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I am David Alan Hardin. I am taking up the research of my ancestors that my father, Alfred Porter Hardin, began and has passed on to me. He was born in Kannapolis, NC on July 2, 1927. He is currently residing in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA at the Parkside Nursing Home. He is a victim of Alzheimer’s and other medical problems now at age 77 and is bedridden and can no longer speak.
Unfortunately, by the time I receive this information from my daddy, Alzheimer’s was already affecting his mind. I was not aware of this, and later I learned that he had started to become aware of it at about this time. He continued to deny that a problem existed for several more years.
In his research, he was able to find out that one of our ancestors, his grandfather David Porter Hardin, was an engineer on the L & C Railroad before the age of 30. Later on in life he was a machinist in a shop named Love-Jenkins Machine Shop. He also owned several houses in Bessemer City, NC.
I may find out that this turns out to be more than one individual. His source for this info was not disclosed and some of the info has already been found in error. So I continue to dig. Maybe I can get out all of the gems that I know are in there somewhere.
I have discovered that this railroad is the L & C Railway that runs between Lancaster & Chester in SC. Further research on this revealed that a Hardin was instrumental in the completion and successful operation of this short line railway. It is still in operation today, and making a profit.
I have not been very successful finding information going backwards past the civil war time frame.
My father’s father was David Marion Hardin, born in Bessemer City, NC on September 29, 1903. He worked as a loom fixer in Cannon Mills in Kannapolis, NC. Later he worked a repairman for Montgomery Wards also in Kannapolis. This job led to a position with M/W in West Palm Beach, FL. From here he moved to Macon, GA to become a sewing Machine mechanic working for my uncle Billy Ray Hardin. Besides being a mechanic extraordinaire, he was also very adept as a prestidigitation artist, or a sleight of hand magician. He taught himself how to play the harmonica. He was living in Macon, GA when he passed away in April 1991.
His father was David Porter Hardin, born on March 16, 1862 or 1864, in Chester, SC.
According to information that I received from my daddy, David Porter's father was Thomas Hardin. He had came to the United States from Scotland. Still unable to verify this info yet.
A sad note with this update. My Dad passed away on May 29, 2005. He was buried in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was a Navy veteran of WW II. He was very proud to have been able to serve in the Navy, and talked many times about what might become of him had he stayed in. After about a year of service, he got out as a Petty Officer 1st Class. He said they offered him Chief Petty Officer to stay, but he went home instead. There's always that what if. The roads not taken. While he would wistfully wonder from time to time, he had no regrets for the choices he made. But the look he had as he related his time in the Navy had a large impact on me and was one of the factors that led me to my choice of careers, that being in the Naval service as a United States Marine.
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