John Harding (1777–1867) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Southern planter and

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

breeder in

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...

, near Nashville.Tennessee Portrait Project
/ref>Belle Meade Plantation: History
/ref>
/ref>Ridley Wills, II
Belle Meade Plantation
''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', December 25, 2009Belle Meade Plantation: The Hardings & Jacksons
/ref>Perky Beisel, Rob DeHart, ''Middle Tennessee Horse Breeding'', Arcadia Publishing, 2007, p. 1

/ref> He developed

Belle Meade Plantation Belle Meade Plantation, now officially titled Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery, is a historic farm established in 1807 in Nashville, Tennessee, built, owned, and controlled by five generations of the John Harding (Southern planter), Harding- ...

from 250 acres to 1300 in Davidson County; Bellevue at McSpadden's Bend on the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

, also in the county; and a 10,000-acre cotton plantation at Plum Point Bend in

Mississippi County, Arkansas Mississippi County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,685. There are two county seats, Blytheville and Osceola. The county is named for the Mississippi River which borders th ...

. In 1850 Harding was the third-largest enslaver in Davidson County, given the total of enslaved Black Americans at his two Tennessee plantations. At Belle Meade he began to specialize in breeding and racing thoroughbred horses, and registered his silks with the Nashville Jockey Club. W. Ridley Wills II, "Black-White Relationships on the Belle Meade Plantation"
''Tennessee Historical Quarterly'' Vol. 50, No. 1 (Spring 1991), pp. 17–32, His son

William Giles Harding William Giles Harding (1808 – December 15, 1886) was a Southern planter, attorney, and horse breeder who was made a Brigadier General in the Tennessee militia before the American Civil War. He took over operations of Belle Meade Plantation near ...

acquired additional lands to enlarge Belle Mead to 5400 acres by the late 19th century, and began to breed purebred cattle, sheep, cashmere goats and other livestock. Due to debt, in 1906 most of the property was sold to a land development company, and later suburban housing was built, and the independent city of Belle Meade, Tennessee was founded. Belle Meade Plantation, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the late 20th century, now consists of the 1853 mansion, and outbuildings on 30 acres. It is operated as a museum and event space

Early life

John Harding was born in

Goochland County, Virginia Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland. Goochland County is inclu ...

on November 2, 1777. His family moved to

Davidson County, Tennessee Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the 2nd most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville, ...

in 1798, in what was known as

of the Grand Divisions. His grandfather had owned slaves in Virginia, and his father, Giles Harding, brought several with the family to Tennessee. John Harding also owned slaves and became the third-largest slaveholder in Davidson County by 1850.

Career

In 1807, Harding purchased a 250-acre farm and log cabin from Daniel Dunham; it was called Dunham Station at Richland Creek on the

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland River, Cumberland, Tennessee River, ...

, six miles west of Nashville.Mark Zimmerman, ''Guide To Civil War Nashville Nashville'', The Battle of Nashville Preservation Society, 2004, p. 68 By 1820, he expanded the farm to 3800 acres and constructed a brick Federal style home. He invested in thoroughbreds, and developed it as the

, devoted to raising high-quality blooded livestock. In 1823, he registered his silks with the Nashville Jockey Club and was racing some of his thoroughbred horses. The plantation also included businesses: a blacksmith shop, grist mill, and saw mill. Harding also owned four other plantations in the South: a sugar plantation in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, and cotton plantations in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, and in the Pennington bend between the

Stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and Cumberland rivers in Nashville. Harding invested in the Nashville Female Academy and sent his two daughters there. By 1839, he turned the Belle Meade Plantation operations over to his son

, as he was busy developing a 10,000-acre cotton plantation in

in the lowland delta of the Mississippi River. After returning to Nashville, he moved with his wife into a townhouse at 85 Spring Street in Nashville.

Personal life

Harding married Susannah Shute on August 6, 1806. They had six children. Three survived infancy: son

(1808–1886), and two daughters, Elizabeth and Amanda.

Death

Harding died on September 16, 1867, in Nashville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, John 1777 births 1867 deaths People from Goochland County, Virginia People from Belle Meade, Tennessee 19th-century American planters Businesspeople from Tennessee American racehorse owners and breeders American slave owners