THE HARDMANS OF CALHOUN COUNTY - Field Hands And Farm Workers

(10/10/2023)
By Bob Weaver

Hundreds of people worked on the Hardman farms during the 19th and 20th centuries, mostly for small wages, food, tenant rights, or room and board.

The George Washington Hardman, Jr.(1843-1929) estate on the right fork of Barnes Run became the hub of farming, cattle raising and political activity for the family for nearly a century.

George Jr. was the son of George (1813-1890) Hardman, who came to Calhoun with his wife, Rachel Goff in 1843. They settled on the Little Kanawha River below Grantsville, an area known as Hardman's Bend. The junior Hardman's house on Barnes Run was built about 1870, after he married Diana Virginia Burdette of Roane County.

Hardman house on Barnes Run 1930's

After his death the estate was passed to his only son, Allen, (1868-1957) who married Narcissus Barr (1872-1947). Allie maintained the family holdings from 1929 until his death in 1957.

A partial list of people who performed work or did business with the estate, extracted from an old farm ledger covering 1923-29: Okey Ball, Gay Boggs, Charles Burch, John Boyers, Waitman Blake, Sheridan Buck, John Bell, Elza Bennett, Bud Burch, Wm. Buck, Dave Carpenter, Elmer Carpenter, Bill Carpenter, Harry Coon, James Craddock, Jacob Carr, Jessie E. Davis, Asa Everson, John Fowler, Kay Gibson, Oak Greathouse, Nelson Grimm, William Greathouse, Faye Godfry, E. C. Gerwig (Bickels), Dewey Husk, Charlie Husk, R. T. Hardman, Floyd Hardman, E. E. Hardman, R. C. Hardman, Gay Hardman, M. Hardman, Paul Hardman, Everly Husk, Tode Husk, J. Hardman, Dewey Kerby, Gordon Knight, John Kerby, Jacob Kyer, Mont Long, Sim Lamp, Joseph Kerby, Dudley Metz, Harry Murphy, Sylvester Murphy, Howard Murphy, Frank Murphy, Cal Murphy, Guy Miller, Howard Miller, Orville Miller, Miles Miller, Rila Miller, John Ira McCoy, George Metz, Jeff Metz, James Metz, C. C. Nutter, Roy Nutter, Allie Roberts, Guy Runnion, John Runnion, Skip Stump, Bub Slider, Aldine Starcher, Lewis Stump, Kay Stevens, Harman Starcher, Farley Shaffer, Walter Summers, Thomas Slider, Alex Starcher, William Sampson, Glennie Summers, Cleo Summers, John Starcher, Ferrell Sampson, Jeff Starcher, Ray Starcher, Marshall Starcher, Walter Smith, George Starcher, W. E. Starcher, Lovell Sampson, Arthur Starcher, Herbert Smith, Everett Starcher, W. H. Slider, Lennie Wade, Frank Weaver.