magnolia.
By the first Monday of April a full copra of county officials were elected. The return was to be carried to the house of Stephen King to be counted. James Hardy and Thomas B Neeley were appointed to take the poll books from this west side of the county to Judge King's place. Upon this journey they arrived at the banks of the swollen Boyar river. They needed to cross and there was no bridge. They staked out their horses and undressed. They swam the river, keeping their scanty wardrobes and record books above the high water. They dressed and went on to Judge King's place on foot.
James was elected the county's second judge in 1854 and served to 1857. In those days Harrison county was under the county judge system---- a one man power. As a general rule these county judges were men of exceptional integrity. They was held in high esteem , good judgment and were of a high and honorable order - above suspicion.
The county judge system was abolished in 1869 and the county seat was relocated to Logan in 1875. Memories of those days are seen in a large framed picture of the old pioneer courthouse at Magnolia. Surrounding the courthouse are pictures of it's county judges whom served 1853 to 1869.
James belonged to a society styled "regulators" that consisted of an organized band of pioneers that became a law of itself. No one would dare to question their authority. The formation of this society was to protect their fellow settler from claim jumpers or land sharks from stealing their land. In their way they sought to see that honorable men seeking homes in their county should not be imposed upon and beaten out of their rights. These claim jumpers were given formal notices that if they did not relinquish all supposed rights to a certain piece of land that they would receive free transportation the great unknown country, whence claim jumpers were never known to return. Sometimes one would presume that this was not legal, but in such cases "judge lynch" tried the case with but little argument, and sentence was at once executed in a near by grove. Those cases of that degree were rare and seldom. The usual outcome was a speedy flight from Harrison county, then a kingdom in itself.
Our Great Grandfather James was noted for his coolness when threatened by Indians. In 1853 visiting Omaha's who were camping along the banks of the Willow. By reason of treaty these were Nebraska Indians. These Indians would annoy the settlers by milking their cows, stealing chickens and begging for several years. Companies frequently were organized to drive the Indians off. Sometimes there would be shooting. Usually no one would get hurt. There was about 150 Omaha's in this band. About 20 warriors that was going up the Willow was made to surrender and sent back to their own country beyond the big muddy. The rest out of the 150 Indians going up the Boyar was much stronger and would not consent to surrender. James Hardy and 25 of the white settlers came upon their camp and demanded a surrender. Realizing they where out numbered the settlers sent for reinforcements, but even then they were out numbered. The settlers then high tailed it out of there, when a few more Indians surprised them from the rear.
James Hardy and Jacob Huffman built one of the first grist mills in Harrison county in 1854. The Hardy mill was erected on the banks of the Willow, on section 15 in Calhoun . Farmers came from a 75 mile radius to have their wheat grind at the Hardy mill. Huffman sold his interest in the mill to James Hardy in 1863. James kept the mill operating until his eye sight failed them in 1880, making it impossible for him to run the mill. The old mill was left still and the waters that once gave the mill life, cut its way under the supports, collapsing the mill into the Willow. It was never repaired but the lumber was used for various buildings. In 1915, the old burrs and part of the machinery still remain at the once prosperous mill.
In 1859 Harrison county agricultural society held its second annual fair near the old courthouse in Magnolia. Their attractions were the products of soil and barn-yard, homemade goods and domestic articles. Some the games played was horse and foot races. There were premiums awarded. James took first place for the best two years old steer winning two dollars.
December 1, 1860 James and Minerva platted out Magnolia city and was recorded and filed January 10, 1861. This was to the west of the original platting which was done under the Authority of commissioners and County judge. Three years later James donated to the town land for a cemetery. Magnolia by 1869 had a population of about 300, with three dry goods store, two hotels, ten carpenters, four blacksmiths, one tailor, a shoe shop, two physicians, two ministers, six attorneys, two jewelers, artist who took daguerreotypes, a copper shop and one plasterer. In the immediate vicinity there was two gist mills and a number of saw mills in operation. Nine mails arrived each week by stage coach.
In 1864 James moved to Calhoun by the Willow. He spent his last years farming and running the mill in Calhoun. Lou told of days as a child growing up around his grandparent and the mill.
In about 1880 James lost the use of his eyesight as a result of sickness and from that time on he gradually grew weaker. Finally he fell into a dreamless sleep. He died May 10,1885. He is buried in the same Magnolia town cemetery he donated to the town.
