Background
John Harding was born in Goochland County, Virginia on November 2, 1777. His grandfather had owned slaves in Virginia, and his father, Giles Harding, brought several with them to Tennessee.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
John Harding
Edit Profile
Career
His family moved to Davidson County, Tennessee in 1798. In 1807, Harding purchased a 250-acre farm and log cabin from Daniel Dunham called Dunham Station at Richland Creek on the Natchez Trace, six miles west of Nashville. By 1820, he expanded the farm to 3800 acres and constructed a brick Federal style home.
He invested in thoroughbreds, and turned it into the Belle Meade Plantation.
In 1823, he registered with the Nashville Jockey Club. The plantation also included a blacksmith shop, a grist mill, and a saw mill.
Harding also owned four other plantations in the South: a sugar plantation in Louisiana, cotton plantations in Mississippi County, Arkansas, Alabama, and also in the Pennington bend between the Stones and Cumberland rivers in Nashville. Harding died on September 16, 1865 in Nashville.
-
Born
-
Died
September 16, 1865 (aged 87) -
Nationality
United States