The Harding Family

The Harding Family:

 

First Generation

1.  Thomas Harding¹ was born (date unknown).

Thomas Harding and Agnes North were married on 29 Apr 1629 in England.¹ Agnes North¹ was born (date unknown).

Thomas Harding and Agnes North had the following child:

              2              i.   Thomas Harding, born abt 1635, Benningham, Gloucester, England; married Eleanor Bagwell, 26 Feb 1661/2, All Hallows, London Wall, Middlesex, England; married Elizabeth Nickolas\Nichols, 3 May 1693, Burlington Co., New Jersey; died bef 6 Oct 1708, Burlington Co., New Jersey, British America.

Second Generation

2.  Thomas Harding² (Thomas-1) was born about 1635 in Benningham, Gloucester, England.^2–3 He died before 6 Oct 1708 at the age of 73 in Burlington Co., New Jersey, British America.^2,4 Thomas Harding, son of Thomas and Agnes [North] Harding was born about 1635 in Gloucestershire. By the early 1660s, he was residing in London. There Harding married Eleanor Bagwell on 26 February 1661/2.
Thomas was a devout and outspoken Quaker. He worked as a boxmaker in London. On 26 February 1677 he purchased a 1/32 share in William Penn's West Jersey Colony from Daniel Wills of Northampton. He was one of the signers of "The Concessions and Agreements of West Jersey in America." [The document was written and signed before the colonists left England.] Later that year, on 16 August, the Hardings were among about 230 colonists who arrived at Newcastle aboard the Kent. William Penn and Henry Ballinger were also passengers.
In October, Harding became one of the founders of Burlington Township. One story has the Hardings and others settling along Banocas Creek on land purchased from local Indians. The settlers spent the winter in wigwams and subsisted on venison and corn traded from the Indians. Another version has them settling at Wickaco in the neighborhood of Burlington.

In December of 1681,  Thomas had two tracts surveyed, one for 200 acres on the Ranocas River, the other for 50 acres adjoining the land of William Evans. [He sold 150 acres of the survey to John Payne on 7 June 1690.]
Harding acquired 100 acres in West Jersey from William Biddle on 11 November 1690 and a 500 acre tract called "Two Brothers" near the head of the Fenwick River in 1691. He was recorded as being a carpenter of Philadelphia in the latter.

Thomas Harding was twice widowed. Eleanor died in 1692 and his second wife, Elizabeth Nichols, died in 1707.

Thomas wrote his will on 8 February 1708. His estate was probated on 6 October 1708.

Thomas Harding and Eleanor Bagwell were married on 26 Feb 1661/2 in All Hallows, London Wall, Middlesex, England.^2,5 Eleanor Bagwell was born about 1639 in England.⁶ She died on 10 Jul 1692 at the age of 53 in Burlington Co., New Jersey.^2,7 She was buried in Friends Burial Ground, Burlington Co., New Jersey.⁷ Eleanor was also known as Eleanor Harding.⁵

Thomas Harding and Eleanor Bagwell had the following child:

              3              i.   Mary Harding, born 1663, England; married Henry Ballinger Sr., 4 Nov 1684, Burlington MM, Burlington Co., New Jersey; died 1739, Evesham, Burlington Co., New Jersey.

Thomas Harding and Elizabeth Nickolas\Nichols were married on 3 May 1693 in Burlington Co., New Jersey.^2,8 Elizabeth Nickolas\Nichols was born about 1664 in probably New Jersey.⁹ She died on 16 May 1707 at the age of 43 in Burlington Co., New Jersey, British America.²

Thomas Harding and Elizabeth Nickolas\Nichols had the following children:

                              i.   Hope Harding was born on 11 Jun 1694.⁸

                             ii.   Rebecca Harding was born on 26 Jun 1696.⁸

                            iii.   Deborah Harding was born on 23 Apr 1698.⁸

                            iv.   Thomas Harding was born on 16 Dec 1699.⁸

Third Generation

3.  Mary Harding (Thomas-2, Thomas-1) was born in 1663 in England.¹⁰ She died in 1739 at the age of 76 in Evesham, Burlington Co., New Jersey.¹¹ She was also known as Mary Ballinger.^12–13

Mary Harding and Henry Ballinger Sr. were married on 4 Nov 1684 in Burlington MM, Burlington Co., New Jersey.^12–13 Henry Ballinger Sr.^4,13–14 was born about 1660 in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England.^14–16

Sources:

1. Nancy Denty Briedenthal, author, Nancy's Dead Relatives (http://www.nancysdeadrelatives.com/Harding/BagwellHarding.htm : accessed 4 December 2014), Harding parents.

        2. Briedenthal, Nancy's Dead Relatives, Harding/Bagwell.

        3. Compiler: unknown, LDS Ancestral File Family Group Record for Thomas Harding [AFN:4X46-RW], Version: 4.19 (17 March 2001).

        4. Emma Barrett Reeves, Three Centuries of Ballingers in America (Emma Barrett Reeves, Nacogdoches, Texas, c 1977).

        5. IGI: Thomas Harding - Eleanor Bagwell Marriage, Subject: Thomas Harding - Eleanor Bagwell marriage (26 February 1662).

        6. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [LDS], "International Genealogical Index," database, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 December 2014), British Isles, E. Bagwell's birth; citing FHL microfilm .

        7. IGI: Eleanor [Bagwell] Harding Death Record, Subject: Eleanor [Bagwell] Harding Death Record (10 July 1692).

        8. Bill Shaw, Compiler: Bill Shaw, Ancestry.com: Haven Branches - Shaylor-Dart, Location: Ancestry.com, Url: http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=AHN&db=wmshaw99&id=1107 (29 January 2002).

        9. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [LDS], "International Genealogical Index," database, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 December 2014), North America, E. Nichols' birth; citing FHL microfilm .

        10. Sarah Downham, Ballinger Mailing List, Subject: Ballingers-Hardings, Listserve: Rootsweb (18 March 2001, Original Date, 23 February 2000).

        11. Compiler: unknown, LDS Ancestral File Family Group Record for Henry Ballinger [AFN:4X46-K7] & Mary Harding [AFN: 4X46-LD], Version: 4.19 (17 March 2001).

        12. Emma Barrett Reeves, Three Centuries of Ballingers in America, p. 1.

        13. Family History: Pennsylvania Genealogies #1: Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families II, Hi-So, The Family of Thomas Olive of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire and of Burlington County, New Jersey [p. 534], Url: Genealogy.com.

        14. Dave Hyatt, Ballinger-L@rootsweb.com, Subject: Henry Ballinger, Listserve: Rootsweb (3 August 2001, Original Date, 29 April 1998).

        15. Emma Barrett Reeves, Three Centuries of Ballingers in America, p. 1 [Gives birthplace as Benninghamshire].

        16. Sarah Downham, Ballinger Mailing List, Subject: Ballingers-Hardings, Listserve: Rootsweb, Gives Charleton Kings as possible birthplace.

        17. Emma Barrett Reeves, Three Centuries of Ballingers in America, p. xxi.

        18. Emma Barrett Reeves, Three Centuries of Ballingers in America, 1, will proved: 10 April 1733.