The history books of Harrison County tell us that of all the pioneer men none were more highly respected than Judge Hardy. He was an industrious man. A good citizen who has filled with credit the highest offices in the county. James was a good, kind father and a considerate husband. A trustworthy friend to all who lived within the radius of his acquaintance.
At age two Samuel's grandfather Joseph died in Steuban County. James moved the family to Mills County James moved the family one more time when Samuel was four to Harrison County, Iowa, where Samuel lived out his life. Samuel was a miller, a merchant, in the dairy farming business for 15 years and a district court bailiff for about 20 years.
Samuel married Martha Emma Waldon in 1866. They had three sons, Lloyd M, James Fred, and Lewis Waldon. They lived in Calhoun township, kitty corner to James and Minerva's lot. Samuel worked at the family mill. Grandfather Lou tells his story of life near the Hardy Mill.
Samuel was an expert on the violin and played for the square dances held in Harrison county. It was Samuel greatest past time to meet with the old timers and talk of the early days and the experiences that came to them. He had a clear memory and was a good story teller.
Grandpa Lou was only two years old when his mother past away, March 16, 1871, at a young age of 24. Even though Lou was so young when his mother died, he felt a great loss.
Samuel married a second time to Viola M Vincent on 30 June 1872 in Harrison county. I have heard from a Mrs. Blanche Barrett of Arizona, daughter of Drusus N Hardy, younger brother of Samuel's , that Viola was a very wonderful and well liked by everyone.
Samuel and Viola had four sons however two died in infancy, and two daughters. Ella B, one of the daughters, is the grandmother of the famous entertainer Johnny Carson.
When Samuel was 29, he and Viola moved to Logan township in 1877. Samuel engaged in the dairy business for 15 years and mercantile for 10 years. During this time the family experienced yet two more losses. Lou's oldest brother Lloyd died 4 July 1888 at age 21. James Fred Lou's other brother died age 24 on 27 July 1892.
In 1903 to 1923 Samuel served as district court bailiff in Logan, and this being his last employment he retired at age 75.
Samuel Tomlinson Hardy age 85 died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C.N. Carson in Logan at about noon Friday July 21, 1933. He was one of the oldest Harrison county residents.
Lou's mother died 16 March, 1871. His father remarried Viola Vincent 28 June 1872. Lou expressed he did not fancy his step-mother. Lou and his brother Fred spent most of their time with their grandparents, James and Minerva Hardy in Calhoun. He had fond memories as a young boy on Willow Creek near his grandfather's farm and mill. His loving grandfather James died in 1885, Lou was just sixteen. Then three years later in 1888, he lost his older brother Lloyd. Again in 1892, he lost his very close and only brother left, Fred.
Lou was married Myra Schofield on 2 April 1893. Soon after they were married they moved to the town of Alliance in Box Butte County, Nebraska. Lou went to school and learned the skill of carpentry. He designed and built their first home.
Lou and Myra had five children. Their first was Roger born in May of 1894. Dorothy the second oldest was born Jan of 1896. Dorothy married Anton Rudd , Emma their second daughter married Ross Tiffany. John married Vera Fuller. Gaylord who at age 21 died in 1922.. Tragically again in 1900, his young wife, Myra, mother of his five small children died.
Lou married a second time to Anna Potter and his sixth child was born in 1902, Paul Waldron Hardy. Soon the marriage ended in divorce. Paul married Margaret Bryant and lived in Bushnell, Florida. They had five children Margaret, Anna, Paul Jr., Hazel and Dorothy. Paul died April 12, 1989
Lou in 1906 took his carpenter skill to California following the San Francisco earthquake. He found work there because of the rebuilding after the quake. His children Roger, Dorothy, Emma, John and Gaylord in Iowa with their aunt and other family members.
By 25 Sept 1907 Lou went to Everett Washington where Walter Hardy his cousin had settled. Lou met our grandmother Ann Elizabeth Hodgen who was a school teacher in the area. Lou and Ann married Dec 20, 1908 in Everett. They lived at 1227 Broadway with Roger and John.. Dorothy stayed in Iowa . Dorothy became a school teacher and stay with her great aunt Josephine. Dorothy eventually came out to where her father was, Emma followed her later and stayed with Lou and Ann until about 1916 when she married.