Joseph Hardin, Sr.

Colonel Joseph Hardin, Sr. (April 18, 1734 – July 4, 1801) Hardin was an Assemblyman (Provincial Congressman) for the North Carolina Colony. During the War for Independence, as a member of the militia from Tryon County, Hardin fought the Cherokee allies of Britain along the western frontier and was a signatory of the Tryon Resolves. Later in the war, having taken his family over the Appalachian Mountains to the Washington District for safety against the advance of the Red Coats out of South Carolina, Hardin joined the Overmountain Men. He saw action at the Battle of Ramsour's Mill and the decisive Battle of Kings Mountain. Following the peace with Britain, Hardin was a co-founder and second Speaker of the House for the State of Franklin; and an Assemblyman in the Southwest Territory before its statehood as Tennessee.