Richard I. Hardy ¹

  General Notes:

Notes for RICHARD I. HARDY:
Before the family moved from Georgia to Alabama, Richard joined a Georgia Militia to fight in the Florida Indian Wars. Indian War Pension Application dated 1894, Alabama. Served in Captain Merriwether's Company, Georgia Volunteers, Florida War. Ind. Wid. App. #5933, Cet. #4491. Widow: Phoebe J. Hardy.

Richard, the founder of the family in Henry County, AL, came from Jasper County, GA, lived a short while in Barbour County, AL, and settled in the area around Dothan. At that time, the family lived between Kinsey and a place called "Richmond, Alabama" that was the county seat of the huge Henry County as declared by the Alabama State Constitutional Convention in Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama in December 1819. They created the County of Henry out of the old Conecuh County of the Alabama Territory 1817-1819 that was taken from the original Washington County of the Mississippi Territory that reached from the Chattahoochee River on the east to the Mississippi River on the west. The huge County of Patrick Henry was created December 13, 1819, one day before Alabama became the 21st state of the Union on December 14, 1819. Transportation from Georgia to Alabama was by wagon pulled by a yoke of oxen, with their household goods tied in hogsheads--that epoch-making event which marked the earlier penetration of southeast Alabama and to which was attributed the lure of cheap lands which has always carried settlers across continents, and to conditions generally which drive men into new fields. Richard reached Alabama about 1847. The family is found there in the 1850 census. Land records show Richard paid 25 cents an acre for the 325 acres he purchased on August 8, 1855. He is listed in the 1855 State Census of Henry Co., AL: HARDY R.J. 4 males under 21, 1 male over 21, 3 females under 21, 1 female over 21.

It was told that Richard built a schoolhouse on his plantation and boarded the teacher in his house. These "old field schools" were common, and the schoolmasters hired by the parents ran the schools until after the Civil War. His position and influence has been subtly indicated by the quality of the granite marking his grave.

I do not have a drawing or photograph of Richard, but older cousins tell me he was of such kindliness that he was "Uncle Dick" to everyone who knew him. This gives me a picture in my mind of a caring, and conscientious man. The family attended the Wiggins Church, now known as MT. Pleasant Baptist Church, which was established in 1859.

A few miles north of Dothan, AL where our ancestor, Richard Hardy, had a plantation, there is a Hardy Family Cemetery. It is on Geiger Road. Coming from the north take Hwy 134 west, then left on County Road 21. After crossing the county line [Henry/Houston] the road becomes known as Geiger Road just one-tenth of a mile south of the Houston County line the cemetery is on the left.

There is also a Hardy Cemetery in Washington Co., FL near New Hope.

Another Hardy Cemetery is in Dallas Co., AL near Selma, AL. ¹

Richard married Phoebe Jane Hammock, daughter of David Hammock and Sarah Sikes, on 14 Apr 1842 in Perry, Houston County, Georgia, USA. (Phoebe Jane Hammock was born on 10 Oct 1822 in Lincoln Co., GA and died on 1 Oct 1898 in Henry County, Alabama, USA ³.)