John Harding (Southern planter)
| John Harding | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of John Harding by Washington Bogart Cooper, 1846 | |
| Born |
November 2, 1777 Goochland County, Virginia |
| Died |
September 16, 1865 Nashville, Tennessee |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
Planter Horsebreeder |
| Spouse(s) | Susannah Shute |
| Children | William Giles Harding |
| Parent(s) | Giles Harding |
John Harding (1777-1865) was an American Southern planter and thoroughbred breeder .[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Early life
John Harding was born in Goochland County, Virginia on November 2, 1777.[1] His family moved to Davidson County, Tennessee in 1798.[1] His grandfather had owned slaves in Virginia, and his father, Giles Harding, brought several with them to Tennessee.[3][6]
Career
In 1807, Harding purchased a 250-acre farm and log cabin from Daniel Dunham called Dunham Station at Richland Creek on the Natchez Trace, six miles west of Nashville.[1][2][4][5][6][7][8] By 1820, he expanded the farm to 3800 acres and constructed a brick Federal style home.[1] He invested in thoroughbreds, and turned it into the Belle Meade Plantation.[1] In 1823, he registered with the Nashville Jockey Club.[2] The plantation also included a blacksmith shop, a grist mill, and a saw mill.[1][5]
Harding also owned four other plantations in the South: a sugar plantation in Louisiana, cotton plantations in Mississippi County, Arkansas, Alabama, and also in the Pennington bend between the Stones and Cumberland rivers in Nashville.[1][6]
Harding invested in the Nashville Female Academy and sent his two daughters there.[6] By 1839, he turned the Belle Meade Plantation over to his son William Giles Harding and moved to a townhouse at 85 Spring Street in Nashville.[1]
Personal life
Harding married Susannah Shute on August 6, 1806.[1][6] They had six children. Only three survived infancy: one son, William Giles Harding (1808–1886), and two daughters, Elizabeth and Amanda.[6]
Death
Harding died on September 16, 1865 in Nashville.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Tennessee Portrait Project
- 1 2 3 Belle Meade Plantation: History
- 1 2 Civil War Landscapes Association
- 1 2 UNC Harding and Jackson Family Papers, 1819-1911.
- 1 2 3 Ridley Wills, II, Belle Meade Plantation, The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, December 25, 2009
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Belle Meade Plantation: The Hardings & Jacksons
- 1 2 Perky Beisel, Rob DeHart, Middle Tennessee Horse Breeding, Arcadia Publishing, 2007, p. 14
- ↑ Mark Zimmerman, Guide To Civil War Nashville Nashville, The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, 2004, p. 68