*From Stephen Hart

Joseph Hart and His Descendants (1875)

The following short biography of Joseph Hart is contained in the addenda (pages 582-584) of the "Genealogical History of Deacon Stephen Hart and His Descendants, 1632 - 1875" by Alfred Andrews, New Britain, Conn., published in 1875. This book contains "an introduction of miscellaneous Harts and their progenitors, as far as is known; to which is added a list of all the clergy of the name found, all the physicians, all the lawyers, the authors, and soldiers." Joseph Hart seems not to have been related to Deacon Stephen Hart; he is one of the "miscellaneous Harts."

Note that the first sentence below refers to a "Rev. C. H. Hart, now of Logan, Ohio." It's clear from the following text that Rev. C. C. Hart wrote this material; thus I believe that the name below contains a typographical error. I also believe that the task of writing this biographical sketch for Alfred Andrews (apparently in 1875) may have inspired Rev. C. C. Hart to write the book "Joseph Hart and His Descendants." Many thanks to Alice Smith for providing a copy of this information! -- BA

The following narrative and pedigree was kindly furnished by Rev. C. H. Hart, now of Logan, Ohio:

JOSEPH HART was born in Botetourt County, Va., June 22d 1760. The Christian names of his father and mother I am not able to give. The maiden name of his mother was Stout. She, with a brother older than herself, came from Wales, G. B., about the year 1750, and settled in South Carolina, where a Mr. Hart was married to Miss Stout, probably in the year 1758. One child, Joseph, was born to them, and during his infancy the mother died. The father married a second time. Of his children by the second wife I can not speak. When Joseph was eighteen or twenty years of age the family moved to the colony of Tennessee, on to the French Broad River.

During the last year of the revolutionary war Joseph became a soldier in the continental army, and in the third month of his soldier life he was engaged in a battle with the British and tories in which he was wounded in the right hip, and from which he did not recover until after peace was declared. In the year 1785 Joseph Hart was married to Miss Nancy Shanklin, of East Tennessee, and settled in Blount County, near Maryville. To them there were born six children, viz: Edward, Thomas, Elizabeth, Joseph, Gideon Blackburn, and Silas. In 1810 the mother died, and the father married his second wife-Miss Mary Means, of Blount County, in the year 1812. To them were born five sons, viz: William Samuel, James Harvey, Isaac Anderson, and Charles Coffin. These eleven children were all born in Blount County, Tennessee.

In October, 1821, Mr. Hart, with his wife and four younger sons, emigrated to Indiana, and settled on Clifty Creek, in Bartholomew County. Here Gideon B. soon joined the family, he having gone to Vincennes, on the Wabash, the year before. Before leaving Tennessee Isaac Anderson, the ninth son, was choked to death with a grain of coffee before he was two years old. William, the sixth son, was drowned in Clifty Crock while bathing, June 6th 1826, aged 14 years. Mr. Hart buried his second wife September 11^th, 1827.

The most remarkable feature of Joseph Hart's character was his deep, fervent, practical piety. He was converted in early life, and for more than half a century lie literally walked with God, "and was not, for God took him," June 25^th, 1840, aged 80 years and 3 days.

Edward Hart married in Blount County, Tennessee, of nine children, and died in his 76th year.

Thomas married in Blount County, and was the father of one son and nine daughters. The son died in infancy. The daughters are all still living, and bringing up children. Thomas, with all his family, emigrated to, Indiana, and settled on Clifty Creek in 1846, where he, died in July, 1866, aged 74 years.

Elizabeth Hart was married to Mr. William Trotter, of Blount County, Tennessee, in September, 1821. She became the mother of eight children. The family emigrated to Indiana, and settled on Clifty Creek in 1834, and in 1839 settled in Clarke County, Indiana, nine miles east of Charleston, where he died in 1869, aged 74 years.

Gideon Blackburn was married to Miss Hetty Ann Taylor, of Bartholomew County, in 1825, and. was the father of nine children.. He was at one time sheriff of his county, and for many years held the office of school commissioner. He represented his county in the state legislature one term. He died in 1854, aged 56.

Joseph Hart, Jr., married and settled in Columbia, Maury County, Tenn., where he died without children.

Silas Hart married Miss Susan Strain, of East Tennessee. They had but, one child, Silas Hart., Jr., now living in California. Silas died in East Tennessee about, the year 1824.

In 1832 Samuel the seventh son, went to Mississippi, and settled at Carrollton as a merchant, where lie still continues in business. In 1840 he married Miss Amanda Ayres, of Elkton, Ky. They have had ten children. Samuel Hart served his county for many years as probate clerk.

James Harvey, the eighth son, served an apprenticeship to the tailoring business, in Columbus Ind., and in September, 1836, when the Ohio River was very low, he, with two shop-mates purchased a skiff at New Albany, Ind in which with fishing tackle and guns, they made a journey of 600 miles to the mouth of the Wabash River, thence to Shawneetown where he still resides as a merchant tailor. He was married to Miss Achsa Gold, of Shawneetown in 1857. They have had four children.

Charles Coffin Hart was born in Blount County, Tennessee, March 29, 1820, and accompanied the family to Indiana in 1821. He served an apprenticeship to the cabinet making business in Salem, Washington County, Ind., f rom February, 1836 to F ebruary 1840, and worked as a journeyman for two years. He graduated at Marietta College in 1848 and at Lane Theological Seminary in 1852, and was ordained as a minister of the gospel at Carrollton, Miss., by the presbytery of Lexington South, January 1st 1853. He, supplied the churches of Carrollton, Middleton, and Greenwood, all in Carroll County, Miss., from early in the year 1852 to January, 1856. April 1st .1856, he was settled over the Presbyterian Church of Logan, Hocking County, Ohio, in which capacity he continued until October, 1868, when he removed to Shawneetown Ill., and was settled as pastor over the Presbyterian Church of that place, and continued his labors there for three years, when the church of Logan, Ohio, re-called him and on the 1st of November, 1871, he was re-installed as pastor in Logan, where he still continues in his labors, December., 1874. He was married in St. Louis, Mo., September 6th 1853, to Miss Olivia Page Studley, of Boston, Mass., a granddaughter of Major Isaac Andrews, of Hillsboro, N. H. They have six children, three sons and three daughters, viz: 1, Edward Studley, born March 9th, 1855, in Carrollton, Miss.; 2, Horace Pierce, born March 12th 1858, in Logan, Ohio; 3, Alice Whipple, born July 17th 1859, in Logan, Ohio; 4, Mary Pamelia, born April 19th 1862, in Logan, Ohio; 5, Olivia Rochester, born July 10th 1865, in Logan, Ohio; 6, Joseph Charles, born November 20th 1866, in Logan, Ohio.

Note.--For one hundred years religion has had a home in this family. The descendants of Joseph Hart to the fifth generation are known. There are today more than a hundred who are consistent Christians, adorning the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.