52 Ancestors - #20 George Washington, Zachariah Taylor, and Elizabeth Francis Hardesty - They Never Married

Part of my Hardesty information is from cousin Lois whose husband descends from Kinzea Junior also - his son Farmer Kinzea Marion Francis Hardesty. In the "small world" category my cousin Chris from the Tacoma, Washington area found her on a message board and contacted her only to discover that Lois and I lived in the same small town in Southwest Washington. Her grandson Rob and my daughter Nicole were best friends - and 5th cousins!

George, Zack, and Lizzie were the youngest siblings of my great great grandmother Tucker - Mary Graves Hardesty. They never married. Their parents were Kinzea W. Hardesty Jr. and Mary “Pollie” Sallee Dingle.

George Washington Hardesty was born on January 1, 1847 in Kentucky. Zachariah Taylor Hardesty was born November 9, 1848 in Henry County, Kentucky. Elizabeth Francis Hardesty known as Lizzie was born in Henry County, Kentucky on August 28, 1850 in the middle of the night. Lizzie was the youngest of thirteen children – eight boys and five girls.

The family decided to move to Missouri when Lizzie was around seven months of age. Their father Kinzea Junior died during the family’s journey to Audrain County, Missouri on April 6, 1851 at the age of 47. The rest of the family continued on to Missouri. At the start of the Civil War the Hardesty boys decided they didn't want to fight in the war and instead headed out west with the entire family. After a long and tiresome journey in covered wagons drawn by ox teams, the family arrived in Honey Lake, California in 1861. In 1865 they moved farther west to Santa Rosa to find better schools and to avoid the Indian Wars. Lizzie finished school while living in Santa Rosa, California.

Elizabeth Hardesty

In 1872 Lizzie, Zack, and George Hardesty moved to Elko County, Nevada in the South Fork area. They lived on what was known as the Hardesty Ranch which was owned by George. They were in the cattle business and also had olive orchards. 

Hardesty Ranch

Lizzie Hardesty

Lizzie was engaged to be married, but gave that up to nurse her invalid mother. In 1880 in South Fork, Elko Nevada, Pollie was living with her children George and Lizzie while Zackary was living with their brother Henry Clay Hardesty and helping him with his farm. Pollie died July 30, 1883 in South Fork, Elko, Nevada at the age of 73 and is buried at the Elko IOOF Cemetery. The bottom of Pollie’s headstone reads “after ten years suffering” so she must have moved in with her children shortly after they moved to Nevada.

Lizzie, Zack, George

On October 16, 1907 Zachariah Taylor Hardesty died. He was almost 59 years old. He is buried at the Elko IOOF Cemetery.

Funeral Memorial 

Z.T. Hardesty

On November 22, 1908, George and Lizzie were planning a trip to Silver Creek, Washington in late December or early January to see their sister Mary who they had not seen since she left California for Washington in 1865. Lizzie gives their location as Lee, Nevada which was a gold rush town from 1904 to 1907 and then eventually became a ghost town.

Lizzie and George

In July 1910, Lizzie reports to her sister Mary that there is “Lots of work going on.  The hay and grain has come out in the last two weeks so most everyone has fine crops.  Some of the grain 3 and 4 feet high. We have 13 young calves and 3 very fine colts - George's pride and about 160 chickens.  Hay, grain, cattle, horses, fowls, sheep high.” She also says that someone had sent “George and I and Vada and Polly a daily paper.  The Woman's National Daily.” So Nevada must have been living with them at that time. Lizzie also tells Mary that, “We went to the Lemoille Valley 25 miles away to the Fourth. I took Fried Spring Chicken and Potato Cakes and ripe olives and Blackberry Jam and coffee.  There was about 35 or 40 of us eating together.  Some had lunch and other did not.  There was everything the market afforded.” Nevada’s father Edward Carter Hardesty had died in 1907 and she must have been living with her aunt and uncle.

Lizzie was one of the principal workers that caused the state of Nevada to go dry in 1920. In 1922 at the age of 72 she moved to Lindsay, Tulare, California after fifty years in Nevada. 

 

George and Lizzie

In 1930 George was living with her in Lindsay. George Washington Hardesty died in Lindsay on November 8, 1937 at the age of almost 91 years and is buried in California.

In 1940 Nevada Griswold, Lizzie’s widowed niece was again living with her. Nevada considered herself to be Lizzie’s adopted daughter since Lizzie had helped raise her and another orphan. Lizzie died on May 10, 1943 in Lindsay at the age of 92. She is buried in California.