Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - J. R. Harden

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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J. R. Harden, merchant and farmer, was born in Tennessee, near the 
eastern part of the Virginia line, September 1, 1826, and is a son of 
George and Elizabeth (Straup) Harden. The father was born in Virginia, 
of German parents, and was a farmer by occupation. In 1824 he 
immigrated to Eastern Tennessee, and nine years later went to Greene 
County, where he died. The mother was of Scotch-Irish parentage, and 
also born in Virginia, where she married Mr. Harden. Of their seven 
children, three are now living: Samuel, Sarah and Josiah R. Those 
deceased are Jonathan, Polly, Lemuel and an infant. The mother died in 
Tennessee. Our subject lived with his parents in Tennessee until seven 
years of age, and then ran away. He started to join a brother who was 
attending school at Richmond, Va., but was stopped by an uncle, and 
changing his course went to Bull's Gap, Greene Co., Tenn., where he 
lived with a man named F. W. Etter until grown, engaged in 
blacksmithing and farming. He then went to McMinn County, Tenn., and 
enlisted in Company B, Fourteenth Tennessee Regiment, commanded by 
Col. Trousedale, and served through the Mexican War. He served in 
every battle fought in the valley of Mexico, and was discharged at New 
Orleans. In August, 1848, he married Elizabeth Cox, in McMinn County, 
Tenn., of which she was a native. Her parents, William and Sarah Cox, 
were born and reared in Tennessee. To Mr. and Mrs. Harden five 
children have been born: Sarah, wife of J. H. Lowry, of this county; 
Harden, now a citizen of Chickasaw Nation; Andrew J. and Josephine, 
widow of R. E. Taylor, still living, and William C. and Emily J. 
(deceased). In 1849 Mr. Harden went to Greene County, Mo., and two 
years later went to Benton County, Ark. In the time of the war he took 
his family to Texas, but returned himself, and although he was opposed 
to secession, when the State seceded he took up arms in her defense, 
enlisting in the Home Guards. He then raised a company of which he was 
captain under Stan Watie. He afterward became a major, and served 
until the close of the war, participating in the fights at Wilson's 
Creek, Spring River, Newtonia and others. The company was disbanded in 
1865, and he then passed two years in Texas and seven in Chickasaw 
Nation, where he erected the first mill. Two years after he came to 
Crawford County, where he is now engaged in the mercantile business, 
and has 160 acres of land, seventy-five being under cultivation. Since 
July 16, 1887, he has been an ordained minister in the Christian 
Church, to which his wife also belongs. In politics he is a Democrat.  

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