Thomas Hardeman (1750 – 1833) was born in Virginia and served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He moved his family to Tennessee where he served as the first county clerk. Hardeman County is named after him. He later moved to Georgia and other locales, eventually settling in Texas with his family, where he championed the cause of independence for Texas, and served as a judge and as a legislator. He died in 1854 and was buried in Bastrop County, Texas; his remains were moved to the State Cemetery in Austin, Texas in 1937. Hardeman County, Texas is named in honor of Thomas and his brother Bailey Hardeman. He is my husband’s 5th great grandfather.
This photo appears on a couple of websites, but I have not been able to confirm its provenance.
The following is from a book entitled “Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer” and was written by Peter Hardeman Burnett, grandson of Thomas Hardeman and first governor of the state of California, and published in 1880.
My grandfather Thomas Hardeman was born in Virginia, January 8, 1750; and his brother whom I never saw, settled in Georgia. My grandfather Hardeman was among the first settlers of Tennessee, and participated in the Indian wars of that country. He was a stout man, possessed a very fine constitution, a determined will, and a splendid intellect. His education was originally very limited, but by study, he became a man of distinction.
He was the neighbor and warm friend of General Andrew Jackson, and was, with the General, a member of the first Constitutional Convention of Tennessee. He was a farmer and made a fortune, living to the age of seventy-two. He reared eight sons and three daughters: Nicholas Perkins, Nancy, John, Constant, Eleazar, Peter, Dorothy, thomas Jones, Blackstone, Elizabeth, and Baily. All these married, and all reared families, except my aunt Elizabeth. .
My grandfather Hardeman was twice married, his two wives being sisters, but all his children were the issue of his first marriage. He brought up his sons to his own business, except John and Bailey, to whom he gave fine educations. They were intended for the bar, but never practiced. Both were men of fine mental capacity, especially Uncle John, who was one of the most accomplished literary men of the Western States.
My grandfather Hardeman taught certain maxims to his children that have come down to his grandchildren, and have had a great influence over his posterity:
First. Pay your honest debts.
Second. Never disgrace the family.
Third. Help the honest and industrious kin.
