Ziba Hardee and son William Thomas Hardee

Ziba and Tabitha Hardee’s son

 William Thomas Hardee 

 Ziba and Tabitha's fourth child is my 2nd Great Grandfather William Thomas Hardee. He was born March 10, 1836 in Hatchet Creek, Coosa County, Alabama. 

 William T. Hardee married Juda Francis Lee on November 19, 1854 in Coosa County, Alabama. Juda lived a few houses down from William T. Hardee's family, so I would guess they were childhood friends.

William and Juda (Listed as Francis) still live in Coosa County, Alabama in the 1860 census. They have four young children and Juda's younger sister Jane is living with them also.

William T. Hardee enlisted in the Civil War on April 1, 1862 at Coosa Alabama., by Capt. Walden for 3 years. He served with Company B 2nd Battalion Hilliard's Legion, Alabama Volunteers, (Confederate). That company later consolidated to Company K, 59th Alabama Infantry.

You can read about William's Civil War service here:

William T. Hardee is listed in the Alabama State Census in 1866 and the tax records in 1867. So sometime between 1867 and 1870 they moved to Texas. 

William and Juda (listed as Francis) Hardee are listed on the 1870 U.S. Census living in Van Zandt County, Texas. They have nine children, all listed as born in Alabama. The youngest is one years old so that narrows the move from Alabama to Texas between 1869 and 1870.

William's father Ziba Hardee died in 1862, but his Mother Tabitha is listed one family above his, so he moved near his Mother and siblings.

In the 1880 U. S. Census the family is listed in Johnson County, Texas. Juda Francis Hardee died in 1879, but William is listed with 10 of his 13 children and two nephews. The two nephews, Joseph and Archie Favors are the children of Juda's sister Jane Lee who lived with them in 1860.

Jane Lee married Archibald Favors and the story goes that William and Archibald entered the Civil War and had a pact that if anything happened to one of them, the other would look after their children. I need to do more research on Archibald and Jane Lee Favors and the two boys.

In 1882 W T Hardee is listed in the 1882 tax rolls for Ellis Counts County, Texas. 

The shortest obituary I've ever seen was listed in the Dallas Morning News on April 14, 1893.

W. T. Hardee died last night.

His tombstone lists his death date as April 12, 1893.

I will write about his children in another post.

SIDE NOTE: There is another William Thomas Hardee who was born about 1837 in North Carolina who married a Laura and is often confused with this William Thomas Hardee. The other William Thomas Hardee is found living in Upshur Co., Texas in 1880 with wife Laura, brother Isaah and three children.

FindAGrave has two other wives listed for Willilam T. Hardee, one Laura I know is incorrect. I need to do more research on Nancy Wilkerson to determine if she was married to my William T. Hardee.

Someone sent me this copy of a photo of William Thomas Hardee. Looks like the original is in an oval bubble glass frame.

Let me know if you descend from William T. Hardee.

 

Ziba and Tabitha Hardee's daughter Martha Ellen Hardee Butler

Ziba and Tabitha Hardee in 1850 Census

Ziba and Tabitha in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census

1850 is the first census that lists all the names of the household. (I love this census!) Ziba is still living in Coosa County, Alabama but now in Hatchet Creek District. His two oldest sons from his first marriage, Joel and John have moved back to Monroe County, Alabama.

1.) Hardy, Ziba, age 56, farmer, born in North Carolina
2.) Hardy, Tabitha, age 40, born in Georgia
3.) Hardy, Elender, age 16, born in Alabama
4.) Hardy, William, age 14, born in Alabama
5.) Hardy, Samuel, age 10, born in Alabama
6.) Hardy, Bryant, age 8, born in Alabama
7.) Hardy, Thomas, age 6, born in Alabama
8.) Hardy, Caroline, age 5, born in Alabama
9.) Hardy, Julia, age 2, born in Alabama

The family listed after him is his oldest daughter, from his second marriage and her husband:
1.) Wood, Green A., age 28, Farmer, born in AL
2.) Wood, Sarah, age 18?, born in AL
3.) Wood, Mary, age 1, born in Alabama

The next family down is his oldest son from his second marriage to Tabitha.
1.) Hardy, James E., age 25, farmer, born in Alabama
2.) Hardy, Susan, age 22, born in Alabama
3.) Hardy, Redsin?, age 1 born in Alabama

William T. Hardee listed above is my 2nd Great Grandfather. His future wife, Juda Lee, is listed a few families apart on this census.

Ziba and Tabitha Hardee in the 1850 Alabama State Census 

Are we really related to Robert E. Lee?

The family story on my mom's side says we are related to Robert E. Lee. No one has proved it yet, and I have read that most of the time people are not related to him.

If we were related then it would probably be through Juda Frances Lee who married William Thomas Hardee.

Juda's parents were Burrell and Lucinda Ramsey Lee. They married December 31, 1833 in Clark Co., Georgia. They had six daughters; Ruthy born about 1835 in Georgia, Lucinda born about 1837, Juda born about 1837/8 (twins maybe), Sarah born about 1841, Jane born about 1842, Mary born about 1844. All but Ruthy were born in Alabama.

Lucinda is found in the 1850 census at Hatchett Creek District, Coosa Co, Alabama (1)
Lucinda        Lee    36 F    Spinster        born in Georgia
Ruthy           Lee    15 F                        born in Georgia
Lucinda       Lee     12 F                        born in Alabama
Judy            Lee     12 F                        born in Alabama  (My line)
Jane            Lee       8 F                        born in Alabama
Mary           Lee      6 F                        born in Alabama

A daughter named Sarah is not listed in this Census. I do not know where she is. Need to look for her. I have found her in the 1860 census with her mother Lucinda and Mary living with her and her husband and baby boy.

Burrell is a mystery. I do not know what happened to him. Why is Lucinda listed as a spinster? A few definitions for spinster are an unmarried, divorced, or widowed women, or a person who spins fibers. She wasn't unmarried but could have been divorced or widowed. She could have been a spinner too, who knows.

I found a Lee in the 1840 Census, Talladega Co., Alabama listed as Bunell:

Name: Bunell Lee [Burrell Lee]
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):     Talladega, Alabama
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:     1  [Burrell]
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:     3  [Lucinda, Juda, Sarah]
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:     1  [Rutha?]
Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29:     1  [Lucinda]
Free White Persons - Under 20:                4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:               2



I know Burrell and Lucinda were in Alabama by 1838 when Lucinda was born so they would most likely be in the Alabama 1840 census.  I am unsure if this is my Burrell Lee but I have added names in brackets that correspond to the family members. I added Sarah to the Females under 5 but I am not sure if she was born by then, so this may be incorrect. Just another clue till I find more information.

Some Ancestry trees show Burrell's father as Wyatt Lee of Clark Co. Georgia. I found Wyatt's obituary and it states he had 26 children. I have looked into his children and contacted other researchers who have information on Wyatt and none show a son named Burrell, so I do not believe Wyatt was his father.

So until I can find out more about Burrell Lee and who his parents were we will not know if we are related to Robert E. Lee or not.

(1) 1850 U.S. census, Coosa Co., Alabama, population schedule, Hatchet Creek District, p. 114b, dwelling 365, family 365, Lucinda Lee; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M432.

Surname Saturday - Hardee

John Ziba Hardee is my earliest known Hardee. I have found Ziba in the 1830 Census in Monroe County, Alabama; in the 1840 census in Jordan, Coosa County, Alabama; and the 1850 Census in Hatchet Creek District, Coosa County, Alabama. I have searched the 1860 census and did not find Ziba or his family. I searched page by page of the Van Zandt County Census and no Hardee's were found. I searched most of the Coosa Co., Alabama Census and did not find Ziba Hardee.

Ziba's Timeline

From what I have read but not found sources for is that John Ziba Hardee was born in North Carolina and moved to Georgia with his father who may have been John Hardee. Here Ziba met and married his first wife Peggy Mitchel in 1813. Around 1821 they moved to Monroe Co., Alabama. Sometime between 1823-1825 Peggy died and Ziba married Tabitha Brooks about 1825 in Alabama. About 1837 they moved to Coosa Co., Alabama. Sometime after 1850 they moved to Van Zandt County, Texas where Ziba died in 1862 and is buried. Some of Ziba's sons served in the Civil War in Texas units and some served in Alabama units.

My Hardee Line 
Ziba Hardee born 1782 or 1794 in North Carolina
Tabitha Brooks born about 1810 in Baldwin Co.,GeorgiaMarried about 1825 in Alabama (Ziba's second marriage)

Willliam Thomas Hardee born 10 March 1836 in Hatchet Creek, Coosa Co., Alabama
Juda Frances Lee born about 1838 in Alabama
Married 19 November 1854 in Alabama

Samuel Burel Hardee born 26 January 1860 in Alabama
Georgianna Clarissa Ransom born 17 January 1870 in Texas
Married about 1887


Joseph Abraham Hardee born 6 January 1902 in Decatur, Wise Co., Texas
Dessie Pearl Galttana born 31 July 1902 in Chickasha, Grady Co., Oklahoma
Married 17 December 1923 in Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., Texas